Uncertainty and frustration remain double-barreled themes at Coors Field.
The players aren’t sure what’s going to happen between now and the July 31 trading deadline. But they do know they are giving the front office ample evidence to strongly consider changes from the dramatic to the nip and tuck.
The Rockies stumbled 7-4 on a muggy Monday night, a rare Todd Helton defensive miscue and underwhelming starting pitching defining the latest loss to the Atlanta Braves.
“I didn’t execute a single pitch,” starter Jason Hammel said. “That’s the mystery of Jason Hammel. Every other start, you don’t know what you are going to get. It’s tough to deal with.”
That’s five straight defeats at the hands of the Braves this season. All have come in the last two weeks, threatening to keep the Rockies from playing meaningful games in August, let alone September.
Any Rockies run needs to be built on fundamentals and a little luck. Neither was present in a second inning that swelled in significance as the night wore on. Hammel was attempting an escape worthy of Alcatraz. A double-play line drive to second baseman Mark Ellis nearly freed him. He needed one more pitch after intentionally walking Nate McLouth to load the bases.
Derek Lowe, whose three-run double beat the Rockies in Atlanta earlier this year, hit a broken-bat slow roller to third baseman Ty Wigginton. He started, in part, because of Ian Stewart’s defensive miscues Sunday.
Wigginton threw slightly high to Helton. Helton lost it in the sun, the ball never touching his glove. That’s happened only one other time at Coors Field in Helton’s 15-year career, despite battling the wicked glare hundreds of times.
“It was a worst-case scenario. The bases loaded. Pitcher hitting. I couldn’t see it,” Helton said. “I know where I would like to file that play.”
Helton’s error led to a pair of runs. Unable to command his fastball, Hammel unraveled in the third, allowing home runs to Freddie Freeman and Eric Hinske. After 46 pitches, the Rockies trailed 5-0. Hammel left after five innings, tagged for six runs.
Freeman has crafted his National League rookie of the year candidacy at the Rockies’ expense. He’s 10-for-19 against Colorado with five home runs and 10 RBIs.
“Maybe he’s eating from a different box of Wheaties,” Hammel reasoned.
The only person who could leave happy in the announced crowd of 35,103 was the Detroit Tigers’ scout. Detroit is looking for pitching and has its eye on Lowe. He rolled up his sleeves, allowing four runs in working 6 1/3 innings.
The Rockies rallied in the seventh with bloop singles, but the threat fizzled on Seth Smith’s high flyball to center fielder McLouth.
A lot of teams have lost to the Braves this year. The mystery is why the Rockies keep losing to everyone at home. They are 24-25 at Coors Field, unimaginable for a team that has averaged 51 victories on Blake Street the past two years.
“Other than the first 13 games of the season,” manager Jim Tracy said, “we haven’t done anything with any consistency.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Home is where the hurt is
The Rockies are falling out of contention for many reasons, but losing at home is a primary culprit. A look at where they stand at Coors Field compared with this time last season:
2011: 24-25 (.490)
2010: 31-18 (.633)
Looking ahead
TUESDAY: Braves at Rockies, 6:40 p.m., Root
Ubaldo Jimenez (5-8, 4.08 ERA) knows there will be at least a dozen scouts watching. He has become the intriguing piece on the trade market, even though a deal is complicated because the Rockies won’t act unless they win in the long- and short-term. Jimenez, 5-3 with a 2.56 ERA in his last nine starts, said his arm strength “is close to coming all the way back.” Other than Brian McCann (5-for-19), no Brave has enjoyed any success against him. Brandon Beachy (3-1, 3.21) has held road opponents to a .187 average in two starts. However, the 24-year-old right-hander has never pitched at Coors Field. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Wednesday: Braves’ Tim Hudson (9-6, 3.44) at Rockies’ Juan Nicasio (4-2, 4.24), 6:40 p.m., Root
Thursday: Braves’ Tommy Hanson (10-5, 2.73) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.37), 1:10 p.m., Root
Friday: Rockies’ Aaron Cook (0-5, 5.82) at Diamondbacks’ Daniel Hudson (10-5, 3.56), 7:40 p.m., Root
Saturday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-9, 4.36) at Diamondbacks’ Josh Collmenter (5-5, 2.65), 6:10 p.m., Root
