DENVER • The Colorado Rockies are going from bad to worse, spiraling down, kind of like their opening day ace, Jeff Francis.Sure there are injuries, and we’ll save those for a later column. But this season isn’t going anywhere near expected for the defending National League champions. And Francis, who tied the club record with 17 victories last season, has pitched less than mediocre.The Rockies lost 9-2 to the New York Mets on Saturday, dropping their record to 19-30. They sit 10 games out of first place in the NL West, a division many, including me, thought they’d challenge for.Only San Diego and Seattle entered Saturday with worse records than the Rockies. The bad part is there hasn’t been an area of the team that has failed to be affected – starting with Francis.Francis is 1-5 after getting shellacked by the Mets in Saturday’s first inning. Francis gave up five runs off five hits in the inning. He calmed down and allowed two hits and a run over the next five innings. But one of those hits was a home run.Nobody expects the ace to be on point every pitch. But nobody expects the ace to be 1-5 with a 6.18 ERA either.”I think the inning kind of sped him up,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “He got quick with his delivery, balls up in the zone … he wasn’t working the ball downhill – it was a rough inning.”Even though Francis had a good game the rest of the way, the damage had been done.”We need better from Jeff than that,” Hurdle said.Francis has allowed 12 first-inning runs this season, the most of any inning for him. He’s a placement pitcher. He’s not going to overpower anybody. His near nonchalant demeanor isn’t going to scare anybody or make them cautious stepping in the batter’s box.Francis has to rely on hitting his spots. He hasn’t been doing that. And that has last year’s boy wonder making everybody wonder what’s going wrong.”I’m always trying to figure out what goes on with each outing,” Francis said. “All I can do is make sure I get better and make sure I make the necessary adjustments.”But the adjustments haven’t been coming. Or, if they have, they’ve been painfully slow to mature. One thought was that Francis was too passive on the mound, too nice.”It think what’s going on the exterior isn’t always what’s going on on the interior,” Hurdle said. “… Everybody’s made up different.”Nobody expects a jerk. But this is big-league baseball; it’s not coach pitch. You’re allowed to throw inside on purpose. You’re allowed to brush back a batter hugging the plate. Francis did hit David Wright in the foot in the fourth inning. The pitch was accidental.But it’d be great to see Francis toss a little heat high and tight. It’d be nice to see him show some emotion.Forget disappointment, which is what he looks like at times. Get mad. Grab rosin and toss the ball like it’s meant to be tossed. Batters are afraid of Francis’ ability to place the ball. He has been great at it. But he has nothing when he doesn’t have that. Francis needs to have something else in his bag when the placement has left him.Brush a batter back once in a while and regain command.”It’s always that if I go out there and execute, I’ll have a good game,” Francis said. “It’s not them beating me. It’s me beating myself, and that’s the frustrating part about it.”It’s frustration for all involved.-Columnist Milo Bryant can be reached at 636-0252 or milo.bryant@gazettedev.gazette.com

Lee Morgan worked on slot machines at the Wildwood Casino in Cripple Creek last week. There are about 700 slot machines in the new casino. Photo by (CAROL LAWRENCE, THE GAZETTE )