Rockies Put Diamondbacks in Deep Fogg, Lead NLCS 3-0

Oct 15, 12:00 AM

Current Headlines: DENVER_Yorvit Torrealba had problems timing Livan Hernandez's 58-mph curve Sunday night, but he had no difficulty solving Hernandez's 82-mph fastball.

Torrealba, who spent seven full seasons in the minor leagues before reaching the majors, launched a 3-2 pitch for a three-run home run in the sixth inning Sunday night that vaulted Colorado to a 4-1 lead over Arizona in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at damp Coors Field.

Torrealba had been fooled on two off-speed pitches before cranking his go-ahead homer.

The Rockies went on to win 4-1 and took a 3-0 lead in the NLCS over their division rival.

The home run provided much-deserved support for pitcher Josh Fogg, who hurled six innings of one-run ball in his first appearance since an Oct. 4 relief stint against Philadelphia in the NL Division Series.

Fogg, 30, was making his first start since Oct. 1 in the one-game playoff against San Diego to determine the NL wild-card entrant.

He also helped the 15-year-old franchise move within one victory of its first league championship.

In winning 20 of their last 21 games, the Rockies also avenged their only loss during that span _ against Arizona on Sept. 28 at Coors.

Torrealba, 29, who didn't become a full-time major-league catcher until this season with the Rockies, his third team, raised his right hand while rounding the bases.

Light rain fell throughout the game, and the 43-degree game-time temperature was less than half of Friday's Game 2 reading of 87 at Chase Field.

But the fans were hot over comments by Arizona left fielder Eric Byrnes, who had suggested that the Diamondbacks had outplayed the Rockies during the first two games and that the Rockies were beneficiaries of some close calls.

Byrnes was an immediate target. In his first at-bat, he hit a soft line drive back to the mound, which Fogg caught and threw to second to complete a double play.

In the bottom of the first, the ever-theatrical Byrnes slammed into the left-field wall while unsuccessfully trying to catch Matt Holliday's home run that landed a few rows behind the fence, gave Colorado a 1-0 lead and snapped a 4-for-21 rut.

And Byrnes took a called third strike to start the fourth.

Fogg, meanwhile, relied on his location and defense to induce three double plays in the first three innings.

Fogg needed only 35 pitches to get through the first three innings with the help of his defense and needed only 76 pitches to get through the first six innings.

Fogg began his professional career with the White Sox and held his own with the likes of former first-round picks Kip Wells and Jon Garland at Class A Winston-Salem in 1999.

"(Fogg) was pitching right there with those two guys," said Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, who was the roving minor-league pitching coordinator at the time.

"You couldn't be able to tell who was who. He had a fastball and curve at the time and came up with a cut fastball and changeup. He went up the ladder after that."

Fogg's only blemish was a game-tying solo homer surrendered to Mark Reynolds with two out in the fourth.

The homer snapped Reynolds' 3-for-19 slump.

Fogg had allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his four starts against Arizona during the regular season.

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