"Watching Jim Tracy manage a game over the last few weeks has been like watching a kid finish a Scrabble board with consonants. There was some way he was going to make it work, even if it took a combination of letters that made no sense. There's a word that describes the Rockies' road trip: exasperating. Eric Young Jr. continued to falter in left field Wednesday night, but Rafael Betancourt made sense again in the eighth. Melvin Mora struggled at third, but pinch-hitting fit Seth Smith like a glove. And it was Ian Stewart's swing that finally provided an outcome, his solo home run shoving the Rockies to a nervy 6-5 victory in 12 innings. Stewart was the unlikely star, having started the game on the bench because of a 2-for-18 skid. But he crushed an 81-mph curveball from Tim Stauffer, ending the pitcher's 17 1/3 scoreless innings streak and leaving the Rockies at 3-3 on the road trip with three games remaining, starting Friday in Los Angeles. Walks have haunted the Rockies — they rank second in the National League behind the Mets — and created problems for what will likely be former closer Franklin Morales. He walked the only two hitters he faced in the 10th, leaving two runners aboard and one out for Manuel Corpas, the likely new closer. Pinch-hitter Scott Hairston reached on a fielder's choice, and Kyle Blanks flied out to center field to douse the rally. With only Joe Beimel left, Corpas remained in the game, his training as the longman in April proving invaluable. He worked a scoreless 11th and 12th to salvage the victory. The bullpen kept giving the Rockies' offense a lever pull on the slot machine. Matt Daley worked a spotless ninth, making a perfect throw on Tony Gwynn Jr.'s bunt attempt. And more important, Betancourt, who didn't pitch Tuesday night because of his recent slump, returned to his 2009 form. The right-hander pitched a scoreless eighth, striking out two Padres with low fastballs on the black." http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_15028830
