Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Disaster Season With Solid Road Win

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).

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Rock Solid Recrap: Can You Imagine If They Lost Monday?

Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Had the Rockies managed to lose Monday's game, this loss would have been a lot more... well... I guess I wouldn't say painful, since we're pretty much numb to it at this point, but it would have driven my anxiety through the roof with 100 losses on the horizon on Wednesday.

But since the Rockies won Monday, Rafael Betancourt's second consecutive blown save was more of a shoulder shrug moment than a blood boiler. No, I'm not happy it happened, but I'm more indifferent than annoyed, which I'm afraid will continue to be my feeling throughout the winter leading into the spring. I care, of course, I just need to see this organization give a damn too before I'll feel the normal emotions again.

Turning Point: Aaron Hill's three-run walk-off is the easy call here, but Gerardo Parra's two-out single that kept the inning going was pretty important too.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 75 pitches (46 strikes)

Fabulous finish to an encouraging nine-start stretch since coming of the DL. Not much more needs to be said beyond that. As long as he maintains his health over the winter into the spring, he should be the Rockies opening day starter without any doubt.

Bullpen's Line: 3 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Guillermo Moscoso is a disaster that hopefully never appears with the Rockies again. And I don't feel bad saying that because unlike guys like Felipe Paulino, Franklin Morales and Jeremy Guthrie, I don't think he'll bounce back in a different atmosphere. He's just not a major league pitcher, plain and simple.

PS: It's easy to take shots at Rafael Betancourt after a couple rough outings, but this guy has been solid all year long.

Think about it... In a given baseball season, they are usually only 4-5 pitchers who truly excel in the closer's role. A couple of them are predictably dominant like Mariano Rivera, Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman. The others are randomly recycled veterans like Jim Johnson and Fernando Rodney.

Betancourt certainly didn't reach the elite level this season, but all things considered he was a big plus because the position always has instability and uncertainty surrounding it from year-to-year, sometimes even month-to-month. Betancourt at least brought those two things to his role (and in my opinion a lot more) while the rest of the pitching staff crumbled around him.

What's Next: And then there was one. The season finale comes your way on Wednesday at 5:10 and will feature a Jeff Francis (5-5, 5.75) vs. Ian Kennedy (15-11, 4.18) pitching matchup. My emotions are already overcoming me.

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

Rock Solid Recap: Road To 100 Hits Dead End

Rockies 7, Diamondbacks 4 (13 innings) (boxscore)

It's over. Our season long regional nightmare is all over.

Five years to the day they defeated the San Diego Padres 9-8 in 13 innings to win the National League Wild Card, the Colorado Rockies won another clincher in 13 innings with the 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks. OK, yeah, so this win was just a little bit less significant in the grand scheme, but it was still meaningful as they officially avoided to century mark in the loss column.

Whew.

RIP: Road to 100.

Winning Players: Chris Nelson & Charlie Blackmon

The Rockies had 13 hits in 13 innings. Seven of those belonged to Chris Nelson & Charlie Blackmon.

I think Nelson deserves top billing because he's the one who delivered to go-ahead RBI single in the 13th. That capped a night where Nelson was seeing the ball very well and had a number of good swings, including a couple drives that had home run distance but ended up just foul. Either of those staying fair would have changed the game a lot sooner.

Then again, it was Blackmon who had four hits, including the single that made it 5-3. That would actually ended up being the winning run, so you could make an argument for either.

It's kinda like the Miguel Cabrera-Mike Trout debate for the AL MVP, only not even close.

Turning Point: Josh Rutledge had a really rough four-strikeout game, but he's also a big reason the Rockies stayed alive. His two-out RBI double (scoring Blackmon) in the 8th tied the game. Tyler Colvin followed with his own RBI double, so things looked pretty good at that moment. Of course that was only temporary.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 80 pitches (51 strikes)

All things considered during this mostly uninspiring season for Drew Pomeranz, this was a positive note to go out on. Sure, he allowed a couple homers (both solo) and threw in a couple walks, but he stayed on track and never allowed any particular inning to escalate or become a potential disaster. That may not sound like much of achievement to my newer readers, but if you've been reading these recaps all season and looking at the pitching lines, you know how difficult that has been for Pomeranz and this entire staff.

