The Rockies have the second-fewest victories in baseball. Their pitchers lead the majors in walks. Those two things are related. They walk more than those in a Thanksgiving parade — and then their ERAs inflate bigger than a Woody Woodpecker balloon.
On Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals, left-hander Jorge De La Rosa walked into trouble, but he weaseled out. He allowed six free passes. One walk was intentional, and on two others he pitched around the zone on purpose to get to an easier out.
A clever veteran, De La Rosa walked off the field before the seventh inning with a one-run lead.
But the Rockies eventually buckled. Relievers Gonzalez Germen and Rafael Betancourt, bit by more walks, gave up the game-tying and go-ahead runs as the Nationals squeezed out a 4-1 victory in front of 24,863 fans at chilly Coors Field.
“Just too many walks the past couple nights,” manager Walt Weiss said. “Ten last night, nine tonight. Just too many.”
Washington’s Stephen Strasburg pitched walk-free. In two games against the Rockies this season, Strasburg struck out 17 — and walked none. Not even one. The Nationals won both games.
“A lot of what we saw last week in D.C. — an overpowering fastball and a real good changeup,” Weiss said. “He was every bit as good again.”
The Rockies finished with just two hits at home for the first time since July 4 last season.
Rockies pitchers have allowed 417 walks this season — the most in baseball. No other team is above 400. The Nationals have allowed the fewest, just 256. That’s a difference of 161. That’s an extra baserunner every game, plus another every fourth game. Many of those runners turn into runs.
In the seventh, Germen, who relieved De La Rosa, struck out two batters to start the inning. Then he gave up a double to left to Bryce Harper. After walking the next two batters to load the bases, Germen threw a wild pitch that dribbled by catcher Nick Hundley, and Harper scored the tying run.
In the eighth, Betancourt got two outs to start, then gave up a single to Wilson Ramos and a walk to Clint Robinson. They both scored after Jayson Werth hit a two-run triple off the right-field scoreboard.
The Rockies pounced on a Nationals mistake to take an early lead. Ben Paulsen’s sharp grounder down the first-base line scooted under the glove of Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman and Paulsen got to second on the error.
After DJ LeMahieu grounded out to move him over, Paulsen sneaked homed after Strasburg’s wild pitch got by Ramos and the catcher’s throw to the plate went awry.
De La Rosa flummoxed the Nats for just four hits in six innings. But his walks, on purpose or not, ramped up his pitch count, and he left after throwing 110 of them. Strasburg exited after seven innings and 93 pitches. He allowed just two hits.
“I walked a lot of guys, but the most important thing is to pitch well when I need to,” De La Rosa said. “You have to do something to get out of those situations.”
The Nationals pushed home an insurance run with Ryan Zimmerman’s single to right off John Axford in the ninth that scored Yunel Escobar. Washington’s bullpen kept the Rockies scoreless, and Colorado went away 1-2-3 in its final frame.
“It doesn’t matter if I win or not. It only matters if the team wins,” De La Rosa said.
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
