Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca propped his arm Tuesday on the stationary bike just beyond the steps to the dugout. The equipment was, in many ways, a cruel reminder of a team that is in danger of working hard and going nowhere.
“We can’t keep getting behind early in games. That’s very defeating for an offense that is not clicking,” Apodaca said. “It all starts with starting pitching. That’s why we took off last year at this time because our rotation found itself.”
As much as Monday was a blueprint for future success, Tuesday provided a template for this season’s failure, a teasing loss hard to stomach after a ninth-inning rally.
Much of the crowd gone, bored and disappointed by the top of the ninth, the Rockies shoved back in their final at-bat. Clint Barmes blasted a two-run home run and Matt Holliday doubled, but Garrett Atkins struck out as the Rockies lost 6-5 to San Francisco.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy played a hunch, intentionally walking Todd Helton with two outs. That set up a Brian Wilson cagematch with Atkins. He went with gas, finally fanning the Rockies’ third baseman with a 96-mph heater.
A rally was necessary because of a forgettable start.
The Rockies trailed after the first inning, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Back-to-back doubles by Randy Winn and Bengie Molina in the Giants’ first at-bat served as buzzkill for an increasingly positive Rockies vibe. Aaron Cook’s sinker betrayed him, for the second straight outing, until the fourth inning.
The elevated pitches were punished by the Giants, who jumped ahead 2-0. The Rockies have been outscored 41-24 in the first inning this season. Cook settled in, survived a fourth-inning scare when a shard of Fred Lewis’ bat struck him in the fourth and ultimately worked seven innings. What made the evening so painful is that the Rockies had plenty of chances to inflict damage on Tim Lincecum.
The right-hander battled command issues, laboring through 76 pitches in three innings. But the kid showed smarts and composure belying his youth. Without a good fastball, Lincecum breezed through his final three innings, finishing with 112 pitches. He bedazzled the Rockies with a wicked curveball and changeup, making his heater unnecessary. The Rockies managed three runs, one courtesy of a Cook single.
San Francisco created breathing room with a two-run ninth off Alberto Arias, a necessary bulge necessary after Barmes’ home run.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
