Pittsburgh – The fallout from the Rockies’ crippling eight-game losing streak reached beyond the standings Monday night to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
After the Rockies stumbled 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, baseball’s worst team, bodies began flying and tempers were flaring.
Looking to bolster their reeling bullpen, the Rockies promoted Triple-A right-hander Manuel Corpas and farmed out relievers Scott Dohmann and David Cortes.
First baseman Ryan Shealy, who has attracted the attention of the Blue Jays, Orioles and Royals, also was added as an extra bat off the bench. With the starters gobbling up innings, manager Clint Hurdle deemed a seventh reliever unnecessary.
That didn’t make the demotions any easier. Dohmann left disappointed and Cortes was furious. He declined to comment, his face red with emotion as he hustled out the clubhouse door.
“It’s frustrating when other guys aren’t doing their jobs and those guys get sent out when they really haven’t had an opportunity to pitch,” said reliever Ray King, pointing the finger at himself for being ineffective. “It’s a tough situation.”
The Rockies have reached a critical juncture, their season hanging in the balance with five games remaining on the road trip. They insist they are contenders despite an offense hiccupping with runners in scoring position (three hits in their past 36 at-bats) and relievers spewing lava (13.87 ERA during the skid).
“At worst we will be five games back (today). We have to remember that,” outfielder Matt Holliday said. “If we can just get over the mental part of it and move forward, we will be fine.”
Hurdle was left grasping Monday, trying desperately to push the right button that only opened him up to more second-guessing. He doesn’t make calls to the bullpen anymore. They are pleas.
So against the Pirates, he shifted strategy, allowing Byung- Hyun Kim to open the eighth inning. In a similar situation Sunday, Hurdle pulled Josh Fogg, citing the right-hander’s pitch count and the humidity.
Kim was given the chance because of his resilient arm and electric stuff that was amplified by a new sinking fastball.
“I felt good. I just had loose focus in the eighth,” said Kim, who finished with 127 pitches and career highs in innings pitched (7 1/3) and strikeouts (nine). “I made mistakes.”
The slight misstep came when Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez laced back-to-back doubles, shoving the Pirates ahead 2-1. The game would have been tied had Todd Helton, who appeared to slow slightly while rounding third, not been erased at the plate in the top of the inning.
Ramon Ramirez, King and Dohmann painfully recorded the final two outs as another run crossed. Of all the painful statistics during this eight-game free- fall, the most absurd is this: The starters are 0-4 with a 3.27 ERA.
“We are going to get it going,” Kim said.
Any U-turn would include some new faces. Corpas will handle the sixth inning, and Shealy will spell Helton and provide a bat off the bench.
“When I first heard, I asked if Todd was hurt,” Shealy said. “I would be the batboy as long as it meant being in the big leagues. I want to help in any way I can.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
