Jack Dempsey, Associated Press Starter Oliver Perez holds his head in the ninth inning yesterday in Denver. Perez retired only six of the 16 batters he faced. Click photo for larger image. Today Matchup: Pirates (Duke 4-6) vs. Giants (Matt Cain 4-5), 10:15 p.m. Where: AT&T Park. TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Bonds might miss entire series Amateur Draft: Lincoln indicates signing with Pirates is imminent Amateur Draft: Complete list of Pirates and local amateur draft picks Pirates Scouting Report: San Francisco Giants On the air with Bob Smizik: Pirates, KDKA are still talking, why? Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Rockies box score Game play-by-play

DENVER -- For all the numbing, negative numbers to spill out of this disastrous afternoon for Oliver Perez, here is the one that might stand out the most:

He retired only six of the 16 batters he faced and, of those who actually made outs, three managed to drive in runs with sacrifice flies.

In other words ...

"There wasn't anything good," Perez would say after being bombed for nine runs in two innings of the Pirates' 16-9 clubbing by the Colorado Rockies yesterday at Coors Field. "There wasn't anything I want to remember out of this game. Nothing worked."

That assessment was as close as Perez came to accuracy all day.

The damage wrought by the rotation's most enigmatic starter included two singles, a double, a triple, four walks, a hit batsman, a wild pitch and, to top it off, a second-inning grand slam by Yorvit Torrealba, his penultimate batter. The latter came off a lifeless, 87-mph fastball.

All but two balls put in play reached the outfield, most in frozen-rope fashion.

All but one batter who reached base came around to score.

All but ... oh, never mind.

"It's very difficult to do a whole lot when you surrender nine runs in two innings," manager Jim Tracy said, stressing each number. "That's obviously the difference in the game."

This time, there was no rain to blame, as was the case Friday when Perez was tagged for five runs in three innings by the San Diego Padres at PNC Park. Yesterday, it was sunny and 97 degrees, hottest temperature for any Major League Baseball game in this city, when he took the mound.

The primary issue, as almost always is the case when Perez gets rocked, was a lack of command and consistent delivery. He threw nine first-pitch balls, 28 of his 62 pitches overall were balls, as he sprayed his arm in all directions.

"I didn't see him throwing any strikes," Tracy said. "That's not going to work in any park, and certainly not this one."

The most puzzling aspect for the Pirates is that Perez had made clear progress until the past two starts. In three outings after being skipped in the rotation in early May, he limited opponents to four earned runs in 20 innings.

Now, he is 2-7 and tied for the National League lead in losses, has a league-high ERA of 7.18 and ranks third with 42 walks, not one of those intentional.

"I don't want to get frustrated," Perez said. "I just want to work, to do everything I can."

Perez had been paired with starting catcher Ronny Paulino in his previous four appearances and posted a 3.52 ERA, but Paulino was rested yesterday in favor of Humberto Cota.

Tracy offered no sympathy.

"Oliver's a big boy," he said.

Colorado scored four times in its initial at-bat, and the Pirates got half of that back in the second inning. Jason Bay singled -- he would reach base all five times up, 11 times in 14 plate appearances on the series -- and Jeromy Burnitz demolished the next pitch, a Josh Fogg fastball, into the second level in right-center field for his ninth home run.

But the Rockies rode Torrealba's slam for five more off Perez in the second to bolt ahead, 9-2, and added two in the fourth off long man Ryan Vogelsong.

The Pirates strung together six station-to-station runs in the fifth -- highlighted by Freddy Sanchez's two-run double -- to close within 11-8, but that was as good as it would get. Vogelsong was charged with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, and Colorado dinked away the rest of the afternoon.

"You need a stop right there when it gets to be 11-8," Tracy said. "And we didn't get any."

"I let us down big-time," Vogelsong said. "After we put up six, it's my job to go out right there and put up a zero. You can chalk this one up to me."

He hardly was alone. Matt Capps and Damaso Marte each allowed Colorado to add on runs, and only Roberto Hernandez turned in a 1-2-3 inning.

The Rockies would wind up with five sacrifice flies and a trivial slice of baseball history, exceeding the league record by one and matching the major-league mark set Aug. 7, 1988, by the Seattle Mariners.

Fogg squandered an easy chance to earn a victory against the team that released him in December, lasting only 4¹/₃ innings and being charged with eight runs. The win went to reliever Scott Dohmann.

"I got my [rear end] kicked," Fogg said.

The Pirates dropped two of three games for a second consecutive series, and their record fell to 22-38.

At the 60-game point a year ago, they were 30-30, the latest they had achieved .500 in any season since Sept. 1, 1999. They have not seen it since.