It doesn’t take much digging to root out the causes of the Rockies’ terrible start. Inconsistent starting pitching, bullpen meltdowns and the absence of clutch hits top the list. Of the three, the latter is the most surprising.
“The pressure should not be on us, it should be on the pitcher, that’s true,” manager Clint Hurdle said before Saturday night’s game. “Unfortunately that’s not the way we are reacting. Is it trying too hard? Is it trying for the big three-run swing? We need to simplify things. We need the next guy to get on base. That’s all.”
Last season, right fielder Brad Hawpe ranked as one of baseball’s premier clutch hitters, batting .377 with runners in scoring position and two outs. His 66 RBIs with two outs led the National League and were the most two-out RBIs by an NL player since Arizona’s Matt Williams had 71 in 1999.
But Hawpe, like many of his teammates, was struggling. Until Saturday night. Hawpe drove in Todd Helton from second base with a single in the second and followed up with a two-run homer in the third and a two-out RBI-single in the seventh.
He entered the game with a .227 RISP average and was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and two outs. Last year, the Rockies hit .276 with runners in scoring position, fifth in the NL. They entered Saturday with a .216 RISP average, 29th in the majors and last in the NL.
“I think when you play 162 games like we do, you can’t lose sight of that,” Hawpe said. “But when you start out the season this way, it’s more difficult, because it’s right in your face. If this stretch came in the middle of the season, maybe it wouldn’t draw as much attention.”
Corpas conundrum.
A sure sign of Manuel Corpas’ struggles came when the reliever threw to live batters in a side session before Saturday’s game. The Rockies took that unusual step to try to clean up Corpas’ faulty mechanics. After a another meltdown Friday night, the former closer’s ERA sits at 8.62.
Asked if Corpas is a candidate to be shipped back to Triple-A for an overhaul, Hurdle said not yet. But he added: “At the end of the day, you start looking at different options. But youhave to keep in mind what’s best for the player.”
Footnotes.
Injured starter Jason Hirsh (shoulder) continues making progress toward a June return. He threw 40 pitches off the mound in a bullpen session Friday and is scheduled to throw 50 pitches Monday or Tuesday. . . . Making room for starter Jorge De La Rosa on the 25-man roster, the Rockies placed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (left quadriceps tear) on the 15-day disabled list.
