Rockies still looking to turn corner

MIAMI -- The mood in the Rockies¡¯ clubhouse on Thursday afternoon was somber. Colorado had just dropped its fifth straight game ¨C a 5-4 walk-off loss in 10 innings. It was the second such setback in three games against the Marlins at loanDepot park.

So, there was a team meeting and manager Bud Black addressed the team. He declined to comment on his message afterward, saying, ¡°It's sensitive, right? It's sensitive for the manager and the coaches to the team. So I'll keep that within our clubhouse, but it's a fair question.¡±

Black was fully supportive of his team, though, commending the guys for having ¡°a lot of heart,¡± while acknowledging that the big, clutch hits -- and pitches -- just aren¡¯t coming.

¡°Morale is fine,¡± Black said. ¡°Guys are playing their [butts] off. We¡¯re just not getting the clutch hit, or making a big pitch. ¡­ Our guys, man, they¡¯re fighting. It¡¯s just not happening, and we¡¯re not doing a lot offensively.

¡°I talked to them after the game and, you know, they¡¯re frustrated because of the tough losses. But, man, this group has a lot of heart. We¡¯re just not getting it done on the field.¡±

Over the Rockies¡¯ current skid, they¡¯ve been outscored 36-17, including a 20-6 margin in two games against the Astros on Saturday and Sunday in the Mexico City Series. As a whole, Colorado has a -75 run differential this season, the second worst in MLB (the White Sox are at -84).

The problem is that -- in addition to struggling to get the big hits -- Colorado can¡¯t maintain a lead. In the series opener vs. the Marlins, the Rockies took a 5-0 lead in the first inning before squandering it when Miami posted a five-run bottom of the ninth. The Marlins walked off that game, too, in the 10th inning.

¡°[Our attitude] is fine, it¡¯s been fine through all these tough stretches,¡± Ryan McMahon said. ¡°But we all mentally commit every day, and I think that¡¯s why it hurts more. If you didn¡¯t care, if you didn¡¯t lock in and try your hardest, it wouldn¡¯t hurt as bad.

¡°Guys definitely tried to lock in today, and we had opportunities, but didn¡¯t come through.¡±

Thursday¡¯s loss marked the 31st straight contest to start the season in which the Rockies have trailed, setting a franchise record for trailing in consecutive games at any point in a season. Their 7-24 record is better than only the White Sox (6-25).

And it doesn¡¯t help that the Rockies aren¡¯t getting consistent production from throughout the lineup.

Entering Thursday, the top of the lineup duo of Brenton Doyle and McMahon had posted a .318 average through 30 games. The rest of the Rockies position players over the same stretch? A .220 average.

There was some improvement as Jacob Stallings went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his first long ball of the year), and Brendan Rodgers also racked up two hits. But the only other hit in the series finale came from No. 4 prospect Jordan Beck, and as a whole the Rockies struck out 16 times.

Colorado is tied with Boston for the second-most strikeouts this season (314), and the Red Sox have played one more game.

There have also been some weird plays that haven¡¯t helped the Rockies¡¯ offense -- like in the ninth inning, when Miami reliever Anthony Maldonado fielded a bunt from Jake Cave and overthrew third base, allowing Rodgers to reach safely from second.

Rodgers chose the less aggressive approach and opted not to go home, while Beck did the opposite and was caught in a rundown between second and third, with nowhere to go.

¡°Beck is the trail runner with that play in front of him, Black said. ¡°He might have been overly aggressive thinking that B-Rod was going to be aggressive. ¡­ But we¡¯ll talk about what happened.¡±

All of it -- the faltering offense, the miscues in key moments -- begs the question: Where does the team go from here?

¡°It¡¯s a really good group of guys in here, I think we just have everyone collectively probably trying to do a little too much, trying too hard to get the big hit,¡± Stallings said. ¡°We just got to try to have a little more fun, play a little looser -- obviously, cut down on the mistakes. But, you know, we just got to keep going.¡±

¡°You just got to show up each day, keep coming back,¡± McMahon said. ¡°And we¡¯ve done a good job of that. ¡­ [We¡¯ll] keep showing up and coming right back to work. The work, the preparation hasn¡¯t lagged. It¡¯s just not working out for us on the field.¡±