Aaron Cook News

"First, the right-hander's lower back felt fine after he missed his last start because of pain and stiffness. Second, the Rockies' ace earned his 15th victory, remaining on track to win a franchise-record 18 games. But Cook didn't go 3-for-3 because he didn't pitch particularly well, at least not by his standards. Cook lasted just five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. Manager Clint Hurdle agreed it was a "gritty" effort. "The guys played great defense and gave me some runs," an appreciative Cook said. "I told (pitching coach Bob) Apodaca when I came out that my back feels fine. I just didn't execute my pitches. I got away with some." On his next side session, Cook will work on his ..."

"The Rockies were feeling a lot better this morning and last night's win was only partly responsible. Pitcher Aaron Cook threw a side session before the game and said there were no problems with his previously stiff back. He said he hopes to pitch Sunday in the series finale at Washington. Club officials expect to make a decision today. Given that he threw all his pitches pain free, the latest Cook would likely pitch is Tuesday in Los Angeles. Third baseman Garrett Atkins also returned to the clubhouse following his bout with strep throat. He has lost five pounds after being able to eat only a protein shake and a quesadilla over the past two days. He consumed a big breakfast today and ..."

"The fallout from Aaron Cook's crowning moment continued Tuesday. Though he pitched three terrific innings at the All-Star Game, the right-hander's back hasn't felt right since. He will miss Thursday's start with stiffness in his back, with the idea that extra rest will help keep him off the disabled list. Glendon Rusch will replace Cook in the series finale, followed by Jorge De La Rosa and Livan Hernandez in the rotation. Cook plans to throw a side session Thursday, cautiously eyeing Sunday or Tuesday for his return. Cook ranks second in the National League with 14 wins and has logged 172 innings. "There's a lot of stuff that can be part of the (soreness). The All-Star Game is a bit of ..."

"A long season has caught up to Rockies ace Aaron Cook, who will miss Thursday's start with a stiff back, as first reported by The Denver Post today. Cook, who leads Colorado in victories at 14-8, is not expected to land on the disabled list, but is suffering fatigue in his lower back that will require more rest. "We feel by pushing him back, we can avoid the disabled list," said manager Clint Hurdle, who is unsure when Cook will be ready. "If he has to go on the DL, he has to go on the DL missing five starts minimum." Glendon Rusch will fill in for Cook in the rotation followed by Jorge De La Rosa and Livan Hernandez. Cook has downplayed questions about whether he has hit a wall, but he ..."

"Aaron Cook already has established a career high in victories (14-8) and sparkled in his first All-Star Game appearance. At one point, a 20-win season seemed well within reach. At the least, Cook's chances of setting a franchise record with 18 victories looked realistic. But Cook is struggling, losing two straight, working just 5 2/3 innings in each game. Theories abound for Cook's mini-slump. Manager Clint Hurdle said he was going to talk to Cook about the right-hander's ability to focus on the right target. Cook, however, thinks he has slipped off track for a simple reason. "It's not complicated, I just haven't executed my pitches," Cook said Sunday, the day after the Padres rocked him ..."

"If the Rockies needed a wake-up call, they got it Monday night. Looking to make a move in the National League West, fresh off their most successful trip of the season and opening a 10-game stay at Coors Field, they had their ace, Aaron Cook, on the mound against a Washington team that arrived for a four-game visit with the worst record in the majors. The ace got trumped. The Nationals gave the Rockies a 9-4 reminder - if any was needed - that there are no sure things. It was only the Rockies' third loss in their past 14 games at Coors Field, but it dropped them eight games back of NL West-leading Arizona, which rallied to beat Pittsburgh on a night the Rockies let an early lead turn into ..."

