Rockies-Marlins box score

MIAMI - Rockies right fielder Brad Hawpe was philosophical.

"It was a frustrating night," he said.

Real frustrating considering not only did the Rockies lose 4-3 to the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night at Dolphin Stadium, but they did it while striking out 16 times, one short of the franchise record.

Hawpe was the culprit a career- high four times, including a questionable called third strike for the second out in the ninth with the tying run on third.

The Rockies stranded 14 runners, six of whom were in scoring position with fewer than two out.

And it was Byung-Hyun Kim - his mid-May trade to Florida for Jorge Julio in a swap of disappointing right-handers heartily was endorsed in the Rockies clubhouse - who gave up two runs in a 126-pitch, 5 1/3-inning outing.

Those two runs came quickly.

Four batters into what was a 37-pitch first inning for Kim, the Rockies had a bunt single, a stolen base, two doubles and a 2-0 lead.

"It's a frustrating game, but that's the way BK likes to do it," Rockies starter Josh Fogg said. "He ended up settling down and striking out 10 (a career best). It is the results that matter."

And on this rain-interrupted evening, it was Kim and the Marlins who got the results, ending the Rockies' five-game winning streak at Dolphin Stadium and denying them a chance to match the best 106-game record in franchise history. The 54-52 start matches 1996; the 1995 team started 55-51.

But the loss wasn't anything close to a franchise highlight.

While Kim registered 10 of his 16 outs on strikeouts, he also allowed 12 baserunners - one hit batter, six walks and five hits - but held the Rockies without a hit with a runner on base after first-inning RBI doubles by Kazuo Matsui and Todd Helton.

"Frustrating as it is, it is still just one game and that's the way we have to look at it," said Hawpe, who was hit by a pitch from Kim in the first inning as a prelude to his four strikeouts. "When we win, that's the way we look at it, it's just one game, and so when we get beat, we have to realize it is just one game and get ready for the next one."

The next one is tonight, the series finale, and the night rookie right-hander Jason Hirsh returns from the disabled list to make his first major league start in a month. He will be facing another rookie, right-hander Rick Vanden Hurk, the fourth Dutch-born pitcher in major league history and someone no Rockies have faced.

But it's not like familiarity was an edge for the Rockies in their confrontation with Kim. After all, he had thrown 309 innings as a member of the Rockies, with whom he spent the past two full seasons before wearing out his welcome after three appearances and six innings this season.

"There aren't secrets," first baseman Helton said. "He tests your patience."

The Rockies failed the test at the expense of Fogg, who suffered the loss in what was his first start in 10 days, having been pushed back after a scheduled Friday assignment against the Los Angeles Dodgers was rained out.

He battled command in the first inning, walking two of the first four batters he faced to set up a tying two-run rally.

Fogg shrugged off the idea the layoff between starts was a factor, and he smiled in referring to the 37-pitch Kim marathon he sat through in the top of the first.

"I don't know which was longer," he said of the time between starts and the top of the first.

What Fogg does know is after a leadoff walk to Hanley Ramirez, he gave up a one-out single to Miguel Cabrera and walked Mike Jacobs to load the bases for Josh Willingham's RBI single. Another run scored when Willy Taveras bobbled the ball in center.

Willingham singled to lead off the fourth, stole second and scored on a one-out single by Matt Treanor. And with two out in the fifth, Cabrera lined a 3-2 fastball the opposite way, over the fence in right-center field.

"He grinded it out and gave us a chance," Hurdle said of Fogg.

But the Rockies were unable to take advantage of it, the crowning moment of frustration coming with two out in the ninth, a run in and the bases loaded. Kevin Gregg struck out Yorvit Torrealba swinging on the last two pitches, neither of which was close to the strike zone.

"It was a battle for us to make contact," Hurdle said.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com

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