Phoenix – Byung-Hyun Kim stood at his locker – no wrap on his right thumb, no clenched teeth – and answered questions about his injury. The only evidence of pain existed in the box score.
He tried to live the cliché, taking one for the team. Instead, he and the Rockies took one on the chin, finishing their forgettable weekend on the canvas, a collection of hurt hands, elbows and backs.
Final score: Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 4. Final analysis: a 3-6 road trip isn’t acceptable for a team bent on contending this season.
“There’s no consolation that we lost a lot of close games,” said first baseman Todd Helton, a one-man wrecking ball against the Diamondbacks this season with 11 hits and eight RBIs, including his first home run Sunday. “We are at a point where we should be winning these games.”
The trip was compelling, if not agonizing because of the tantalizing deficits. The Rockies went 1-5 in games decided by two runs or fewer. Their offense was out of sync even before second baseman Kaz Matsui, who has enjoyed a terrific start, was lost for potentially several weeks with a lower back injury.
The Rockies hit .221 on the road, averaging just 3.1 runs.
Their slump dropped them two games under .500 for the first time this season as they begin a seven-game homestand tonight against the San Francisco Giants.
“Obviously we expected to do better,” third baseman Garrett Atkins said. “We need to make up some ground.”
First priority today is assessing injuries, scheduling MRIs and making roster decisions. Matsui, placed on the 15-day disabled list and replaced by Clint Barmes, will be examined today or Tuesday.
“All I can think about is getting back on the field as soon as possible,” said Matsui, who missed more than a month with a related back injury last season in Triple-A. “It’s disappointing.”
Kim exited in the fourth inning with a bothersome thumb. He started only because Rodrigo Lopez, the team’s most effective pitcher, was pushed back to Wednesday because of elbow inflammation.
Kim said he injured the thumb during his first at-bat and couldn’t grip the ball by the fourth inning. There’s a possibility he could land on the DL. The Rockies must decide today whether to activate Brian Lawrence, who made a final rehab start Sunday, or lose him to free agency.
Kim’s enthusiasm over his return to starting was quickly doused after a four-run first inning. The Rockies continue to try to trade him, but his audition highlighted his problems with left-handers. They went 4-for-7 against him with five RBIs, including two home runs by Tony Clark.
“I didn’t sleep well. My neck was bothering me. Then my thumb hurt. I didn’t want to come out, though,” Kim said. “In Korea, if nothing is broken, you need to be out there pitching.”
Frustrated by his performance, Kim stared down at his thumb. It, he said, was still numb. So, it seems, was the clubhouse after another ice pack-required road trip.
“A lot of things didn’t break our way,” catcher Yorvit Torrealba said. “And it ended with a bad day.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
