Cleveland – Desi Relaford stood in the middle of the clubhouse, patiently waiting for reporters. Ordinarily the team’s calmest player, Relaford bubbled with anger, eager to vent about injustice after a 2-1 defeat to the Cleveland Indians.
While road game No. 30 was in many ways a predictable remake, the pulsing undercurrent of outrage provided depth and meaning to the film.
On a cool, misty Thursday night, the Rockies cast themselves as reluctant stars in “The Umpire Strikes Back.”
Though Jamey Wright was the forgotten star, Relaford stole the biggest scene, revealing animosity that was believable, a tantrum that was memorable. With pinch-runner Cory Sullivan at second base, Relaford strode to the plate with two out in the ninth inning. Bob Wickman, the free agent the Rockies pursued more aggressively than any other over the winter, stood 60 feet, 6 inches away.
Wickman quickly posted two strikes, bringing the Jacobs Field crowd to its feet. On the final pitch, he unleashed a backdoor slider manager Clint Hurdle would say later was “at least 6 inches” off the plate. Umpire Phil Cuzzi saw it differently. He rang up Relaford, shocking and infuriating the shortstop.
“We’ve already got nine people we are going against. We don’t need the extra cat back there on their squad,” Relaford said. “It was a terrible pitch. It wasn’t even close.”
Relaford spiked his bat and threw his helmet in disgust. Cuzzi informed the veteran that he would receive the standard $250 equipment fine.
“Won’t pay it. Ever,” Relaford said. “Not going to happen.”
Relaford was punched out an inning after Preston Wilson was called out for what he referred to not as a check swing but a flinch. Wilson lamented the umpiring crew’s lack of consistency during the series, going as far as to cite calls that worked against the Indians the previous night.
“I don’t know if they were trying to get out of here or what. Whether it’s a two-hour, three-hour or four-hour game, you want to see it called the same way,” Wilson said.
“I can honestly say I didn’t see that.”
Blunders and lacking execution left the Rockies at the mercy of the questionable calls. In the sixth inning, Wilson was picked off after a one-out double, the victim of a what he “called a perfect timing play, they caught me leaning the wrong way.”
In the ninth, a lengthy at-bat by rookie Ryan Shealy, who provided the team’s only run with his first homer, was spoiled with a harmless groundout to third that failed to move the runner.
“Man, that was frustrating,” Shealy said. “He kept pounding me with sinkers in, and I couldn’t get the ball to the right side.”
By offering little resistance to Indians starter Kevin Millwood, the Rockies ruined a fourth consecutive gem from Wright. Told his rotation spot was hanging in the balance three weeks ago, Wright has responded, compiling a 2.05 ERA.
“That outing in Milwaukee (on May 25) was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Wright, whose effectiveness can be traced to confidence in his sinker and cut fastball. “I learned from it. Everything was working (tonight). I just wish we had won.”
As the bags were slowly packed on the bus, the Rockies’ anger slowly surrendered to emptiness. It was another loss, regardless of who was to blame.
“This isn’t the club we had back in ’97 or ’98, with all the players with two years’ experience or less,” Hurdle said. “It’s a bigger challenge.”
Staff writer Troy Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
