A sickening sound was followed by an deafening thud.
In the first inning Wednesday night, Troy Tulowitzki hit a line drive off the right side of Pirates starter Russ Ohlendorf’s head. Ohlendorf was rushed to a hospital, and a CT scan revealed only an abrasion. He returned to Coors Field.
The evening evolved from scary to ugly as the Rockies mustered only a single run against the Pirates’ bullpen, falling 6-2 for their eighth consecutive loss.
“It goes without saying that we are struggling terribly,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
If they haven’t hit rock bottom, there must be a trap door. What started with a wild throw home by Matt Belisle on July 11 has turned into a cataclysmic meltdown.
In 17 days, the Rockies have gone from obvious buyers to potential sellers, and from NL West favorite to chilling disappointment. They sit 6 1/2 games behind the wild card-leading Giants, a race Colorado led when the second half began.
Expect teams to begin calling about reliever Joe Beimel, starter Jorge De La Rosa and some reserve outfielders. Don’t look for the team to add Jorge Cantu or a housecleaning. But the Rockies could sure use some Febreze.
“We know we are better than this. Everybody is trying to be the hero,” said outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who hit an upper-deck home run. “That’s not Rockies baseball.”
Bad road trips happen. Have for 18 years. But with the season hanging in the balance, the trading deadline looming, the Rockies pulled off the unthinkable, dropping a home series to the Pirates.
Pittsburgh has been nothing short of the Washington Generals on the road this season. The Pirates have won five of their last 30 games in visiting parks. They had been broomed in seven of their last eight road series.
Pittsburgh was supposed to be a panacea, not another gulp of poison.
It’s hard to blame a single at-bat, but the loose thread appeared in the third inning. Aaron Cook, undefeated at home until Wednesday, walked reliever Sean Gallagher. Andrew McCutchen, who has been a human Web Gem in this series, singled off Gonzalez’s glove. Jose Tabata answered with a Baltimore chop to load the bases.
Cook, in a defining moment, needed a double play. He failed as Neil Walker delivered a two-run single, the first of three straight run-scoring hits by the Pirates. Cook retired just seven Pirates and was strapped with five earned runs on 68 pitches.
“We realize we have put ourselves in a difficult spot,” Cook said.
In years, heck, months past, such a deficit would have been laughed at. Wednesday, climbing Pikes Peak in Crocs seemed easier.
The Rockies scored on Tulowitzki’s hit off Ohlendorf in the first, then not again until Gonzalez’s moonshot in the sixth. Of their 10 hits, five came with two outs and nobody on.
Before the game, a new sign adorned the archway leading to the Rockies’ dugout, reading “Focus for 27 outs.”
The Rockies, instead, continued to press. Tulowitzki was thrown out at second trying to advance on a throwing error in the sixth. It was symbolic of the past two weeks: Every time the Rockies try to make something happen, it results in frustration.
“This is the toughest stretch since I took over,” Tracy said, “and I look forward to the seeing what kind of response we will have to these trials and tribulations.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Losing ways
The Rockies dropped their eighth consecutive game Wednesday, tying their longest streak since June 22-30, 2008. The top five losing streaks in team history:
13: July 25-Aug. 6, 1993
11: July 4-17, 2000
10: April 4-May 7, 2005
9: June 24-July 2, 1999
9: Aug. 24-Sept. 1, 2002
Looking ahead
TODAY: Pirates at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., FSN
Who knew we’d be saying this? Ubaldo Jimenez (15-2, 2.75 ERA) needs to beat the Pirates to stay in the Cy Young race. Jimenez says he isn’t tired, but his control and focus have been off for several weeks. Paul Maholm (6-8, 4.13) is 2-2 on the road, no small feat for a Pirates pitcher. He has all the requisite pitches, but no dominant one. Keep an eye on Clint Barmes, a .600 career hitter vs. Maholm9-for-15 with five extra-base hits, including two homers.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Friday: Cubs’ Tom Gorzelanny (6-5, 3.22 ERA) at Rockies’ Jeff Francis (3-3, 4.56), 7:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday: Cubs’ Ryan Dempster (8-7, 3.71) at Rockies’ Jason Hammel (7-6, 4.34), 6:10 p.m., FSN
Sunday: Cubs’ Ted Lilly (3-8, 3.88) at Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (3-2, 5.65), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Monday: Off
