The staggering, pitching-starved Rockies have the National League West basement all to themselves — and they’re playing like that’s exactly where they belong.
The Arizona Diamondbacks swept a doubleheader Wednesday at Coors Field, winning the second game 5-1 after routing the Rockies 13-7 in the opener.
The Rockies have lost seven consecutive games, being outscored 65-25. They have lost 13 of their last 17 games.
Asked if it’s reasonable to say the Rockies are not a good baseball team right now, manager Walt Weiss answered: “That’s fair. Over the last week, I can’t argue that. There is no magic pill. We have to show up and compete. We’ve got to pitch better, we’ve got to take better at-bats and we have to play better.”
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Left-hander Tyler Matzek, who entered the game 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA, imploded in the opener, walking six in just two innings before Weiss gave him the hook. In the nightcap, right-hander Jordan Lyles gave the Rockies a rare gift: seven relatively solid innings of starting pitching. Still, when he left the game, the Rockies trailed 4-1.
Arizona rapped Lyles for nine hits, but that included a two-run double by David Peralta in Arizona’s three-run fifth that Charlie Blackmon misplayed as he raced toward the right-field wall. Lyles struck out six and walked only one, and that walk was intentional.
“For me, it was about attacking with the fastball,” Lyles said. “We had some trouble in the fifth with the RBI double. It was a changeup and Peralta put a good swing on it, and it went over Charlie’s head. I looked up and there were a lot of hits on the scoreboard, but overall we got seven somewhat efficient (innings).”
After going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in the opener, Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt made amends by hitting a solo homer off Lyles in the fourth in the nightcap. The Rockies tied the game in the top of the frame on a leadoff single by Tulowitzki and a run-scoring double by Michael McKenry.
Weiss didn’t get much of a chance to manage the second game. He got tossed in the third inning for chirping about high strikes being called by home plate umpire Bill Miller.
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Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray, making his 2015 debut, baffled the Rockies for six innings, allowing one run on five hits, striking out five and walking none.
How bad a day was it for Matzek? He walked the bases full in the first inning on 13 pitches. The home crowd began booing. He walked the first two batters he faced in the second inning on eight pitches. He walked the leadoff hitter in the third inning on four pitches.
“It’s extremely frustrating,” Matzek said. “I’m disappointed I let my team down. We had to go to the bullpen early, which is terrible, especially on the day when we have a doubleheader.”
Matzek became just the 10th pitcher since 2001 to walk six or more batters in two or less innings to start a game.
“It was just feel. I didn’t have feel of the fastball,” Matzek said. “I’ve had worse and pitched better. I’ve gotten away with it a couple times. That was just battling and dealing with it. But eventually, they’re gonna come around and start hitting the ball.”
Matzek’s ERA rose to 4.09 after Wednesday’s walk-a-thon. But that’s still second best on the Rockies’ starting staff.
“It was a little different today than it’s been,” Weiss said of Matzek’s control issues. “Today the command really got away from him. He struggled to throw strikes.”
The Rockies got home runs from Justin Morneau, Nick Hundley and Drew Stubbs. Corey Dickerson tripled. Nolan Arenado doubled. But it didn’t matter, as Arizona starter Josh Collmenter beat Colorado for the second time in a week.
The Rockies’ future looks foreboding, too. They have the day off Thursday, but then the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town, and they’ll start reigning National League Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw on Saturday night and 2009 American League Cy Young winner Zack Greinke on Sunday.
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or
