Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 innings Tuesday at Coors Field. (Barry Gutierrez, The Associated Press)

No defense exists. No explanation will suffice. The Rockies must option Jhoulys Chacin to the minors. He has left them no choice. This isn’t a demotion. It’s an act of mercy.

Chacin was given the ball Tuesday night and asked to make a statement. His performance screamed for a SuperShuttle ticket to Triple-A Colorado Springs, switching spots with right-hander Alex White, after he allowed a career-high seven earned runs in a 7-6 loss to the Dodgers at Coors Field.

Where adjectives fail, numbers succeed. Chacin has three victories in his past 21 starts dating to last season. He’s 3-13 with a 5.14 ERA during that span. This is not an aberration, a bad night, a strike-squeezing ump. Chacin needs to leave so he can return as himself. The Braves are pursuing a similar track with former ace Jair Jurrjens. It’s jarring, but necessary.

Everything set up for Chacin to put his foot down Tuesday. Instead, he put his foot firmly out the door in the loss to the Dodgers.

There was no driving rain, as in his last start at Coors Field. No sun burning the retina of his left fielder, like his last outing at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

This was a postcard-perfect night. And Chacin clumsily spilled Ragu all over the mound. Chacin allowed a leadoff homer to shortstop Dee Gordon (he has one more than Albert Pujols, for those counting at home). Moments later Andre Ethier rifled a shot over the fence, leaving the Rockies in a 4-0 hole before the first out had been recorded.

The Rockies battled back from the 7-0 hole to get the tying run at third in the ninth but fell short, the hole Chacin put them in too big to dig out from. Part of the problem is Chacin’s weight. Or management’s unhappiness with his offseason conditioning, which, by all accounts wasn’t an issue from the moment he arrived in spring training. This is about performance. Chacin isn’t giving the Rockies a chance to win, a demoralizing slide that is compounded by struggling rookie Drew

The Dodgers’ Tony Gwynn Jr. steals second base under the tag of Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

Pomeranz following him in the rotation.

He has forced the Rockies to call up White, who pitched late Tuesday night for the Sky Sox. White owns a 2.70 ERA and, while awful during his big-league cameo last year, he has demonstrated a better sinker and changeup over the last month.

At this point, the Rockies can farm out Chacin or pay ransom to the person that kidnapped the right-hander because this Chacin bears no resemblance to the promising rookie in 2010 and the pitcher who anchored the rotation for 10 weeks last season.

He is naked on the mound, left with no weapons. Once armed with a late-sinking 93 mph fastball, he consistently sits at 89 mph, and the pitch lacks finish. His changeup is terrific, but hitters eliminate it because he’s constantly behind in the count. His slider is no different. They stick their nose up at the pitch. It still breaks, but is typically so far off the plate hitters can check their swings.

There was a reason that the Rockies didn’t give Chacin a long-term contract last winter. They were concerned about how he finished last season. The free fall began when he experienced forearm tightness in Chicago on June 27. Until that point he was bucking for an all-star berth, owning an 8-4 record with a 2.71 ERA. Spring training brought biceps tendinitis and a finger blister, both of which were used to rationalize his lack of fastball velocity.

He might not be hurt. But he’s not right. His pitches have gone from electric to acoustic. Chacin previously owned the Dodgers at Coors Field, having shut them out over 15 consecutive innings.

Tuesday, one of the biggest rounds of applause came when Rockies manager Jim Tracy removed Chacin.

His next start will be against a California team. For his sake, it needs to be versus Fresno, not in San Diego.

Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1294 or trenck@denverpost.com

By Satchel Price

– Newsdesk contributor

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Apr 11, 2012 – The Colorado Rockies have agreed to sign relief pitcher Brian Anderson to a minor league contract, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Anderson had spent spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers but failed to make the team and opted for free agency.

Anderson, 30, was once the primary center fielder for the Chicago White Sox a few years back after emerging as a top prospect, but his career as an outfielder fell apart and he’s since tried to reinvent himself as a relief pitcher. We’ve seen position players make the conversion to the bullpen before, including Blue Jays closer Sergio Santos (a former shortstop), so there’s some intrigue here.

Over the past two seasons, Anderson has made 21 minor league appearances across four different levels, posting a 1.80 ERA with 26 strikeouts and six walks over 25 innings.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on the Rockies, visit Purple Row. Head over to MLB Daily Dish and Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the majors.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Jhoulys Chacin blames poor grooming for a blister on his right index finger.

“I just cut my nail too short and I get a blister,” Chacin said. “It’s nothing to worry about. Everything is fine. I’m going to make my next start anyway.”

Chacin pitched three scoreless innings before leaving with the injury and the Colorado Rockies beat a Chicago Cubs split squad 7-5 Thursday.

In good spirits afterward, Chacin said he will make his next start Tuesday against the San Diego Padres.

Cubs second baseman Blake DeWitt also left the game with an injury. He was hit by a pitch on his right arm in the fifth inning. He will be reevaluated.

Cubs starter Rodrigo Lopez gave up two runs and six hits in three innings, striking out two. He stayed in the game after a comebacker hit him in the lower back in the third inning.

The Cubs’ Junior Lake and Colorado’s Wilin Rosario and Jordan Pacheco each hit home runs.

Chacin — who is expected to be the Rockies’ No. 2 starter — said the blister popped up on the tip of his finger when he was throwing in the bullpen before the game. The blister grew as he pitched, so the Rockies pulled him before the fourth inning. He threw 44 pitches, 28 for strikes.

Chacin said he had trouble gripping the ball because of the blister.

“They got all the blood out,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll see how it feels.”

Rockies manager Jim Tracy said he expects Chacin to make his next start, and Chacin would have stayed in if it had been a regular-season game.

“Chacin is rounding into form,” Tracy said. “The important thing is his fastball command. For the most part today it was there. When that is there, his breaking stuff is very, very difficult to deal with.”

For the Cubs, Lopez said he was satisfied with his three-inning outing. He’s competing for one of two open spots in the starting rotation.

“I want to make the rotation,” he said. “As long as I have a shot, I’m going to fight for it. At the end, it’s not my decision.”

Lake hit a three-run home run off Christian Fredrich. Rosario smacked a two-run home run off Lopez. Pacheco hit a two-run home run off Alberto Cabrera that gave the Rockies a 6-4 lead in the sixth.

Chicago’s Bryan LaHair went 3 for 5 with a double.

NOTES: Rockies rotation candidate Jamie Moyer will not pitch against minor leaguers Friday because of stiffness in his left leg, Tracy said. . Rockies third baseman Casey Blake looked good in batting practice Thursday, Tracy said. He has been out since Monday because of a stiff neck. He had neck surgery in September. .Starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz will pitch against minor leaguers Wednesday rather than his scheduled start Sunday because of stiffness in his hip. .

   (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)