Rockies-Padres rivalry now battle for basement

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DENVER -- Before Monday night's battle for last place in the feeble National League Worst, Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle sent a greeting to the visitors' dugout for San Diego Padres manager Bud Black."If it was easy," Hurdle shouted from the batting cage, "anybody could do it."Black grinned. Ringo Starr should be singing the seventh inning stretch for both these clubs. Nine months after they played for the NL wild card, it don't come easy."I'm sure the Rockies are frustrated where they are, just like we are," Black said. "But that's the nature of the game. That's why you play. All the predictions and all the prognosticators, you never know until April comes and you start playing to see how the season's going to play out and to see how the players are going to do."In the Padres' case, the offense has been dismal, but then, it was dismal last year, too. They ranked 15th in the NL last year, batting .251. They are 15th again this year at .244.The big disappointment for San Diego has been on the mound, particularly the bullpen. They ranked first in the league in pitching last year with a team ERA of 3.70. This year, they're ninth, at 4.20.For the Rocks, the deterioration has been more comprehensive. They've gone from first in the league in batting a year ago (.280) to sixth (.260), and from eighth in pitching (4.32) to 15th (4.70).The most telling failing for both teams has been hitting in the clutch. The Padres have fallen from eighth with runners in scoring position (.271) to 16th (.231); the Rocks from fifth (.276) to 14th (.240). This is one of those baseball mysteries related more to psychology than ability."I still think it becomes that mentality of somebody's looking to throw that three-run homer rather than hit a single so the next guy can hit a single and the guy after that can hit a single," Hurdle said.He cited Saturday night's ninth-inning rally in Detroit as evidence. Of course, that comeback was wasted when the Tigers beat Rockies closer Brian Fuentes in the bottom of the inning.For the Rocks, 2008 is baseball by Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong does go wrong.Which brings us to Monday night, the battle between last year's contenders-turned-pretenders. In October, it was a single play-in game for a ticket to the postseason. Monday, in the Padres' first visit to Coors Field since, the matchup had turned ignominious.On the bright side, the Rocks finally got some clutch hits. Catcher Chris Iannetta had a two-out, three-run double in the first. Right fielder Brad Hawpe crushed a three-run homer to center in the third.So, naturally, starter Jorge De La Rosa and two relievers, Ryan Speier and Manny Corpas, surrendered all of an 8-3 lead in the sixth.Sunday, nursing a one-run lead against the Tigers, Hurdle lifted starter Greg Reynolds in the sixth and replaced him with veteran Matt Herges, who promptly gave it up. Critics wondered why Hurdle didn't call on Corpas rather than Herges. Monday, he did. Same outcome.And here's the amazing part: More than 43,000 people showed up to watch, including the biggest weekday walk-up (5,400) of the season. Even after a disastrous first half, the Rocks have been unable to undo all the goodwill they built in this town a year ago.The numbers say that run in late September and early October was the aberration, not the five mediocre months before it and three sub-mediocre months since. Still, it created a spark that fans are aching to see rekindled. The "Tu-lo" chant is more of a prayer these days for the .161-hitting shortstop.When Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez dropped Troy Tulowitzki's foul pop fly down the right-field line in the eighth, the crowd cheered heartily and let loose the chant once more. And when Tulowitzki worked Heath Bell for a walk, it cheered heartily again. Leadoff man Willy Taveras, batting .167 with runners in scoring position and two out, bounced to second to end the inning with Tulowitzki on third, of course.Then Fuentes blew up in the ninth again and the Padres batted around for the second time in the game. Edgar Gonzalez, Adrian's big brother, had his first two-homer game. The faithful finally began to stream toward the exits.Murphy was last to leave. Nine months after their miracle, the Rocks are worst in the Worst, as uninspiring as they were once inspiring.(Contact Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News at kriegerd(at)rockymountainnews.com.)