Rock Solid Recrap: More About Bob And The Great Guillermo

Nationals 12, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

Farewell, Bob: First things first, I wrote a little bit about Bob Apodaca's reassignment in the Lineup Card today. All I'll really add now is that, despite the low point we've reached now in terms of the Rockies pitching struggles, I truly do appreciate his contributions to the Rockies over his ten seasons of service. 

You can discredit the man if you want, but there's really no denying that a lot of good things happened under his watch, which peaked during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. But there always comes a time when change and fresh ideas are necessary to keep the process moving forward. I think that's especially true when you call Coors Field — the most unique and mentally taxing ballpark on the planet — your home. 

Apodaca's time to move on had definitely arrived. But I'll still pass on kicking him on his way out the door, because he took on the challenge of solving pitching at one mile above sea level for TEN years, and this is the first time he's backed away from the challenge. 

I can admire that. I can respect that. I actually appreciate that. And I truly hope the next full time pitching coach can match his patience and mental stamina when taking on this challenge.

That said, I also hope the new full time pitching coach has more effective and long-lasting ideas, because there's a lot of work to be done to get Rockies pitching back at the 09-10 level, but more importantly, to keep it at that level.

Now about tonight's baseball game...

Christian Friedrich's Line: 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 69 pitches (51 strikes)

A standard blah line from Friedrich. And then Guillermo Moscoso relieved him in the middle of the 5th inning and allowed the first five batters he faced to reach base (all five scored).

Turning Point: The appearance of Guillermo Moscoso - 1 2/3 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 3 HR, 63 pitches (39 strikes)

That's enough about tonight's baseball game...

What's Next: The Rockies get another dose of Nattitude on Wednesday with Jordan Zimmerman (3-6, 2.89) on the mound for Washington. The Rockies will counter with the emotionally charged Josh Outman (0-3, 8.64).

Final Thoughts: The Rockies held their first annual Youth Baseball Camp this afternoon at a toasty Coors Field.

@Rockies

I must take my hat to the entire Rockies organization for holding this event, and I also have to thank the youth campers for taking precious time out of their summer break to come out to Coors Field and help the Rockies with their fundamentals.

Very cool, kids.

@Rockies

Oh look, here's a group explaining how Little League pitch limits work to manager Jim Tracy.

@Rockies

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