By SportsDirect

POSTED: 7:43 am MST December 21, 2011

Jhoulys Chacin is feeling the heat in the fourth inning, when the Dodgers scored three runs after an error by Ty Wigginton in the outfield.
( Jason Redmond, The Associated Press
)

LOS ANGELES — Meetings are for losers. It’s not an opinion, but fact. The worse a team does, the more it gathers behind closed doors. Manager Jim Tracy held his third team meeting Tuesday, the club’s fifth this season.

What made this one different was the message. There was no fire and brimstone. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” wasn’t playing in the background. There was only disappointment. The Rockies have spent the past two weeks embarrassing themselves and were challenged to finish with pride, regardless of the standings.

They promptly fell 3-2 to the Dodgers on Tuesday night before 50,664 fans drawn to the stadium by Fernando Valenzuela bobbleheads.

It has been a difficult stretch — eight losses in 11 games. The Rockies are unable to glance at the clubhouse TV without seeing a player in trade rumors, namely ace Ubaldo Jimenez. He seems to be growing weary of the talk, and barely managed a grin Tuesday when a teammate asked him jokingly why he was still here.

“It’s a business,” Jimenez said. “I have to go out and do my job. I know whatever happens, I will be pitching somewhere.”

Added shortstop Troy Tulowitzki: “Without a doubt, it can be a distraction. But I made up my mind a long time ago that I was going to play the game the same way every day whether we are 20 ahead or 20 back. You have the whole offseason to shut it down.”

The Rockies’ effort was fine, but the execution — all together now — was flawed. They continue to find creative ways to reach defeat. They didn’t hit with runners in scoring position (1-for-12), made critical defensive mistakes and wasted a strong performance by Jhoulys Chacin.

Scoreless after three innings with Clayton Kershaw pitching well, the Rockies’ outfielders put on a display that will never appear in a Tom Emanskivideo. All it took was a dropped popup and a collision by the Rockies to shove the Dodgers ahead 3-0.

Rafael Furcal hit a routine

fly to left fielder Ty Wigginton. He one-handed the ball and watched it deflect off his glove. A few moments later, Mark Ellis raced back and caught a popup as he slammed into right fielder Ryan Spilborghs. What should have been a can of corn instead opened a can of worms, allowing a run to score on the suspect sacrifice fly.

Though the Rockies lost the sixth straight game he has started, Chacin finished with a decent line, allowing one earned run in six innings. Kershaw was vulnerable. But with the runners at second and third in the first inning, he escaped by getting Tulowitzki to pop up and Wiggington to strike out.

The Rockies’ runs came on Todd Helton’s fifth-inning single and his seventh-inning groundout. Tulowitzki had a chance to knot the score in the seventh, but he tapped out, literally. His slow roller in front off the plate off Matt Guerrier was an easy out for catcher Dioner Navarro.

Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com

Looking ahead

WEDNESDAY: Rockies at Dodgers, 8:10 p.m., Root

Aaron Cook (1-5, 5.84 ERA) won for the first time since September, a testament to his bat — see RBI single — as much as his pitches. Helped by a season-high five runs of support, the right-hander grinded through a victory over Arizona. He beat the Dodgers in his only start against them last year, and is 6-7 in 22 career games against L.A. Andre Ethier has nine hits off Cook, including two HRs. Hiroki Kuroda (6-12, 3.19) isn’t starting, he’s auditioning. The Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers are interested — if he’ll waive his no-trade clause. Seth Smith is 6-for-14, two RBIs against Kuroda. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post

Upcoming pitching matchups

Thursday: Off

Friday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-10, 4.75 ERA) at Padres’ Tim Stauffer (6-7, 3.05), 8:05 p.m., Root

Saturday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.20) at Padres’ Aaron Harang (9-2, 3.45), 6:35 p.m., Root

Sunday: Rockies’ Juan Nicasio (4-3, 4.24) at Padres’ Dustin Moseley (3-10, 3.30), 2:05 p.m., Root

Read More: Mike Jacobs (1B – COL), Jason Giambi (1B – COL), Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies will be down a man during Tuesday night’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jason Giambi injured his left quad while running out a play in the top of the ninth inning during Tuesday’s game. Clearly in pain, he left the game and had Aaron Cook come in to pinch-run for him. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list to help him recover.

