MILWAUKEE — If the keys to winning baseball are pitching and defense — and this just in: they are — the Rockies have some work to do.
Yo, Toto, we’re not in Tucson anymore. Spring training’s over.
In their first two games of the season, the Rocks have gone through 10 pitchers, given up 10 runs and committed three errors and a passed ball.
As manager Jim Tracy pointed out after Tuesday’s 7-5 loss at Miller Park, his team’s explosive offense gave it a chance to be 2-0. What he didn’t point out was that with the notable exception of Ubaldo Jimenez, his team’s pitching gave it a chance to be 0-2.
Instead, in the spirit of compromise, it is 1-1 with a chance to win its first series today before returning to Colorado for Friday’s home opener against the Padres.
Granted, drawing conclusions after two of 162 games is absurd, but the Rockies’ defensive sloppiness has been going on since the beginning of spring training.
They had the worst fielding percentage in baseball this spring. Normally, that means next to nothing. Minor leaguers might have made the errors, or players playing out of position.
Clint Barmes, for example, committed seven errors this spring, but five of them were at shortstop, where he won’t play much this year unless Troy Tulowitzki is injured. But Barmes’ sixth-inning error Tuesday gave every Rocks infielder except for Todd Helton an error in the first two games of the season.
Add catcher Chris Iannetta’s eighth-inning passed ball, which put what turned out to be the winning run in scoring position in the eighth, and the Rocks are not yet living up to their slick-fielding reputation. You could even throw in the dropped foul tip that would have ended the first inning just before Casey McGehee’s three-run homer, but, as Tracy said, those things happen.
“This is not the easiest field in the world to play on,” the Rocks’ manager said. “I’m not knocking the field, but it’s a little different terrain. The infield’s very hard. It’s a little difficult to see in here.”
The shaky bullpen is a little harder to blame on Miller Park. It has pitched one clean inning out of six so far. Reliever Matt Belisle, like starter Greg Smith, was not nearly as sharp as he was in spring training. Belisle is supposed to be the Rocks’ alternate setup man. He was scored upon in both games, giving up three runs in 1 2/3 innings.
On the bright side, three hitters have come out of the gate red-hot. Ian Stewart had a double, triple and home run Tuesday to go with Monday’s homer and sacrifice fly, making him 4-for-7 with 13 total bases in two games. Carlos Gonzalez is 6-for-10 and Helton is 5-for-9.
But with Iannetta 0-for-6 batting ahead of Stewart, two of the powerful third baseman’s extra-base hits led off innings Tuesday. He scored three of the Rocks’ five runs but his 11 total bases drove in only one.
“It’s early in the season and I’m not going to elaborate too much on trying to take Chris Iannetta’s swing apart and/or try to start overanalyzing things,” Tracy said.
“I think it’s very important early in the season, first several days of the season, you allow guys an opportunity to settle in a little bit. And if we start breaking things down, start taking guys apart in the second day off the season, we’re doing it all wrong.”
That’s a very sensible approach. I am not suggesting the Rocks overreact to two games. The same trends over two games in the middle of July would mean nothing.
Still, it’s worth noting that if Stewart’s outrageous start augurs a breakout season, he will not belong in the batting order’s seventh position for long.
There’s little doubt the offense will be fine. The Rocks have 21 hits in two games and have scored 10 runs even with their hottest hitters well separated in the lineup.
But the pitching and defense — again with the notable exception of Jimenez, who was terrific in the opener — have yet to show up. For a team expected to win its division, the sooner they do, the better.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297, dkrieger@denverpost.com or
