CHICAGO — Think of your worst road trip as a kid. The kind where your dad screamed, “I’m not going to tell you again!”
Now multiply that by the power of 10.
That’s the story of the Rockies’ trek across the majors this season.
After winning three of their last four games at the friendly confines of Coors Field and getting a little bounce in their step, they came to Wrigley Field on Monday night in hopes of beating the lowly Cubs, heretofore owners of the worst record in the National League.
That title now belongs to the Rockies, who lost 4-1 after being handcuffed by Cubs left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, who limited them to one run over seven innings. Colorado’s record is now 43-62, with the Cubs a half game better at 43-61. The Rockies have lost seven straight on the road.
The Rockies managed just five hits off Wada, a pitcher from Japan who notched his first big-league win in three starts. The Rockies were only 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position against Wada, who had a 107-61 record and 3.13 ERA in Japan before coming to the United States.
PHOTOS: Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago Cubs – July 28, 2014
While road trips have been tough on the Rockies all season, the opening games of roadies usually have been especially brutal. Colorado is now 16-34 away from home this season, by far the worst mark in the majors. In the opening game of road trips, the Rockies are now 2-7.
“I didn’t even know we were terrible in the first game of a road trips,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado, who drove in the Rockies’ only run. “We just haven’t been very good overall this season. We definitely have to be better, but I don’t put too much into (the road statistics).”
The Rockies are hitting .316 at home this season, best in the National League. They are hitting .243 on the road, ranking seventh.
“I don’t put too much credence into the Coors Field thing,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We have struggled on the road historically. But I’m not putting too much into that. We have to find ways to win. We got a great pitching performance tonight, but we couldn’t come up with a big inning.”
That great performance came from lefty Yohan Flande, an emergency starter who has begun to pitch with greater consistency and confidence. Flande pitched 6 innings Monday, allowing only two runs and four hits. He walked just one and struck out eight. While Flande might not figure into the Rockies’ long-term plans as a cog in the rotation, Weiss has said the team would look at him as a possible future reliever.
“I located pretty well with the fastball and the changeup, and I stayed low in the zone,” Flande said. “That’s why I had success tonight.”
Chicago reached Flande for two runs in the fourth inning, stringing together a single by Emilo Bonifacio, a double by Arismendy Alcantara, a run-scoring groundout by Anthony Rizzo and a sacrifice fly from Justin Ruggiano.
Then, once again, Colorado’s porous bullpen allowed late runs and gave the Cubs a comfy security blanket. Nick Masset came on in the eighth and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk. One of the runs scored on Masset’s errant pickoff throw to first.
The Rockies scored their only run in the sixth inning. Back-to-back singles by Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu set the table for Arenado’s run-scoring single. Colorado threatened in the eighth against reliever James Russell. Pinch-hitter Corey Dickerson led off with a single and advanced to third but was stranded when LeMahieu struck out and Carlos Gonzalez hit a sizzling line drive straight into Rizzo’s glove at first base.
The Rockies played without Josh Rutledge, who has become their primary shortstop in the absence of injured all-star Troy Tulowitzki. Rutledge was a late scratch because of illness; Charlie Culberson started at short in his place. Rutledge had been sizzling, hitting 13-for-35 (.371) while playing for Tulo.
“He got sick before the game and got worse and worse,” Weiss said. “It got to the point there 15 minutes before the game he couldn’t go. He came down with something and got pretty sick.”
Weiss said he does not think Rutledge’s illness is a repeat of the viral infection Rutledge caught in May that put him on the disabled list and cost him 10 games.
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
