The Rockies’ fall from first to worst in the National League West can be traced to last month’s three-game skid at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.
Tonight at Coors Field, the Rockies’ chance to climb out of basement begins with the first of three games against those same Dodgers.
Spurred by two straight wins, which arrived after a frustrating six-game losing streak, the Rockies were feeling spunky again Wednesday afternoon after drubbing Pittsburgh 16-9.
“Two wins in less than 24 hours can change the slant of things,” manager Clint Hurdle said.
Beating the Pirates is one thing, but beating the Dodgers is quite another.
The second-place Dodgers are 5-1 against the Rockies this year. When the Dodgers swept the Rockies in L.A. on May 22-24, they cruised 6-1, 8-1 and 7-1. Those three losses began a slide during which the Rockies lost 11 of 13 games, going from six games over .500 to three games under.
The team-wide batting slump that began in Los Angeles – the Rockies hit .224 during that 13-game stretch – appeared to end Wednesday with a 14-hit performance. But the Rockies face Dodgers ace Brad Penny tonight, and he has beaten them twice this season.
“I knew this team would start hitting again, but now we have to keep it going against the Dodgers,” right fielder Brad Hawpe said.
The Dodgers come to town with question marks about closer Eric Gagne, who converted his first save in nearly a year Tuesday night. However, Gagne, who had surgery April 7 to remove a nerve in his pitching elbow, experienced discomfort after Tuesday’s game.
Raves for Ramirez
Rookie reliever Ramon Ramirez, whom Hurdle has dubbed “the biggest surprise of the season,” continues to baffle batters.
He pitched another scoreless inning Wednesday and has pitched scoreless ball in 20 of his 21 appearances. His 1.04 ERA ranks second in the National League for relievers with more than 20 innings. Batters have hit just .136 against Ramirez.
Footnotes
Infielder Jason Smith agreed Thursday to play for Triple-A Colorado Springs. He was designated for assignment Saturday. Struggling reliever Sun-Woo Kim has until today to decide if he will accept assignment to the Colorado Springs or choose free agency. … Third baseman Garrett Atkins enters tonight’s game riding a 5-for-5 streak and is hitting .357 (25-for-70) in his last 19 games.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
