The downs trump ups for Rockies

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 27, 2008 at midnight

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Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Matt Holliday walks off the field after striking out in the third inning on April 6 against the Diamondbacks.

Players who could be traded include outfielder Willy Taveras, far left, pitcher Brian Fuentes, above, and catcher Yorvit Torrealba, left.

Photos By Chris Schneider / AP

An agreement isn't likely on a multiyear contract for Matt Holliday, left, but he is signed through 2009.

Chris Schneider / AP

Manager Clint Hurdle believes the Rockies "aren't in a bad position."

There has been nothing about the Rockies' season that provides reason to think they can defend the National League pennant they won a year ago - except they are in the NL West.

With the midway point of the season coming Saturday, the Rockies are on a pace for the worst winning percentage in franchise history. They are fourth in the NL West, but they are only eight games back of division-leading Arizona, which is only one game above .500 (40-39).

The Rockies arrive in Detroit tonight to begin a three-game series against the Tigers, having lost four in a row but with 12 wins in their past 21 games.

That might not seem like much, but it has allowed the Rockies to shave four games off their NL West deficit. Arizona is 8-13 in that same stretch, Los Angeles 8-13, San Diego 9-12 and San Francisco 9-12.

"We keep fighting and scratching and clawing," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "We aren't in a bad position, but it's not the one we drew up before the season. But we are there, hanging around. We are going to get hot, and I do believe our offense is going to be what we envisioned it would be."

Time will tell if Hurdle is a prophet, or whistling in the dark. There is no debate the first half of the season has been a bust.

Oops

A year ago, the Rockies became the 31st team to finish below .500 one season and advance to the World Series the next. Only six of the 30 previous teams had a losing record their next season, a distinction that looms for the Rockies. The six teams that went from a losing record to a World Series appearance to a losing record in the course of three seasons:

Team Year before World Series Year after

Angels 2001 (75-87) 2002 (Beat Giants) 2003 (77-85)

Padres 1997 (76-86) 1998 (Lost to Yankees) 1999 (74-88)

Marlins 1996 (80-82) 1997 (Beat Indians) 1998 (54-108)

Phillies 1992 (70-92) 1993 (Lost to Blue Jays) 1995 (54-61)*

Dodgers 1987 (73-89) 1988 (Beat Athletics) 1989 (77-83)

Cardinals 1986 (79-82) 1987 (Lost to Twins) 1988 (76-86)

* strike-shortened season The good

RHP Aaron Cook has stepped forward as the ace of the rotation and a likely All-Star. He is 10-5 in 17 starts, the Rockies 11-6 when he starts. He has failed to pitch six innings only twice and has allowed more than three earned runs only five times. He is one win from a franchise record for wins before the All-Star break, with three starts remaining.

The bad

The lineup has been a dud with a chance to blow open games. The team is hitting only .238 with runners in scoring position. Matt Holliday ranks 37th among 113 NL players with 50 plate appearances at .292; Ryan Spilborghs, 49th at .280; Todd Helton, 53rd at .275; Brad Hawpe, 72nd at .250; Jeff Baker, 74th at .244; Garrett Atkins, 96th at .217, and Willy Taveras, tied for 111th at .167.

The ugly

The Rockies showed promise by winning 12 of 17 early in June, the rotation turning in 13 quality starts (minimum six innings, maximum three earned runs). Starting pitchers, though, have had only 18 quality starts in 62 other games this season.

On the market

Rockies most likely to be dealt:

* CF Willy Taveras. The Rockies have depth with Ryan Spilborghs and Scott Podsednik on the roster and Cory Sullivan at Triple-A.

* C Yorvit Torrealba. The emergence of Chris Iannetta to assume a larger role makes Torrealba expendable.

* LHP Brian Fuentes. A free agent at season's end. The Rockies would want two quality prospects, but they won't deal him until Manny Corpas can return to the closer role or they concede the division and wild card.

* CF Scott Podsednik. Cory Sullivan would provide a left-handed-hitting replacement.

* LF Matt Holliday. An agreement isn't likely on a multiyear deal, but he is signed through 2009. If the Rockies don't get an impact big-leaguer and multiple top prospects, they could wait for the offseason or even a year from now.

Farm report

Help that could arrive from the farm system:

* LHPs Mark Redman, Glendon Rusch and Cedric Bowers are journeymen who might help the bullpen.

* RHP Juan Morillo is starting to show consistency throwing strikes with a fastball that can hit triple digits.

