Rockies 4, Nationals 2 (boxscore)
Winning Player: Jeff Francis - 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 66 pitches (48 strikes)
Francis pitched a terrific game tonight. He even HIT for himself in the 5th inning, which further cements how good and efficient he was to that point.
Only, it really didn't, because Francis never took the mound in the 6th despite being nine pitches under the limit.
I guess the whole Josh Outman thing backfiring so epically in Texas will now lead to more erring on the side of caution, rather than sending a guy out there with his pitch count and a potential win in the back of his mind. That's fine, I guess. As long as they're consistent with it, I can't bash that specific thought process (that lies within a bigger thought process that is indeed the lamest thing ever) too much.
Also, still not a big fan of giving away free outs to a guy like Stephen Strasburg, but I can actually see the logic in not burning a pinch-hitter that early with a two out, non-scoring opportunity.
I just used the word logic to describe a Rockies strategy. I may need a moment to collect myself.
Done.
I also think the only two people in the world embracing this pitching gimmick right now are Dan O'Dowd and Jeff Francis. Seriously, Francis has excelled in his three outings since the plan was put in place. And the Rockies are 3-0 in those games (1-6 in the others).
Good for him. Good for the Rockies. They've actually managed to maximize (kind of) the talents of a starting pitcher.