It's a nice ending, but it's really only the beginning as Pomeranz enters this important offseason. Because of this season's results and stunted development, next year almost has to be two steps forward just to get where the Rockies wanted and needed Pomeranz by the end of this season, and maybe three steps forward to reach his potential. I'll settle for one step, as long as it's not another one sideways or backwards.

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Rock Solid September Recap: These Are Rare

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2 (boxscore)

Since starting this blog in 2010, the Colorado Rockies record in games from Sept. 15 on is 9-33. That's including Monday's win over Arizona, which broke a nine-game losing streak.

That bad. That real bad.

But Monday was good... so let's talk why they finally won one.

Winning Player: Andrew Brown

Was leaning towards Tyler Chatwood here but Andrew Brown's late home run changed my mind. It was a solo shot in the 8th, but that insurance run was a big one to get for Rafael Betancourt. Brown also had a double earlier in the game and a run-scoring groundout. Productive night all around offensively, and the adventurous catch out in right field was a highlight too.

Watch Andrew Brown's opposite field homer

Watch Andrew Brown's nice catch

Honorable Mentions: Chatwood (more shortly), the bullpen (more shortly), along with Charlie Blackmon and Tyler Colvin who each contributed two hits.

Turning Point: After Arizona scored two in the 4th to take a 2-1 lead, the Rockies battled right back with two of their own in the bottom half (Brown's RBI and a D.J. LeMahieu RBI single). Chatwood then put up a big 0 in the 5th to stabilize things, which allowed the bullpen to bring it home.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Make That Nine Straight Losses

Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 7 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Well, for starters, I benched Andrew Luck for Michael Vick in my fantasy football league. That backfired spectacularly. I also went a disgusting 4-10 against the spread in my NFL picks. But the plus side to that is I reminded myself again why I don't gamble. Nothing gained. Nothing lost.

As for the Rockies, it appears they had no problems offensively — 7 runs on 16 hits — but the bullpen faltered late with Rex Brothers, Matt Belisle and Will Harris combining to allow seven runs over the final two innings. This is where I tell you these guys are all wearing down... especially Matt Belisle as he closes in on 80 innings as a set up man.

Turning Point: That would have to be Aaron Hill's two-out three-run homer off Belisle in the 8th that broke the 4-4 tie. What a heartbreaker that must have been for the "32,448" in attendance.

Jeff Francis' Line: 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 75 pitches (45 strikes)

Even without a walk or strikeout, Francis hit 75 pitches in four innings. But it's not like he got knocked around the park either based on the numbers. Kinda just shows again how silly a pitch-limit that low is. Let a man do his work and let those reliever catch a break. Geez.

Bullpen's Line: 5 IP, 8 ER, 11 H, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR

As referenced above, these guys had a rough go of it in the later innings which cost the Rockies a chance to steal one. Belisle is the one who took the loss... which was his 8th if you can believe that. On the plus side for Jim Tracy though... he got to use six relievers, and the one whose numbers stand out the most are Rob Scahill with 1 2/3 scoreless. His ERA remains 0.00 through four appearances.

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Rock Solid Recrap: D-Backs 8, Rockies 7. So Close.... Yet Not Really

Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 7 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies were done in by two big offensive innings. The first was the 1st, which has been a problem for Rockies starters all season. Arizona scored three there against Jhoulys Chacin on a triple, two doubles and a single.

Arizona then put up a five-spot in the 5th against Carlos Torres, Josh Outman and Edgmer Escalona. That inning included four walks (none intentional) and was the turning point in the game.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 84 pitches (51 strikes)

Chacin rebounded from the rough start for a strong finish, but of course that early pitch count cost him the opportunity to work deeper in the game. I don't know for sure that he could have given Colorado another decent inning or two, but I long for the days when a professional pitcher in Colorado was given that chance. Don't you?

Highlight of the Night: Between Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, we're likely to see a number of Todd Helton's records fall over the years. But it was Wilin Rosario who moved past his mark for home runs as a rookie with his 26th on Saturday night. Congrats to Wilin!

Watch Wilin Rosario go yard again

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Embarrassed By D-Backs 15-5

Diamondbacks 15, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: In case you haven't noticed, the Rockies pathetic September play is no mirage... it's a trend. A really ugly, inexcusable, unacceptable trend.

