DETROIT — If the Rockies played in the American League East, they’d be sitting 17 1/2 games out of first and in need of a high-powered telescope just to spot the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
But the Rockies play in the NL West, which leads to all sorts of absurdities, such as this: The Rockies have lost seven straight games and eight of their last nine, yet have barely lost any ground.
Before their most recent skid began, the Rockies trailed the division- leading Diamondbacks by eight games. But the Diamondbacks lost again Sunday, leaving the Rockies nine games out of first.
“I think if you look at the big picture, we are lucky to be where we are,” said Troy Tulowitzki, whose two-run homer Sunday couldn’t save the Rockies from a 4-3 defeat to the sizzling Tigers. “But we can’t expect all of the other teams in the division to keep losing, so we have to start making the most of these games coming up. We definitely need to play a lot better. We’ll see who can rebound and get themselves out of a hole.”
The Rockies open a three- game series with the Padres tonight at Coors Field. The Padres, the NL West cellar-dwellers, just got swept at home by Seattle, a team with the worst record in the majors.
Colorado’s loss to the Tigers turned on a decision by manager Clint Hurdle in the sixth inning. The Rockies held a 3-2 lead, but the Tigers had Marcus Thames on third and Edgar Renteria on first with two outs.
Rather than stick with rookie starter Greg Reynolds, Hurdle called on reliever Matt Herges. Herges promptly served up a two-run triple on a 1-0 pitch to backup catcher Dane Sardinha. Sardinha’s first big-league hit turned out to be the game-winner.
“My job was to come in and make one pitch,” Herges said. “Reynolds pitched his (butt) off, and I was asked to make one pitch and I didn’t do it. It’s unacceptable.”
In his 5 2/3 innings, Reynolds was charged with four runs on 10 hits, but he repeatedly showed ability to escape trouble. He had thrown 90 pitches when he got the hook.
“The last game Herges pitched, he retired all (four) hitters he faced, he came in with traffic and he’s been on a better roll,” Hurdle said, explaining his decision. “Greg had given up 10 hits, and he pitched well. But I thought we’d give the kid Sardinha a new look, because he’d seen Reynolds twice. It didn’t work, obviously.”
The Rockies took a 3-2 lead in the second, fueled by Tulowitzki’s two-run homer. Jeff Baker led off with a double and scored on Yorvit Torrealba’s single to right. Up stepped Tulowitzki, who hadn’t hit a home run since April 23. He muscled a 354-foot fly ball over the left-field wall and just out of Thames’ reach.
But in what has become standard operating procedure for the Rockies this season, they were unable to break the game open. In fact, not a single Rockie reached base after the fourth inning.
In the third, Colorado loaded the bases with no outs against Detroit starter Kenny Rogers. But Jeff Baker, swinging at the first pitch, popped out to second for out No. 1. Next, Clint Barmes bounced the ball back to Rogers, who turned an inning-ending home-to-first double play.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
TODAY: Padres at Rockies, 7:05 p.m., FSN
Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (2-4, 6.23 ERA) is an enigma. At times, he looks untouchable. Other times, he’s been wildly ineffective. In his last start at Kansas City, for example, he departed after 4 2/3 innings, having surrendered four runs. In his two previous startsboth Colorado wins — he struck out a combined 18 batters and gave up just three runs. The Padres’ Greg Maddux (3-6, 3.52) will be enshrined in Cooperstown some day, but the 42-year-old right- hander is struggling now. His last victory came May 10 against the Rockies. Since then, he’s gone nine starts without a victory and has lost three times. In Maddux’s last outing, the Twins pounded him for six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Tuesday:
Padres’ Josh Banks (2-2, 2.33) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (10-5, 3.64), 7:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday:
Padres’ Randy Wolf (5-7, 4.13) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (2-8, 4.71), 7:05 p.m., FSN
Thursday:
Marlins’ Andrew Miller (5-7, 5.07) vs. Rockies’ Jeff Francis (3-7, 5.67), 6:05 p.m., FSN
Friday:
Marlins’ Scott Olsen (4-4, 3.47) vs. Rockies’ Greg Reynolds (2-6, 5.75), 6:05 p.m., FSN
