For a team that got whitewashed at home and lost for the fifth time in six games, the Rockies played it pretty cool Monday night.
“The thing we don’t need to do is panic,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “For us to take the next step, we can’t let our confidence waver with the results of 13 games. That would be silly. So you just go out and play.”
Yet Hurdle was keenly aware his Rockies played poorly in losing 8-0 to the Giants and ace Barry Zito. It was not a good way to purge a disappointing 3-6 road trip, nor was it a promising start to a seven-game homestand.
Rockies starter Jeff Francis, his usual command on spring break, got rocked early, hard and often. And aside from Todd Helton and rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies’ offense was helpless against Zito’s repertoire featuring a big curveball, effective fastball and nasty changeup.
After starting the season 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA, Zito got his first win in a Giants uniform. He kept the dugout lineup card as a keepsake.
“It’s definitely big,” said Zito, the former A’s ace who leaped across San Francisco Bay to sign a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Giants during the offseason. “With the new contract and coming to a new team, sometimes you try to force a win. You can’t do that. You just have to let it happen instead of forcing it.”
Zito allowed just three hits in six innings and was perfect for 3 2/3 innings before giving up a walk to Garrett Atkins, followed by a single by Helton. And when given offensive support – the Giants led 6-0 after three innings – Zito is virtually unbeatable. He improved to 86-4 when receiving at least four runs of support.
Francis, pitching on seven days’ rest after serving a suspension for throwing at a batter during spring training, looked rustier than a ship’s anchor. The Giants pounded him for seven runs on nine hits in five innings. The fourth inning was particularly ugly. Francis faced 10 batters and gave up two homers – a three-run shot by Ray Durham, followed immediately by a solo shot from Bengie Molina. All told, the Giants had seven extra-base hits.
Francis, however, refused to blame the break in his routine for his worst outing since giving up seven runs in five innings to the Giants last season, May 26 at AT&T Park.
“You can speculate all you want, but I’m not going to attribute it to (the suspension),” Francis said. “I’m not going to make any excuses. The bottom line is that I didn’t execute when I needed to. I missed out over the plate and they didn’t miss at all.”
Helton and Tulowitzki supplied what little offense the Rockies could muster. Helton went 3-for-4 with a double, has hit .529 (9-for-17) over his past four games and hiked his average to .340. Tulowitzki went 2-for-4, raising his average to .209. He recorded his first multi-hit game since opening day.
“The last two games I’ve felt really good,” Tulowitzki said. “I’ve just gone back to basics and tried to simplify my approach. Tonight I used the right side of the field and that helped.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