Well, I should say unacceptable to us. It's perfectly acceptable to the Monforts and the people they trust to make baseball decisions.

I don't care who's hurt or how little this team has to play for in the standings, there's no excuse for not competing. But that's exactly what's going on right now. The Rockies are getting trounced and run in circles by playoff teams, mediocre teams, and it wouldn't surprise me next week if the awful Cubs did the same. At least they're competing. At least they're going at a team like the St. Louis Cardinals and making their life difficult.

I just want to feel like they're going to win a game. I'm not even sure if I care whether or not they actually do win, I just want to feel like they could. Would that be too much to ask for?

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 4 K, 85 pitches (50 strikes)

Please, just shut the kid down already. His confidence appears to be shot... again. It's painful to watch. He's not giving the team a chance to win. Let him go sit and watch somewhere and let's pray we have people in place next season that can fix him and keep him fixed.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Avoid Sweep With Something Resembling Normal Baseball

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2 (boxscore)

This was kind of an odd game to watch. The Rockies, who have resorted to desperate, non-sensical experiments in recent weeks just to try to scratch out a handful of wins, actually played a normal, paint-by-numbers game on Wednesday. And to top it all off... they won it!

No... seriously. They won it!

They won it with Dexter Fowler leading off the game with a triple and Marco Scutaro immediately bringing him home with a sacrifice fly. They won it with a clutch two-run double by Scutaro in the 3rd. They won it with solid (even spectacular) defense. And they won it behind a starting pitcher that was not only good, but allowed to pitch beyond the 75-pitch limit.

Normal, drama free baseball for nine straight innings. I could get used to that.

Winning Players: Dexter Fowler & Marco Scutaro

Francis was good (more on him shortly), but Fowler and Scutaro really set the tone in the 1st and 3rd innings with their productive at-bats mentioned above. Fowler would finish the night with three hits, two runs and a steal. Scutaro went 1-for-1 with the big two-run double, the sac fly, and two walks. That's what you need from the 1-2 spots.

Turning Point: I alluded to some good Rockies defense tonight. The turning point in this game came courtesy of that defense as Tyler Colvin ran down Chris Young's shot into the right field corner that looked like a game-tying two-run double (at least) off the bat.

Watch Colvin's marvelous grab

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Rock Solid Recrap: Edwar Cabrera Looks Better, Bats Not So Much Against Joe Saunders

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies offense against Joe Saunders and the Arizona bullpen was two Michael Cuddyer home runs and a Josh Roenicke single. That's it. Three hits - one coming from a relief pitcher. That won't get it done in support of a pitcher making only his second career start, let alone the other pitchers currently employed by the Colorado Rockies.

Particularly awful was Carlos Gonzalez, who simply had no game plan against Saunders other than to swing at everything out of his hand and pray he left it in the middle of the plate. Saunders never made that mistake, so CarGo went 0-for-4 with some of his ugliest looking post-Aprils swings.

Rookie Josh Rutledge shared in the misery, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. The scouting report is already getting around, so now it'll be up to Rutledge to make the necessary adjustments going forward. Jim Tracy might be wise to give him a day off tomorrow to refresh his thoughts a bit, but should definitely continue giving him the bulk of the ABs at short or second.

Edwar Cabrera's Line: 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 81 pitches (45 strikes)

This was a calmer, more confident looking Edwar Cabrera than we saw in his disastrous big league debut back on June 27, yet he was still pretty erratic and looks to be another 15-20 more starts in the minors from being a real option in the big leagues. Whether or not the Rockies will decide (or can afford) to give him those starts in the minors is yet to be determined, but there's definite upside here that I think they'd be risking a little bit if they keep throwing him out there at this stage in his development.