* LHP Franklin Morales is 4-0 in his past six starts but must show better command to get a return to Coors Field.

* CF Cory Sullivan is a trade away.

* RHP Jason Hirsh was projected to be in the season-opening rotation but suffered a sprained right rotator cuff after two innings in spring training and is pitching his way into shape at Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Breakdowns

* Rotation: Ranks 15th in the NL with 5.19 ERA. Pittsburgh is 16th at 5.40. The Braves lead the NL at 3.88. Cook is 10-5. The rest of the rotation is 12-29. The rotation had 12 quality starts (minimum six innings, maximum three earned runs) during 12-5 run in early June that created hope for a climb to the top, but it has only 18 quality starts in 62 other games.

* Bullpen: Ranks fifth in the NL with a 3.67 ERA. Relievers have converted 18 of 30 saves. They rank tied for seventh in the NL with 18 saves but fourth in blown saves with 12 and 11th in the NL in success at 60 percent. The Rockies have used 14 pitchers in relief.

* Lineup: Ranks 12th in NL with 331 runs and home runs with 69. The Rockies are hitting .260, sixth in the NL, but rank 14th in the league with runners in scoring position with a .238 average, ahead of only Washington (.234) and San Diego (.232).

Rally time

In claiming the NL wild card and advancing to the World Series last year, the Rockies were a season-worst nine games below .500 (18-27) on May 21 and never were more than eight games out of the division lead, which was the deficit they faced as late as July 2.

* The Rockies were a season-worst 18 games below .500 (20-38) on June 2. The biggest deficit to .500 any postseason team has overcome is 16 games by the 1914 Boston Braves, who started that season 12-28. The 2005 Houston Astros didn't win the division, but they did advance to the World Series after claiming the NL wild card despite a 16-31 start.

* The Rockies' biggest deficit this season was 12 games on May 16, June 1 and June 2. There have been 14 teams advance to the postseason despite facing deficits of 10 games or more at some point in the second half, including the 1995 Seattle Mariners, who were 13 games behind the Angels on Aug. 3 and wound up beating the Angels in a playoff for the American League West title.

* The Rockies finished April tied for last place in the NL West and nine games out of first. During the past 25 full seasons, the only team to be nine games or further out of first at the end of April and advance to the postseason was the 1987 Detroit Tigers, who were nine games out but won the American League East.

* Six teams in the past seven years have claimed a wild card despite finishing April more than three games out of the wild-card race, including the Rockies and Yankees last season.

Memories

Among the greatest in-season comebacks in major league history:

* 1914 Boston Braves. They were 151/2 games out of first place July 19. They reached second place by Aug. 1 and 13 days later were tied for first with the Giants. They won 61 of their final 77 games and swept the Athletics in the World Series.

* 1951 New York Giants. Trailed Brooklyn by 131/2 games on Aug. 11. Won 37 of their final 45, including a 16-game winning streak, and took two of three from the Dodgers in the NL title playoff capped by Bobby Thomson's Shot Heard 'Round the World.

* 1995 Seattle Mariners. Trailed Anaheim by 13 games on Aug. 3 but rallied to force a one-game play-in and beat the Angels 9-1 for the AL West title.

* 1978 New York Yankees. Trailed Boston by 14 on July 19. Won 52 of their final 73, including a playoff game at Fenway Park for the AL East title.

* 1969 New York Mets. Were in third place Aug. 14, 10 games behind. They won 38 of their final 49 while the Cubs were going 18-27.

FYI

* The Rockies are 8-16 in day games, the worst record in the majors. RHP Aaron Cook, though, is 6-0 and the Rockies are 6-1 in his starts.

* The Rockies are 12-28 on the road, the second-worst percentage in the big leagues next to Atlanta. That puts them on a pace to win 25 road games. The worst road record in Rockies history was 25-56 in 2003. The Rockies won a club-record 39 road games last year.

* The Rockies lead the NL in sacrifice bunts with 47. They rank fourth in stolen bases with 65 (81 attempted).

* The Rockies are 6-9 against the NL East, 8-11 against the NL Central and 11-22 against the NL West. They are 7-5 against the AL, tied for most wins in the NL with Cincinnati, Atlanta and the Mets.

* The Rockies' eight-game losing streak May 26 to June 2 equals the third longest in the majors this season. Kansas City lost 12 in a row May 19-30. Washington lost nine in a row April 3-12. Houston lost eight in a row June 11-19.

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