Long before the Rockies became baseball’s worst team, before they drowned in McCovey’s Cove and melted in the Phoenix sun, general manager Dan O’Dowd made a prediction to anyone willing to listen: Rebuilding is painful.
In that context, the Rockies’ start has been a molar extraction, a kidney operation with a spoon. The Rockies face the San Francisco Giants tonight having lost everything but their dignity. They are saddled with a seven-game losing streak, their staff ERA is 7.64 and they haven’t hit a home run in a week.
“We knew that it was going to be a struggle, and by going 1-7 it has made it even more of a struggle,’ O’Dowd said Thursday. “You think you are never going to get out of it. But we have to stay focused on the project and realize that someday in the future we will turn the corner.’
When the Rockies were picked dead last by Las Vegas oddsmakers, the reason was simple: They were coming off a 68-win season and filling out their roster with a mountain of youth. At just over 26 years old, the Rockies are the youngest in baseball by nearly two years.
“I hate losing and wish we didn’t have to go through this, but at the same I understand our situation, the dynamic of our ballclub,’ said center fielder , slumping with .182 batting average.
“Sometimes you have to go through things to start making some improvement. You can help the (young players) and encourage them, but at the same time, some of it they have to learn on their own.’
O’Dowd’s challenge, one that extends to manager Clint Hurdle, is to instill confidence on a team that might be the worst in Rockies history. Doubt has already crept in during critical moments, leading to crippling mistakes: errant pitches from the bullpen, botched routine plays, offensive failures with runners in scoring position.
O’Dowd said the Rockies must become mentally tough to play through such mistakes.
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ROCKIES WRAP
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“The human tendency is to feel self-pity, but I don’t sense that at all,’ he said. “It’s real easy to lead when things are going well. It’s a lot harder when you feel like everything is going wrong.
“We are going to find out if we are tough enough to get through this, not just the players, but the coaches, the front office. We have to have toughness because we are going to hear criticism from everywhere.’
During O’Dowd’s tenure, some of those verbal missiles have been fired from the Rockies’ clubhouse. The loudest voice of dissent – Larry Walker – is gone, but first baseman ‘s patience remains an issue.
Helton has said repeatedly in the past few months that he has no problem being part of a young team. At the same time, he has no interest being on a team that has no chance.
Eight games into the season, Helton’s frustration is palpable.
“We just have to win. We need to turn it around. It’s hard to be positive when you are losing,’ Helton said. “I am not a big moral victory guy. I would rather win some games to set an example for the young guys. We have to make sure that they know it’s not OK to lose.’
O’Dowd recognizes the poor start is wearing on Helton. The all-star first baseman is in his eighth season and has never played a meaningful game in September.
“I worry about him, like I do all the guys,’ O’Dowd said. “I hope if things start to bother him, he will talk to me about it.’
Hurdle doesn’t offer any excuses for the seven-game losing streak, even if there are some reasonable explanations: closer Chin-Hui Tsao’s injury and third baseman and right fielder Dustan Mohr landing on the disabled list.
“One of the keys that we addressed in spring training is executing fundamentals and performing well under pressure,’ Hurdle said. “And basically, that’s where we are falling short.’
For all the suffering after a dramatic, opening-day victory, there are no plans for a quick fix. The only looming roster changes involve the bullpen, with veteran Jay Witasick and recently acquired Jose Acevedo in line for potential auditions. The roster will remain young. Identifying a core group of players moving forward is the season’s primary objective, O’Dowd said.
“We are not going to have a knee-jerk reaction,’ he said. “If some of our players need to take a breath in Triple-A, we will let them do it. But we don’t want guys feeling sorry for themselves. We need them to compete and be tough, or we won’t hang with them.’
WHAT’S GONE WRONG
No lead is safe
The bullpen has four blown saves and sports a 9.99 ERA. Cringe-worthy moment: gives up back-to-back game-winning home runs vs. Giants.
Erring ways
Six errors in the past seven games. Cringe-worthy moment: Second baseman mishandles a groundball, triggering the Diamondbacks’ comeback Tuesday.
Power outage
It’s 166 at-bats and counting since Rockies last hit a home run. Cringe-worthy moment: 14 consecutive runless innings against Arizona.
WHAT’S GONE RIGHT
Steady at first
has done his part, hitting .370.
Igniting lineup
SS and Miles have combined for 21 hits and 11 runs.
Starting strong
The starting five have proved to be a strength. Against Arizona, no starter allowed more than two runs.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
