Los Angeles – Clint Hurdle loves to talk about challenges. Indeed, the Rockies’ exuberant manager could hold a seminar on the topic.
How apropos, considering what his young Rockies confront beginning tonight in San Francisco:
They open a three-game set against the Giants at AT&T Park, where they are 16-37 since the park opened in 2000.
They are coming off their biggest downer of the season, losing three straight in Los Angeles, where they were outscored 21-3.
Their offense is sputtering, ranking 13th in the National League with 208 runs scored.
Losers of nine of their last 14 games, the Rockies have hit just .230 in that span and a paltry .209 with runners in scoring position.
Giants slugger Barry Bonds is stuck on career home run No. 714 and needs one more to pass Babe Ruth for second place all-time. That means AT&T Park will be rockin’ this weekend, with fans hoping Bonds makes a splash in McCovey Cove.
But the Rockies – who were having a joyride of a season until hitting that major pothole in L.A. – don’t seem overly concerned with the recent skid that has left them 2 1/2 games behind National League West-leading Arizona. That, by the way, is the farthest out of first they’ve been all season.
“We didn’t play well,” Hurdle said after Wednesday night’s 7-1 loss to the Dodgers. “But if you tie your emotions to three-game swings in baseball, you’ll go crazy. I’ll leave that up to the media. We’re just going to take a shower and head off to San Francisco.”
Staff ace Aaron Cook, saddled with the loss at L.A. on Wednesday when the Rockies mustered just four hits, remained upbeat. He doesn’t envision the recent slump turning into a protracted slide.
“I think this team is resilient enough to brush this off,” Cook said. “More times than not, we have been playing this game the right way. I think we’ll bounce back.”
The Rockies can take a first step with Jeff Francis on the mound tonight. The lanky lefty is pitching the best baseball of his major-league career, posting a 1.59 ERA over his past six starts.
But Francis, too, faces a giant challenge. In three starts at AT&T, Francis is 0-2 with an 11.30 ERA and has given up eight homers. Nonetheless, he’s eager to face Bonds, the crowd and his own past.
“I love being out there in games like that, with crowds like that,” Francis said.
The Rockies are counting on another quality start by Francis tonight, but what they really need is something, or someone, to jump-start their stalled offense.
“Sometimes you just don’t do well,” Hurdle said. “Right now, I don’t know if we are pressing, but I know that we are not getting the results we would like. But that’s part of the test we are going to go through as we continue through the season.”
Ironically, the Rockies’ worst series of the season came just as the club was starting to get a few national pats on the back. Sports Illustrated this week called the Rockies “a genuine contender.”
Hurdle said that’s one more hurdle to clear.
“These guys probably have more exposure now than they have ever had, and that comes along with the territory,” he said. “One of the challenges when there is more expectations is, how do guys handle it?”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
