SAN DIEGO — Jason Hammel shook his head at the question.
“Nobody expected us to be in this situation,” Hammel admitted.
Rather than talk about adding pieces for a playoff push, the Rockies are more sellers than contenders. Their players aren’t on the clearance rack, but Colorado is listening and looking for deals that make sense for this season and beyond.
After Ubaldo Jimenez — a trending topic for days — those Rockies’ attracting attention include slugger Ty Wigginton, second baseman Mark Ellis, catcher Chris Iannetta and relievers Matt Lindstrom and Rafael Betancourt.
The Yankees, Red Sox and Pirates have had varying degrees of interest in Wigginton. Boston also could make a late play for Ryan Spilborghs. New York and Boston have the luxury of waiting until the last minute Sunday to see if teams want to dump contracts. Last year, the Yankees were quiet in the days leading up to the deadline and ended up with Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns.
ESPN reported Thursday that Ellis could be a fit for the Brewers, who are looking for depth at second base after Rickie Weeks’ ankle injury. They acquired minor-leaguer Felipe Lopez from Tampa Bay.
Footnotes.
Aaron Cook, on Wednesday’s win, his best outing of the season: “I was in rhythm the entire time. My arm felt strong.” . . . Huston Street joked that he was on a 75-pitch count in his 31-pitch ninth inning Wednesday.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Looking ahead
FRIDAY: Rockies at Padres, 8 p.m., Root
In the laundry list of the Rockies’ disappointments, Jason Hammel (5-10, 4.75 ERA) ranks near the top. He was 3-1 in April. Since then he has gone 2-9 with a 5.26 ERA. He felt like he had “no-hit stuff” before his last game against the Diamondbacks, and manager Jim Tracy said it was more like “10-hit stuff.” Hammel needs to regain his mental edge. Tim Stauffer (6-7, 3.05), finally healthy after a long climb from his days at Richmond, has been a steady contributor for San Diego. Seth Smith is 3-for-8 off Stauffer, while Ian Stewart is 2-for-5 against the right-hander.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Saturday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.20 ERA) at Padres’ Aaron Harang (9-2, 3.45), 6:35 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Rockies’ Juan Nicasio (4-3, 4.24) at Padres’ Dustin Moseley (3-10, 3.30), 2:05 p.m., ROOT
Monday: Phillies’ Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.61) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (8-8, 3.50), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Tuesday: Phillies’ Kyle Kendrick (5-5, 3.52) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (2-5, 5.05), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
