Sunday, June 5, 2011

Rock Solid Recrap: Was yesterday's score a misprint?

Or maybe it was a fluke.

Read my quick Recap: Rockies win a one-run game!

Giants 2, Rockies 1 (boxscore

This is the score I'm used to seeing.

Jason Hammel: I can't tell you how much I respect him. He hasn't made any noise or shown frustration with the lack of run support. He just continues to go out and pitch his ass off. There are some pitchers (see Chicago) that would be mental cases if this kept happening to them, but Jason has been nothing but a pro. Hats off to him. He deserves so much better.

Offense in two words: Cringe worthy.

Chicago White Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson doesn't think any team in baseball has wasted more opportunities (ie, bases loaded, no out and runner on third, less than two out) than his Sox have. Boy will he be in for a treat when they visit Coors Field later this month.

With just a LITTLE more offense this Rockies team could be in a special position right now. You expect things to even out. That's why some folks point to bad luck and stats for hope or excuses. But seriously, it can't even out with the poor quality of at-bats this team gives in money situations. That's what makes it cringe worthy.

Speaking of...

From (@TroyRenck) Jim Tracy on what Carlos Gonzalez needs to do to improve after his 0-for-4 with 4 strikeouts: "Have a strike zone."

That won't exactly endear player to manager, and I'm not usually a fan of a manager taking veiled or cheap shots at players, but he's absolutely right. Someone needs to get on CarGo's ass about being more disciplined and taking a more professional approach. And that goes for everything. As I've said before, I'm not a fan of the hot-dogging in the outfield either.

Not all praise for Tracy: Matt Reynolds is warming up in the 8th. The score changes, so Jim Tracy sits Reynolds down and makes Rex Brothers try to warm up quick to face the same hitters Reynolds would have faced. Turned out he wasn't needed, but what's the point of that? Now you have two different relievers that have warmed up and neither is used.

You can't do that. That adds up on pitcher's arms. That's why so many Rockies relievers end up with sore arms. When I said treat Brothers like any other reliever, I didn't mean start the process of wearing him out.

Leadoff walks: Not even Matt Lindstrom can overcome them.

Troy Tulowitzki's elbow: I can't believe how many Giants fans were acting like this was a big deal. Tulo's going to go out of his way to try and knock Aubrey Huff out. Yes, that makes so much sense. You're all so classy and smart. But you already proved that with the death threats for Scott Cousins.

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies win a one-run game!

Had a nice time visiting family and celebrating my cousin's college graduation yesterday. I mentioned my travels took me to St. Charles, IL, where Matt Reynolds played his high school ball. Well, while I was there I was updated on another young left-handed pitcher from St. Charles by the name of Wes Benjamin. 

I remember meeting his parents in a previous visit when they were optimistic about his future in baseball. This time around it sounds like he's developed into a legit prospect. He's committed to the University of Kansas, but over the past year he's been contacted by 22 MLB teams. So it wouldn't surprise anyone if his name gets called during the MLB draft this week.

Hey, the Rockies had good success the first time they went to that well. Maybe they'll take another chance on a kid out of St. Charles. Who knows? But whatever happens, I wish him well on his journey.

You can read more about him in this Chicago Tribune piece from Wednesday. Just remember when his day comes: You heard his name there first. You heard it here second.

Rockies 2, Giants 1 (boxscore) 

Looked like the Rockies had a nice time as well on Saturday. I only watched MLB.com's condensed version of the game and looked over the boxscore, so I'll just say a couple things here.

-- A one-run victory! Wooo!

-- It was great to see Troy Tulowitzki take over a game with his bat. Granted it didn't lead to a lot of offense overall, but he made the most of his opportunities, which is a positive sign. Now you want others to start feeding off him.

-- Hard to comment on Jhoulys Chacin without seeing the whole body of work. Results, though, were excellent. Glad he was rewarded with a victory.

-- Matt Lindstrom. Rafael Betancourt. Huston Street. No hits. No nothing. I was beside myself with excitement when I saw that. Especially since it was a one-run game the entire time.

-- Thrilled to hear Rex Brothers finally got the call he and Rockies fans have been waiting for. Jim Tracy says he'll be eased in to duty, but I'll believe that when I see it. He really doesn't need it. He's too talented. Besides that, baseball situations don't often dictate you can ease a pitcher in. Sometimes it'll work, but I say treat him like you would any other reliever and let's see what we have here.

-- Matt Daley hits the DL to open up the spot for Brothers. Daley looked good initially in his callup, but faltered recently when the shoulder soreness flared up. Hopefully there's nothing too serious going on there.

-- Lineup card returns tomorrow.