Saturday, August 25, 2012

Rock Solid Recrap: 2012 Rockies Reemerge In Ugly 8th

Cubs 5, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Three weeks of good baseball unraveled quickly in the 8th inning. After Brett Jackson tied the game with a solo home run off Matt Belisle (which was a shocker), the Rockies relapsed with a series of miscues (Blackmon bobble in the outfield, Nelson and LeMahieu botched double play and Matt Reynolds' overthrowing a play at first), that allowed the Cubs to grab the lead. It was really quite frustrating considering how focused and solid the team had played recently, and I sincerely hope this doesn't lead to another stretch of hideous performances.

Turning Point: When Matt Belisle (1/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 HR) doesn't have it, it's simply not going to work out for the Rockies. This game was pretty good evidence of that.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HR, 72 pitches (43 strikes)

Pomeranz was very efficient and very effective — retired the first 12 in a row — right up until the 5th inning when Alfonso Soriano and Wellington Castillo each got to him for a solo home runs. I believe I counted seven outs that were three pitches or less, which is solid. So I guess overall this would qualify as a step forward from his recent string of four inning outings. Then again, there's still that empty feeling not knowing how Pomeranz would have fared had he continued on.

Highlight of the Night: Ah, the sound of a well struck baseball off Carlos Gonzalez's bat is sweet music to my ears.


What's Next: Another morning game in Chicago with a 11:05 first pitch. Hopefully the Rockies and Alex White (2-6, 5.55) wake up on the right side of the bed this time, while Brooks Raley (1-2, 7.63) and the Cubs continue sleepwalking as they have for the past 103 years. .

Final Thoughts: I think the Rockies set a new record in the 5th with two separate (Jonathan Herrera and Carlos Gonzalez) head first slides into first base. Those annoy me to no ends and make me very nervous, especially when it's a guy like CarGo who has a history of wrist injuries and is really frickin' valuable. Let's try to practice running through the base, if possible.

Please?

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

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