San Diego – The Rockies’ cruel, cruel summer got crueler still Wednesday night at Petco Park.
They lost 2-0 in the 11th inning on a walk-off homer to center by rookie pinch-hitter Paul McAnulty. He drove in Todd Walker, who reached on a one-out double. Colorado’s bullpen victim this time was recent call-up Nate Field.
Just two days earlier, the Rockies lost 7-5 to the Padres on Josh Barfield’s ninth-inning, walk-off homer against closer Brian Fuentes.
Wednesday marked the longest scoreless game in Rockies history, surpassing the Rockies’ 1-0, 11-inning win over the Padres on Sept. 20, 1998, at Jack Murphy Stadium.
Before the game, manager Clint Hurdle waxed philosophical about the Rockies’ late-summer struggles.
“What do you learn more from, through success or through adversity?” he asked. “I just think it’s just the nature of the maturation process that adversity is what you learn the most from.”
Perhaps, but surely Hurdle wasn’t talking about these kind of growing pains. The Rockies have lost 14 of their past 17, are 6-23 on the road since the all-star break and are 16-25 in one-run games this season.
The story was the same old, same old for Colorado: failure to produce at the plate in the clutch. The prime example came in the ninth.
Granted, whenever Padres closer Trevor Hoffman strides to the mound, he wears a giant S on his chest. But he was ready to fall Wednesday, only to escape disaster with three clutch strikeouts.
Colorado’s Matt Holliday led off the ninth with a single up the middle off Hoffman and moved to third on Brad Hawpe’s double to right. After striking out rookie Troy Tulo- witzki, Hoffman intentionally walked pinch-hitter Cory Sullivan, loading the bases to face rookie catcher Chris Iannetta. On a 3-2 count, Iannetta struck out looking. Then Hoffman struck out Yorvit Torrealba, sending the Petco Park crowd into a frenzy.
Once again, the victim of the Rockies’ inability to score was starter Jason Jennings. And early on, as scoreless inning after scoreless inning rolled by, one couldn’t help wonder what cruel fate the baseball gods had in store this time around.
When Jennings departed after seven innings, he had allowed no runs, three hits and four walks. He struck out nine, one short of his career high. Problem was, the Rockies failed to score against San Diego starter Clay Hensley. He allowed three hits and struck out five in his seven innings.
Jennings entered the game with a pedestrian 7-12 record, despite pitching superbly. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his past nine starts. In 15 starts before Wednesday, his ERA was 2.68. Yet Jennings has just one win since June 20.
The reason, of course, is lack of run support. Whenever Jennings starts, Colorado’s offense dries up like the Mojave Desert. The Rockies have been shut out four times this season with Jennings on the mound. He entered the game with the worst run support of any starter in the National League – 3.89 runs per nine innings.
Jennings was at his best in a tense seventh inning. San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez led off with a double and advanced to third on Mike Cameron’s deep flyout to right. After intentionally walking Russell Bryan, Jennings struck out Geoff Blum, then scrambled after pinch-hitter Terrmel Sledge’s infield chopper, flipping the ball out of his glove to first baseman Todd Helton for out No. 3.
Staff writer Patrick Saunderscan be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
