Rockies get 14 hits but just one run and lose again
After the Colorado Rockies failed to cash in early, the Los Angeles Dodgers leveled Jason Hammel, who had his worst start of the season, and romped 7-1. The Rockies repeatedly came up short as their offense again sputtered and they lost for the sixth time in seven games and ninth time in 11.
The loss was the fourth straight on the road for the Rockies, who are 2-10 on the road this month and 8-20 overall. Mercifully for the Rockies, May ends Tuesday.
The Rockies’ 14-hit offense consisted of 13 singles and Ty Wigginton‘s homer in the fourth. The Rockies’ leadoff batter reached base in seven consecutive innings, beginning with the second. And the Rockies, who were never retired in order, left 13 runners on base and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
With two out in the first, Carlos Gonzalez singled and stole second. Troy Tulowitzki singled sharply to center field, and Matt Kemp threw out Gonzalez at the plate. After Todd Helton, who went 3-for-4, and Seth Smith opened the second with singles, Wigginton, Chris Iannetta and Hammel struck out.
Eric Young Jr. singled and stole second to begin the third. But Dexter Fowler was unsuccessful trying to sacrifice and then struck out. And Gonzalez and Tulowitzki grounded out.
Hammel got one ground-ball out and lasted 4 2/3 innings, the shortest of his 11 starts this season and gave up season-highs in hits (10), runs (7) and earned runs (7) as he threw 102 pitches. He gave up four runs in the third and three before departing in the fifth.
Hammel gave up three straight singles and one run to start the third. Matt Kemp’s sacrifice fly brought in a second run, left fielder Gonzalez and center fielder Fowler bumping on the play, the ball hitting both their gloves and falling to the ground but Fowler forcing Andre Ethier at second on the bizarre play. James Loney followed with a run-scoring single.
Jamey Carroll led off the fifth with a triple and scored on Ethier’s single. With two out, Loney hit a two-run homer. Hammel walked Rod Barajas and gave way to Matt Daley, the first of three relievers.
The Rockies loaded the bases with one out in the seventh but Tulowitzki, the last batter Chad Billingsley faced, grounded into a double play. He gave up 11 hits in seven innings but struck out eight. After the first two runners reached base in the eighth, pinch hitter Ryan Spilborghs grounded into a double play.
Other highlights
_ Chris Nelson, who was recalled Sunday from Triple-A Colorado Springs, made his 2011 Rockies debut, entering the game at third base on a double switch in the sixth. He went 1-for-2 and made a diving catch of Aaron Miles’ liner to open the eighth.
_ Since his last win April 30, Hammel is 0-4 with a 4.42 ERA in six starts. During that stretch, he has allowed 40 hits and 22 runs, 19 earned, in 38 2/3 innings. The Rockies have scored two or fewer runs in four of those games and three runs in another. Hammel’s streak of pitching six innings in nine straight starts ended, as did his streak of pitching into the seventh in seven straight starts.
_The Rockies are a season-high 4 1/2 games behind. They finished April with a lead of 4 1/2 games and have lost nine games in the standings this month.
Well another loss. Do we blame Jim Tracy for this one as well? Maybe he blew his opportunity of pinch hitting for Troy when the bases were loaded? He probably should have known that Tulo would have hit into a DP. I mean, I saw it coming. Didn’t most of you too?
Starting to get a very negative vibe about my formally favorite Rockie, Mr. Tulowitzki. I’m sensing that he will probably be a major cause in about 4 different managers being fired during his career. He’s solidly working on number 2 in only 4 years of being a full time player.
Yeah, that double play that Jim Tracy hit into with the bases loaded was a killer. Blame the manager.
Cargo is not as good as we thought and I think we’re gonna regret giving him that contract. Even with Tulo playing the way he is now I would still take him over any SS in baseball. There are better LFs than Cargo.
I’m still shaking my head from yesterday about Ali The Great’s asking if any guys or gals here “no” anything about baseball.
What I no is that I gave up on this game after 7-1 deficit. What I no is that with 14 hits a team usually scores more than one run. What I no is that I’ve got better ways to spend my time than watching what should be a solid team morph (maybe that’s “morf”) into something that is heartbreaking (as a baseball fan) to watch.
