PHOENIX — Nobody wanted to say it. But you could see it. In their faces. In their body language.
The Rockies don’t want to believe the dream has died. Believing the playoffs are anything more than a mirage at this point takes blind faith. Hidden behind purple-tinted glasses.
It’s not that the Rockies lost 8-4 on Wednesday night to the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks, a disturbing fact alone. Or that they fell three games behind the division-leading Padres, who moved in front of the Giants, who fell at Chicago.
It’s how the Rockies lost and with whom on the mound.
Colorado raced to a four-run lead before Arizona got to hit and still couldn’t win with Ubaldo Jimenez pitching. His delivery was out of sync, producing an amazing statistic at the worst possible time.
Jimenez allowed two home runs for the first time since June 8, 2008. That’s a streak spanning 83 starts. Worse, the Rockies have scored in just two of their last 27 innings.
“It’s disappointing that I couldn’t be there for my team,” said Jimenez, who believes he was too strong Wednesday. “I couldn’t command my pitches. I was flying open and I couldn’t get back on track.”
“We started out exactly the way we wanted,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “But we all took a step back when it became apparent that Ubaldo wasn’t himself tonight. I can’t put my finger on it, but mechanically he was out of whack.”
Before the game, Tracy provided a sneak peek at Wednesday’s script. He wanted a big lead. Check. He wanted it early in the game. Check. He wanted to ease the pressure on Jimenez, who has lived this season in a vise grip. Check, please.
The Rockies ambushed Rodrigo Lopez in the first inning. Melvin Mora delivered one of the team’s best two-out at-bats on the road. He smoked a three-run homer off his former Orioles teammate. For good measure, Todd Helton followed with a shot to right field, marking the sixth time this season the Rockies have gone back-to-back.
Then, Jimenez inexplicably melted, continuing a trend that will clearly cost him any shot at the NL Cy Young. Jimenez’s final line: four innings, five hits, four walks, five runs, 92 pitches. He went 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA in the first half and is 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA since the break.
Arizona’s Stephen Drew greeted him with a home run, an ominous sign. Theories abound about why Jimenez has lost traction in the second half — from overuse to mental strain. Truth is, his mechanics have been inconsistent. He’s flying open with his left shoulder and overthrowing.
Here’s all you need to know about Jimenez: His best pitch was a loopy curveball. He couldn’t command his fastball. It spent four innings misbehaving, and worse, not sinking.
The fourth inning was Jimenez 2009. With first and third, he brain-locked, allowing Drew to steal without a throw. Chris Young then put together a solid at-bat, hooking a slider into left field despite getting out on his front foot. That pushed Arizona ahead 5-4.
The Rockies had opportunities but repeatedly unraveled after sending seven hitters to the plate in the first inning. Jonny Herrera and Dexter Fowler struck out looking in the fifth. They walked three times in the sixth, yet didn’t score after Ryan Spilborghs fanned looking. The Rockies had five called third strikes, three of which ended innings.
In an at-bat that captured the day, with Colorado down a run, Mora lined out to end the eighth with Carlos Gonzalez on second.
Mora flipped his bat in disgust and stood in disbelief, the enduring image of an ill-timed three-game losing streak.
“We felt like four runs would be enough tonight,” Mora said. “Baseball is crazy sometimes.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Diamondbacks, 7:40 p.m., FSN
Jeff Francis (4-5, 4.61 ERA) has pitched in big games. But he has never worked with both his future and the team’s hinging on his performance. Francis will be a free agent. He wants to come back. But this is a playoff-caliber team that is operating more on production than sentiment. Francis has had issues at Chase Field, compiling a 5.26 ERA in nine games. Ian Kennedy (9-9, 3.79) is a bit like a right-handed Francis, a pitcher who relies on control and finesse. He held the Rockies in check at Coors Field on Sept. 12, only removed because of leg cramps after reaching base three times with base hits.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Friday: Giants’ Tim Lincecum (14-10, 3.60 ERA) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (9-9, 3.30), 6:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday: Giants’ Barry Zito (9-13, 3.98) at Rockies’ Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.56), 6:10 p.m., FSN
Sunday: Giants’ Matt Cain (12-10, 3.00) at Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (8-5, 4.23), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Monday: Dodgers’ Ted Lilly (8-12, 3.83) at Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (19-7, 3.00), 6:40 p.m., FSN