PITTSBURGH — The Rockies are the only team in major-league history that can steamroll opponents on a homestand and board a charter with zero momentum.
It has been that way for years, but this season has been a little more maddening because of the expectations. Three years ago, fans were naming babies Tulo and painting their faces purple. This was supposed to be the year the Rockies won their first division title.
Yet, when the Rockies go on the road, their fans retreat to closets and disable the Internet.
In another poor effort against the National League’s worst team, the Rockies began their trip Thursday as their last one ended — with a loss. They fell 5-1 to the Pirates at PNC Park, their seventh straight road defeat.
“We have to start winning on the road right now, or we won’t be a playoff team,” said shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who collected three of the club’s seven hits. “It has to change.”
The Rockies are 5-4 in their last nine games. Three of those losses are to the Pirates. This is a playoff team?
“Not if we don’t win a bunch of games on this trip,” manager Jim Tracy admitted. “I am not going to shy away from that fact. You can’t limp through trips and be in a good place in September.”
There’s no spin, no silver lining, no frozen smile from Dinger to make it seem OK.
The Rockies have gone 2-11 in their last 13 games in visiting parks, scoring just 40 runs. Ubaldo Jimenez is 9-2 on the road this season. The rest of the pitchers are 11-31.
Starter Jeff Francis didn’t perform particularly well Thursday. He gave up more runs (five) than in his previous three starts combined. A three-run second doomed the left-hander. That’s when Garrett Jones and Ronny Cedeño clobbered Francis’ misbehaving curveball for home runs.
“I was leaving it up in the zone,” Francis said. “I made mistakes, and they did exactly what you’d expect.”
But it was the dispirited offensive effort that again stuck out. Through Cincinnati, Florida and Philadelphia, the problem was the clutch hit, the inability to deliver with runners in scoring position. The Rockies avoided that issue by not getting guys on base — or making contact, at least against starter James McDonald.
The Rockies hit him hard when he was with the Dodgers before being traded last week. All McDonald did was strike out seven of the first 11 hitters he faced. He finished with eight strikeouts in six innings. He was removed after 89 pitches because he had been working in relief recently.
McDonald had a solid fastball and curveball, but he said, “I have never had a changeup like that.”
The pitch caught the Rockies off guard, since it was a nonfactor when he was with Los Angeles.
“He pitched well. But we have to do better. Maybe we just need to go back to the basics,” Ian Stewart said. “Get a guy on, even in the first inning, and bunt him over. You don’t want to press, because that makes it worse. But this is frustrating.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Pirates, 5:05 p.m., FSN
Jason Hammel’s (7-6, 4.37 ERA) foray into Twitter was brief, lasting two days. His starts, however, have not been. He has worked at least seven innings in three of his last four starts, but he hasn’t won since July 10, his last outing before the all-star break. Hammel is 1-5 on the road this season, beating the Padres on June 29. He should get a little extra boost because he will have family at PNC Park. Zach Duke (5-10, 5.36) is a potential nontender candidate. But he pitched well against the Rockies last week, allowing just two runs on solo shots by Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes in six innings. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Saturday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (4-3, 5.01 ERA) at Pirates’ Ross Ohlendorf (1-9, 4.41), 5:05 p.m., FSN
Sunday: Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (5-8, 4.04) at Pirates’ Paul Maholm (7-9, 4.59), 11:35 a.m., FSN
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (17-2, 2.61) vs. Mets’ Mike Pelfrey (10-6, 4.16), 5:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jeff Francis (4-4, 4.67), vs. Mets’ Jonathon Niese (7-5, 3.78), 5:10 p.m., FSN
