The Rockies are done like chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, wild burgundy escargot and blackened redfish.
On Saturday night, the Rockies had a walkoff blown defeat to the Brewers in 10 innings. In August, they are 6-6, win one, lose one, upbeat, downfall. They’re done like dinner in New Orleans.
Two days ago, manager Jim Tracy set an objective of 90 victories. The players daily claim they still can get to the postseason. Rockies tweeters, twerps and toadies are saying “The Rockies can do it. Look what happened in 2007 and 2009.”
Someone here has to be the bearer of bad tidings: The Rockies won’t win 90 games; the Rockies won’t reach the playoffs; the Rockies won’t repeat the remarkable run of ’07 and the finish of last season. The Rox won’t happen.
There won’t be a Rocktober. The Rockies will play their final three games at the beginning of October in St. Louis. Roxtember will be Rocktimberrr!
The Rockies’ ownership and management surrendered unconditionally at the trade deadline. What are the rest of us waiting for?
Waiting ’til next year.
The Rockies are what they are — an exceptional home team, a terrible road team. And how will that dysfunctional differential distinction suddenly change? The Rockies can’t hit on the road, they have two starting pitchers on the DL, and they’re not capable enough offensively at first, third and catcher and in right and center field.
This team will win 16 or 17 games at home and 8 to 10 on the road. That adds up to 87 at the most, 84 at the least. Neither number will put the Rockies in the postseason.
But “What about ’07 and ’09?” — the rallying cry of Rockies faithful.
Apparently, Rox optimists are not realists. Those previous teams were superior overall; the opponents competing in the division and for the National League wild card were inferior, and there’s a reason “miracles” are referred to as such — they occur every 100 or 2,000 years.
Through 116 games in 2007, the Rockies possessed a 60-56 record, were in third place and trailed the division lead by six games and the wild card spot by two.
During that season, the Rockies had a starting lineup with Matt Holliday hitting .340 at season’s conclusion, Todd Helton .320, Willy Taveras .320, Garrett Atkins .301, Troy Tulowitzki .291, Brad Hawpe .291, Kaz Matsui .288 and (alternating at catcher) Yorvit Torrealba .255 and Chris Iannetta .218. Ryan Spilborghs contributed .299 off the bench.
The starting rotation included Jeff Francis (17 victories), Josh Fogg (10), Aaron Cook (eight), Rodrigo Lopez (five) and a late-emerging Ubaldo Jimenez (four). Brian Fuentes and Manual Corpas combined for 39 saves.
The Rockies were a respectable 39-42 on the road.
In 2009, on this date, the Rockies held second place in the National League West with a 64-52 record, and were tied for the lead in the wild card.
At the end, Helton hit .325, Tulowitzki .297, Torrealba .291 (and Iannetta .228), Carlos Gonzalez .284, Dexter Fowler .269, Clint Barmes .245, Atkins .226 and Ian Stewart .226. Part-timers Seth Smith and Jason Giambi batted .293 and .292, respectively.
The top five starters were Jorge De La Rosa (16 victories), Jimenez (15), Jason Marquis (15), Cook (11) and Jason Hammel (10). Huston Street and Franklin Morales combined for 42 saves.
The Rockies compiled a solid 41-40 mark away from Denver.
This season, only Gonzalez (.322), Tulowitzki (.320) and Stewart (.265) have higher batting averages than the season before. Only Jimenez (17 before today’s start) and Hammel (eight) have more victories than losses. Francis (four) and Cook (four), one-time aces, are on the DL, and De La Rosa (four) spent much of the season sidelined. Street and Corpas have combined for 18 saves.
The Rockies, as in ’07, are 60-56, but have gagged to a 23-36 record on the road.
In ’07 and ’09, the Rockies had a half-dozen hitters hitting, four starting pitchers pitching and closers closing. This season they have two hitters hitting and two starters and a couple of relievers pitching. They’re in worse shape in the division (8½ games back) and in the wild-card chase (6 back) — behind three teams and barely ahead of one.
Another fan-tastic crowd of 45,264 paid good money Saturday to push attendance just shy of two million. But the highest total at the gates since 2001 has witnessed the underwhelming Rockies make ZERO deals, while the Padres, the Giants, the Dodgers, the Cardinals, the Reds and the Phillies improved their teams. Honestly, the Rox’s owners/execs got exactly what they deserved.
And they have nobody coming up soon (or later) at the power positions — first, third and right field. The Rockies usually can escape with their free-swingers in LoDo (despite just six hits Saturday), but rarely around the rest of the country.
Tracy can define goals, the players can hold out hope and their apologists can reminisce about two seasons out of the past 14, but the Rockies are pedestrians this year.
Done without dessert, in descent.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
