PHOENIX — The Rockies haven’t reached panic stage, but it’s a couple of interstate exits from here. Colorado is in trouble, the players realizing that a U-turn is beyond necessary.
Manager Clint Hurdle, who said responsibility for this start stops on his desk, tried to provide a jolt Wednesday, revamping the lineup with center fielder Ryan Spilborghs leading off and Chris Iannetta returning to the catcher’s spot.
The result was like so many before it – a gnawing 4-3 loss defined by just enough flawed execution in critical moments.
With runners on first and third in the ninth, Brad Hawpe popped up to left, punctuating a defeat that featured jawing with plate umpire Adrian Johnson and bad feelings.
A quarter of the season, the conclusion is inescapable. The Rockies are in a frightening funk. The sit 10 games under .500, a mark they never reached a year ago. Their starting pitchers have issues, Jorge De La Rosa unable to escape the fifth inning and build on last Thursday’s solid outing. Their hitters have white knuckles. The Rockies’ .228 average with runners in scoring position ranks last in the National League and 29th overall.
And they can’t handle the Diamondbacks, falling to 1-7 against their division rival and 10 games back in the NL West.
“Looking at the standings only makes it worse. We can’t be worrying about the big picture right now,” slugger Matt Holliday, who recorded two hits, but vented his frustration in the seventh inning by firing his batting helmet into the ground following a questionable check-swing call and nearly got tossed for arguing in the ninth inning.
“We have to focus on each game, nothing more.”
Selective amnesia couldn’t hurt, waking up with no knowledge of how they reached this critical juncture. A snapshot of their problems began in the first inning. Spilborghs walked, the first of three times he would reach base, making a strong case to stay in the lineup. The Rockies’ leadoff hitters – Scott Podsednik and Willy Taveras – were a combined 4-for-34 with eight strikeouts in the previous eight games.
With Spilborghs on, Holliday doubled, paving the way for another cringe moment. Micah Owings struck out Garrett Atkins on an 89-mph fastball and induced an inning-ending groundball from Hawpe.
In the eighth, Podsednik created an uprising with a two-RBI single, but the rally expired when Spilborghs struck out. The Rockies are 4-for-20 in the series with runners in scoring position.
Facing similar trouble, De La Rosa could only limit the damage, not prevent it. The Diamondbacks struck for two runs in the fourth inning, aided by a wild pitch and Hawpe’s fielding error on Connor Jackson’s single. Orlando Hudson’s two-RBI double created the margin for victory.
Hurdle and bench coach Jamie Quirk jawing with Johnson in the ninth was a fitting image for a team that is angry, but lacking victories.
Footnote
After the game, the Rockies placed reliever Ryan Speier on the disabled list with a bruised right rotator cuff and called up left-hander Josh Newman.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
