SAN FRANCISCO — How thin is the slumping Rockies’ margin for error? Thursday night, it was one lousy pitch.
With an offense still hiding out in a witness protection program somewhere west of the Mississippi River, the Rockies lost their sixth consecutive game, falling 1-0 to the Giants at Oracle Park. It was Colorado’s 10th loss in 11 games, and a team that entered the season with aspirations of claiming its first National League West title now owns a 3-10 record.
The infamous pitch was an 84.5 mph slider thrown by starter to seventh-inning leadoff man Kevin Pillar. He drove Gray’s first pitch of the inning into the seats in left-center field. Game over.
The Rockies could do nothing against Giants veteran right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who tossed seven shutout innings and struck out seven. It was the first time Samardzija pitched seven scoreless innings with seven or more strikeouts since he was a member of the Cubs on July 29, 2013.
“This is a tough stretch,” right fielder said after an 0-for-4 performance that included two strikeouts. “We are not swinging the bats very well and that would have been a great opportunity to get a win for Jon Gray. I just feel like we have missed some opportunities so far.”
After getting just three hits Thursday night, the Rockies are batting .208, third-worst in the NL.
Gray pitched well — and deserved a better fate — but his name is now etched in the record book. He’s given up a home run in 15 consecutive games, tying the longest streak in National League history. He joined Mark Leiter (April 17-July 4, 1996) and Ramon Ortiz on that list.
Gray’s final line: 6 ⅔ innings, one run allowed on six hits and three walks. He is now 0-3 after three starts with a 4.19 ERA.
“I was a little shaky in the first inning, but I made some good pitches and got out of it,” Gray said. “But the home run is what I regret the most. I just left the pitch up too much and (Pillar) put a good swing on it.”
Colorado entered Thursday having not led a game since catcher hit a game-winning, solo home run in the 11th inning at Tampa Bay on April 3. The epic drought has now reached 54 innings, the club’s longest streak without holding a lead since a 59-inning streak from May 10-17, 2008.
Asked about his team’s razor-thin margin for error, manager Bud Black said: “In any well-pitched game, the margin is really thin.”
Asked if he has addressed his players about the current slump, Black said: “We talk every day to our players.”
Asked if he could share what he told his team, Black gave an emphatic “no.”
The Rockies’ frustration was evident throughout the game. In the third inning, Blackmon screamed at home plate umpire Paul Nauert after Blackmon was called out on strikes. In the ninth, Blackmon could only shrug in frustration when he lined out to diving second baseman Joe Panik for the first out of the inning. It was Colorado’s hardest-hit ball of the night.
“I had some carry over from the first at-bat,” Blackmon said, explaining his verbal outburst. “I was upset about that. Normally, I don’t like to get animated. Guys are going to make mistakes, and I make mistakes, too. I try to be slow to anger, so that was just today.”
Blackmon said his show of frustration was in the moment and not indicative of his club’s struggles as a whole.
“I’m just working really hard and trying to do the best I can,” he said. “I go out there and try to execute on something I work really, really hard on. And in my mind I’ve executed it, but it doesn’t turn out that way.”
The game ended, appropriately enough, with lining out to left fielder — his former Rockies teammate.
As Blackmon and Black both noted, Gray hung tough. True, he ran into some trouble, but he never melted down.
“I thought early in the game, some of Jon’s pitches were up,” Black said. “I don’t want to say he got away with some pitches, but some were up. And then the ball came down and he threw the ball very well from the third inning into the seventh.
“The breaking ball to Pillar was up and over the middle of the plate. He’s an aggressive first-ball hitter and he just squared it up.”
Steven Duggar led off the Giants’ first with a single but was erased trying to swipe second on a perfect throw by catcher . Buster Posey hit a two-out single and advanced to second when Gray walked Brandon Belt. The situation called for a big pitch from Gray, and he got it, striking out Brandon Crawford with a nasty slider.
In the third, Joe Panik ripped a two-out double past in left field, but Gray used his slider to whiff Posey and escape another jam.
On Deck
Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (0-2, 11.88 ERA) vs. Giants LHP Drew Pomeranz (0-1, 4.00)
8:15 p.m. Friday, Oracle Park
TV:հոRadio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Simply put, the Rockies need better from Bettis. In each of his first two starts, the right-hander allowed six runs and got the hook early. In 15 career appearances (10 starts) against the Giants, Bettis is 3-4 with a 4.59 ERA. He’s 1-1 with a 4.81 ERA in four career starts at Oracle Park. Pomeranz spent three seasons with the Rockies (2011-13), going 4-14 with a 5.20 ERA. He’ll be facing the Rockies for the fifth time in his career. In four previous games (two starts), he’s 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA.
Trending: Trevor Story tortured San Francisco pitching in 2018, batting .368 (28-for-76) with six home runs, two doubles, two triples, six stolen bases and 16 RBIs.
At issue: The Rockies, off to a 3-9 start, need to find a way to win in San Francisco. Why? Because they have a tough schedule looming. Following this six-game road trip (four at the Giants, two at San Diego), they’ll come home to host National League East contenders Philadelphia and Washington before heading back on the road to play at Atlanta and Milwaukee. The Rockies last won a series in San Francisco on April 13-16, 2017.
Upcoming pitching matchups
Saturday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-2, 5.40) at Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 3.32), 2:05 p.m., FS1
Sunday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-1, 3.00) at Giants LHP Derek Holland (1-1, 3.38), 2:05 p.m., ATTRM
Monday: Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman (0-0, 0.00) at Padres LHP Joey Lucchesi (2-1, 4.40), 8:10 p.m., ATTRM
