DENVER • There should be mulligans in baseball.

The Colorado Rockies could stop now, put us and them out of misery and have a do-over.

There’s nothing going right for the defending National League champions.

Nothing.

Blame Clint Hurdle.

He’s the one managing largely the same team that went to the World Series in October to a near-worst record (20-32) in the big leagues.

On second thought, blame Dan O’Dowd. He’s the general manager who put this team together. He’s responsible for getting the players who Hurdle manages.

Then again, we could blame both of them, much the way we’ve blamed them for every low the Rockies have had in the O’Dowd-Hurdle era.

But doing that, especially doing it now, would be wrong.

Yes, even after losing the home series to the San Francisco Giants ­— one of the few big-league teams that might actually be worse than the Rockies — and surrendering 20 runs to the Philadelphia Phillies, it would be wrong.

Give a painter a canvas and paint but no brush and you’re not getting much. The Rockies started losing their brush at the beginning of the season with right-handed pitcher Jason Hirsh, who has yet to pitch this year. Then April 29, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki tore a left quadriceps tendon and hasn’t returned.

Clint Barmes, leading the team with a .343 batting averages is out with a sprained right knee. Brad Hawpe’s strained right hamstring earned him a trip to the disabled list. Garrett Atkins missed recent games because of a stiff neck. Pitchers Kip Wells (blood clots in his right hand), Luis Vizcaino (shoulder) and Micah Bowie (strained forearm) have all missed time because of injury, too.

Slugger Matt Holliday pulled up lame (strained left hamstring) during Saturday’s 9-3 loss to the New York Mets.

First baseman Todd Helton and Holliday were Saturday’s only starting-position players who started opening day. Sunday’s starting lineup had four players who began the season with the Sky Sox — shortstop Omar Quintanilla, second baseman Jonathan Herrera, third baseman Ian Stewart and right fielder Seth Smith. On Monday, Helton and catcher Yorvit Torrealba were the only opening day starters playing.

“There’s a lot of people banging on the door for Ian Stewart,” Hurdle recently said. “Well, now he’s here. Seth Smith had given everybody some excitement late last season. He knows he’s a professional hitter. We’ll see what he can accomplish here.

“At this level, nobody feels sorry for you.”

They might start to when Ryan Spilborghs is batting cleanup as he did against the Philadelphia Phillies. There’s no disrespect meant toward Spilborghs, but if he’s your No. 4, you’re having serious problems.

“With every issue or complication that you have, it provides an opportunity for somebody else,” Hurdle said. “It provides some challenges in leadership. It provides some challenges internally with your clubhouse.

“Adversity doesn’t define character for me. It reveals it. It gives you a better read on the guys that you’ve got in there who are going to be playing. We’re going to find a way to rally together to see what we can get accomplished.”

Sure it’s rah rah. It’s in the neighborhood of “our backs are against the wall.” But what would you expect? Hurdle couldn’t say much more than that right now.

Hurdle is managing a depleted team that wasn’t playing extremely well before the injuries.No do-overs here.

The Rockies will be healthy soon enough. There will be plenty of time for blaming then.

Valerie Gendermalik Photo by