BOSTON — The Red Sox’s David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Co. are established postseason stars. Clutch hits are their trademark.
But the Rockies, so fearsome in the regular season, have thus far been not-ready-for- prime-time hitters.
In the first two games of the World Series, the Rockies have scored a grand total of two runs, batted .180 and struck out 22 times.
In Thursday night’s 2-1 Game 2 loss to Boston, designated hitter Ryan Spilborghs struck out looking three times. In Wednesday’s Game 1, Brad Hawpe whiffed four times, then struck out twice more Thursday night.
“I give their pitchers a lot of credit right now,” Hawpe said. “They are throwing strikes and getting ahead. It seems like every at-bat, we’re behind 0-1. They are pounding the zone.”
The Rockies are hitting .229 in nine postseason games. Only Matt Holliday, who went 4-for-4 in Thursday night’s 2-1 loss, has consistently produced, hitting .333 in the playoffs.
The Red Sox? They have a .333 average in series and are hitting .309 in the postseason. Ramirez? Just 1-for-4 on Thursday night, he’s batting .421 in the postseason and sends off danger signals every time he digs in.
None of the Rockies is sending out that kind of aura right now.
“We just didn’t get the big hit tonight,” Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins said. “When Holliday is the only one hitting, then you are not going to win too many games. We had some chances tonight, but we left too many runners out there.”
No Rockies slugger has struggled more than Atkins this postseason. A hitting machine in the last two-thirds of the regular season, he finished with a .301 average, 25 homers and 111 RBIs. But in October he’s hitting as he did in May, when his average slumped to .188. Atkins’ postseason line: .171 average, no homers, four strikeouts and one RBI.
He’s hoping a change of scenery helps.
“We just have to hit better, but we’re excited to get back to Denver and our home stadium,” he said. “I like our chances back home.”
The Rockies led the National League in hitting with a .280 average and were second in runs scored with 860. But the current slump has been unwanted baggage throughout their postseason run. The Rockies were able to sweep through the NLDS and NLCS despite batting just .242. That’s primarily because the Phillies and Diamondbacks hit a combined .221 against Colorado pitching. The Red Sox are a completely different animal, and the Rockies must score more to have any chance to beat them.
Before the World Series, manager Clint Hurdle expressed confidence the Rockies’ slumbering offense would wake up.
“I don’t anticipate us going anywhere and not hitting,” he said. “Hopefully we will get those spark plugs going. I think it’s just a matter of slowing down and finding a good pitch to hit.”
But that didn’t happen in the first two games and the Rockies are in a 0-2 hole.
“We’ve scored two runs in 18 innings in this ballpark,” Hurdle said. “That makes it tough to win.”
And here’s a more sobering thought: Of the past 11 teams to lose the first two series games on the road, none has come back to win the championship.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
