ANAHEIM, Calif. — You’d think the baseball gods would be done punishing the Rockies.
Nope.
Even with manager and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles knocked off the mound after one inning, the Rockies were on the brink of beating the Los Angeles Angels and halting their 10-game losing streak Wednesday night.
Nothing doing. The streak lives on at 11.
The Rockies lost 2-1 in the 11th inning when Albert Pujols hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left off reliever Christian Friedrich to score pinch-runner Taylor Featherstone.
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“Par for the course,” said bench coach Tom Runnells, who filled in for the ailing Weiss. “That’s the way things are going right now. We don’t like to joke about things like that, but this is going tough, a tough road right now.
“But you know what? We were really proud of the way the guys battled. If we play like we did tonight and we battle like we did, we are going to be OK.”
A nice sentiment after a tough loss, but first the Rockies have to escape the funk that is ruining their season before June arrives. Their 11-game losing streak is tied for the second-longest in franchise history.
And the Rockies continue to sputter on offense, striking out 14 times Wednesday night, eight of them at the hands of starter Hector Santiago, who has allowed one or fewer runs in five of his last six starts.
The Rockies seemed close to halting the skid the top of the 11th when Daniel Descalso hit an apparent sacrifice fly to center fielder Mike Trout. But Trout — who had robbed Troy Tulowitzki of a home run in the 10th with a leaping catch at the wall — made a running shoe-top catch and threw out Carlos Gonzalez for an inning-ending double play. Home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi originally ruled CarGo safe, but the call was overturned by replay.
“I thought I was safe,” CarGo said. “On the replay it looked like (catcher Carlos Perez) tagged me on the foot, but he didn’t. He tagged me higher (on the leg), so I was safe.
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“But that was a great play, a great throw, by Trout. So you have to give him credit.”
Colorado’s trying season took a worrisome turn Wednesday afternoon when Weiss, 51, was taken to a hospital because he was experiencing stomach pain and discomfort. The third-year manager left Angel Stadium of Anaheim about two hours before the game began. Rockies head trainer Keith Dugger accompanied Weiss to the hospital.
Weiss began experiencing stomach pain Tuesday night during the Rockies’ 5-2 loss to the Angels.
“We know that he had some surgery on his appendix and everything went well,” Runnells said. “He’s resting and he will come to (Los Angeles) tomorrow and I think he is probably going to be out of commission for a couple of days.”
The night almost belonged to Colorado right-hander Christian Bergman, the long reliever who took over for Lyles.
Bergman was terrific, allowing just one baserunner from the second inning through the sixth. The Angels finally solved him in the seventh, with Kole Calhoun punching out a single and Pujols driving a double down the left-field line into the stands.
Into the game came Scott Oberg, who gave up a single to Erick Aybar, tying the game 1-1. A perfect throw from center fielder Drew Stubbs cut down Pujols at the plate, preventing the Angels from taking the lead.
“Christian was outstanding,” Runnells said. “I hugged him. He really gave us a great effort and I wish we could have gotten the win for him.”
Bergman was charged with one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and no walks. He needed just 50 pitches — 39 of them strikes.
Lyles must be feeling like a piñata after what he has been through. Pujols, the Angles’ third hitter of the game, hit a mean comebacker off Lyles’ right hand, causing immediate swelling. Lyles was done for the night.
“It’s not broken, and that the good thing,” he said after the game. “I fully intend to make my next start.”
Last season, Lyles fractured his left hand while covering home plate and missed 54 games.
“I was thinking about that as I was walking off the field,” he said. “But luckily nothing is broken. I think I’ll be OK.”
Drew Stubbs, who got the start in center field, entered the game with three hits in 32 at-bats, but he delivered a run-scoring single in the fourth to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead.
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
