Pittsburgh – Most of the news is so offensive about Pittsburgh’s baseball team these days, so pungent, the Pirate Parrot could line his cage with the headlines.
Since the all-star break, Pittsburgh has spent its time connecting dots to misery. The Pirates entered Thursday’s game a season-low 15 games under .500. The Houston Astros swept them in a four-game series, a brutal flogging that left manager Lloyd McClendon even money to have his job by the end of the weekend.
The Rockies crept into this mess with a slight grin, encouraged after winning their first road series of the season, but concerned ace Jason Jennings may be lost for an extended period with a swollen finger.
The good news Thursday was they escaped injury. The bad news was Jeff Francis played piñata to angry swinging Pirates, who belted out an 8-1 victory before an easily pleased crowd of 22,492 at PNC Park.
“I was trying to be perfect, and I got beat up pretty good,” Francis said. “It’s frustrating, but I am not going to panic.”
Pittsburgh’s offense, a rumor for weeks, awoke with a vengeance, providing a healthy lead for rookie phenom Zach Duke to protect. In the worst inning of his career, Francis was soaked for five first-inning runs. He faced 10 batters, six of whom recorded hits, a display that put another dent in Francis’ suddenly vulnerable rookie of the year campaign.
If Francis is to become the second Rockies pitcher to capture the award, matching Jennings’ 2002 feat, he must find peace on the road, where he’s 3-7 with a 6.75 ERA in 16 starts.
“It all comes down to the fact that their starting pitcher was a lot better than ours (tonight),” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.
The Pirates’ initial onslaught marked their first multi-run inning in their past 82, hardly a surprise for a team that had been outhit 116-56 in its previous nine games. Starring roles were played by Darryl Ward, who snapped an 0-for-30 streak, and shortstop Jack Wilson, saddled with a .232 average after starting the All-Star Game last season.
Francis didn’t attempt to hide his disgust. He took no consolation for working five innings for a depleted staff – Jennings will undergo an MRI today and Zach Day is in Denver having his inflamed shoulder examined. The thin roster will be reinforced today by shortstop Anderson Machado and possibly a Triple-A reliever.
“I wasn’t playing in Cincinnati, just sitting on the bench, so I am happy for this opportunity,” said Machado, who was expected to compete with all-star Felipe Lopez for the Reds’ starting job before suffering a serious left knee injury in winter ball. “I want to show them what I can do.”
Mechanics provided eloquent explanation for Francis’ meltdown. As he did during an earlier slump this season, Francis dropped his arm angle, causing his pitches to flatten out and his trademark command to vanish.
“I went out there thinking about too much stuff,” said Francis, “instead of focusing on the most important thing, which is execution.”
Given a 5-0 cushion, Duke manhandled the Rockies, mixing in a 93 mph straight fastball with breaking pitches in odd counts. Colorado’s lone run came courtesy of a Wilson throwing error that snapped Duke’s scoreless inning streak at 22 innings. His dominance halted the Pirates’ five-game losing streak.
“It’s fun to have that kind of pressure,” Duke said. “If that’s able to motivate the guys I am all for it.”
Footnote
The Rockies are 9-38 on the road, the worst start since the 1963 Mets. They have been outscored 36-4 in the first inning in visiting parks and have not won back-to-back road games this season.
Rockies recap
Shortstop Desi Relaford isn’t worried about being dealt or cut. He’s focusing on getting a hit. While the Rockies are shopping Relaford, he’s trying to find his stroke at the plate. He snapped an 0-for-33 slump, the longest streak by a position player in Rockies history, with an eighth-inning single. “I haven’t been in the lineup a lot, but I am not going to be a jerk about it because I am struggling,” Relaford said. “Obviously, the (manager) feels they are a better team on most nights when I am not out there.” The Rockies are attempting to trade Relaford to a contender. Anderson Machado will join the team today, further cutting into Relaford’s already minimal playing time.
KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: Dan O’Dowd experienced what he called a “general manager’s dream,” watching previous top picks Troy Tulowitski and Ian Stewart for Class-A Modesto on Tuesday. Tulowitski reached base five times with a home run, and Stewart plated four runs and hit a towering home run. “People I have talked to say that’s one of the best California League teams they have seen. That’s encouraging to hear,” O’Dowd said.
JUGGLING THE ORDER: As promised, manager Clint Hurdle tweaked the batting order, moving Garrett Atkins into the second spot and Matt Holliday up to the fifth spot. Hurdle plans to experiment while different players rest during the Rockies’ 34 games in 34 days stretch. Eric Byrnes occupied the cleanup spot. “I hit there in the Dominican Republic. It doesn’t matter to me, anywhere one through nine is fine,” Byrnes said. “I just don’t want to hit 10th.”