Overall Grade: C

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 7-24-12

Monday's Recrap: Sanchez Fills The Guthrie Role To Perfection

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (36-59)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
5. Andrew Brown (RF)
6. Wilin Rosario (C)
7. Josh Rutledge (SS)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (3B)
9. Edwar Cabrera (P)

Roster move: To make room for Cabrera, Jason Giambi was placed on the disabled list with what the Rockies are calling "viral syndrome" or a "viral infection." Obviously we're pulling for improved health for Giambi as quickly as possible, but on the baseball side of things this means the Rockies won't be able to move him before the July 31 deadline. There's still a decent chance they'll be to do so in August, but if he's not on the field teams will likely look elsewhere for their bench bat. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (48-48)

1. Willie Bloomquist (3B)
2. Aaron Hill (2B)
3. Jason Kubel (LF)
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
5. Justin Upton (RF)
6. Miguel Montero (C)
7. Chris Young (CF)
8. Stephen Drew (SS)
9. Joe Saunders (P)

The D-Backs made a huge mistake today designating Ryan Roberts for assignment. They should have allowed him to kill the Rockies for two more games (you know he would have) and then DFAed him. But I won't complain. Rumor has it the Tampa Bay Rays are interested in his services, so it looks like he'll be out of the division all together pretty soon. That's a plus. Now, if he can take Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero with him, that would be an even bigger plus.

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Sanchez Fills The Guthrie Role To Perfection

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Well, you see, about six months ago Dan O'Dowd made a little trade that I think many people understood (and some even liked) when he moved Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom to Baltimore for Jeremy Guthrie. But, as you know, that trade done blowed up in O'Dowd's face, leaving him begging anybody to take Guthrie before May was even through.

About 500 miles east, another general manager by the name of Dayton Moore made an even worse trade, sending Melky Cabrera (yes, the All-Star Game MVP) to the San Francisco Giants for Jonathan Sanchez. Yadda yadda yadda, Sanchez is awful, so Moore finds himself in the same boat as O'Dowd.

That was, until last Friday, when O'Dowd and Moore finally found each other and ended up swapping their offseason miscalculations hoping a change of scenery, a change of clubhouse atmosphere, or maybe just praying a for miracle to turn their fortunes around.

Guess how that turned out for the Rockies on Monday night?

Jonathan Sanchez's Line: 4 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 82 pitches (47 strikes)

Earlier Monday at Heaven & Helton:

With a 75 (or thereabouts) pitch limit going in, I wouldn't expect Sanchez to go beyond four innings tonight. He's just not a very efficient pitcher, and seems like an extremely poor fit in this type of system.

Expect that paragraph to be repeated repeatedly for as long as Sanchez lasts in the Rockies rotation.

Spoiler: He won't be any worse than Jeremy Guthrie.

Aside from the strikeouts, that did look an awful lot like Jeremy Guthrie, but certainly not worse. I believe it's called a lateral move, although with slightly more upside.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 7-23-12

Weekend Recaps

Friday: Reflection, Perspective, And A Quick Recap

Saturday: Kinda fun

Sunday: Not so much fun 

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (36-58)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
5. Tyler Colvin (RF)
6. Ramon Hernandez (C)
7. Josh Rutledge (SS)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (3B)
9. Jonathan Sanchez (P)

The most interesting angle going into this game is obviously Jonathan Sanchez's Rockies debut.

With a 75 (or thereabouts) pitch limit going in, I wouldn't expect him to go beyond four innings tonight. He's just not a very efficient pitcher, and seems like an extremely poor fit in this type of system. But who knows, maybe he'll surprise and I'll have nothing but glowing things to say afterward. 

Spoiler: He won't be any worse than Jeremy Guthrie. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (47-48)

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS)
2. Aaron Hill (2B)
3. Jason Kubel (LF)
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
5. Justin Upton (RF)
6. Miguel Montero (C)
7. Chris Young (CF)
8. Ryan Roberts (2B)
9. Ian Kennedy (P)

Jason Kubel — the other Minnesota Twins corner outfielder to jump to the National League West this offseason — had what you'd call a productive weekend. On Saturday, he hit three home runs and drove in six in Arizona's 12-3 win over Houston. On Sunday, he homered again, tripled, and scored twice in their 8-2 win. Going back a little more, he's connected for six homers in seven games since the all-star break and he currently leads to the NL with 71 RBI. 

He's going to be a problem this week, as are all of the other usual Rockies killers — Aaron Hill, Miguel Montero, Ryan Roberts, and so on. 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Offense Cools Further, So-Called Starting Pitching Remains Awful

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Dreadfully boring game. That's the first problem.

