Rockies riding "Little Pony" through another October hot streak

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Carlos Gonzalez went 3 for 5 with a double, a steal and a run scored in Colorado's 5-4 Game 2 win. AP

PHILADELPHIA -- His clubhouse nickname is "Little Pony," but Carlos Gonzalez's influence on the Rockies has been as big as a 757, which is precisely Colorado's winning percentage in games that the 23-year-old outfielder started this season.

No baseball team gets hotter than the Rockies, and the Rockies have been hottest when Gonzalez is starting. Manager Jim Tracy has written CarGo's name on his lineup card 70 times, and Colorado has won 53 of those games, a .757 rate.

Gonzalez, who has started the postseason 5 for 9, keyed the Rockies offense on Thursday afternoon, with three hits and a first-inning run that set the tone for a 5-4 win, evening the Division Series at 1-1. Facing a second straight southpaw ace from the Phillies -- Cole Hamels, a day after Cliff Lee threw a one-run, complete-game gem -- the Rockies wanted to take a more patient approach in the batter's box.

In the game's first at bat, Gonzalez worked the count from 1-2 to full, then grounded a single through the right side of the infield. He stole second base -- though, admittedly, Hamels had him picked off first and Gonzalez simply beat Ryan Howard's throw to second -- moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and sped home on Todd Helton's infield dribbler.

"Cliff Lee pitched a really good game, but we were very anxious at the plate," said Gonzalez in the Citizens Bank Park visiting clubhouse, sporting a version of the mane of hair (a gelled-up faux-hawk) that inspired teammate Brad Hawpe to give him the Little Pony nickname. "He threw his pitches and we were jumping at the first pitch. Tonight was different. We worked the count and made him throw strikes."

Being more patient at the plate has been the biggest key to Gonzalez's development. Signed out of his native Venezuela by the Diamondbacks when he was 16, he has been saddled with the baggage of expectations, which is what happens when a prospect is labeled "can't-miss" with "five tools," or traded for a pair of All-Stars. Gonzalez has been the key chip in trades for Dan Haren and Matt Holliday in consecutive offseasons, shuttling from Arizona to Oakland and then to Colorado, where he certainly enjoyed a better day on Thursday than Holliday, whose error led to the Cardinals' collapse against the Dodgers.

Gonzalez received his first taste of the majors with the A's last year, but his admitted impatience got the best of him. He averaged only 3.43 pitches each trip to the batter's box -- which ranked in the bottom 25 of all players with at least 300 plate appearances -- and hit only .242 with four homers and four steals in 85 games.

After raking at Triple-A Colorado Springs to start his tenure with his new organization (batting .339 with 10 home runs), Gonzalez was promoted to the Rockies on June 5, a few days after Colorado dismissed manager Clint Hurdle when they were 21-32, the second-worst record in the National League. Initially, Gonzalez continued to struggle at the plate and contributed mostly with his glove, while the club reeled off 17 wins in 18 games.

"He takes a lot of pressure off me," Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler said of Gonzalez's fielding in left. "He's a natural center fielder, so he helps me cover the gaps."