Happily ever after collided with the morning after Tuesday.
The Rockies are officially eliminated from the postseason. The dream died, not on a frozen October mound in a far- away city in front of unruly fans — but on a warm evening at Coors Field, where the team spent the summer gulping magic beans and teasing fans into thinking that it was 2007 all over again.
There’s a reason they call them miracles. They don’t happen often. There was nothing charming Tuesday night, only the dull thud of disappointment resonating throughout the stadium after a 9-7 loss to the Dodgers.
It was the Rockies’ eighth loss in nine games. And it removed the adverbs — arguably, hopefully, possibly — from the vocabulary. The Rockies are finished in the wild card and National League West.
“It’s pretty sudden,” said closer Huston Street, who will have an MRI on his right rib cage muscle Monday but will continue pitching this season.
“But you don’t do what we’ve done the last week and expect to stay in it. The frustrating part is the talent we have in this room and the adversity we overcame.”
The loss was a microcosm of the trouble that began 10 days ago in Los Angeles. The Rockies led 6-1 against Clayton Kershaw, who was scratched from today’s start, after two innings. They didn’t score again, losing in extra innings. They have never been right since.
“You hate to point to one game, but that was a big one,” said first baseman Todd Helton, who hit his eighth home run just hours after explaining that he has no intention of retiring.
That collapse in Los Angeles began an ugly trend. When the Rockies hit, they didn’t pitch. When they pitched, they didn’t hit. And when they did both, they couldn’t deadbolt the door in the ninth.
“We were on a roll, winning 10 in a row,” starter Jeff Francis said. “Nobody expected this.”
Francis suffered through a rugged outing, his third such start since returning from the disabled list Aug. 11. He has been unable to command his fastball, particularly down and away to hitters. As such, he’s been tagged for 10 runs and four homers in 9 2/3 innings, including back-to-back blasts Tuesday from Matt Kemp and Casey Blake.
“When I was throwing well (before the DL), I was in quite a bit of pain and just praying I would feel better, but I was throwing well,” Francis said. “Now that I feel better, I am not sharp at all.”
The Rockies clawed back with a four-run seventh. And they had a chance to bust the game open at the seams in the eighth. With the bases loaded, Chris Iannetta took a good hack at a 3-0 fastball, just missing. He walked, then Ryan Spilborghs struck out.
The lasting image was cruelly appropriate. Troy Tulowit- zki struck out for the final out, breaking his bat on the plate and stabbing the broken handle into the ground.
It might as well have been a fork, because the Rockies are done.
“It’s disappointing,” Street said. “But the strength of this team still exists. We will never give up.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Dodgers at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., FSN
The way he has pitched, it would be a shame for Jhoulys Chacin (9-10, 3.26 ERA) to finish the season with a losing record. He has exhibited two traits suggesting that he can be a front-line starter in the big leagues, possibly next season: the ability to limit foul balls and deliver strikeouts. He needs five K’s today in his last start to break Shawn Chacon’s rookie record of 134. Chacin has held opponents to a .217 average since the all-star break. Dodgers starter Carlos Monasterios (3-5, 4.09) has struggled in his previous starts. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Thursday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.64 ERA) at Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter (15-9, 3.31), 6:15 p.m., FSN
Friday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (8-6, 4.24) at Cardinals’ Jake Westbrook (*9-11, 4.38), 6:15 p.m., FSN
Saturday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (19-8, 2.99) at Cardinals’ Kyle Lohse (4-8, 7.09), 11:10 a.m.
* includes statistics with Cleveland
