Los Angeles – Long after most of his teammates had left, reliever LaTroy Hawkins stood at his corner locker and provided an honest answer.
Once again, the Rockies experienced a painful road trip, the week alternating celebration with calamity. The heartless finale came Sunday, the Rockies falling 4-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers after squandering an eighth- inning lead.
Ownership of a win like this in a place like this makes a team matter. Instead, the Rockies were left standing on the doorstep, unable to get in. They arrived in California with unbridled optimism and departed with poignant frustration.
“I think we put too much pressure on ourselves because we know what’s at stake,” Hawkins said. “Everyone is looking forward to going home. You just hope come September this one doesn’t haunt us.”
Tonight the Rockies open a seven-game homestand at Coors Field against Pittsburgh and Washington, teams a combined 32 games below .500. The Rockies sit three games behind wild-card leader San Diego. Or, how is it possible the Rockies sit only three games behind wild-card leader San Diego?
Given the rash of injuries to the starting rotation – 60 percent is shelved with injuries to Aaron Cook, Rodrigo Lopez and Jason Hirsh – it’s a wonder the Rockies don’t need a telescope to see the Padres. The relievers have been gobbling up innings at an alarming rate, remaining effective, while also creating concern over the ramifications of this pace.
Some sobering statistics of the 2-4 road trip that heightened this week’s importance: The bullpen worked 23 innings, compiling a 3.13 ERA as left- hander Jeremy Affeldt was twice victimized in losses. The starters punched the clock for 32 innings, posting a 6.19 ERA.
It’s plain to see the rotation, which includes two rookies (Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales) and journeyman Elmer Dessens, must get better and get well soon for the Rockies to make a run.
“It seemed like the bullpen pitched more innings than we did on this trip,” said Jeff Francis, who rebounded from Tuesday’s early exit with a six-inning, two-run outing. “That’s not an ideal situation.”
The outcome was again left in the relievers’ hands Sunday, just 12 hours after they didn’t allow an earned run in 8 2/3 innings of Saturday’s 14-inning victory. Jorge Julio sank in the eighth – LaTroy Hawkins could spell him in the primary setup role over the next few days – and Affeldt couldn’t provide a life raft.
With two runners on and the Rockies white-knuckling a 3-2 lead thanks to Todd Helton’s 12th home run, Affeldt walked pinch-hitter Jeff Kent.
Ramon Martinez followed, worked the count to 2-1 and would say later he was looking for a fastball. He got a tough pitch to hit, a low heater. But he lined it back to center, sending home two runs and the fans into delirium. Afterward, Affeldt was asked if the pressure was affecting him, since, like many of his teammates, this is his first taste of a playoff race.
“That’s not an issue. There’s always pressure,” said Affeldt, the primary left-hander in the bullpen since Brian Fuentes hasn’t yet demonstrated he can pitch back-to-back days in his return from a six-week injury absence. “He just beat me.”
Down the hall, Martinez smiled when asked about his hit. He has been on playoff teams before and understood its significance.
“Every game from here on out is big,” Martinez said. “And every win is huge.”
It’s against this backdrop that the Rockies face the Pirates, a team they swept a month ago. The knee-jerk reaction would be that Colorado is in trouble after the past week’s disappointment. But road trips always seem irrelevant when the Rockies wander back into Coors Field, where they hit better (.299 compared to .255 in visiting parks), score more (5.8 runs vs. 4.4) and win a lot (23-7 since June 2, tops in baseball).
“We are a completely different team at home,” Julio said. “We are more aggressive. We think we can beat anyone.”
As the players filed out of the clubhouse, they were more angry than numb. They were two bad innings from a 4-2 trip, but the calendar won’t allow many more mistakes for games they think they should have won.
“The one thing about this group is that nobody is going to panic,” Francis said. “We know what we have to do.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
