Even after the Rockies' amazing run last season, television schedulers failed to register the Rockies more frequently on their broadcasts. ESPN chose the Rockies-Mets game on July 13, the last game before the All-Star Break, for their Sunday Night Baseball telecast.

The defending National League Champions have only one nation-wide television appearance this season. It would appear that schedulers believe that the Rockies were more of a fluke than anything else last season and that the Rockies won't draw a big television audience. The Rockies have yet to prove otherwise on the former, sort of, and the latter is unproven given the former.

If what the Rockies did in September and October should be termed a fluke, it takes more than just the season after that to say so. And certainly more than half of a season. If 2009 is back to the same inconsistency and fail the Rockies have shown this season and in seasons prior to 2007, go right ahead and call 2007 a fluke. Or that the Rockies were lucky. Maybe it's better to be lucky than good. Good can create expectations that can't be lived up to.

The last series against the Mets and the start of the current series against the Royals demonstrate this point. Sweeping the Indians, the Rockies entertained the Mets for a second series at Coors Field. Jeff Baker hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the first game, and then the Rockies did nothing else. There were six more hits, but no more runs. Aaron Cook had a horrendous second inning, allowing five runs. The Rockies lost with no offense and an atypical start from Cook.

So, with the inconsistent Ubaldo Jimenez starting, the Rockies actually won the Saturday game. This time Mets starter Pedro Martinez had the one bad inning instead of a Rockies pitcher. Martinez allowed six runs in the fifth. Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe started the inning with back-to-back homers, both on the first pitch Martinez offered them. With a 6-1 lead at the end of the fifth and with the way Ubaldo Jimenez was pitching, the Rockies weren't going to lost this one. Jimenez allowed one run in eight innings and may have pitched a complete game had he not been at 110 pitches. Outside of the four walks, there was very little wrong with Jimenez's importance.

Sunday's game offered a more consistent Greg Reynolds start, despite the loss. The Rockies were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, managed four hits, and the only run came on a Yorvit Torrealba in the eighth. That tells you all you need to know about the offense that day.

Jeff Francis, who at one point was suppossed to be the team's ace, failed once again in the first inning, surrendering four runs (three on a homer). After 4 1/3 innings, Francis left the game with seven runs allowed. In Francis's words, "I just made bad pitches."

Sure, Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer, his ninth, but Troy Tulowitzki went 0-for-4 and is 3-for-16 since he returned to the lineup on Friday. Brian Bannister walked six Rockies last night and in the second, Bannister loaded the bases on three walks. Troy Tulowitzki struck out in between the second and third walks. Clint Barmes, in his first game back from the DL, hit into a double play. That's the way things have gone for the Rockies this season.