HOUSTON — The Rockies flew home Sunday night loaded down with souvenirs from their first extended road trip of the season. Here’s what they found when they unpacked their bags:
Despite a bitter 6-4 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday at Minute Maid Park, the Rockies went 5-4 on the trip. Not cause for jubilation, by any means, but considering they opened the trip with two losses at Arizona, it turned out to be a semi-sweet ride.
The Rockies are 6-6 overall on the road, an early hint they could be better on the road this year than they were last season, when they opened 8-14 away from Coors Field and finished 39-42 in the regular season.
“We definitely should have won today,” Todd Helton said late Sunday afternoon after former Rockies second baseman Kazuo Matsui slapped a game-winning, two-run single off setup man Brian Fuentes during the eighth inning, denying the Rockies their first-ever sweep at Minute Maid Park. “But if you are looking to take something positive out of it, we are beginning to hit better; we’re beginning to play better.”
• The defending National League champions are 9-9 as they come home for four games at Coors Field, beginning with tonight’s game against the Phillies. A .500 record is nothing to shout about, certainly, but considering the Rockies came out of the gate at 1-5, it’s not too bad.
“I thought we made a lot of improvements and tightened things up,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Our offense is still in the process of making some strides, but the defense tightened up and the pitching got better as we went along.”
• After getting swept by the Diamondbacks in their first home series of the season, the Rockies’ batting average was .209. And before they left for their nine-game road trip, the Rockies were averaging 3.1 runs a game.
But during the nine-game stint, they averaged 5.4 runs per game. Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins, in particular, swung hot bats in Houston. Hawpe went 5-for-9 in the series, raising his average from .188 to .246. Atkins, who hit a monster solo homer to left field Sunday, finished the series hitting .357 (5-for-14) with two homers and four RBIs.
• Young starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales remain human Rubik’s Cubes. Case in point: Jimenez’s performance Sunday. He was nasty for his first three innings and struck out a season-high six. But in the fourth, the right-hander gave up three consecutive two-out walks and a run-scoring single to Geoff Blum. The Astros tagged him for two more runs in the fifth.
“I don’t know, I guess it’s like a bump in the road,” Jimenez said. “I was executing pitches early, but I think it was (lack) of focus. I think after the first three or four innings, I try to do too much.”
• Despite Fuentes’ hiccup Sunday, the Colorado bullpen has been stellar, even with $17.5 million setup man Luis Vizcaino on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder. The relievers’ combined ERA is 3.16. Taylor Buchholz (1-0, 0.90) and Matt Herges (1-0, 2.31) have more than filled the late-game void left by Vizcaino.
“They’ve done a very professional job out there,” Hurdle said. “They complement one another during the games. Guys know their roles and have stepped into them. I’ve been very pleased.”
Tales from the road
A glance at the Rockies’ nine-game road trip:
• Began 0-2 in Arizona, getting outscored 18-5.
• Won five of the next seven games.
• Increased team batting average from .235 to .244.
• Arrive home with an overall .500 record on the road (6-6).
TODAY: Phillies at Rockies, 6:30 p.m., FSN
Rockies left-hander Mark Redman (2-1, 4.60) is the ultimate location pitcher. He will never blow hitters away with his fastball, but he’ll baffle them with his sinker and off-speed stuff. Despite pitching with a painful foot injury, Redman foiled the Padres last Wednesday, giving up two runs on three hits in five innings. He’s 4-2 with a 3.96 ERA in seven games (six starts) against the Phillies. The last time the Rockies faced Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 4.40) was in Game 2 of the NLDS in Philadelphia. They battered him for five runs on five hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday homered off Kendrick as the Rockies went on to win 10-5.
Tuesday:
Phillies’ Brett Myers (2-1, 3.96 ERA) vs. Rockies’ Jeff Francis (0-2, 5.89), 6:35 p.m.
Wednesday:
Cubs’ Rich Hill (1-0, 3.86) vs. Rockies’ Franklin Morales (1-1, 6.60), 6:35 p.m.
Thursday:
Cubs’ Jason Marquis (1-0, 3.86) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (2-1, 3.12), 1:05 p.m., FSN
Friday:
Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 4.64) vs. Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda (1-2, 2.92), 8:40 p.m., FSN
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