Sorry to be so depressing, but as my landlord said today, “It’s hard to be depressed about anything else that’s happening when I’m feeling so depressed about what’s happening to me.” (She got laid off from a job she held for 12 years.)
I’m not depressed, I just have a firm grasp of reality. And with this team reality is biting hard.
So, count our blessings…I guess. It’s a game that overpays its players and makes the rest of us pay for that in order to be fans.
Hope everyone has a wonderful summer! Maybe the Rox can have a resurrection. (I no I spelled that correctly.)
Nothing to say tonight….Just time to start taking a look at the future; play Nelson, EY, call up Blackmon, Brothers, and Rosario. Keep Nicacio, Mortensen, and Reynolds in the rotation. The lineup we had is not working; it’s not a small sample when we are 1/3 into the season.
egossage | May 30, 2011 | 10:20 pm
“Cargo is not as good as we thought and I think we’re gonna regret giving him that contract. Even with Tulo playing the way he is now I would still take him over any SS in baseball. There are better LFs than Cargo”.
.
“dave in bayfield” I believe “egossage” made my point.
This team,since last year,has to be the worst hitting team w/bases loaded I’ve ever seen.Actually they stop even making any contact as soon as the bags are filled.Not even sac fly,or with no one out-can’t even muster a “regular” DP to score a run.Thank god for Gettysburg pn the History channel!
the rockies threaten but do not score … the rockies threaten but do not score … the rockies threaten but do not score.
i’ve lost track of lob.
I’m speaking for myself, but probably echo the feelings of most other posters: I am sooooo tired of this. Please make it stop. This is supposed to be fun and it just plain isn’t.
I wish I coulda been in LA for the game. I would gladly pay $$$ to see Joe West umpire.
Please explain ali the great, how I made your point for you???
Don’t tell me you think Cargo is the best LF in baseball!
Cargo is a “One Trick Pony” not Little Pony. Also, he has a huge contract!!!!I guess the A’s and Diamondbacks saw something in him they did not like and gave him up. I wonder what they saw????
Obviously, getting all those singles doesn’t work, so look for the Rox to go back to swinging for the fences tonight.
I admit it, Prog, I knew Tulo was going to hit into that double play but, of course, that was almost as easy as saying Tulo’s knees are going to buckle with every inside breaking ball thrown his way, and Cargo is going to try and pull every pitch.
And how about them Snakes? I guess Don Baylor has learned a lot about batting in one year—or is that more a reflection of having a manager like Gibson? They say a team reflects the personality of its manager/head coach. Hmmm?
Maybe we should just let Tulo hand pick the managers.
OK, there’s a lot to criticize in what’s going on with the Rockies. I’ve got to work today, so I’ll limit myself to one point: So the Rockies decide that EY isn’t going to make it as a 2B and have him play in the OF at CS. Then they bring him up and have him play 2B. It doesn’t make sense to me. In addition to the error, when he dove for a ball to his left, and the ball went under his glove, I thought that was a play that Herrera makes.
Julian,
That is an excellent point about EYjr. If he wasn’t good enough to play 2nd base at CS, why is he now playing 2nd with the MLB team? Not sure if this is a sign of desperation or if the right doesn’t know what the left is doing. I’m sure EYjr loves being with the big club, but I’m sure he’s confused as to how he fits in. Is he a 2nd baseman, OF, or just an around utility player. If it’s the latter, than we’ll just have to live with whatever defense he gives us (or doesn’t give) no matter where he plays.
Speaking of left and right, it’s time to abandon the Fowler switch hitting experiment. It’s painful to watch him swinging from the left side.
I wanted to post after the 15-4 win on Sat. But I thought; what do I write? I really felt like the rockies scoring 15 runs in one game was going to be a short lived abberation, but I didn’t want to be a downer after the team finally scored some runs. So I decided not to write anything.
