When double-figure Ks mount on the scorecard, it’s not a good night for hitters.
When the tape measure is dragged out, it’s not a good night for a struggling pitcher.
And when they begin playing “Macarena” in the bottom of the ninth, it’s not a good sign for the home team.
The Rockies were on the wrong end of all those scenarios Thursday night in a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. The Rockies’ defeat, coupled with Arizona’s 6-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs, cost the Rockies sole possession of first place in the National League West. The Rockies and Diamondbacks share the lead at 16-13.
Reds starter Aaron Harang won his fifth consecutive game, recording a career-high 12 strikeouts. He leads the National League with 45.
“That’s a shock,” Harang said when informed of his achievement. “I don’t consider myself a strikeout pitcher.”
The Rockies would beg to differ. The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Harang utilized terrific control – he walked two in 8 1/3 innings – an effective slider and what the Rockies described as a “heavy fastball” to confound hitters.
“He’s real deceptive because he stays up in the zone and, being as tall as he is, the ball just accelerates on you,” said Rockies center fielder Cory Sullivan, who struck out twice.
Harang’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a pitcher against the Rockies since the Marlins’ A.J. Burnett had 14 strikeouts on Aug. 29, 2004, at Florida.
Right-hander Josh Fogg, hoping to solidify his spot as the Rockies’ fifth starter, gave up two long home runs. On the second, Fogg’s cutter stayed up and Jason LaRue hit it 412 feet for a three-run shot, giving the Reds a 4-0 lead. Reds left fielder Adam Dunn hit a 454-foot solo homer, his 11th of the season, to lead off the sixth inning and expand the Reds’ advantage to 5-1.
After two straight poor outings, Fogg needed a solid performance, especially with Sun-Woo Kim returning to the big-league club soon. If Kim’s final outing with Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday is sharp, he could challenge Fogg for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Though Fogg didn’t pitch nearly as well as he had hoped to, he lasted into the seventh inning and said he made progress.
“I was able to get some of my command back today, which is something I didn’t have in Florida in my last start,” Fogg said. “But I made a couple of mistakes that they made me pay for.”
Still, Fogg insisted he took some baby steps.
“In terms of throwing strikes when I needed to, yeah, but I’m obviously not where I need to be,” he said. “When you make mistakes and put your team in a hole, it’s a long road back for them.”
All told, the Rockies whiffed 13 times and had seven hits. Colorado’s lone run came in the second inning when catcher Danny Ardoin drove in Brad Hawpe with an infield grounder.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
