SPORTS ROCKIES LOSE GAME; WILD-CARD LEAD JUST 1
Colorado’s offense doesn’t come through in clutch during short sweep by San Francisco
SA NF RANCISCO» The somber visitors clubhouse at AT&T Park was full of mixed messages Wednesday after the Rockies were blanked 4-0 by the Giants. Veterans silently pulled on Denver Broncos T-shirts, while rookies, such as pitcher German Marquez, were forced to don full Broncos uniforms, complete with shoulder pads, helmets and padded football pants.
Rookie hazing is a baseball tradition that accompanies the last road trip of the season — in this case, Colorado’s flight to San Diego for the final four road games of the season. And if ever a team needed some levity, it’s the Rockies, who have now lost three straight, including this two-game sweep by the Giants, and who have seen their once-comfortable lead for the National League’s second wild card evaporate to just one game over Milwaukee. The Brewers, winners of nine of their previous 11 games, lost 6-4 later Wednesday at Pittsburgh against the Pirates to remain one back.
“It’s natural for young players and guys who have not been here before to press when we get close to crunchtime,” veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “Guys are pressing a little bit, so we are going to take a step back and have some fun on the flight with the football team we have.
“Hopefully that loosens some guys up and then we get back at it against the Padres. All we can control is our effort and our work. Everything else is kind of up to baseball.”
Colorado’s offense has been two-faced much of the season, and the ugly mug showed up again when the Rockies managed just six hits and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That 0for-RISP has become symbolic of the Rockies’ all-to-frequent struggles at the plate in the second half of the season.
“We couldn’t get the big hit,” manager Bud Black said. “We had some baserunners, but we couldn’t get the big hit, like we have talked about over the course of the few games that we have lost lately.”
Unlike Lucroy, however, Black discounted the idea that his team is pressing as it enters the final 10 games of its season and seeks its first postseason berth since 2009.
“It’s crunch time all year. (That
question) was asked two weeks ago, and you saw what happened,” Black said, referring to a stretch when the Rockies won eight of nine games when their offense started producing big numbers, such as an 8-1 victory against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sept. 10 to complete a four-game sweep.
“I think the guys want to get hits, there is no doubt about that,” Black continued, “but whether they are pressing, I don’t think so. We just have to go back to the plate and on the mound and get it done.”
Giants left-handed starter Matt Moore entered the game carrying a 5-14 record and a 5.59 ERA, among the worst marks for a fulltime big-league starter. He had allowed six runs over his last 11 innings and the Giants were just 9-20 in his starts this season.
In six career starts vs. the Rockies, he was 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA and he seemed like the perfect anecdote to what’s been ailing Colorado’s offense. Instead, he morphed into a quasi-ace, pitching six-plus innings, allowing no runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
Meanwhile, San Francisco’s Joe Panik continued his assault on Colorado pitchers, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. The only thing missing from a Panik cycle was a home run. He’s batting .455 since Sept. 1, the highest average in the majors. His torrid stretch includes a franchise-record 12 hits in a threegame series from Sept. 4-6 at Coors Field.
In 19 games against Colorado this season, Panik hit .436 (34-for78). His 34 hits are the most ever in a season by a Colorado oppo- nent.
“He’s been a Rockie killer for sure,” Black said. “We just can’t seem to solve him. We are trying all sorts of different things to get him out, but the mistakes that we have made, he’s not missing.”
Panik ambushed starter Tyler Chatwood in the first inning with Panik crushing a ball to right-center for a one-out triple and then scoring on Denard Span’s sacrifice fly.
The Giants took a 3-0 lead in the third, combining Panik’s leadoff double, a groundout by Span and a sacrifice fly by Buster Posey. Then Brandon Crawford launched a solo shot down the right-field line, his 14th homer of the season.
Chatwood settled down after that, allowing just one baserunner over the next three innings, but on a day when the Rockies’ offense dried up, Chatwood couldn’t afford to give up even those three runs. His final line: six innings, three runs, five hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
“Some balls fell in, and the one ball I didn’t execute was that cutter to Crawford,” said Chatwood, now 8-13 with a 4.56 ERA. “I probably gave up two runs that I shouldn’t have, but the goal is to win games and we didn’t. So I don’t think anybody is happy leaving here.”
The Giants tacked on another run in the seventh on an RBI single by Panik off reliever Mike Dunn to score Hunter Pence.