"The timing couldn't have been better for Aaron Cook. He took his regular turn Friday for the Rockies one day after his wife, Holly, gave birth here to a son. Pitching with his usual efficiency, Cook smothered the Cincinnati Reds for eight innings. Meanwhile, the Rockies knocked Reds ace Edinson Volquez out of the game early as they began a crucial 10-game trip with a 7-2 victory. Cook, who is from Hamilton, Ohio, which is about 30 miles northwest of Cincinnati, flew here Wednesday. Colton Jeremiah Cook, who weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long, was born in a Cincinnati hospital at 1:33 p.m., which gave Cook the opportunity to rest for a start in which he got 13 groundball outs ..."

"Numbers told the story of Aaron Cook's sweet homecoming to southern Ohio: He got his 13th victory, leading the Rockies to a 7-2 win over the Reds tonight at Great American Ballpark. He pitched eight innings, allowing one run on five hits, struck out four and didn't walk any. The only extra-base hit he gave up was a triple to Ken Griffey Jr. in the sixth. And the most important stat of all: 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Those are the vitals on Colton Jeremiah Cook, who was born at 1:33 p.m. Thursday in Cincinnati. He's the third child of Aaron and Holly Cook, joining sister Alexis and brother Elijah. The Reds scratched out their only run off Cook in the second on single by Brandon Phillips ..."

"The trademark sinking action was missing from his pitches. Aaron Cook was overthrowing, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were taking hearty, productive swings, reaping the results in the first inning Sunday. "I knew that if I kept doing that all day, it was going to be a real short outing," Cook said. Instead, Cook, incorporating advice from pitching coach Bob Apodaca, made a quick adjustment and settled into a remarkable groove. He retired 18 of the final 19 batters he faced, allowing only a harmless single over his final six innings. Meanwhile, the Rockies offense awakened against Zach Duke after he retired the first 10 batters he faced, and the Rockies completed their first four-game ..."

"Even as the Rockies juggle to put together a starting rotation for their last 65 games, the clubhouse was buzzing about ace Aaron Cook's three-inning performance in Tuesday's All-Star Game. "I was jumping up and down," Jeff Francis said. "Now I know how my parents feel when you really root for somebody in a big game." Cook entered the game in the 10th inning and quickly induced two grounders with his sinker, only to see Florida second baseman Dan Uggla make errors on both. Cook intentionally loaded the bases, then got out of the mess with three consecutive groundball outs."

"All Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook wanted was a chance to pitch in the All-Star Game. "It's special being here, but you don't want to just be a bystander," he said before Tuesday's game. Cook wasn't. His opportunity didn't come until the 10th inning, but he put on a brilliant display in that inning of what has allowed him to move into the class of elite pitchers. He then took advantage of a break to escape the 11th without giving up a run and got out of another jam in the 12th. His performance kept the National League in the game, which the American League finally won 4-3 in 15 innings."

"Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook met Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and collected autographs from his teammates. That, he privately figured, would be his all-star highlight Tuesday. Instead, he became a magician, executing the greatest escape from New York since Kurt Russell. He logged three innings — his next start will be pushed back to Saturday — all with accompanying drama. It was nothing short of one of the gutsiest pitching performances in recent all-star memory. The right-hander worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out disaster in the 10th inning, inducing three straight groundballs from Cleveland's Grady Sizemore, Tampa's Evan Longoria and Minnesota's Justin Morneau."

"With his red hair, freckles, All-American smile and Midwestern values, Aaron Cook could be Richie Cunningham reincarnated. Except on the days he pitches. When he takes the mound, his "Happy Days" persona disappears. "It's like I let loose the animal in me or something," Cook said. Mix that mind-set with one of the best sinkers in the game and a mid-90s four-seam fastball and it helps explain why the Rockies' 29-year-old right-hander was selected for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. "One of the best things about Aaron is that he's almost always happy," teammate Brad Hawpe said. "Whether we're at the ballpark or out deer hunting, he's easy to be around, always ..."

"Cook, who never won more than nine games in any previous season, is 11-6 with a 3.66 ERA for a Rockies team that is 15 games below .500. He's going to his first All-Star Game next week at Yankee Stadium, happily extending his stay in New York, where tonight against the Mets at Shea Stadium, he will try to become the first Rockies pitcher to win 12 games before the All- Star break."

"Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook can forget about the All-Star break. He is going to be busy this year. "I rarely lobby for a player, but this time, I'm going to call the (All-Star) manager," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, tongue-in-cheek. Hurdle is the All-Star manager, an honor he earned for managing the Rockies to the National League pennant last year. And while the official word won't come for a few more days, rest assured, Cook will be on the NL All-Star team, quite possibly as the starting pitcher for the July 15 game at Yankee Stadium. "Tell Clint I appreciate that," Cook said. Cook can't appreciate Hurdle's endorsement anywhere near as much as Hurdle has come to appreciate ..."

"It began as an answer and became a recipe for revival. In order to pry open the lid on this season's casket, the Rockies, in manager Clint Hurdle's estimation, need to forget personal statistics. "One of the problems you have in athletics is that when things go bad you internalize and become so focused on not being the weak link that you don't play to win," Hurdle explained. "All we did in the second half of last season was throw it out on the field and not worry about that. We need to find a way to rekindle that." Or you can just pitch Aaron Cook. For all the Rockies' problems, the game appears pretty simple when he's on the mound. Cook made one heck of a pitch to start the ..."

"As first halves go, Aaron Cook has enjoyed a terrific season. Exorcising demons from his lone forgettable outing, a meltdown against the Chicago Cubs, the right-hander worked six solid innings in the Rockies" 5-3 victory today over the White Sox. The win was Cook's 10th, a single-season career best. That fact will get a lot of play over the next two weeks when the right-hander, barring injury, lands on the National League All-Star staff. Colorado won its fourth consecutive series as it crawls back into contention in the outrageously mediocre National League West."

"With a 9-3 record and a 3.21 ERA, Aaron Cook is on the fast track to the All-Star Game, though he would rather not talk about it. "Seriously, the only time I think about it is when you (media) guys bring it up," Cook said Wednesday. "I'm just trying to focus on my job every day. Everything else will take care of itself." But Cook acknowledged he's in the best place of his career, and manager Clint Hurdle believes Cook is a strong candidate to pitch at Yankee Stadium on July 15."

"In a baseball season of Rocky Mountain lows, when smiles have been rarer than victories and the mood music at Coors Field has often been dead air, the home crowd yearns for any good reason to get on its feet and shout. So the most remarkable statistic of pitcher Aaron Cook's all-star caliber performance cannot be found in the scorebook. He leads the Rockies in standing ovations. The Cookie Monster brings the noise."

"OK, so this is what the season was supposed to be like for the Rockies. Amazing what successive strong-arm efforts from Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook, the anticipated 1-2 punch in the Rockies' rotation, can do to cover up other shortcomings and allow the Rockies to feel good about themselves. The afternoon after Francis helped the Rockies end an eight-game losing streak with the team's first shutout of the season, Cook avoided any hangover from his worst performance of the season in a 2-1 victory against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium."

"He pitched a four-hit, 4-1 victory against the New York Mets, turning in the Rockies' first complete game this season and allowing Colorado to salvage some pride by winning two of three series on their just-completed homestand in which they went 5-4. Rookie Seth Smith, one of the weekend additions from Triple-A Colorado Springs, provided the offensive lift with his first big- league home run, not only giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead in the fourth but providing the first of only three hits that Mets starter John Maine and two relievers allowed in the game."

"Blake Street's big boppers were either on the bench or icing down aching body parts. But that didn't stop Aaron Cook and the Rockies from beating the Mets 4-1 this afternoon at Coors Field. Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Clint Barmes and Troy Tulowitzki are all on the disabled list. Garrett Atkins, his suffering from neck spasms, couldn't play for a second straight game. But the Rockies had Cook on the hill and Seth Smith in the batter's box. It was all they needed. Cook pitched the first complete game by a Rockies pitcher this season and their first since Aug. 29, 2007."