Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Rock Solid Recap: So now the offense finally likes Ubaldo

Rockies 12, Braves 3 (boxscore)

If Dan O'Dowd had known a few trade rumors would make the Rockies offense appreciate and support Ubaldo Jimenez more, he probably would have floated his name out there around last season's deadline.

For like 20-25 starts dating back to that time, the Rockies weren't there for him. The last two starts... 24 runs.

Yeah, now you care. You hear a few scouts are in the crowd, and now you want to be his friend again. Figures.

But seriously, a kick ass performance by the offense. They attacked a young pitcher that has been on a roll, shook him up, worked him over and never let him get off the mat. A relentless effort that I honestly expected to see happen a lot more often this season. Maybe not to the point of 12 runs night after night, but they let so many pitchers off the hook that they could have eaten alive.

Breaking: Not only were there scouts in attendance for Ubaldo's start tonight, I heard they were writing things down on paper. What could this development mean??

Write this down: Aside from Dan Uggla, the Atlanta Braves weren't getting much done against Mr. Jimenez. He even put the clamps down on Freddie Freeman, which may be more newsworthy than the offense scoring 12 runs again.

Final line: 6 2/3, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Excellent performance on the hill. And his recent success at the plate continued as well with a single and a walk.

Three positives

1. Dexter Fowler: Three-hit game that included a bases clearing triple in the 6th. AND he stole a base! No question his return has been a success so far, but it's the same situation as everyone else. Can he sustain it? Will he sustain it? Take that step, Dex. I dare you.

2. No sweep for the Braves: It's sad, but I'm really relieved the Braves won't have the opportunity to complete the season series sweep. Heck, the Rockies could even make it a somewhat respectable 3-5, which would be terrific, but really glad it won't be 0-8. And thankful it'll never be 0-13 like 1993.

3. Field of Dreams: Had a nice time visiting the Field of Dream on Tuesday. Hot as Hell. Heat index of 119, which limited the actual physical activities on the field. But still a cool place to visit. The owners there do a nice job keeping the field in perfect condition. They keep the field open for you to play catch or hit a few balls around. And the best part... it's free. So if you're ever lost or misplaced in Iowa, stop by Dyersville. The signs will point you in the right direction.

Overall

Back to serious business. I'm not falling for the one or two game outburst. No, no, no. I'm happy it happened. I'm thrilled Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez played solid games. I strongly encourage them to do it again Wednesday. But my real focus is on watching Juan Nicasio pitch again. Interesting start for him against an opponent he's already seen and already been hit hard by. Looking for ability to adjust, execution of said adjustments, and poise.

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