Rockies 2, Diamondbacks 1 (boxscore)
The disaster season started with a win from Jeremy Guthrie (who's long gone) and it ends with a win Jeff Francis (who rose from the baseball dead). What more do you need to know about the 2012 Rockies?
The numbers 64 and 98 will now go into the books as the Rockies worst record ever. We hope (and maybe even pray) this standard of suck is one they never equal or surpass in the future.
Winning Player: Jeff Francis 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 86 pitches (53 strikes)
Tough call here, but Francis gets the nod for finishing his comeback campaign with a strong outing and a victory.
Honestly, I applaud Francis. The numbers are whatever, but we know by now that you can't look at the numbers with Rockies pitchers (especially with this year's experiment) to determine their performance. Looking beyond them, I felt like Francis gave us more than I ever imagined he could coming in, so again, a polite applause for him and an open invitation to join us in 2012 if he wishes.
Honorable Mentions: The Bullpen: 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K
The bullpen had its ups and downs this season, but they were without question the most consistently productive group on the Rockies team (not that that's a glowing endorsement but it's still a fact). I think it's fitting that both Adam Ottavino and Josh Roenicke (the two middle relief workhorses) pitched well tonight, and I think the coolest thing about the finale is the man with the bionic arm, Matt Belisle, got the final out to earn the save. Well done by Jim Tracy there.
More Honorable Mentions: Jordan Pacheco 3-for-4, run scored (All he does is get hits), D.J. LeMahieu 2-for-4, RBI (Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all Rockies this season) and Jonathan Herrera 3-for-4 (Impossible not to love Johnny. Hope he has a big league job next season whether it's here or elsewhere).
Turning Point: The Rockies trailed 1-0 in the 4th when Chris Johnson's throwing error led directly to their first run, and opened the door for LeMahieu to drive home the winner. Yes, the Rockies actually took advantage of the opponent's error. If there's one thing they carry into next season from this game, I hope it's their ability to do that.
Highlight of the Night: Watch the season's final out
What's Next: People get fired?
No, I don't know if that will happen, but this is a really, really important offseason for this organization. So many things need to be fixed, and I don't think five months would be nearly enough time to get it done anyway, but we have to hope a few steps are taken in the right direction. Of course we won't have a real good idea if those right steps were taken until we resume actual baseball activity, so come on back with us in 2013 and we'll continue our baseball discussions over Twitter and other outlets.
Final Thoughts: Well folks, that's a wrap on the Colorado Rockies disastrous 2012 season. Hope you had a fun time reading the blog this season despite the lousy baseball product we were served. Win or lose, I tried to keep a sensible baseball perspective here, but I also think it's important to enjoy the game first and foremost, and have a little fun as well, even if it has to come at the expense of our favorite team.
I'm not completely sure what the format of the blog will be going into the 2013 season. I don't know yet if time will allow me to continue doing recaps every night like I have for the past three seasons, but I do know the blog will still be here and my Rockies thoughts will continue to be shared in one form or another.
More Rockies thoughts await you if you follow me on Twitter: @Townie813 & @HeavenHelton
1 comments:
Thanks for your time and effort, I read your blog every day. See you next season. 280 from Coors field
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