PHILADELPHIA — There’s no Mr. Congeniality award, no prize for coming close in the major leagues. In fact, the closer the game, the more frustrating it is to lose.
That, in the end, is what makes the Rockies’ up-and-down start so difficult to swallow. They’ve had so many chances to win so many close, low-scoring games, but haven’t done it.
Instead, they’ve conjured images of 2010, when their failure to launch at the plate on the road cost them a playoff berth. The latest example came Wednesday night, when they wasted Jorge De La Rosa’s finest outing of the season in a 2-1 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Details in a moment. In the big leagues, it’s all about the bottom line, and it reads like this: The Rockies, after winning four of their first five one-run decisions on the road, have lost five straight.
“Absolutely,” said Todd Helton, when asked if this were the type of game the Rockies have to win. “Especially on the road. We need to win these games. We have to put this one behind us and be ready for the next one.”
All too often, the next one is playing out like the previous one. The Rockies were 1-5 on their last road trip, with four of the losses coming by one run in games in which their opponents didn’t score more than four runs.
This time, they were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-3 in the ninth inning, when Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Jason Giambi struck out in succession against Ryan Madson. Nothing unusual there. Opposing hitters with runners in scoring position are 0-for-12 against Madson with eight strikeouts.
In the aftermath, the Rockies’ road record in May dropped to 1-6. They’re hitting .214 away from Coors Field and scoring 2.43 runs per game, less than half of the 5.0 they averaged in April.
“It was a great game,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “We had our chances, but unfortunately we couldn’t come up with a base hit. To me, this was a game of two heavyweights. They grinded and so did we. We had about as many opportunities as they did.”
The Rockies aren’t alone in their flailing ways. This is 2011, a year in which scoring is down throughout the majors and the weather is enough to stop the U.S. Postal Service. Even the Phillies, winners of four straight NL East titles, were hitting .204 and averaging 2.6 runs per in their previous 11 games.
The troubling part, then, isn’t so much that the Rockies aren’t hitting on the road. They’re just not finding ways to win. But they knew Wednesday’s game would be particularly difficult, what with left-hander Cole Hamels (5-2, 2.92) on the mound.
“You’re going to lose games like that sometimes,” said De La Rosa, whose pitch efficiency was off the charts — witness his 96 pitches in eight innings. “That’s OK. Give credit to them. That was two very good teams out there. They’re in first place for a reason.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
Looking ahead
THURSDAY: Rockies at Phillies, 5:05 p.m., Root
Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacin has the numbers (4-2, 2.89 ERA). All he needs is consistency. When he commands his fastball, he’s nearly unhittable (only 41 hits allowed in 53 innings). He is comfortable at Coors Field — his command issues tend to show up on the road, where he’s 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA (nine walks, four homers allowed). Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.50) has allowed 45 hits in 34 1/3 innings. But he’s settled down after a rocky start, giving up only two earned runs in three of his last four starts. He has struggled at home, though, allowing 17 hits in 11 1/3 innings (7.15 ERA). Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Friday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (3-3, 3.71 ERA) vs. Brewers’ Zack Greinke (2-1, 6.60), 6:10 p.m., Root
Saturday: Rockies’ Clayton Mortensen (1-0, 2.01) vs. Brewers’ Shaun Marcum (5-1, 2.54), 5:10 p.m., no TV
Sunday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (0-3, 6.14) vs. Brewers’ Randy Wolf (3-4, 4.03), 12:10 p.m., Root
Monday: Off