No corresponding move was announced, so the Rockies will play with just 24 men in this game. Mike Jacobs, currently in Triple-A Colorado Springs, is a possible call-up. He is hitting .296 with an .891 OPS and 18 homers so far this season.

Giambi has hit 10 home runs this season, including three in one May game. Several teams, notably the Phillies, have inquired about his availability. This injury may put an end to any trade talks.

Check out Purple Row for more on the Rockies. True Blue LA and SB Nation Los Angeles have you covered on the Dodgers.

Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) has had difficulty recapturing the form that led to his
tremendous success early in 2010.

The Colorado Rockies’ ace, however, finally showed signs of coming around
during his most recent outing.

Looking to build on his last start, Jimenez takes the mound for Colorado as
it closes a three-game set with the visiting New York Mets on Wednesday.

Jimenez (0-2, 5.88 ERA), who last season became just the 15th pitcher since
1952 to win at least 10 games by June 1 and went 13-1 with a 1.15 ERA to open
the year, has started five Rockies losses in 2011.

The hard-throwing right-hander was slowed by a cracked cuticle and went 0-2
with a 7.20 ERA during his first four starts.

After working out a kink in his mechanics, though, he gave up one run and
two hits over six innings of Friday’s 4-3 loss at San Francisco and resembled
the pitcher who finished third in last season’s NL Cy Young voting.

“Ubaldo showed up. That was his best start to date,” manager Jim Tracy said.
“His fastball command will continue to improve. He made some great pitches.”

While he issued a season-worst five walks, Jimenez struck out seven and was
pleased with the effort.

“I was more confident and felt more comfortable,” he said. “I felt like I
was more consistent with my delivery.”

Jimenez is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA spanning 16 innings over two career starts at
home against the Mets (16-20).

David Wright(notes) and Jose Reyes(notes) have each managed two hits in 10 career at-bats
against Jimenez while Ike Davis(notes) is 0 for 3 with three strikeouts. Davis, who
leads New York with seven homers and 25 RBIs, left Tuesday’s 4-3 win with a
strained left calf.

“I know he’s hurting. When he came out, he was hurting bad,” said manager
Terry Collins, who doubted that Davis would be available Wednesday.

Wright went 0 for 4 and has seen his average drop 21 points since May 1 to
.234 thanks to a 4-for-27 slump over the last eight games.

Despite his lack of production, the Mets snapped a five-game losing streak
to Colorado (19-15) on Tuesday.

“Good to finally get a win against these guys and hopefully win the series
tomorrow,” Wright said. “It’s a very good team and when (Troy Tulowitzki(notes)) and
(Carlos) Gonzalez get going, they’re going to be that much more dangerous.”

Tulowitzki, who entered Tuesday mired in a 3-for-38 funk spanning the
previous 10 games, went 1 for 4 with a home run – his fifth in 23 at-bats this
season versus the Mets, against whom he is batting .522 in 2011.

Gonzalez, who hit 26 of his team-leading 34 home runs at home in 2010, went
deep for the first time at Coors Field this season on Tuesday.

“I have the best seat in the house and this is the first time I’ve seen
glimpses of CarGo from last year, so that’s encouraging,” Tulowitzki said.

Leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler(notes) fouled a pitch off his left knee and was forced
from Tuesday’s contest. His status for Wednesday is unknown.

Colorado has scored a total of 12 runs while losing five of six but is
likely looking forward to facing scheduled New York starter Jonathon Niese(notes) (1-4,
4.71).

The left-hander, who gave up five runs in a 5-4 loss to the Rockies on April
13, is 0-2 with a 5.55 ERA over four career starts in the series.

Niese allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings of the Mets’ 6-3
win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Read More: Chris Iannetta (C – COL), Jason Hammel (P – COL), Mike Pelfrey (P – NYM), Colorado Rockies, New York Mets

The Colorado Rockies enter their Tuesday game with the New York Mets having taken a 2-1 game on Monday night, basically a result of catcher Chris Iannetta’s bat and arm. His double eventually led him to score on a Dexter Fowler single and he broke a 1-1 tie with a home run. He threw out a runner at second base in the top of the ninth. But the rest of the team continued its hitting failures.

