Dodgers wilt before the not-so-mighty Rockies staff, fall 3-1

Still waiting …

Because it has to happen, right? The Dodgers have to put some serious runs across the plate against the lowly Colorado Rockies. Have to push baseball’s worst pitching staff around, put up impressive offensive numbers, pound their chests and move happily on their way.

Still waiting …

Incredibly, unexplainably, the Dodgers have managed to make the Rockies look like they have a staff for the ages.

For the second consecutive night, the Dodgers were handled by the Rockies, this time by a 3-1 score Tuesday before a crowd of 55,024 at Dodger Stadium to fall 1 1/2 games back of the Giants in the National League West.

On Monday night, four different pitchers shut out the Dodgers on five hits. This time it was four pitchers combining to hold the Dodgers to one run on only four hits.

The lifeless performance elicited boos from the sellout crowd, no doubt as mystified as anyone else. You can’t score against this team?

The Rockies’ overall staff has been decimated by injuries. They are so desperate, they are trying a four-man rotation, careful to place their starting pitchers on a strict pitch limit.

The Rockies staff has an earned-run average of 5.46, worst of all 30 major-league teams. Their starters have a 6.31 ERA, baseball’s worst by almost an entire run.

Colorado’s Alex White entered the game with a 2-6 record and a 6.16 ERA, and then promptly shut out the Dodgers for four innings on one hit.

The Rockies, however, pushed a run across against Aaron Harang in the fifth inning on an Eric Young Jr. single and Josh Rutledge double.

They added two more in the seventh after Chris Nelson singled and Young walked. Reliever Shawn Tolleson took over, but promptly gave up a two-run double to Rutledge.

Harang fell to 7-7 and was charged with all three runs. He gave up six hits and walked four, two intentionally.

The Dodgers had been shut out for 16 consecutive innings by the Rockies before they finally scratched a run together in the eighth. Hanley Ramirez was safe on an infield single and then scored on a double by Mark Ellis.

At least they had avoided an embarrassing second consecutive shutout.

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