Also, the Rockies offense is no longer scorching hot... or even simmering. We can thank Ian Kennedy and now Wade Miley (8 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5 K) for that. For an illustration of how outstanding Arizona's top two pitchers were, the Rockies only had four baserunners tonight after managing seven in their shutout loss on Tuesday.

This is bad news if it's a trend, because as I said several times during the recent hot streak, the Rockies will not be able to overcome rough offensive nights very often. It's sad and it's true. They'll need to come out swinging against the Angels this weekend or it could look an awful lot like the Atlanta series a few weeks back.

Turning Point: Arizona scored five runs in the first three innings against Josh Outman. Three of those runs came on two-out base hits. It's a problem that has plagued this pitching staff all season long, and I can tell you each and every one has stung just as bad as the one before. They're daggers.

Josh Outman's Line: 3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 69 pitches (40 strikes)

I'm not sure how to analyze or evaluate these spring training type Outman outings.

Well, actually, this one I can. He wasn't fooling anybody in Arizona's weakened lineup (no Upton or Kubel), and he couldn't make the pitches he needed to limit the damage. In other words, it was Jeremy Guthrie's last two road outings all over again... without the tape measure homers.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 6-6-12

Tuesday's Recrap: Guthrie Stinks, Kennedy Dominates

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-31)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Jason Giambi (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Josh Outman (P)

Arizona Diamondbacks (26-30)

1. A.J. Pollack (LF)
2. Ryan Roberts (3B)
3. Chris Young (CF)
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
5. Miguel Montero (C)
6. Aaron Hill (2B)
7. Gerardo Parra (RF)
8. John McDonald (SS)
9. Wade Miley (P)

I've lost track of how many different lineups Kirk Gibson has used this season, but I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the same one twice in our eight games against them. Of course injuries — a couple serious, most nagging — have played a big role in the constant shifting, but it's also a strategy that worked for Gibson in 2011. 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Guthrie Stinks, Kennedy Dominates

Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: As the score may indicate, several things were off tonight. I'll get into the Jeremy Guthrie fiasco two segments down. Right here I'll mention the lousy night for the offense against Arizona's ace Ian Kennedy, who shut them out over his six innings and tied a career high with 12 strikeouts.

Five of those strikeouts came with RISP, so just the general inability to get the ball in play tonight was a major problem.

Turning Point: Two of those strikeouts came with the bases loaded in the 2nd. The first was Jeremy Guthrie. The second was Dexter Fowler. A hit there could have easily changed the game's outlook. Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton then struck out looking in the 3rd after Marco Scutaro had led off with a double. That was right after Arizona took a 2-0 lead, and was their last real chance to get in the game.

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 3 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 90 pitches (51 strikes)

The hits allowed were a career high, edging out the 10 he allowed in his last road start at Cincinnati. The two home runs were absolute no doubters, and give him 12 allowed on the season. That's tied for second worst in the National League behind only Mike Minor of Atlanta. It's safe to say he'd be far ahead of Minor's pace already had he not missed roughly four starts from late April to early May.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 6-5-12

Links

• May Review and Player Rankings
• Weekend Recap
• Monday's Recap: Rockies Hurl First Shutout Behind Christian Friedrich

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-30)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (SS)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Jeremy Guthrie (P)

I'm a little rusty with the Lineup Card because my brain automatically told me to write Troy Tulowitzki in the cleanup spot. At least this time I caught my error before hitting publish. I also continue to struggle with D.J. LeMahieu's name. Too damn many consecutive vowels for my liking.

Arizona Diamondbacks (25-30)

1. Gerardo Parra (RF)
2. Willie Bloomquist (SS)
3. Jason Kubel (LF)
4. Miguel Montero (C)
5. Chris Young (CF)
6. Lyle Overbay (1B)
7. Josh Bell (3B)
8. Aaron Hill (2B)
9. Ian Kennedy (P)

No Justin Upton or Paul Goldschmidt makes life a little easier for Jeremy Guthrie, but he still needs to focus on throwing strikes and keeping the ball down if he wants to give the Rockies a good outing against someone other than Houston. 

