CHICAGO — Their starting pitcher was cut by the San Diego Padres three weeks ago. Their relievers included a Sky Sox longman and two pitchers deemed expendable by the Royals and Tigers.
So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the Rockies got beat by the Cubs — again.
Padres, Royals, Tigers and (small) Bears, oh my.
Just when it appears nothing else can go wrong, the Rockies find a rock to crawl under in the crevice they’ve been subletting since the last out of the World Series.
Their loss Saturday came without embarrassment — that was reserved for Friday for those still peeking through closed fingers back home — but the 5-4 defeat was littered with notable distinctions nonetheless.
The Rockies lost their sixth straight game, their 11th straight road game and fell for the 17th time in their last 19 games in visiting parks.
Two months into their National League Championship defense, the Rockies have done everything to eliminate themselves from contention. They are 16 games under .500. They are on pace to win 58 games. Not since the 1998 Florida Marlins (54-108), who held a garage sale after their World Series title, has the NL’s top returning team been this bad.
“It’s hard to figure out. The same reason we are losing on the road, we are losing at home,” said Todd Helton, who homered for a second consecutive game. “You really can’t think about this hole being too big because you might actually come to the realization that it is.”
Glendon Rusch provided a competitive effort, but his mere presence on the mound illustrated the problems contaminating this season. He is the Rockies’ ninth different starting pitcher. He was signed a few weeks ago after the Padres designated him for assignment. Rusch is a feel-good story — returning to the big leagues after nearly dying in the Chicago Cubs’ weight room in 2006 when he suffered a pulmonary embolism.
Unfortunately, his first start since July 9, 2006, only left the Rockies comfortably numb. He was punished for mistakes. The most glaring was a two-out fastball that opposing pitcher and friend Ryan Dempster doubled into the left-field gap in the second inning, scoring Kosuke Fukudome. Alfonso Soriano followed with a two-run home run — and the Rockies would never lead again.
“(Dempster) will hear it from me, and I will probably hear it more from him,” said Rusch, whose next start will likely be skipped because of off days. “The Cubs have everything you need to win a championship. And they are on a roll right now. They are probably the league’s toughest team.”
That’s how opponents talked about the Rockies last September. That seems like a long time ago. Colorado can’t seem to put together a flawless effort. The Rockies homered three times Saturday — Omar Quintanilla hit his first career blast and Scott Podsednik hit his first as a Rockie. But they only had three baserunners after the third inning.
“It’s just the way the games have gone for us. We just have not clicked,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “That complete game has been very elusive. We don’t have a problem showing up, we have a problem finishing up. The dominoes aren’t falling like we need them to.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
TODAY: Rockies at Cubs, 12:20 p.m., KTVD-20, WGN
When starting a list of things that have gone horribly wrong with the Rockies, Ubaldo Jimenez (1-5, 5.37 ERA) ranks near the top. He has battled command problems, corrected them, yet has been unable to establish any consistency. The Rockies are an alarming 1-10 in his starts. Jimenez is 0-4 in visiting parks this season, with hitters posting a .307 average. Sean Gallagher (2-1, 4.50) replaced struggling left-hander Rich Hill in the rotation. He is undefeated in three home starts. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Monday:
Rockies’ Greg Reynolds (0-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. Dodgers’ Derek Lowe (2-5, 4.52), 8:10 p.m., FSN
Tuesday:
Rockies’ Jeff Francis (1-5, 6.12) vs. Dodgers’ Brad Penny (5-6, 5.66), 8:10 p.m., FSN
Wednesday:
Rockies’ Aaron Cook (7-3, 3.36) vs. Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 5.59), 1:10 p.m.
Friday:
Brewers’ Ben Sheets (5-1, 2.93) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (1-5, 5.37), 7:05 p.m., FSN
