Rockies fueled by unlikely power source

A clutch home run came from an unlikely source yesterday as the Colorado Rockies beat the Phillies, 5-4, in Game 2 of the National League division series.

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba hit a 1-1 hanging curveball off Cole Hamels for a two-run homer to left field in the fourth inning, extending the Rockies' lead to 3-0.

The catcher's home-run trot was admittedly rusty. He hit only two this season, and his last one came May 6 against the San Francisco Giants.

Torrealba went his final 56 regular-season games plus the first game in this series without breaking out that trot.

"I didn't know how to run the bases," he said with a laugh in the Rockies' locker room. "I didn't know whether to run or slow down."

He caught plenty of good-natured ribbing from his teammates.

"I thought you would have a better chance to hit the lottery than for him to hit a home run," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki quipped.

Torrealba had a good feeling as soon as he made contact with the pitch.

"I stayed back long enough to get it out of the ballpark, and I knew right away when I hit it that it was gone," he said.

In ideal settings, Torrealba has difficulty hitting for power; yesterday's late-afternoon shadows made it even tougher.

"It was definitely hard," Torrealba said. "You can barely see the ball as a catcher or as a hitter."

He obviously saw enough of it to jack it out of the park.

"I think I got lucky, actually, to be honest with you," he said. "I think I closed my eyes and swung and hit a home run."

The 31-year-old Torrealba has hit 38 career regular-season home runs in 1,781 at-bats. It was his second postseason home run, with the other coming against Arizona in the 2007 National League Championship Series.

This has been a season of turmoil and triumph for Torrealba. From June 2 to July 1, he spent time on the major-league restricted list as he dealt with the kidnapping and safe recovery of family members in Venezuela. Torrealba's 11-year-old son and two of the boy's uncles were targeted in the kidnapping.

"It was really difficult, but now that I know my son's safe, it is a relief, and I can now concentrate on baseball and be the player I can be," he said.

Even though everyone was surprised by the catcher's power surge, the fact that he has come up big in the playoffs should not be a shock.

He is hitting .421 (8 for 19) in his career in division series games. In five of those against the Phillies, Torrealba is batting .500 (8 for 16).

Torrealba is glad to be going back to chilly Colorado with the next two games at Coors Field.

"We felt our goal was to win at least one game here [in Philadelphia]," Torrealba said. "We're going back home, and with our fans, it's going to be huge."

Almost as huge as a home run that came from a truly unexpected source.