MILWAUKEE — Much of what the Rockies do is easy to like. Their athleticism, their versatility, their depth. But what the Milwaukee Brewers did during Tuesday night’s 7-5 victory exposed the flaw of the Rockies’ offense on a night when thunder was necessary to disguise Greg Smith’s clumsiness.
The recipe was hauntingly familiar: a good left-handed starter and too many bad at-bats.
The Rockies, who will finish the series Wednesday with Aaron Cook on the mound, went 8-16 on the road against left-handed starters last season. They are now 0-1 this season, an intriguing ninth-inning rally against Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman left gasping when Jason Giambi struck out looking.
Coming up just short late brought back into focus the start.
The failures against left-handed starters became a thoroughly convincing trend when Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee mauled them in the playoffs.
“They sent a message,” manager Jim Tracy admitted.
Trying to find a balance against lefties is a priority this year. For that to happen, a couple of players need to show improvement. Both Chris Iannetta, the only starter without a hit this season, and Brad Hawpe struggled against the Brewers’ Randy Wolf. They went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts. It’s unfair to try and extrapolate these numbers into a broader conclusion, but it will remain an issue until it’s not.
Making matters worse, Todd Helton, who singled in his first three at-bats and has enjoyed a terrific start, popped up against left-handed reliever Mitch Stetter with two runners aboard and the Rockies trailing 5-4 in the seventh.
These missteps might have gone unnoticed if not for Smith’s awkward launch and the unconvincing work of the bullpen, specifically Matt Belisle.
As first impressions go, Smith would like a second chance. Making his Rockies debut and pitching in his first big league game in 18 months, the left-hander looked like, well, he was pitching in his first big league game in 18 months.
He did two things exceedingly well in spring training: throwing strikes and holding runners. He did neither early here. He walked the leadoff hitter, a prelude to a 33-pitch, gear-grinding first inning. Rickie Weeks stole second, and ultimately scored on Casey McGehee’s three-run home run.
Filling in for the injured Jeff Francis, Smith was visibly amped. He spiked a pair of 48-foot curveballs, fought command issues, and was challenged to get swings and misses on his changeup. That doomed him against McGehee, who had no fear that he would get beat with something soft, and extended his arms on an 87-mph fastball.
Smith’s final line spoke of the need for improvement: five innings, five runs, 89 pitches. The Rockies crawled back to within a run on the strength of a monstrous blast from Ian Stewart (4-for-7, a double, triple and two home runs), and two RBI groundouts from Carlos Gonzalez.
Belisle, who finished the Cactus League unblemished, was tagged for three hits in a Brewers’ two-run eighth, increasing the difficulty of spoiling Hoffman’s first save opportunity.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
