Cincinnati – All the Rockies’ relievers did was save the season. All they did was deadbolt leads and restore hope. All they did was slowly lure back jilted fans. And now that everyone is in the tent, the delightful elephant is getting stomped to death.
Three months of success sit in danger of becoming irrelevant because of a disturbing three-week slump. The bullpen suffered another troubling collapse Thursday as the Rockies opened the second half just as they finished the first half, pitching terribly in a 9-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark.
“We have some issues out there,” manager Clint Hurdle said.
The teams entered the game tied for second place in the wild-card chase, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 1 1/2 games. When they exited, the Reds had acquired two relievers – Gary Majewski and Bill Bray – and watched recently added Eddie Guardado record his first National League save.
While the Reds got new, what happened to the Rockies is getting old. Nothing illustrated Colorado’s problems better than Ray King sitting at his locker, staring blankly across the clubhouse after the team’s fourth consecutive loss and sixth straight in Cincinnati, dating to 2004.
At the worst possible time – the Rockies’ brass will determine whether to acquire critical parts based largely on this 10-game road trip – the bullpen can’t get anybody out.
“It needs to stop or it’s going to get ugly,” King said. “We are in a race, and if one guy is not doing the job, you have to use somebody else that has the hot hand.”
That’s the problem Hurdle faces. His relievers can’t be trusted, holding leads as gracefully as Edward Scissorhands. Over the past three games, the Rockies’ bullpen has allowed 17 runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The relievers’ season ERA, under 4.00 a week ago, has ballooned to 4.46.
“I am (invoking) the 12-hour rule,” Hurdle said when asked whether any role or personnel changes were forthcoming.
Any doubt why general manager Dan O’Dowd is seeking relief help can be gleaned from the statistics. Scott Dohmann has surrendered home runs in four of his past six appearances, counting Ken Griffey’s 555th career blast Thursday. Jose Mesa, spared in the loss, has allowed five runs in his past eight games. King has a 9.35 ERA over the past two weeks.
“I am not worried about the bullpen,” Todd Helton insisted.
Jeff Francis forced the Rockies to climb uphill, surrendering three first-inning runs. He regrouped, but after Helton’s two-run home run shaved the Reds’ lead to 4-3, the Rockies got sloppy, foreshadowing their collapse. With the tying run on first, catcher Yorvit Torrealba botched a sacrifice bunt, a failure that prompted him to throw his bat 20 feet toward the dugout.
“If you are going to make the playoffs, you can’t have mistakes like that,” Torrealba said.
King knows he’s running out of time. With the youth movement accelerating, with the team contending, patience has an expiration date.
“I need to start busting guys inside and going with the backdoor slider because everyone is just straight looking for that pitch down and away,” King said. “It’s frustrating. And it needs to change quick.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
