June 28, 2008 9:37 PM

Fuentes blows save, Rockies lose again

I got home from a trip just in time to watch the Rockies stage a rare ninth-inning comeback ... In fact, I was on the telephone telling my son that the Rockies used up all their magic during last year's run, and that a come-from-behind win against the Detroit Tigers wasn't going to happen.

Pow. Or more like, bip, bink, dink, bop for the Rockies bats. They shut me up, scoring four runs to take a 6-5 lead in the ninth. Tiger Fan was booing the heck out of reliever Todd Jones. So what happens? Brian Fuentes comes on in the ninth to preserve a victory for a Rockies team that's gone oh-fer on the current six-game road trip.

What does Fuentes do? Give up a single, a walk and a game-losing double to Miguel Cabrera. 7-6. Joy in Motown. Instead of ending a five-losing streak, the Rockies now have lost six straight and have a 32-49 record. That's good enough to trail the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks by nine full games halfway through the season.

Usually I'm Mr. Half-full kind of guy. But having seen the Rockies go from 20-38 to 32-43 and now, back on the losing skid ... I'm trying to choose the words wisely.

This is a club that won 11 of its first 17 games in the month of June -- on a pace to surpass the club record for wins (15) in June. The Rockies now are 12-13 for the month with two games left to play.

Todd Helton did spark Saturday night's four-run ninth-inning rally with a double. But he also struck out with the bases loaded and flied out with a runner in scoring position. Helton's swing has lost its potency, and moving him around in the lineup isn't hiding that fact.

And I have to take issue with a blog item written by my colleagues, one that stated Helton received a long-awaited day off on Friday in Detroit. The dude was off June 19th against Cleveland. That was what, last week? How much rest do we need? We're talking 34 years old. OK. If he's hurting, put Helton on the disabled list and let someone else play first until he's fully healed. If he's not hurting, then it's time to buck up and get some hits -- and drive in some runs.

Matt Holliday has become, well Todd Helton of recent seasons -- singles, doubles and few homers, with a .300-plus batting average. Holliday has hit six homers since May 1. To be fair, Holliday hit 13 homers through June 30 of last year, finishing with 36 for the season.

But the Rockies need power, from Holliday and others, and they don't have it on a consistent basis. Garrett Atkins just melts when he comes to the plate with runners in scoring position. Brad Hawpe always is on-again off-again. Chris Ianetta can't seem to wrestle the starting catching job away from light-hitting Yorvit Torrealba. Jeff Baker has been the best clutch hitter on the team in recent games.

Troy Tulowitzki's batting average is clap, clap, clap-clap-clap TOO-LOW.

Then there's the pitching -- or lack of it. Aaron Cook can't win in night games (4-5 is the record). Jeff Francis can't seem to win whether there's daylight, moonlight, Bud Light or whatever. Ubaldo Jimenez , Greg Reynolds and whomever complete a dismal rotation.

OK, so I drank the purple Kool-Aid in the spring. It's worn off -- like a bad case of a Mad Dog hangover. Clint Hurdle has not been able to motivate or inspire these guys to play to their capability. I have to say that because, what they did last year showed what they're capable of when playing at their highest level.

Call it luck, but the Rockies did play their behinds off, and it resulted in a bunch of wins and a improbable trip to the World Series. So why aren't they -- and why haven't they -- been able to recapture the mindset of winning?

I don't believe Hurdle, at this point, is going to inspire the Rockies to win 49 of their remaining 81 games. That's what is needed just to get to 81-81 on the season. And I don't believe the Arizona Diamondbacks will continue to falter. Look at it -- the Diamondbacks bumbled their way backward to .500 -- and they still lead Colorado by nine games.

When the trading deadline rolls around, see if the Diamondbacks don't make some type of move to fortify their pitching staff, to recapture their early-season success and pull away from the rest of the division. See, Arizona made that type of move in the off-season, acquiring Danny Haren. Players, I believe, get pumped when the team goes out and makes a big move.

The Rockies never made a big move in the off-season. They paid some players -- which, I must admit -- seemed like the proper thing to do considering last year's miracle run.

The Rockies didn't go out and acquire a top-notch starter -- something that would get the players fired up about coming into the new season. They went out and got Luis Vizcaino and, 30 days into the season, Jorge De la Rosa.

So you fire Hurdle and suddenly the bats awaken in the middle of the lineup, and the Rockies begin to score runs at an insane pace? Who is out there that will step in and fire up this club? Frank Robinson? Buck Showalter? Anybody seen Earl Weaver?

So you get rid of Helton's contract if you can. What teams wants an aging first baseman who makes $17 million, still fields among the league's best but no longer hits for power? There might be a contender or two, and maybe being thrust into a winning atmosphere will revive Helton's bat for a few more swings.

You get rid of Fuentes, who blew a save tonight for what could have been the biggest win for the struggling team this season. What team is looking for save-blowers? It was about this time last year that Fuentes blew some saves on an awful road trip. He then went out with an injury, missed the All-Star Game and was relegated to set-up duty (behind Manny Corpas -- remember him?) upon return.

You trade Garrett Atkins to someone looking for a relatively young third baseman who can hit, just not in the clutch -- for now, anyways. Atkins probably leaves as a free agent when his time comes, so get what you can now. Let Ian Stewart play third and get his swings. He swings and misses a lot, but Stewart's got legitimate home run power at Coors HumidoR.

And get rid of that dog-gone humidoR.

They're not going to do any of those things -- except maybe trade Atkins, and Fuentes if good prospects come in return. The Rockies aren't going to win 49 of their next 81 games. They'll be lucky to win 40 of the next 81. They're not going to win the National League's worst division. They're not shutting off the humidor.

And you're not going to any playoff parties unless it's to root for the Chicago Cubs or some other team that plays outside of Colorado.

Posted by at 9:37 PM | Comments (0)