PITTSBURGH — It has been a vibrant trip with a classic rock soundtrack. It felt like September again, the perfect convergence of solo pitching harmonies and offensive guitar riffs.
But on a cool night along the Allegheny River, “Rock On” became “Walk On.” A wild pitching staff abruptly halted the Rockies’ five-game winning streak, as Colorado was drubbed 8-4 by the hollow Pittsburgh Pirates.
This loss will surely cause a series of text messages and URLs about the trade availability of closer Brian Fuentes. The Rockies have temporarily pulled him off the block, but his fate still hinges on the team’s performance over the next two days. He pitched a scoreless eighth, getting his first work since Wednesday.
That this game could shape front-office thinking — opposing executives said Monday night that Colorado had shifted to buying rather than selling — will be difficult to digest. It was forever winnable, Valerio De Los Santos’ feel-good story coinciding perfectly with the Pirates’ aching lineup. Two of their hottest hitters, Adam LaRoche and Freddy Sanchez, are out with back injuries, and burgeoning star Xavier Nady was traded to the Yankees over the weekend.
But the Pirates did everything with walks but make stir-fry. De Los Santos, who is keeping the seat warm in the rotation until Jeff Francis returns next Tuesday, exited after allowing just two hits in his first big-league start since April 9, 2000.
Problem was, he couldn’t throw strikes. He nearly hit Nate McLouth with his first two fastballs, a chilling preview. Of De Los Santo’s 82 pitches, only 39 were strikes. He walked six Pirates, including four on four pitches.
He left with a 3-0 cushion — Matt Holliday blasted his 18th home run — and two aboard in the fifth inning. Jason Grilli went wild in relief, issuing two walks. The lead finally disappeared on a Doug Mientkiewicz RBI single and Steve Pearce’s sacrifice fly.
McLouth added his 22nd home run in the sixth inning, one-hopping into the Allegheny beyond the right-field fence.
The meltdown was at odds with the Rockies’ recent brilliance. Their starters were 9-1 since the all-star break, posting a 3.26 ERA. But by any definition, De Los Santos was a reach, conjuring up images of Tim Harikkala’s cameo last Aug. 12. He impressed Triple-A teammates with his quick pace and ability to throw inside.
But he was too amped in this audition. If the Rockies are unable to acquire another starter — they have been connected to Josh Fogg, Tim Redding and Justin Duchscherer — De Los Santos could get one more shot. He was pitching better than anyone else in Triple-A, an indictment of the command and velocity issues that have sabotaged the seasons of Franklin Morales and Jason Hirsh.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