The team we are seeing now, is the same team we saw pack it in last September even though they still had a good chance at making the playoffs. There has to be something chemically wrong with this team’s chemistry. It’s like September came early this year. We should probably just try to enjoy each game, one game at a time, and forget playoff glory. The Cub fans could be our role models. Really tired of Gampa Jim though, maybe he could be sent down to the minors.
sorry for the poor spelling, ATG has set a bad example.
Great article by the Cowboy over on Fox.com concerning the D-Backs. Quite a few contrasts between what’s currently going on in AZ as oppose to here. He mentions about the DBacks (Gibson & Towers specifically) will not coddle their players and quitting will not be acceptable.
Some very good lessons to be learned from our divisional rivals.
Despite the Rockies’ horrid play as of late (they’ve fallen in the ugly tree and hit every branch), were they win four games in a row, the whole scene would look much different. Baseball can turn quick like that.
But right now, one of the only interesting subplots is observing the mettle of players like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Despite the big contracts, I think this hurts them because they’re competitive and (I believe they) want to win for Colorado.
Still, maybe they’ve lost their 3-hole, 4-hole spots for awhile.
Here’s my temporary lineup:
EY Jr
Cargo
Seth Smith
Wiggington
Helton (or Gambino)
Tulo
Iannetta
Dex
(pitcher)
Shake it up! What’s to lose?
At least the Rockies have started to hit the ball. Last night was painful and unbearable to watch, but I’m going to write it off as a bit of Murphy’s Law on the road to recovery. In life and apparently in baseball it’s tough to get off the deck. Just have to keep doing the things you know are right and persevere. If they keep their most recent approach, the offense will be healthy in reasonably short order. With San Fran and Petco looming after the Dodgers it would be the wrong time to emphasize power. I have this quite foreign feeling of optimism about the rest of this trip.
The failure of Ian Stewart to become a legit threat haunts us. Tulo is probably trying too hard to be the hero. I want to believe that as opposed to believing he is coming down to earth.
I really would like to find somewhere other than the 4 spot for Tulo as I don’t like seeing him try to be a power hitter. His HRs should come naturally, not by being forced to uphold a “cleanup hitter” reputation.
If you look up and down the lineup there are several players talented enough to hit 25 HRs a year, but not really anyone who you can expect to hit 40 let alone 30.
Do Tulo and Cargo think they need to be the guys to hit 40 HRs? Because they don’t have to in order for this team to be successful.
Found this on the Rockies Forum, thought it has merit.
This is a team with no CHEMISTRY, this is a team that has two “superstars” that have been created and promoted by the Denver press, and the Rockies themselves. This is a team that that has been primed and puffed so much, that now, when it fails to live up to all the ill-precieved expecations, it appears to be a total failure, which at this time it is. This is a team with the MOST inconsistant of management style. The trigger was pulled too quickly on the starting unit and now there appears to be no going back. I will make a very bold prediction at this moment, had the original 8 positions player been allowed to adjust through their turmoils this club would be in a much better place today (and I mean Stewart 3b, and Lopex at 2b). In a baseball players mind there is NOTHING, more important than having confidence, in himself, from his teammates and from field management. If that no longer exists, we observe what has happened to the Rockies. The daily rooster changes speak to this issue, there is not a person, within reading distance of this site, that could not manage as well at the club is being managed today. This is so sad, it now had become humorous. The bobbing and weaving, of Tracy at his after game interviews, are absolutely amazing, and hilarious. Whatever it takes, work on team chemistry, there are a lot of unhappy campers out there. Herrara, is all for losing his job, and understands it 100%???? Someone is lying or in the wrong profession. Sad!! What is the reason for the bi-lateral insertion of EY, at second? Iffy bat, NO glove, wild arm!! Why? Freaking baffeling, who is running this team? Please all, understand I am a fan and supporter of this team, would appreciate others thoughts on this matter.
I’ve never been a big EY2 fan but I understand the need for his base stealing, score from 1st talent. However, 2nd base is just not his position. As stated above, why in the world would you have the kid play the OF in AAA and then bring him up to play 2nd? Just sit Dex and use him as the late inning defensive replacement as opposed to Herrera. This team is simply not any fun to watch right now. It’s kind of sad that, as of today, I’d kind of prefer to see an Iannetta or a newly called up Nelson at the plate w/ RISP than our All Star SS. I sure hope they turn it around. I’d hate to have to watch a team 10 games under .500 when I go to NY in June.
