ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Rockies headed to California dreaming of taking their so-so season to the next level.
Dream on.
Despite a career-high 12 strikeouts by rookie pitcher Jhoulys Chacin, the Rockies got plastered 10-3 by the Angels on Sunday afternoon. With a bad taste in their mouths, they boarded a bus for a short drive down the coast to San Diego for a crucial, three-game series beginning tonight.
The National League West-leading Padres, picked by many to finish last in the division, lead the Rockies by six games. Thanks to a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth by the hot-hitting Will Venable, the Padres completed a three-game sweep of the Marlins on Sunday with a 4-2 victory. San Diego has won six of its last seven games and looks as if it’s in the race for the long haul.
So, to borrow a favorite phrase from Rockies manager Jim Tracy, it would behoove the Rockies to get their act together and keep the Padres within reach.
“I think we are still going to challenge,” catcher Chris Iannetta said. “We haven’t really got hot yet, and I still think we will. We’ve worked through a lot of injuries, so I think the best is still in us.”
The good news for Colorado is that ace Ubaldo Jimenez, he of the 13-1 record and 1.60 ERA, takes the hill in San Diego tonight.
“On the positive side of things there is this: We are going to San Diego for a game with a very good pitcher pitching for us,” Tracy said. “We finished interleague play at plus-three, which is something not a lot of National League clubs have done. Nine and six is nothing to be ashamed of, although 10-5 would have been a lot better.”
For a second straight game, a costly error derailed the Rockies.
Chacin cruised through the first three innings, but the fourth was as ugly as an Orange County traffic jam. The rookie’s emotions and inexperience, combined with third baseman Ian Stewart’s error, led to the Angels’ four-run fourth.
Chacin had allowed just one hit and struck out six through his first three frames. But Bobby Abreu tripled down the left-field line and scored on Hideki Matsui’s single up the middle.
Chacin kicked the mound in frustration, the first sign he was losing his cool a bit.
The flat tire became a blowout in a hurry when Stewart mishandled Juan Rivera’s grounder on what should have been the third out. Mike Napoli promptly cashed in with a three-run homer to left, putting the Angels in front 4-2.
“I think what the game boils down to is the mistakes we made with two outs,” Tracy said, noting that the Angles scored eight of their 10 runs with two outs. “They hit two big home runs, one of which came after a costly defensive miscue in the fourth inning. You can’t give them an extra hitter, and it hurt us dearly in the fourth inning with that three-run home run.”
And, for the second straight game, the Rockies were slammed — literally. Saturday night, Matsui’s grand slam marred an otherwise fine performance by Rockies starter Aaron Cook. Sunday, weak-hitting Brandon Wood blasted the first grand slam of his career. It came in the eighth off reliever Manuel Corpas and put any dreams of a Rockies’ ninth-inning rally into a deep sleep.
The sunny Southern California day started out well for the Rockies with Stewart planting a 92 mph fastball by Angels starter Ervin Santana beyond the center-field fence to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the second. It was Stewart’s ninth home run.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Padres, 8:05 p.m., FSN
Cy Young Award candidate and potential All-Star Game starter Ubaldo Jimenez (13-1, 1.60 ERA) won’t admit it, but he felt awful during his last start. He spent the day before vomiting and fighting off dizziness. He tried to battle the Red Sox, but he simply wasn’t himself, getting torched for 10 hits and six runs, including a homer. Fortunately for Jimenez, his teammates bailed him out, with Ian Stewart and Jason Giambi hitting ninth-inning homers in the Rockies’ 8-6 comeback victory. Jimenez has been almost unhittable on the road this season, posting an 8-1 record with a 0.80 ERA. For the most part, Jimenez has handcuffed Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez, holding him to four hits in 24 at-bats (.167), but two of Gonzalez’s hits are home runs. Padres righty Kevin Correia (5-5, 5.14) struggled with walks in his last outing, issuing five free passes in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-3, 4.31 ERA) vs. Padres’ Wade LeBlanc (4-5, 3.16), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-2, 3.53) vs. Padres’ Clayton Richard (5-4, 2.75), 1:35 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Giants’ Madison Bumgarner (0-1, 5.14) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (2-5, 4.69), 6:40 p.m. FSN
Friday: Giants’ Tim Lincecum (8-3, 3.13) vs. Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (4-7, 3.51), 6:10 p.m., FSN
