It was CarGo T-shirt day at Coors Field, and fans were waving their purple shirts with gusto in the fifth inning Saturday.
That’s when Carlos Gonzalez, the hottest hitter in baseball, strode to the plate to face Dodgers starter Aaron Harang with one out, the bases full and the Rockies trailing 4-1.
Considering the Roy Hobbs impersonation Gonzalez has been pulling off lately, a big hit, maybe even a grand slam, didn’t seem improbable.
Alas, CarGo proved he was a mere mortal, popping out to Dodgers third baseman Elian Herrera in foul territory. And when Michael Cuddyer grounded out to end the inning, the Rockies were on their way to a 6-2 loss that ended their five-game winning streak.
The Rockies also lost starting pitcher Juan Nicasio when the right-hander twisted his left knee in the second inning. The Rockies are calling the injury a strained knee, and manager Jim Tracy said the club would know more today.
However, it seems unlikely Nicasio would be ready to pitch Friday, his next scheduled start. But with an off day Thursday, the Rockies have some flexibility with their rotation.
“I know I want to pitch again. I will try to make my next start,” said Nicasio, who had trouble putting weight on his left leg in the clubhouse after the game. “I don’t have any balance.”
Gonzalez entered the game hitting .591 (13-for-22) with four home runs and nine RBIs on the current homestand. He was pleased with his patience at the plate and ability to swing at the pitches he wanted. But that didn’t happen Saturday. He admitted he got overeager, and he slammed his bat to the ground after popping out.
“That was just the frustration of the moment,” Gonzalez said. “It was a pitch out of the strike zone, and obviously I made the wrong swing and I should have just taken the pitch. I should have just waited for my pitch.”
For Gonzalez, it was another lesson of the cruel game.
“I was too eager the whole at- bat,” he said. “The first pitch was a curveball on the ground and I swung at it. That’s why I got in trouble.”
Gonzalez had another chance in the seventh. With one out and two on, he rocketed a shot down the first-base line, but the Dodgers’ James Loney neatly turned it into an inning-ending double play.
“I hit the ball really good, just right at the first baseman,” Gonzalez said. “It was just one of those days where I wasn’t going to get an RBI if I played all day.”
Coors Field has been playing like the pre-humidor days for much of this spring. During their five-game winning streak, the Rockies outscored their opponents 53-26 and cranked out 71 hits, including 13 homers. But Saturday, Coors Field played more like Dodger Stadium, and Harang handcuffed the Rockies for six innings, giving up just one run on four hits.
Cuddyer slugged an RBI double in the first, and Wilin Rosario hit an RBI double to right in the seventh, but that was the gist of the Rockies’ offense on a day they were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Upcoming Pitching Matchups
Today: Dodgers’ Nathan Eovaldi (0-1, 2.57 ERA) at Rockies’ Alex White (1-3, 6.28), 1:10 p.m., ROOT
Monday: Rockies’ Christian Friedrich (3-1, 5.59) at Diamondbacks’ Joe Saunders (3-3, 3.61), 7:40 p.m., ROOT
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jeremy Guthrie (3-3, 5.48) at Diamondbacks’ Ian Kennedy (4-5, 4.26), 7:40 p.m., ROOT
Wednesday: Rockies’ Josh Outman (0-1, 5.63) at Diamondbacks’ Wade Miley (6-2, 2.72), 7:40 p.m., ROOT