I take issue with the post from “Rockies Forum”.
The team has expectations way beyond starting 8 players,sit back and hope for the best.
John,
I agree that the team doesn’t appear to have chemistry, though I’m not sure that’s really true. Certainly they don’t have any mojo and they’re probably not having much fun right now.
Cargo and Tulo were each top 5 in MVP voting last year, each won a gold glove, each won a silver slugger, Cargo was the NL batting champion with Tulo #4. So, I have to disagree with the implication that these two players were simply “puffed up” by the media. They are struggling right now, but you do not accomplish these feats without legit talent.
If the overall point of the post is that Tracy hasn’t been a very good manager of this team, I’d have to agree, but I’m not sure I agree with the reasons. I don’t think the mere fact that he has changed roosters is the issue, he just hasn’t been able to find one that is clucky enough to consistently attract the prize.
For those questioning EY’s abilities at 2B, I’m going to assume that other teams who are interested are asking if EY can play the outfield. So, the Rockies are giving him plenty of innings in the OF (because they know he can already play 2B, since he’s played there his entire career.) I would look at the recent call-ups of EY and Nelson as “auditions” for those teams interested in a future trade. I doubt that these 2 players were called up as part of the solution to the Rockies recent troubles, but rather increasing any potential trade value they may have.
Ike, too funny.
I’ve never been impressed with the “chemistry” or teamwork by the Dbacks. LA and SF hit as a team. Arizona always seemed IMO to be a team of free sluggers. In other words they are the “bad Rockies” who are on a roll right now.
Yesterday the Rox certainly showed an ability to set the table, pass the torch to, and trust the guy behind them. This is what most of us have been preaching all month. They could not get the clutch hit. A few hits with RISP and this would have been the “good Rockies”.
Wow, talk about a loss of confidence. Yes, this team stinks right now. It is doing nothing well all of a sudden. But come on folks. Tulo is still the shortstop that every other team with the possible exception of the Phils and Cleavland would love to have playing for them right now. He has been slumping…big time. But as I said the other day, he has a history of being a 2nd half player. CarGo a one-trick pony? 2009 he hit .285, .320 with 12 HRs in the 2nd half. 2010 he won the batting title and nearly won the Triple Crown. He is no one-trick pony. He is struggling. Again, as he has in each season (.280 vs. .310). There is a reason why these guys got the contracts. There is a reason why both are highly valued by other GMs. Right now they both stink, yes (as does Ubaldo), but these guys now have history, Tulo and Ubaldo since 2007, CarGo since 2009. Will they come around? Maybe not. Great players do have bad seasons. But I will point out that CarGo’s BA has risen .18 points in 10 days. Tulo has risen .16 points in 10 days. They are starting to hit. Alas, aside from Chris I (risen .21 points in 10 games, and I am so tired of people saying he is a failure at catcher…he has a good chance of being an AS, he will hit around 15 homers, and he is calling great games), this team is not hitting, and the pressuer is building. On a night when they get all those hits but no RBIs (only HR), it is a sign they are playing tight.
They are 4.5 games out. They have lost 9 games in one month. But May is not the season. Things have to change…whether or not its in order, the pitching, or the manager, the environment has to change, and change very soon.
After reading all of this negative i’m really starting to feel more positive…serious. Dr Chris, good comments…i think we all get stressed and frusterated over the situation and want to put blame on everyone and everything…well, as fans we do this – think how the players feel – i’m sure they feel 10 times the stress and pressure and that makes for a very bad at bat in many cases…that is why you see teams that win, keep winning and teams that are losing usually keep loosing…they feed off whatever is happening at the moment…i hope they put a few games together of wins and then a few more…a series here and there and then when they walk up to the plate they are free from stress and letting their instinct and ability take over and not their stress and mind…i don’t believe in saying that Tulo/Cargo are overrated – not at all…but i do believe they are trying too hard and the stress is making them fail…
here’s to looking back and saying, “wow, May sucked but here come the rockies”…