SAN FRANCISCO — From the moment he stepped into the batter’s box, there were goose bumps. The crowd stood in anticipation. They were poised to see something special.
And on cue, Tony Bennett knocked it out of the park, his rendition of “God Bless America” the highlight in an other wise forgettable Tuesday night for the Rockies.
They left more than their hearts in San Francisco. They left their bats in the dugout in a 7-0 clobbering by the Giants at AT&T Park.
The loss featured another laborious outing from rookie Alex White. His season interrupted by a pulley tendon injury in his right middle finger, the right-hander never gained traction with the Rockies. He uncorked three wild pitches, committed an error and allowed three runs in four innings. Brandon Belt hit a two-run home run, the 12th that White has surrendered in 36-1/3 innings with the Rockies.
The game was interrupted twice when a fan was pointing a laser pointer at the batters. The problem was corrected. The Rockies were already having a miserable night offensively without juvenile assistance from a moron. They managed just two hits off left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who struck out nine in seven innings. The Giants have won 13 of his last 18 starts.
On a day when manager Jim Tracy announced that his entire coaching staff was returning, the Rockies lost for 11th time in 13 games. They finished last September with a 1-13 record.
A play in the seventh inning provided a snapshot to this month’s struggles. Conor Gillaspie crushed Esmil Rogers’ fastball to the 421-mark in right-center field. It turned into an inside-the-park home run that was as exhausting as it was embarrassing. Ty Wigginton retrieved the ball and threw wide of the cutoff man. Gillaspie fell down rounding third base, leaving first baseman Jordan Pacheco with a play. He one-hopped the throw, and Wilin Rosario dropped the ball as Gillaspie slid in safely before nearly passing out.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
WEDNESDAY: Rockies at Giants, 1:45 p.m., Root
For the first time since the trade, Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 5.68 ERA) looked like the past two months crashed down on him. The inactivity following the dealhe was the famous player to be named later, languishing in the desert for two weeks; and the medical emergency, he had his appendix removed — left him throwing 87 miles per hour in a forgettable outing against the Astros. Pomeranz is working on balance issues in his delivery and has impressed pitching coach Bob Apodaca with his willingness to adjust. Pomeranz has never pitched in AT&T Park. Matt Cain (12-11, 2.88) is Pomeranz’s friend. The two shared the same pitching coach in Memphis. The Rockies would love to see the same growth from Pomeranz as the Giants have from Cain, who has matured from a fireballer to a complete pitcher. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
