Manager Clint Hurdle stood in the hallway outside his office, finishing his postgame meal, and considered Freud for thought. Can the Rockies change their psychology, revisit the way they have always viewed themselves?
Simply put, can the Rockies be a dominant team at home without scoring bunches of runs?
“I absolutely believe we can,” Hurdle said. “A great offense sends a lot of guys to the All-Star Game. Pitching and defense win championships. It’s how we have to win. Our park is not a pinball machine anymore.”
This point was driven home Wednesday after the Rockies fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field when Todd Helton’s flyball disappeared into J.D. Drew’s glove for the final out.
The loss was the Rockies’ 10th in 20 home games and marked the ninth time this season they have scored fewer than four runs at home. If the Rockies are to contend for their first division title, they need to win, Hurdle agreed, at least 48 games on Blake Street.
A dynamic offense represents the obvious solution. Based on what has been learned a quarter into the season, however, it appears time for an amendment.
“It’s not the place that people used to see. It’s not just us who aren’t hitting home runs and scoring, it’s the opponents, too,” said outfielder Matt Holliday, whose team has just 14 home runs at home.
“How we finish is going to have a lot to do with our pitching. All you have to do is check the statistics and see this park is different.”
Through six weeks, and without benefit of the hitter-friendly hot summer months, Coors Field has averaged 8.85 runs and 1.65 home runs per game, down 20 percent from a year ago. Since the advent of the humidor to store the baseballs at the manufacturer’s specifications, the ballpark yielded 11.97 runs and 2.63 runs from 2002 to 2005, compared with 13.83 and 3.20 without it.
Dodgers manager Grady Little couldn’t help but notice.
“We can see the difference with our eyes. When I first came here with the Padres in 1996, a lot of the popups went out. Those are being caught now,” Little said before the Dodgers sent the Rockies to their sixth loss in eight games.
“Just look at the scores. It has some similarities to real baseball.”
While improved pitching has played a role, particularly from starters Jason Jennings (Wednesday’s hard-luck loser), Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis, it’s impossible to ignore the humidor’s impact. The key, then, becomes the adjustment.
For the Rockies to continue surprising, if not thriving, it’s not enough for them to adapt to their ballpark’s changes. They have to exploit them. The Rockies must more closely resemble the 1982 Cardinals than the 1927 Yankees if they are to regain their home-field edge.
“It was mentally draining trying to be two different teams,” Hurdle said. “I’ve let go of the idea that we are going to have teams here with (multiple) guys hitting 40 home runs.”
Small ball amplifies the importance of doing little things well.
Jennings surrendered three runs in 6 2/3 innings – “I will still take that every time here,” he said – and lost when Garrett Atkins misplayed a seventh-inning groundball and Helton couldn’t knock down teetering Dodgers closer Danys Baez.
“I didn’t get a good read on that ball (in the field). That’s a play I should make,” Atkins said. “But when Todd came up I liked our chances. We just really need to get the offense going.”
Even if that means winning 5-4 instead of 7-6.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
