LOS ANGELES — It was 27 minutes before first pitch Monday and only a few hundred people had reached their seats at Dodger Stadium. The Rolling Stones blared over the PA system, with Mick Jagger confessing, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
It was a mocking reminder of the seasons for the Rockies and Dodgers. The Dodgers are bankrupt. The Rockies are arguably baseball’s biggest disappointment.
“For whatever reason, we don’t do well with expectations,” Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said recently.
As such, Monday’s game was more about pitchers of the future and potential trades than the outcome. The Dodgers won 8-5 in a half-empty stadium, pitcher Juan Nicasio’s night spoiled by fastball mistakes to Andre Ethier and Juan Rivera.
The Rockies tried to convince themselves the second half would be different. They wanted to believe they could recreate the magic of the 2007 and 2009 playoff seasons. Instead, this season feels a lot more like 2008 — when the Rockies dreamed of a returning to the World Series and never recovered after a terrible start.
The Rockies have lost seven of their last 10 games and been outscored 27-8 over their last three. Dodgers rookie Rubby De La Rosa, equipped with a 100 mph fastball, muzzled them for six innings Monday, sharpening the focus on the major leagues’ trade deadline Sunday.
With the Rockies a season-worst seven games under .500, there are no signs of a recovery. The only sign is “Open for Business.”
The Rockies aren’t looking to turn over their entire roster through trades, but they are listening on everyone from Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Iannetta to Jason Giambi (Philadelphia is the favorite to get him) and Rafael Betancourt. The Reds have been the most aggressive suitors for Jimenez, but the Rockies’ demands might eventually make all teams pass on the ace right-hander.
The Rockies have to win any deal because they don’t have a stable of young pitching to fill the void. Nicasio, in that regard, has been a shimmer in the darkness. Though he remained winless on the road, where he’s 0-3 with an 8.75 ERA, the rookie right-hander continues to display improvement. He showed a plus-fastball and several above-average sliders and changeups, both of which are works in progress.
The Dodgers punished Nicasio’s mistakes. Ethier hit a two-run homer in the third inning and Rivera (RBI double) and Dioner Navarro (RBI single) chased him in the sixth. The Dodgers fattened their lead at Esmil Rogers’ expense with a three-run eighth. Dexter Fowler drove in the Rockies’ first run with a second-inning single. The Rockies scored four in the ninth, when Giambi left the game with a leg injury. That could affect his trade status.
With the NFL lockout over, the only way the Rockies can grab headlines is by trading Jimenez or by replacing Aaron Cook or Jason Hammel in the rotation with Tim Tebow (he would work on six days’ rest).
If nothing else, tonight’s game will feel important. A huge crowd is expected. After all, it’s Fernandomania bobblehead night.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TUESDAY: Rockies at Dodgers, 8:10 p.m., Root
Like the Rockies, Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.60 ERA) has endured maddening inconsistency. The problem is traced to bad numbers. He leads all starters in 2-0 counts. Early in the season Chacin was escaping, but now opponents are taking more pitches. It has led to more walks and more losses. Chacin insists he is healthy, suggesting the problems are mechanical. The right-hander owns a career 2.04 ERA against the Dodgers. All-star Clayton Kershaw (11-4, 2.72) has owned the Rockies at Dodger Stadium, compiling a 29-inning scoreless streak at one point. The Dodgers are 13-8 in his outings this season. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Wednesday: Rockies’ Aaron Cook (1-5, 5.84 ERA) vs. Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda (6-12, 3.19), 8:10 p.m., Root
Thursday: Off
Friday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-10, 4.75) vs. Padres’ Tim Stauffer (6-7, 3.05), 8:05 p.m., Root
Saturday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.20) vs. Padres’ Aaron Harang (9-2, 3.45), 6:35 p.m., Root
