Renck & File: Rockies need accountability. Progress from prospects only way to save season from complete embarrassment

Baseball is timeless and the Rockies are shameless. It didn’t take long to draw this conclusion (again) during the bottom of seventh inning Wednesday. Watching the game vs. the Astros, the question wasn’t whether the Rockies would lose, but exactly how sloppy their play would become.

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, a lighthouse in a storm of incompetence this season, lost focus, failing to give way to the center fielder on a popup that dropped for a single, then throwing home on a ground ball when there was clearly no play. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers chunked a throw on a routine double play and then the umpire nailed Michael Toglia for blocking first base on a snapback toss from catcher Jacob Stallings.

The latter call was beyond suspect but fit in perfectly with the fabric of the performance.

Former Colorado manager Clint Hurdle often said that the big leagues are not a try-hard league, but a do-good league. When does this apply to the current Rockies? They want to be evaluated on their effort. When will owner Dick Monfort hold the front office and coaches accountable for results?

The Rockies woke up Saturday 6-19 in June. Worst in the big leagues this month. Their team ERA during this stretch is 6.71, also the basement.

Everyone in the majors works hard. Coaches, players, trainers. Punching the clock is the baseline, like seeing fog in the mirror when you breathe. It is not enough to show up on time, roll up your sleeves and sign autographs for fans.

There has to be logic and a rubric to measure progress.

This season there has been none. The Rockies arrived at the midpoint of the year Friday on pace for 54 wins. This number would not matter if the roster was littered with young players, the season sacrificed for their development. But where are the prospects? Tovar is a star. Then who? Toglia has flashed power, but is a career .188 hitter with 139 strikeouts in 372 at-bats, outfielder Jordan Beck got hurt, and Adael Amador reminded me more of utilityman Jonathan Herrera than Tovar in his espresso in the big leagues this month. Maybe catcher Drew Romo shows he belongs in August, and outfielder Zac Veen arrives and rakes in September.

The promise those two represent — and throw in Amador — is the only thing currently standing between this season and complete embarrassment.

In the end it was a landslide for Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. He won his first MVP award easily, notching 137 of the 194 first-place votes. Nobody goes downhill on the ice like Nate the Great. The only thing missing from his resume is a second Stanley Cup title. …

Bronny James going to the Lakers with the 55th pick in the NBA draft was as predictable as the ending of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. In a league full of nepotism, I have no issue with the selection. My concern is that Bronny is never going to develop in the shadow of his father, while playing for an inexperienced head coach. …

OK, I will say it. CU had three players drafted in the top 42 – Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and K.J. Simpson – which is fantastic. But it reinforces my opinion that the Buffs underachieved and should have reached the Sweet 16 last season. Injuries played a role, but when will they have this much talent again? …

Mail Time

Trade Michael Porter Jr. for Bruce Brown. Tell the Nuggets.

— Steve Webb, email

Texting general manager Calvin Booth as we speak. I kid because I care. The idea of trading Michael Porter Jr. for Bruce Brown doesn’t make sense. The idea of trading MPJ does, though. If the Nuggets can move the former first-rounder for two rotational players, this cannot be dismissed. MPJ showed his potential last season, averaging 16.7 points and seven rebounds per game. He carried the Nuggets in the series win over the Lakers. Then he became a ghost vs. Minnesota. Given his lack of usage late in games — this has long been an issue under coach Michael Malone — the Nuggets must keep an open mind about trading him for multiple pieces to create more depth and roster flexibility.

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