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Silent night in San Diego

Colorado gets only two hits against Padres pitchers

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 15, 2008 at 10:51 p.m.
Updated April 16, 2008 at 12:43 a.m.

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Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez throw to first base Tuesday night at San Diego. Jimenez dominated the Padres for the first four innings, but melted down in the fifth of Colorado's 6-0 loss.

Photo by Lenny Ignelzi, Associated Press

Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez throw to first base Tuesday night at San Diego. Jimenez dominated the Padres for the first four innings, but melted down in the fifth of Colorado's 6-0 loss.

Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff doubles in the fifth inning. The Evergreen graduate went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Photo by Lenny Ignelzi / Associated Press

Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff doubles in the fifth inning. The Evergreen graduate went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

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The Rockies avoided being no-hit thanks to Brad Hawpe on Tuesday night.

But hey couldn't avoid being embarrassed. They did that to themselves, losing 6-0 to the Padres at Petco Park in the first meeting between the teams since the Rockies' dramatic 13th-inning victory at Coors Field in the National League wild-card tiebreaker on Oct. 1.

For the second time in his career, Hawpe provided the late-inning answer to a Padres pitcher bidding to throw the first no-hitter in that franchise's history, delivering a two-out single in the seventh off Randy Wolf.

Todd Helton added a ninth-inning single off Kevin Cameron, leaving the Rockies two-hit for the second time this season and 22nd time in franchise history.

Rockies right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez suffered the biggest hit of all.

He saw four dominating innings washed away by a fifth-inning nightmare in which he lost his focus, botched a sacrifice bunt, couldn't consistently throw strikes and left after Jim Edmonds ended a nine-pitch at-bat with the third two-run double surrendered in the inning.

"He seemed to be in a good place, but he let it get away," manager Clint Hurdle said.

Jimenez gave up three singles in the first four innings, but he never seemed to be threatened. Even when Brian Giles led off the first and wound up on third thanks to wild pitches with no one out, Jimenez calmly struck out Tadahito Iguchi, got Adrian Gonzalez on a soft liner to shortstop and Kevin Kouzmanoff on a groundball to short.

Only once did he have a three-ball count on the 14 hitters he faced in the first four innings. Forty-three of the 63 pitches he threw were for strikes.

But then came the fifth.

"We had a play (on the bunt) that was not executed and it buried us dramatically as the inning unfolded," Hurdle said.

Jimenez got ahead of Khalil Greene 0-2 but walked him. After Jerry Hairston struck out, Josh Bard walked. Then came the botched bunt.

Third baseman Garrett Atkins called for the ball off Wolf's bat, but Jimenez fielded it and made a throw to first that pulled second baseman Jayson Nix off the bag.

Four hitters later, Jimenez had given up two-run doubles to Giles, Kouzmanoff and Edmonds and was headed to the shower.

"I tried to forget that play and go after the hitters, but it didn't happen," Jimenez said. "I just lack focus."

Pitching coach Bob Apodaca made his one visit to the mound early, trying to calm down Jimenez. After that, Jimenez was on his own, although Hurdle defended catcher Yorvit Torrealba.

"I think the pitcher needs to take charge," Hurdle said. "Yorvit was talking constantly (from behind home plate). It's part of the learning curve, taking the next step, keeping focus."

Wolf, meanwhile, was able to regroup from his early-game control problems - he walked two of the first three batters he faced and three of the first six - and wound up throwing 112 pitches in seven innings in what was his third start since September shoulder surgery.

The Rockies praised Wolf for the way he mixed his pitches, in terms of velocity and location, but it didn't make it any easier to accept being two-hit for the second time in 11 days.

Micah Owings combined with Arizona relievers Chad Qualls and Juan Cruz on a two-hitter in the Rockies' home opener April 4.

"We only had nine quality at-bats out of 32 trips to the plate," Hurdle said. "You have to give the pitcher credit, but if we throw something at him in that first inning. . . . We had a chance."

But the opportunity evaporated. After Wolf issued one-out walks to Troy Tulowitzki and Helton, he struck out Matt Holliday on three pitches and got Garrett Atkins to force Helton at second. He did not allow the Rockies to get another batter past first base despite issuing leadoff walks to Hawpe in the second and Torrealba in the fifth.

Finally, Hawpe broke up the no-hitter when he lined a 2-2 pitch to center field for a two-out single in the seventh. On May 30 two years ago, it was Hawpe who delivered a double off Chris Young that ended a Padres no-hit bid that night. Young and Trevor Hoffman finished with a combined two-hitter in that game.

"We are not where we want to be or need to be offensively," Hurdle said. "We need to play to get better. We need at-bats. We started 16 games in a row (Tuesday). It's a chance to get some consistency."

Comments

  • April 16, 2008

    midnight

    Suggest removal

    Chadley25 writes:

    No disrepect to the Padres, but I hope they're not overly proud of themselves. As pathetic and anemic as the Rockies' offense has been in this young season, two-hitting them is no amazing feat. I almost wish they'd get no-hit, because something has to happen to really wake them up and ignite something before the season is in mortal danger. A couple of offensive outbursts notwithstanding, the bats have been embarrassingly silent so far.

  • April 16, 2008

    6 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Firefox writes:

    Chadley25 you are right on two accounts the season is young, and the offense of this team is non exsistant. Its time to face it 5 and 8 bottom of the division not a good start. Praying the dog days of summer produce some long win streaks! Go Rocks!!!

  • April 16, 2008

    2:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Hutch writes:

    When I watch Jason Nix at the plate, I have the feeling he could get 10 strikes per at-bat and still go hitless. I'd like to see Hurdle give some consecutive starts to Barmes or Baker.

    As for Ubaldo's performance, once again we see the all-too-common problem encountered by pitchers with complicated deliveries. They can go from commanding to totally lost in the span of one batter.

  • April 16, 2008

    3:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    k0co_5k0co_5 writes:

    Barmes has got to have earned a starter slot.