SAN DIEGO — The Rockies can’t stand pedigree. Touch their nose. It’s cold. They are mutts. That lovable breed known as the underdog.
They seem to always play their best in crisis, with the odds tilted against them. Their uninspired performance Sunday in a 7-3 loss to the Padres inched them closer to that position entering their most important series of the season.
Given a chance to keep the Giants firmly clenched by the nape of the neck, the Rockies slipped. They lost a series with Jason Marquis on the mound. They lost a series to the woeful Padres because they had two hard hits all day. They lost a series that now leaves them 4 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco in the wild-card standings entering a three-game set at AT&T Park tomorrow.
The Rockies struck out 13 times in the loss, a snapshot explanation of an ugly, forgettable series. They had just 18 hits in the three games.
Marquis, demonstrating perhaps his worst command of the season, couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead given to him after Garrett Atkins’ two-RBI triple. He lasted just 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs. The sixth inning was horrific. He threw 37 pitches, 17 for strikes as he walked in a run.
The Rockies had multiple chances to get back into the game, but misfired. The eighth hurt most. Pinch-hitter Ian Stewart grounded into a double play with bases loaded to end the threat.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
