Milwaukee – Last Friday the Rockies sent out postseason ticket solicitation to season-ticket holders. It’s standard fare for teams in the playoff race, even those living in the margins.
In a cruel twist, the Rockies haven’t won since. They spent Wednesday night serving as the Milwaukee Brewers’ piñata, battered 7-1 at Miller Park.
“We are walking around here with our heads down. We aren’t doing anything well,” reliever Jose Mesa said. “We aren’t pitching good, we aren’t hitting good, nothing.”
Given the time remaining, the point in the season and their previous status as contenders, this is arguably the worst road trip in Rockies history, ranking with the 2003 August collapse in Montreal and New York.
They went 1-6 during that excursion, the Big Apple Blackout a symbolic reminder of a Mets sweep that officially dimmed the season’s lights. This roadie could not have gone more poorly if Clark Griswold were at the wheel.
The Rockies have lost five straight, and, worse, their way. They have been outscored 26-9, and Garrett Atkins is the last position player to deliver a hit with runners in scoring position – 30 innings ago.
“There comes a point in time where we have to come together as a club and say, ‘Enough is enough,”‘ said manager Clint Hurdle, whose team must finish the season 22-14 just to reach .500. “There is fatigue and frustration with moving expectations forward a little quicker than anticipated, but the reality is this doesn’t smell right.”
This loss, the ninth in the past 10 road games, featured the usual suspects. Even with Todd Helton switched back to second in the lineup and Atkins bumped to third, the Rockies’ offense remained listless. Late for work? Here’s the abridged version taken from the Book of Woe, fourth inning.
Helton and Atkins led off with singles against Brewers starter Ben Sheets. He then jammed Matt Holliday, struck out Brad Hawpe and induced a harmless groundball from Yorvit Torrealba. Compare that to the Brewers’ fifth inning, when they scored three runs with two out with singles from Tony Graffanino and Prince Fielder.
The Rockies’ failures with runners in scoring position have gone beyond glaring to numbing. They went 1-for-12 on Wednesday, lowering their average to .242 since May 1, second-lowest in the major leagues. The Rockies snapped an 0-for-15 skid in those situations when pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim doubled home Kaz Matsui in the fifth inning.
“We can’t seem to come up with the timely hit,” Atkins said. “Everyone in the lineup is falling victim.”
Unfortunately Kim’s swing was his most notable contribution. He grinded through five rugged innings, his faulty command punished for six runs. The good news is that the trip ends today. The bad news is that it may linger in the Rockies’ heads all winter.
“You can rant, rave, scream and break stuff. But the bottom line is that the game is played on the field,” reliever Ray King said, “and we haven’t gotten the job done.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
