Seven years ago, the Rockies’ September surrender came late, but it came hard. One game out of first place on Sept. 19, they lost 13 of their final 14 games and missed the postseason.
Unless the Rockies start playing better baseball, this September is shaping up to be a cruel repeat of 2010, albeit not as harsh or as sudden.
Colorado was routed 11-3 by San Francisco on Wednesday night at Coors Field, in a game in which rookie pitcher starter Kyle Freeland stumbled, perennial Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado showed some tarnish and the offense — minus the continued heroics of Charlie Blackmon and a spark from Carlos Gonzalez — failed to show up.
San Francisco’s Joe Panik, meanwhile, had a field day. He tied a career high with five hits and set a Giants’ franchise record with 12 hits over a three-game series.
“Everything seems real slow, allowing me to see the ball real well,” Panik said, describing the zone he’s been in. “Every time up there, feel like I can be patient and take a strike — but be aggressive. I feel like I’m in control of the at-bat right now. It’s definitely a good feeling to be in.”
The Rockies, however, aren’t feeling so good right now.
Wednesday stacked up as an ugly ending to a disappointing 3-6 homestand. Considering what comes next, the Rockies needed a better showing in LoDo over the past nine games.
dzǰ:
Why? Because the Rockies now play 14 of their next 17 games on the road, a tough journey that begins Thursday night in Los Angeles against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. It’s the first of four games against an L.A. team on pace for more than 100 victories.
Then comes four games at Arizona, a hot team running away with the National League’s No. 1 wild-card spot after sweeping three games from the Rockies at Coors Field last weekend. The Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 3-1 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to a franchise-record 13 games.
Rockies manager Bud Black tried to isolate Wednesday’s loss to the Giants as simply one bad game.
“This was a tough game tonight,” manager Bud Black said. “On the mound we didn’t pitch well. And (starter Johnny) Cueto shut us down for five innings and they stretched the lead on us. It was there night offensively and we didn’t swing the bats very well tonight.”
In terms of the big playoff picture, Milwaukee continues to stumble in its pursuit of the NL’s second wild card. The Brewers, who lost 7-1 to Cincinnati and have dropped four of five, remain 2 ½ games behind Colorado. St. Louis, however, has emerged as Colorado’s top challenger for the final playoff spot. The Cardinals beat San Diego 3-1 Wednesday night and are now just two games behind the Rockies.
Blackmon might not garner enough votes for NL MVP, but he’s been Colorado’s strong and steady force all season. His 450-foot solo homer in the seventh was his 34th home run of the season, and one of Colorado’s few highlights. Blackmon — who added a double and scored a run in the fifth on Gonzalez’s single — leads the NL with a .340 average.
Gonzalez, promoted to the No. 3 hole for the night, went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a double, lifting his average to .247.
“I feel like I’ve been pretty consistent the last couple of weeks,” Gonzalez said. “I haven’t been trying to do too much. I have been taking the ball where it’s pitched. If they pitch me outside, I’ve been good with taking it the other way.
“A lot of this year, I’ve missed pitches I had a chance to hit, but lately I have been staying on them.”
Freeland’s night was short and not the least bit sweet. He pitched just 3 1/3 innings, getting rocked for five runs (three earned) on seven hits. The rookie left-hander got in trouble early and was not backed up by the usually golden Arenado.
Asked if Freeland has hit to so-called rookie wall, Black replied: “I don’t want to think that. I’m looking at his arm angle and everything, and physically, he’s showing all of the signs of hanging in there. But the quality of pitch to pitch is not where it’s needed to be.”
Freeland, 11-10 with a 3.99 ERA, said his recent ineffectiveness is about lack of execution, not about physical or mental fatigue.
“It’s just baseball and it happens to the best players,” he said. “They hit ruts, and right now I’m in one. I just have to figure out how to get out of this as quick as possible and learn from my mistakes.”
With two on in the first, Nick Hundley hit a chopper to Arenado, who failed to handle the ball cleanly. Arenado’s seventh error of the season loaded the bases with one out. Freeland struck out Brandon Crawford for the second out before Austin Slater hit a single up the middle to drive in two runs.
The Giants ambushed Freeland in the fourth, extending their lead to 5-0. Kelby Tomlinson led off with a single and Ryder Jones followed with a walk. Cueto’s sacrifice bunt moved them into scoring position for Gorkys Hernandez, who ripped a ball off Arenado’s glove for a two-run single. It’s a play that Arenado has pulled off before, but not on this night.
Jeff Hoffman and Shane Carle, two September call-ups, did not fare well in relief roles later in the game. San Francisco scored three runs, on four hits, in two innings off Hoffman, while Carle gave up a two-run homer to former Rockies catcher Nick Hundley in the eighth.
Panik Attack
- San Francisco second baseman Joe Panik tied a career high with five hit hits Wednesday night (He also had five hits on Sept. 9, 2014 vs. Arizona).
- Panik went 12-for-15 in the three-game series (three hits Monday, four on Tuesday and five Wednesday) to become the first Giants player to record 12 hits in a single series.
- He is the fourth major-league player since 1876 to record 12 hits in a three-game series. The last one to do it was Boston’s Jerry Remy, from Sept. 3-5, 1981 vs. Seattle).
- Panik is the first Giants player to record back-to-back games of four or more hits since Freddy Sanchez accomplished the feat, Aug. 23-24, 2010 vs. Cincinnati.
