A Rockies season that began with so much promise has come to this: They’re percentage points ahead of the fourth-place Dodgers.
Oh, and while we’re taking a peek down the basement steps, that’s the Padres making all that racket down there.
With injuries and the Ubaldo Jimenez trade having thinned their rotation, the issue no longer is whether the Rockies can make a run. It’s whether they can stay in the middle of the pack in the mediocre National League West, where the Diamondbacks are threatening a worst-to-first turnaround.
The Rockies’ 8-2 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night at Coors Field left them about as close to fourth place as a team can be without actually being there. At 58-68, their winning percentage of .4603 leaves them just ahead of the Dodgers, whose 57-67 mark translates to .4597.
If they’re going to hang in the middle of the pack, they will need pitching performances unlike the one Jason Hammel provided on a rainy night in LoDo. Hammel (7-12, 5.24 ERA) was gone after three innings, allowing six runs, three on Rod Barajas’ home run in the third.
“Different day, same stuff,” Hammel said. “The execution isn’t happening. I’ve worked tirelessly to figure this out. Obviously, I’m not fulfilling expectations right now, and it’s very disappointing to me and the whole organization as well.”
Question is, will he get the opportunity in the rotation? After Hammel’s eighth home loss in his last 11 starts — he’s 1-8 in that span with two no-decisions — manager Jim Tracy was noncommittal about what the near future holds for him.
Said Tracy, when asked if Hammel could be moved to a new role: “That’s not something I want to talk about now, but obviously there are some other people as a result of a trade that was made at the end of July. After I have an opportunity to sit down and completely digest all of this, we’ll talk about what it is we’re going to do moving forward.”
Hammel’s downward spiral has mirrored the entire team’s. He jumped out to a 3-1 start in April, when his ERA stood at a solid 3.23. But his monthly ERAs since then read as follows: 4.42, 4.31, 7.00 and 9.32. He has lost his last four starts at home, with an ERA of 11.33.
Hammel has been a stand-up guy during his struggles, but realities are changing. The front office is taking a look at several players to determine if they’re going to return in 2012. Hammel hasn’t helped his cause.
“We need to finish strong, especially the guys who want to be in this locker room next year,” Troy Tulowitzki said. “They need to go out there, play the game the right way and show their teammates that they respect the game and the other people in this locker room.”
Adding insult to injury, the Rockies were beaten by their personal punching bag, Hiroki Kuroda. He was 0-5, 5.81 against them in nine career starts.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Dodgers at Rockies, 2:10 p.m., no TV
Esmil Rogers (6-2, 6.00 ERA) has been solid . . . once he gets past the first inning, when he’s allowed a .444 batting average with a ghastly 19.29 ERA. He struggled again in the first on Sunday at St. Louis, where he allowed four runs before working four scoreless innings. If he’s going to be in the Rockies’ plans, he needs to prove he can compete at Coors Field, where he’s 1-1 with a 12.10 ERA. If Ted Lilly (7-13, 4.54) hasn’t officially qualified as a Rockies killer, he’s close. Lilly is 7-2, 3.99 career vs. the Rox, including 2-0, 2.25 in two starts this season. Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Sunday: Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley (10-9, 4.04 ERA) at Rockies’ Kevin Millwood (0-1, 4.85), 1:10 p.m., Root
Monday: Astros’ Brett Myers (3-12, 4.72) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (9-10, 3.59), 6:40 p.m., Root
Tuesday: Astros’ Bud Norris (6-8, 3.61) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (3-7, 5.23), 6:40 p.m., Root
Wednesday: Astros’ Wandy Rodriguez (9-9, 3.31) at Rockies’ Jason Hammel (7-12, 5.24), 1:10 p.m., no TV
