Thursday, July 5, 2012

Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Reach 50 In The Loss Column

Cardinals 4, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 84 pitches (47 strikes)

You'll notice two unusual things about Guthrie's line tonight.

1. It's good.

2. He was allowed to go beyond the 75 pitch limit.

I'm pretty sure the reason that happened is because Guthrie was due to leadoff the 7th inning. But it still worked quite well because Guthrie EARNED the extra rope and then rewarded the Rockies with a strong finish.

Win-Win.

If that doesn't give the struggling veteran a confidence boost, I don't know what will.

Adam Ottavino's Line: 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 28 pitches (13 strikes)

This is what it looks like when a reliever hits the wall. Ottavino was very effective in May, posting an 0.87 ERA in 10 appearances — 8 of those appearances coming in an 11 day span (24 overall appearances since May 20). He then posted a very respectable 3.24 ERA in his first eight June appearances. Over his last eight appearances though... 11.88, with nearly one walk per inning.

Needless to say, he could probably use a break that the Rockies paired pitching system won't afford him.

Turning Point: The Rockies hit into a 3-6-5 double play simply because they're the Rockies and it's a new way to kill a rally. That crazy play happened in the 6th with Colorado trailing 2-1. Runners were on 1st and 2nd with out out when Jonathan Herrera lined one to Cardinals first baseman Allen Craig, who dove and knocked the ball down. And... well... just click the highlight and watch for yourself.


Alright, maybe it was more bad luck than the Rockies being the Rockies, but it's still something that only happens to the Rockies.

Highlight of the Night: Jeremy Guthrie's pitching was a highlight tonight. He also provided the only real offensive highlight as well, driving in Jonathan Herrera with the Rockies lone tally.


What's Next: Series finale is a 6:15 first pitch on Thursday, and you can bet it'll be another hot one at Busch Stadium. It'll be Christian Friedrich (4-5, 5.52) for Colorado. All-Star Lance Lynn (10-4, 3.62) goes for St. Louis.

Final Thoughts: 50 losses 81 games into the season. Pretty sure you don't need help with the math.

More Rockies thoughts await you if you follow me on Twitter: @Townie813 & @HeavenHelton

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