KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was something very different about this game, even if the final score was annoyingly predictable.
Plate umpire Brian O’Nora was taken to the hospital in the second inning after shards from Jose Guillen’s maple bat lacerated his forehead on the same day that Major League Baseball commissioned a study on the dangerous lumber. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was charged with deception in the fourth when he tried to short-hop a soft-liner to set up a double play. The Rockies committed two errors, the same number of pitches Royals setup man Ramon Ramirez threw behind catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s back. And for three innings, Jorge De La Rosa flirted with a no-hitter.
Eventually, the night became a no-hoper, the Rockies falling 7-3 Tuesday night, threatening to turn numb their two-week, feel-good story.
Even before the first pitch, there were troubling signs suggesting that this would be a difficult game to win. For starters, the Rockies were facing a right-handed starter on the road.
After Zack Greinke mesmerized them with 10 strikeouts, tying a career high, Colorado stumbled to 9-22 in those matchups.
And they were, after all, facing the Royals. If this team was in the National League, fans in Kansas City would be clearing their calendar in October. They are a baseball-best 11-3 in interleague play, reviving a season that was nearly ruined by a 12-game losing streak.
The Rockies know too well the danger of spraying graffiti on Mona Lisa. They buried themselves in May with horrible work in visiting parks. The climb out has been slow, but steady.
That’s what makes this week so troubling. The Rockies have lost back-to-back series, failing to sustain any momentum.
In Kauffman Stadium, the problem has been starting pitching. For the second straight night, a Rockies starter failed to escape the fifth. De La Rosa, in his first clunker since returning to the rotation, allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings, undermined by throwing gaffes by Clint Barmes and Todd Helton.
In both innings the Rockies scored, which included a Matt Holliday home run, the Royals scored. After the loss, several Rockies players lingered in the dugout as Hurdle held an animated discussion with the umpiring crew. He was clearly upset that Ramirez wasn’t ejected for twice firing fastballs behind the back of Torrealba. Bench coach Jamie Quirk also got involved, pointing and yelling at the crew.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
