Toss out Jeff Francis’ first 37 pitches and the Rockies might have stood a chance in today’s game against the Mets.
But they don’t do do-overs in the big leagues and the Rockies never came close to overcoming Francis’ first-inning blues, falling 9-2 to the Mets at Coors Field.
The Mets broke a five-game losing streak. The Rockies fell to 4-4 on their current nine-game homestand.
The Mets sent 10 batters to the plate in the first, raking Francis for five runs on five hits. He walked two of the first three batters, loading the bases and setting the table for Carlos Beltran’s three-run double. Francis threw 37 pitches in the first inning before heading to the dugout to a smattering of boos.
Today’s game followed a disturbing trend. Twenty-one times this season, the Rockies’ opponents have scored in the first inning. The Rockies have lost 14 of those games.
David Wright crushed a solo homer off Francis in the second, putting New York in front 6-1. From that point out, Francis resembled Francis circa 2007 when he went 17-9. He set down 17 of the last 21 Mets he faced and struck out a season-high eight. But there is no dodging his ugly bottom line: a 1-5 record adorned with an unsightly 6.18 ERA.
Matt Holliday hit a solo homer in the first, his eighth homer of the season, but the Rockies never came close to mounting a serious threat against Mets starter Claudio Vargas. The right-hander baffled the Rockies for seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
The Rockies took the field with what looked like a spring training travel squad. Prior to the game, shortstop Clint Barmes (sprained right knee) and right fielder Brad Hawpe (strained right hamstring) were placed on the 15-day disabled list. Shortly before game time, third baseman Garrett Atkins was scratched from the starting lineup because of a stiff neck. Seth Smith started in right, Ian Stewart at third, Omar Quintanilla at short and Jonathan Herrera at second. All four began the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs. Smith and Stewart were called up this morning.
Smith, making his first major-league start, went 0-for-4. Stewart went 0-for-3.
New York scored two runs off reliever Alberto Arias, and another off Josh Newman, who served up a monster homer to Carlos Delgado in the ninth. It was Delgado’s eighth home run.
The Rockies conclude their nine-game homestand Sunday afternoon before heading to Philadelphia on Monday to begin a 10-day, 10-game road trip.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
