The Rockies are sinking quickly and quietly in the West.
The Padres decked them 7-3 tonight, sending the Rockies to their third consecutive defeat and eighth loss in their past 11 games.
Padres batters continued to feast on Rockies pitching. Marcus Giles, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, went 4-for-5 and scored twice. Brian Giles was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Adrian Gonzalez went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs. He opened the third inning with a solo homer to right, a nice encore to a three-run homer in the first inning Friday night.
While it might not be time for the Rockies to reach for the panic button, it’s not too early to pay attention to what’s going on in the National League West.
After 18 games last season, the Rockies were 10-8. This season, they are 7-11. On the surface, that’s not a huge difference. But the NL West of 2007 is a far different place from the mild, mild West of 2006.
Last year at this point, the Rockies were tied for first place. This year, they are already chasing the division-leading Dodgers, who were 12-5 heading into Saturday night’s late game against Pittsburgh. The Padres improved to 11-7.
For the third consecutive game, a Rockies starter failed to deliver. This time it was Jeff Francis who struggled – again. After the Giants pounded him for seven runs in five innings Monday, the Padres pounded him for six runs on 13 hits Saturday. He departed after six innings as his ERA ballooned to 6.46.
San Diego starter Clay Hensley, who entered the game 0-3 with a 12.21 ERA, got knocked around, too. He gave up 10 hits in six innings, but surrendered only two runs and got his first win of the season. The difference? The Rockies left 14 runners on base, the Padres just seven.