Maybe the hitters will have better luck with the Mets putting Mike Pelfrey on the mound. In his April 11 start against the Rockies, which was against Jason Hammel (tonight’s starter), Pelfrey saw four runs score on six hits and four walks in 5.2 innings. His ERA stood at 10.80 after that start, but he’s brought that to 6.06 after four more starts. On May 5, he kept the Giants to two runs in 7.2 innings on the way to a 5-2 victory. He struck out five.

In that same April 11 game, Hammel allowed four runs in six innings, but just two were earned. Since that start, Hammel hasn’t given up more than three runs in any of his four starts and in his last three games he’s allowed a combined two runs. On May 5, he was in line for the win after he threw seven scoreless innings, but then Huston Street allowed two home runs in the bottom of the ninth, blowing the game (the Rockies lost in 11 innings on a Justin Upton bloop RBI single).

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. MT and the game can be seen on ROOT Sports.

Visit Purple Row for more on the Rockies. Head on over to Amazin’ Avenue and SB Nation New York for more on the Mets.

ETHAN HYMAN – ehyman@newsobserver.com

Russell Wilson runs the bases for the Asheville Tourists in April game.

As far as the Colorado Rockies are concerned, former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson is a baseball player and will continue to be a baseball player throughout the remainder of the season.

“He has not once come to us and expressed an interest in playing football this year,” Marc Gustafson, the Rockies’ senior director of player development, said Tuesday in an interview. “It is not an issue between the Rockies and Russell. It has never been brought to our attention.”

Wilson, N.C. State’s starting quarterback the past three seasons, signed a contract with the Rockies last year but returned to lead the Wolfpack to a 9-4 season and a bowl victory. Wilson is the starting second baseman this season for the Asheville Tourists, the Rockies’ Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

In an April 21 interview, Wilson said he had not made a decision on whether to play one last year of football for the Wolfpack.

On Friday, however, N.C. State announced that Wilson had requested and been given a release from his scholarship, freeing him to play football at another school this year if he chose. Wilson created a stir the next day when he said he was “torn up” and heartbroken about not being able to rejoin the Wolfpack, that he would not have asked for a release had he been given the opportunity to compete with redshirt junior Mike Glennon for the starting quarterback job.

Gustafson said he had read the stories speculating where Wilson could land and play football, as well as the comments made by Wilson. Asked if he expected Wilson to play for the Tourists until their season ends Sept. 5, he said, “Absolutely.”

Gustafson did not go into the specifics of Wilson’s contract with the Rockies and the option to play football but said there is “protection for the club and protection for the player.”

“When you have a football/baseball player or a baseball/football player, there are details in the contract that if you do pursue football, there might be some money that may have to be returned,” he said. “But it’s not an issue. It has not been brought up.

“Is an option open [for football]? It might be. But there has been no indication to us about any football activity, whatsoever. His total focus is on baseball.”

Tourists outfielder Kyle Parker, a first-round draft pick by the Rockies last year, returned to Clemson and was the Tigers’ starting quarterback last fall.

“Unfortunately, while I didn’t play awful, I didn’t play as well as I wanted to last year,” Parker said. “That cleared up all the questions in my head, about whether I should play football or play baseball. Before, I loved them both but didn’t know which one I could be better at.”

Wilson, a fourth-round draft pick by the Rockies last year, could not be reached Tuesday for comment. The Tourists played the Greenville (S.C.) Drive in a Tuesday afternoon game.

Wilson, who has said his dream was to play Major League Baseball and in the NFL, ranks second in ACC history in touchdown responsibility with 93. He also played three baseball seasons for NCSU.

Wilson holds a communications degree from N.C. State. Under NCAA rules, graduates with a year of athletic eligibility remaining are allowed to move to another school and immediately compete.

Although Wilson was hitting just .215 entering Tuesday’s game, Gustafson said Wilson has improved the last few weeks, and his fielding has been solid. Gustafson said he did not believe the talk about Wilson and N.C. State football was affecting his play with the Tourists.

“Is all this a distraction for Russell? Absolutely not. He’s working as hard as anyone,” he said. “We’re big on Russell. He believes in himself and has a lot of confidence in himself.

“We want to see Russell Wilson in the big leagues.”