There will be no reprisal of Rocktober. And for that matter, September hasn’t exactly been a month to remember, either.
But as badly as things have gone for the Rockies, they could be worse.
How much worse? When Jim Tracy looks at his team, he sees another midmarket club with high aspirations in spring training that has fallen victim to injuries, anguish and off years.
That would be the Twins, who’ve lost Justin Morneau, Denard Span and Joe Mauer and seen other key players not play up to standards.
“You add all that up . . . and you see 59-90,” Tracy said before Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Giants.
The Rockies haven’t suffered that much, but they’ve endured a bitterly disappointing season in the face of injuries to Jorge De La Rosa and Juan Nicasio, the departure of Ubaldo Jimenez and the disappearing act of Ian Stewart.
“I’m just using this as an analogy,” Tracy said. “Where is there another club in the industry that’s structured similarly to ours that has incurred similar adversity like we’ve incurred? And how are things going for them?”
For all the uncertainty surrounding the Rockies, this much they know: If they’re going to bounce back in 2012, they’ve got to pick up the pieces and put together a competitive rotation.
Which brings us to left-hander Drew Pomeranz. At least their latest loss gave the Rockies a glimpse of their future. Pomeranz, the key to the Jimenez trade, worked 5 2/3 efficient innings, leaving with the game tied at 1-1.
He didn’t blow many hitters away, but that’s the whole point. Pomeranz was throwing 88-90 mph, the byproduct of extended inactivity and an appendectomy, but was able to stay out of trouble without his A-game stuff.
“I’m just trying to make pitches out there right now,” said Pomeranz. “I felt fine. My rhythm was a little off and my off-speed wasn’t as good, but I still found a way to get things done out there.”
Said Tracy: “He hits the offseason and gets a chance to get himself completely strengthened back up, and you’re talking 93-94 with that breaking ball and that changeup. . . . That’s an awfully interesting scenario.”
Pomeranz walked Mark DeRosa before departing, then watched as Matt Belisle allowed a run-scoring triple to Brett Pill. Dexter Fowler got Pomeranz off the hook, though, with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
Then came the eighth, in which Huston Street allowed four runs, two unearned when he uncorked a wild throw to second base after fielding Jeff Keppinger’s bunt. Carlos Beltran followed with a run-scoring double before Pill’s second triple on a hanging slider broke the game open.
Street hadn’t allowed a run to the Giants since 2006. He had racked up 18 2/3 scoreless innings against them, with 17 strikeouts and one walk.
The Rockies scored two in the ninth, one on a double by Mark Ellis, but couldn’t keep the Giants from extending their winning streak to seven, during which they’ve cut 4 1/2 games off the Diamondbacks’ lead in the National League West.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Giants at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., Root
The Rockies like Esmil Rogers’ arm, but a lot of clubs say that about a lot of young pitchers. Rogers (6-5, 5.88 ERA) needs to prove he belongs in the 2012 rotation. And that’s not going to happen if he doesn’t display an ability to handle life on the mound at Coors Field. He’s 1-2, 9.86 at home, where he has allowed 37 hits in 21 innings. On the road, he’s 5-3, 4.33 with 57 hits allowed in 54 innings. Like all Giants starters, Matt Cain (11-10, 2.79) has suffered from a lack of run support. He’s 12-7, 3.16 against the Rockies but has compiled a 4.01 ERA in 10 outings at Coors Field. Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Monday: Padres’ Cory Luebke (5-9, 3.27 ERA) at Rockies’ Kevin Millwood (3-2, 3.68), 6:40 p.m., Root
Tuesday: Padres’ Mat Latos (7-14, 3.73) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (11-12, 3.73), 6:40 p.m., Root
Wednesday: Padres’ Tim Stauffer (9-12, 3.73) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.97), 1:10 p.m., Root
Thursday: Rockies’ Alex White (3-2, 6.75) at Astros’ Henry Sosa (2-5, 4.74), 6:05 p.m., Root
