The reality is sobering, the future concerning.
With their playoff ambitions tied strongly to this homestand, the Rockies played a series better watched on radio, falling meekly to the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Thursday.
Despite what the standings might suggest, the Rockies, for now, are in the wild-card race in name only. In dropping three of four to the Pirates, owners of baseball’s second-worst record, Colorado looked like a team trying desperately to remain competitive rather than reach the postseason.
An extraordinarily bad stretch – 3-7 over the past 10 games – has cast doubt on everything – namely a meaningful September and a winning record.
In a whisper-quiet clubhouse, veteran anchor Todd Helton stopped short of questioning effort, but took umbrage with the results.
“I am not worried that it’s slipping away, but we can’t play like we have the last three games anymore if we expect to go anywhere,” said Helton, his team four games back in the wild-card standings. “I think we play hard every game, but we looked flat today.”
The easy explanation is to blame the starting pitching. The Rockies’ rotation has won once during this slump, posting a 6.37 ERA, while creating long innings that have, to some degree, compromised the defense. Rookie Franklin Morales acted his age Thursday, the 21-year-old fighting command issues not uncommon for an unfinished product.
“The pitching wasn’t there in this series. We walked too many guys,” said shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, whose team hosts the Washington Nationals this weekend. “But, overall, we have to play better.”
That’s the chilling part about this failure. It wasn’t a software virus; the hard drive melted. The Rockies have been outscored 55-40 over the past 10 games, and an inexcusable 16-3 the past two days. Colorado went 5-for-37 with runners in scoring position against the Pirates, including 0-for-9 Thursday.
Sure, the Pirates have been hot of late, but a quick check of their roster reveals no Star- gells, Madlocks or Candelarias.
“Obviously it’s a team we feel like we should have beaten,” Tulowitzki said.
The Rockies’ lack of hitting is ill-timed given the injury drama infecting the rotation. The team entered this homestand 23-7 in its past 30 games at Coors Field, mauling opponents with a relentless attack. But save for Tuesday’s nine-run outburst, the bats have been hollow.
“I have no idea why,” Helton said. “Earlier in the year we had some bad games and everyone said we were pressing. Then we started crushing the ball. There’s no reason we can’t do that again.”
The difference is that the schedule is now less forgiving than Spandex. The Rockies have 35 games left, 24 in the NL West. To even consider flirting with September relevance, Colorado needs to go 21-14. Manager Clint Hurdle said the team “must put its foot down.”
It beats getting stepped on.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” reliever LaTroy Hawkins said. “Everybody has injuries. It’s like throwing steak to piranhas. Teams are going to attack us because they know we are vulnerable, but we have to find a way to get through this.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
