Haste made waste of the Rockies.
On a breezy Saturday night Colorado spent a little over two hours killing hope. With the clock working against them this season, the Rockies were no match for Father Time Greg Maddux, falling coldly 8-3 to the San Diego Padres.
Just when it appeared this homestand couldn’t get any worse, Aaron Cook has fallen into a slump and the offense remains underwhelming, leaving the Rockies 7-1/2 back in the National League West pending the outcome of Arizona’s late game.
The latter had plenty to do with Maddux, who has never hid his disdain for pitching at Coors Field. In his last outing here June 30, he did some redecorating in the visitors clubhouse, fuming in disgust. To see Maddux on Saturday was to witness genius.
He mesmerized the Rockies with an efficient blend of fastballs, cutters and changeups. Everything had late life, not unlike his career. Maddux, a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, recorded his 353rd win, one shy of Roger Clemens for ninth all-time. Trevor Hoffman, also bound for Cooperstown, recorded his 25th save in his first appearance at Coors Field since his wild-card tiebreaker meltdown last October.
Maddux held the Rockies to two runs over six innings on just 71 pitches, Chris Iannetta’s 13th home run the lone highlight. Maddux exited to a warm ovation — perhaps his last in Denver — from the announced crowd of 41,640.
In Cook, Colorado appeared to have the panacea for Maddux in general and the Padres specifically. He was 10-3 lifetime against San Diego. He had never allowed more than four runs against them. Saturday, he was tagged for five runs in the sixth inning.
Cook lasted just 5-2/3 innings, marking the first time all season he hasn’t reached six innings in back-to-back outings.
If Colorado is left holding up couch springs this October, this week will be a painful reminder why. The Rockies are 2-4 during this 10-game homestand, all four losses to the National League’s worst teams, Washington and San Diego.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
