CHICAGO — To reach the dugout from their cramped, odiferous clubhouse, the Rockies descended 22 cement steps, made a right at the frazzled miniature golf carpet, a left at the water drip and a right into the sunlight.
But once on the new sod at Wrigley Field, they could not execute a U-turn, illegal or otherwise.
In their second state and second time zone of a 10-game road trip, the Rockies remained winless, stumbling 8-4 tonight as they creep closer to playing for next season than the postseason.
“You have to get to a point where enough is enough,” said third baseman Garrett Atkins.
And that was before the game.
The team famous for giving an entire Rocky Mountain region goosebumps last fall provided another cold reminder of why their 20 wins are tied for the fewest in baseball. After a nervy comeback, sprinkled with hustle on Ryan Spilborghs’ stolen base and muscle from Ian Stewart’s RBI double down the left-field line, the Rockies quickly dissolved.
One night after the team’s most poorly game of the season in manager Clint Hurdle’s estimation, Colorado’s flaws were again vivid and ugly.
In the top of the seventh, with a chance to create room for a deep breath, catcher Yorvit Torrealba failed to execute a sacrifice bunt which would have moved Stewart to third base. Torrealba grounded out, a misstep only magnified when Stewart inexplicably took off running on Omar Quintanilla’s line drive to center fielder Reed Johnson.
The double play ended the inning and marked the beginning of the end.
The Cubs are a major-league best 23-8 at home, this season thus far a wink into the eyes of the 100-year curse. They worked over reliever Matt Herges in the bottom of the seventh.
It began ominously enough when Stewart misplayed a popup into shallow right field. In fairness, he’s playing a foreign position, his last few days at second his first since the middle of spring training. After a Ryan Theriot single left runners at first and third, Herges had a chance to turn off the faucet.
On a full count, Derrek Lee hit a nubber toward the mound. Herges fielded it with his bare hand, checked the runner and then threw wildly to first base – the first of two throwing errors by Rockies pitchers on the night.
Alfonso Soriano scored, tying the game at 4-4. And Theriot jogged home with the go-ahead run on catcher Geovany Soto’s sacrifice fly to right field.
A forgettable ninth only widened the Cubs’ lead off the previously infallible Taylor Buchholz (no outs, three runs). It also rendered irrelevant Stewart’s performance — a home run shy of the cycle — and pinch-hitter Willy Taveras’ two-RBI double in the sixth that took Jeff Francis (five innings, three runs) off the hook for a loss.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
