Charlie Blackmon sat in the basement of Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon before the Rockies faced the Diamondbacks, eyes wide as he answered questions yet again about the Rockies’ performance on the road.

Nothing has gone right for the team away from Coors this season, and the chances of them breaking the record for the worst road record in history is seeming more and more likely during every road trip. The 1935 Boston Braves had a .165 winning percentage on the road, the lowest in the live ball era. The 2021 Rockies currently have a .154 winning percentage.

Yet, Blackmon said prior to the game, it’s not in their head. They are not carrying that attitude into the game, he said. 

“We’re no longer at altitude,” he said. “The ball moves differently when it moves from a pitcher’s hand before it gets to the plate. At a big league level, playing against the best in the world, having to make those adjustments in competition from one day to the next while almost no one else in the game has to do that, it’s going to have an effect.”

That’s all true, of course. Here’s the thing though: they’ve won on the road in past seasons, it’s not as though they’ve suddenly shifted to higher altitude. It’s always been a struggle, but for some reason this team, this year, can’t figure out how to adjust its hitting.

Colorado dropped yet another game on the road on Wednesday, but, at least on the positive side, it came close. After going down 6-1, the Rockies scored three runs in the eighth, but still fell 6-4. Their record away from Coors is now 6-33.

Even pitching has been better at home, although the Rockies’ starters have been solid for the most part no matter the location. The starters had a 1.57 ERA during the last homestand, when the Rockies went 6-1. They got another steady start from Antonio Senzatela on Wednesday night, who gave up three runs, all in the second, on seven hits.

Those three runs came off four singles, and Senzatela said he was aiming for double plays, but they were able to find holes in the defense. He’s been steady all season, and thinks he could be on the cusp of a big game.  

“Every game is a new opportunity,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard.”

It’s been that story over and over again — the starting pitcher keeps them in contention, but the offense can’t do its part.

“A lot of times that gets the team the win, but not tonight,” manager Bud Black said of the three runs Senzatela gave up. “We haven’t been able to muster enough offense.”

Elias Díaz gave the Rockies a little life, hitting a home run to left field in the seventh. Blackmon and Ryan McMahon each had three hits, helping to spark a run in the eighth inning as they scored three to get back in the game. But they couldn’t come up with the winning runs in the ninth.

“It just wasn’t enough,” Black said. “We need to continue pressing like that. Maybe we get a bigger hit in there.”