Matt Herges has it partially right, in that he's taking responsibility for last night's loss:
"In my mind, that's what cost us the game. That's something we work on a billion times in spring training. That can't happen. It's a fundamental," Herges said. "I can't believe I didn't make that play."
We could also put the responsibility on the lack of timely hitting: few multi-hit innings and the ever-present failure to hit with runners in scoring position (2 for 17 last night). I'd want to say it's frustrating, but it's actually more than that. Though if you listen to Clint Hurdle, it's frustrating:
"It's frustrating for everyone involved," Hurdle said. "We had plenty of opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. We had an out on the bases again. And we had some plays we could have made in the field. . . . There has been that little rock in the shoe. If we make the plays (defensively). . . . If we had better at-bats early in the game. . . ."
Where do we start? Is that that the manager's playing the "If?" game or that he's calling the Rockies' troubles "that little rock in the shoe?" All these things add up, and they don't add up to "that little rock in the shoe" anymore. It's more like this giant snowball:
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It grows and grows, but eventually that ball's going to come to a halt when it hits something on the way down. Matt Herges seems to think that's going to happen soon (from the first link):
"It's time to say: 'OK, no more accepting this. No more.' It's time. Really, how big a hole can we dig?" said reliever Matt Herges after the Rockies plummeted 14 games under .500. "There's no more 'get 'em tomorrow.' We need to get hot now."
What's better than saying "It's time to say. . . . ?" Actually doing it. With Aaron Cook on the mound, we have to feel confident on the pitching side of things. He'll face Ted Lilly in today's afternoon game.