Declaration of Losing: Rockies drop sixth straight on The Fourth

Another pathetic showing plagued the Colorado Rockies on Monday, July 4, as they puked up a loss to the San Fransisco Giants 3-1. The game was nationally televised so the entire country on its Independence Day was let in on what it has been like the last 12 games for the Denver Nine as they’ve dropped eight of those contests.

Every year they have a stretch of baseball that clouds the rest of the season. Is this that stretch? It certainly seems like it is. Over the weekend the club struck out 41 times, today they improved to only eight times, but they provided no fireworks with their bats, only getting one run — on a balk! — and knocking a sorry three extra base hits which added one run to a total of three in the past 36 frames.

The pitching keeps on giving the Rockies a chance to win every game they’ve played the past ten days, but the offense is more dead than the behind of the cow you’ve cooked up for this evening. Never in the Rockies history has the offense been this meager, causing the club to lose rather than saving them. Just as Colorado had gotten back to the .500 mark, their season might as well be over.

Tyler Anderson gave up three runs, all on a pair of home runs from Buster Posey and Angel Pagan, and was otherwise phenomenal at avoiding hard contact in his six innings of work.  He only struck out two Giants, but he also only walked two.

It was the fifth consecutive Quality Start to begins Anderson’s Rockies career.

Jake Peavy became the third straight less-than-stellar (to put it kindly) pitcher to run through the Rockies like a hot knife through butter.

Peavy tossed six-and-two-thirds innings allowing just five hits, one run (on a balk) and two walks while striking out six. On the bright side for the Rockies offense, they did not strike out in the double digits, breaking a streak of three games having “achieved” that feat.

Nolan Arenado was the only Rockie with a multi-hit day though, strangely enough, the Rockies did outhit the Giants 6-5.

Lasting Impact

The “Fat Lady” is warming up and preparing to take the stage. It’s not looking good for the boys in purple and this losing stretch could start a “selling” process going into this month’s trade deadline. They could still turn it all around tomorrow but …

What’s Next

The Rockies will hope to back Tyler Chatwood up with something — anything — in the second game of the series tomorrow night. It will be a tall order for an offense desperately seeking an oasis, seeing water on the horizon that turns out to be the mirage; Madison Bumgarner. First pitch is at 8:15 PST.