The weekend began with the general manager lamenting his team’s execution. And it ends today with the Rockies trying to avoid, well, execution. If anyone can make a convincing argument for hope, it’s Colorado.
But the Rockies learned last season that even miracle stories have expiration dates. And this fall, it feels like someone else checked out the flick at Blockbuster while they were trying to find a parking spot.
Saturday night’s sobering truth: Astros 2, Rockies 0.
The loss sank Colorado 5 1/2 games behind the Dodgers, who moved into first place Saturday for the first time since April 4.
The Rockies have 19 games remaining. The next three weeks aren’t so much a playoff push as Robert the Bruce imploring Scottish soldiers to fight one last time in “Braveheart.”
“The guys know the urgency,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “They are aware of it every inning we take the field and come in and hit.”
Not even a sword or ax would have made much difference against Roy Oswalt. The Rockies have lost this season to Greg Maddux, the era’s winningest pitcher, and Randy Johnson, the era’s meanest. But no one has handled them like this right-hander.
“I got outpitched,” said effective Rockies starter Jeff Francis, punished for one hanging changeup that resulted in Hunter Pence’s two-run home run. “It was the Roy Oswalt show, for sure.”
His one-hitter at Coors Field was chilling in its efficiency. Brad Hawpe’s fifth-inning single represented the Rockies’ only hit. With a laugh, Oswalt said he would not appeal the ruling even though he thought he could have made the play on the groundball.
“It was definitely a hit,” Oswalt said. “I just wish I would have got my glove down a little quicker.”
Oswalt’s ERA against the Rockies plummeted to 1.84, the lowest career mark by any opposing pitcher who’s worked at least 50 innings.
Hurdle would say later it was the best stuff he’s ever seen as a manager. With a 94-mph fastball running in on the hands of batters and a big breaking ball varying between 65 and 76 mph, Oswalt mesmerized the Rockies.
“When he struck me out in the first at-bat, I asked (catcher Brad) Ausmus if he saw what that ball did. It was supposed to sink and it cut,” Willy Taveras said. “Nothing was in the middle of the plate.”
Oswalt’s inning-by-inning splits screamed of brilliance. He threw just 32 pitches through four innings, 28 of which were strikes. He began the seventh with 46 strikes and 12 balls. He finished with 102 pitches, 70 for strikes.
“The quick outs were big. I looked up once at the board and it read three balls and I thought, ‘Oh, man,’ ” Oswalt said.
The Rockies’ biggest hit of the night came in the eighth. Hawpe rifled a throw to catcher Chris Iannetta, who held firm as Houston’s Reggie Abercrombie slammed into him.
“I got a quick glimpse of where he was,” Iannetta said, “and just tried to hang on.”
Same goes for his teammates, even if their grip is down to fingernails.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
TODAY: Astros at Rockies, 1:05 p.m., FSN
Pitching coach Bob Apodaca pushed hard for Jorge De La Rosa (8-7, 5.23 ERA) to return to the rotation last month. De La Rosa had never been shown such solid support, and he responded by rewarding that faith. He’s been the Rockies’ best pitcher since Aug. 15, going 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 25 innings. Houston’s Wandy Rodriguez (8-6, 3.76) will be making his first start since straining a right oblique muscle. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Monday:
Off day
Tuesday:
Rockies’ Livan Hernandez (11-11, 6.16 ERA) vs. Braves’ Jorge Campillo (7-7, 3.67), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Wednesday:
Rockies’ Aaron Cook (16-9, 4.10) vs. Braves’ Chad Morton (4-8, 6.32), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Thursday:
Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (10-12, 4.20) vs. Braves’ Jair Jurrjens (12-9, 3.54), 5:10 p.m., FSN
