DENVER -- Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich stood in front of the home dugout three days ago, knowing key relievers were struggling and vowing patience. To say the least, improvement wasn't immediate.
On Friday night, the Rockies trailed the D-backs by two runs in the eighth, only to have Chris Rusin give up two runs and the game turn into a 9-4 rout. On Saturday, Bryan Shaw fumbled a possible double-play grounder, then threw wildly to first to let the tying run score. Five more runs later -- all unearned because of his miscues -- he exited to some of the loudest boos at Coors in recent memory, and the Rockies would suffer a 12-7 loss that would drop their record to .