Saturday, June 9, 2012

Rock Solid Recrap: Death By Singles

Angels 11, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies hit five home runs. The Angels hit one.

How did the Rockies lose you ask?

Well, all of the Rockies home runs were solo shots. Yes, exactly like the Sunday afternoon loss in Cincinnati. The Angels, on the other hand, hit 14 singles, stole four bases, had a number of productive outs, and just played beautiful baseball in general. They're the better baseball team, obviously, and it showed in every phrase of the game this afternoon.

Turning Point: Mike Trout led off the game with a single. Torii Hunter followed with a single and both runners advanced 90 feet when Tyler Colvin missed the cutoff man. Albert Pujols hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Hunter then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. That all happened within about 12 pitches.

The Rockies never recovered.

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Angels 6-9-12


Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-33)
  1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
  2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
  3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
  4. Jason Giambi (1B)
  5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
  6. Tyler Colvin (RF)
  7. Wil Nieves (C)
  8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
  9. Jeff Francis (P)
Not what you'd call an inspiring lineup today. But hey, since Jeff Francis is essentially filling the spot of Jamie Moyer, we might as well treat him the same way. 

Los Angeles Angels (30-29)
  1. Mike Trout (CF)
  2. Torii Hunter (RF)
  3. Albert Pujols (1B)
  4. Mark Trumbo (LF)
  5. Howard Kendrick (2B)
  6. Alberto Callaspo (3B)
  7. Erick Aybar (SS)
  8. John Hester (C)
  9. Dan Haren (P)
Mhm. That's an all right-handed lineup for Francis to deal with this afternoon. 

Hold me. 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Meet the newest Rockies killer: Torii Hunter

Angels 7, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Somehow, Torii Hunter had never played a game in Coors Field despite a career that has spanned nearly 15 seasons. I hope it's another 15 seasons before he plays another game there after his debut resulted in two home runs (that traveled a total of 874 feet) and six RBIs.

Of course it'll really only be 15 hours between games for Hunter, and one can bet he'll be among the loudest members of the welcoming committee for Jeff Francis.

Also, C.J. Wilson was pretty filthy. The Rockies would have needed 5-6 more innings to figure him out and/or wear him out.

Turning Point: I would say everything Mike Trout (three hits, three runs) did was a turning point, because it led directly to the damage inflicted by Hunter. Trout's a damn good player. The Angels are a damn good team.

Alex White's Line: 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 6 K, 2 HR, 95 pitches (62 strikes)

I feel like White is turning a corner based on his win over the Dodgers on Sunday and this outing against the Angels. Yes, he was unable to keep Mike Trout off the bases. Yes, he made two critical errors to Torii Hunter. But he remained very composed throughout and didn't allow the game to get away from him. It's a good step forward.

The key now, of course, is to plant both of his feet firmly in the ground and not allow the next start to go backwards. Always easier said than done.

Highlight of the Night: Watch Todd Helton get it done with the glove... again

Screengrab of the Game
Eye of the Tulo.
One of those nights.
Where Torii Hunter's second home run landed. 
What's Next: More Mike Trout. More Torii Hunter. At least there won't be more C.J. Wilson at 2:10 on Saturday afternoon. As I've mentioned previously, Jeff Francis will be making his Rockies return in that one. He'll square off against... oh crap... Dan Haren (3-6, 3.52).

Final Thoughts: None. Good night and good morning.

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