Friday’s First Pitch

If you’re a Rockies fan, there’s no doubt Thursday stung.

The Rockies seemed to be clicking offensively in the seventh and eighth innings, and looked to be putting together a nice rally down 7-3. They tacked on another two runs to pull within two, and the team’s chances were looking up.

That is, until Carlos Beltran came up to bat in the ninth.

Beltran had already blasted two home runs, both with one man on base. Beltran ended his day with three home runs and six RBIs.

Suffice it to say, Rockies fans won’t be sad to see Beltran leave Denver. Beltran was to the Rockies what Troy Tulowitzki was to the Mets – an unbelievable thorn in their side, and that’s putting it lightly.

Not to mention the struggles of Ubaldo Jimenez. He’s now 0-3 in 2011, with an ERA north of 7. He went just 3.2 innings, giving up 5 earned runs. It took Jimenez 20 starts to lose two games in 2010. He went until late July without losing two games. He’s 0-3 in six starts, and the Rockies have lost nine straight starts where Ubaldo was on the mound.

The team is about ready to hit the panic button.

Now the Rockies must put this series in the past and build on the limited success they found in the seventh and eighth innings of Thursday’s game. The question is, can they do that against the struggling San Diego Padres?

The Padres exploded for 23 hits against the Milwaukee Brewers, but are still statistically among the worst in baseball. If the Rockies can get back on track against anyone, the Padres should be that team. They have to get swinging again if they have any hopes of remaining competitive against their upcoming foes, the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.