For a division title to be in the cards, the Rockies have to find a way to trump an ace. They have pitched well enough to be in first place, their rotation owning the National League’s lowest ERA (4.09). And their bullpen has regained its traction.
Simply put, the Rockies trail the San Diego Padres by 3 1/2 games because their offense has dissolved when facing the National League West’s top pitchers.
Arizona’s Brandon Webb, Los Angeles’ Brad Penny, San Francisco’s Jason Schmidt and San Diego’s Chris Young, who overtook Jake Peavy as the staff ace, have gone 7-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 77 1/3 innings against Colorado.
That helps explain why the Rockies are 19-24 against the NL West, worst in the division, and 2-31 overall in games when they score two or fewer runs.
“It’s about getting timely hits. Against the best pitchers, you don’t have many opportunities and you have to capitalize on them,” all-star slugger Matt Holliday said. “With the way we are pitching, we need to be able to win with two, three or four runs.”
The issue is performing better under pressure as they begin a stretch in which 11 of their next 14 games are against NL West opponents. The Rockies are hitting .260 with runners in scoring position, ranking 24th in the major leagues. With two outs, the average falls to .221.
“We need to score more runs,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said.
In the race
Todd Helton hurriedly packed his bats into their blue traveling case. He checked numbers, making sure only privileged Mizuno models made the seven-game West Coast trip.
“I hope so, that’s why I was going through them,” said Helton, when asked if the bat responsible for his 12th home run Wednesday was packed away.
Helton has not regained his weight or full strength after a serious stomach ailment. But he is enjoying only his second playoff push since he became a starter in 1998.
“It’s a great feeling to be focused only on the games, not selfish reasons (like statistics),” Helton said. “Everybody in here knows that we are in this thing. It’s fun to come to the park. This is a big trip.”
Footnotes
Manager Clint Hurdle sat next to one of his predecessors, Don Baylor, on Wednesday and briefed him on the different animal that Coors Field has become. “You remember those balls that used to hop twice (in flight) and go out? Now we are waiting for the first hop,” Hurdle said….With three wins on this seven-game trip, Colorado will tie last year’s road win total of 27. … The Rockies need 13 wins over their final 28 road games to establish a franchise record with 37 road victories.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