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

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Hurl First Shutout Behind Christian Friedrich

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 0 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Christian Friedrich

What little stability the Rockies rotation has enjoyed over the past month has been mostly provided by Friedrich. The young lefty was beyond solid again here, despite not exactly possessing what you'd call good command early on. That led to a challenging first two innings that saw Arizona leave the bases loaded in the 1st and a runner at second in the 2nd. Friedrich then settled down enough to retire eight of the next nine and ultimately worked deep into the game.

Christian Friedrich's Line: 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 113 pitches (69 strikes)

The pitch count is a new major league high for Friedrich. In fact, he only reached 100 (exactly) one time before (on May 19 vs Seattle), so it's by a pretty fair margin. I figure that's noteworthy on some level, but overall I'm just thrilled with Friedrich's performance to date and certainly looking forward to his next outing against the Angels.

Turning Point: I mentioned Arizona leaving the bases loaded in the 1st. A big reason for that was Dexter Fowler's outstanding diving catch (Watch) on Aaron Hill's line drive that happened at the beginning of the inning. If that ball gets down, the D-Backs have two on and no outs. If it gets past Fowler, the D-Backs have a run on the board and another 90 feet away. It was an early game changer, and another positive step in Fowler's development into a difference maker.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Blake Street Brutality

Diamondbacks 9, Rockies 7 (boxscore)

I had a bad feeling we'd be in store for a miserable game this afternoon while writing last night's all positive recap. Sure enough, that bad feeling played out before my eyes. Well, at least until I stabbed them with a fork during the top of the 8th inning.

What Went Wrong: I hope you have some time on your hands. 

Rockies pitching walked nine. Five of those came from starter Juan Nicasio, but only one of his scored. Josh Outman (1 walk) and Rex Brothers (2 walks), on the other hand, were not effective enough to overcome theirs, and while Matt Belisle's didn't score, it forced Jim Tracy's hand and made him use up Josh Roenicke for one batter to finish the 7th.

That's worth nothing because had the game gone extra innings, Colorado would have been out of pitchers.

I also didn't understand Jim Tracy's use of the double switch there since Roenicke didn't return for the 8th. He brought in Michael Cuddyer during that switch to replace Tyler Colvin in right, so I don't think he gained much of anything defensively (a better arm for less range). Of course this comes just two days after Tracy didn't use a double switch when he absolutely should have to avoid Josh Outman leading off an inning, so who knows what the hell kind of logic this guy is using. If any.

PS: The Rockies also ran out of position players forcing Alex White to pinch-hit with the bases loaded in the 9th. Not that the double switch made a difference in that happening. Jim would have found another way to kill his bench I'm sure. In fact, I'm pretty sure Jim would have gone through the whole 40-man roster today if that was available.

Anyway, back to the pitching. Walks are killer as we know. So are two-out runs. Today, the Diamondbacks scored all nine of their runs with two outs. And they all came in the final five innings.

Brutal.

Also brutal? How about Ramon Hernandez's final two at-bats.

In the 8th inning, Diamondbacks reliever David Hernandez had just walked Todd Helton and gone full with Jason Giambi (who singled to load the bases) when Ramon offered at the first pitch and popped out to shallow center. No advancement from the runners there.

Arizona's Hernandez would walk two more in the inning helping Colorado tie it, while further driving home my frustration with Ramon's AB.

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Lineup Card: Rockies vs D-Backs 5-17-12

Wednesday's Recap: Nine Innings. No Complaints.

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (15-21)

1. Marco Scutaro (2B)
2. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Tyler Colvin (RF)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. Dexter Fowler (CF)
9. Juan Nicasio (P)

Arizona Diamondbacks (16-22)

1. Gerardo Parra (CF)
2. Willie Bloomquist (SS)
3. Justin Upton (RF)
4. Miguel Montero (C)
5. Jason Kubel (LF)
6. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
7. Ryan Roberts (3B)
8. Aaron Hill (2B)
9. Trevor Cahill (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs D-Backs 5-16-12

Tuesday's Recap: Marco Scutaro Helps Rockies Escape San Francisco With Unexpected Split

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (14-21)

1. Marco Scutaro (2B)
2. Tyler Colvin (RF)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
6. Wilin Rosario (C)
7. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
8. Dexter Fowler (CF)
9. Jamie Moyer (P)

Troy Tulowitzki is a go again tonight after looking awfully sore and limited last night. Meanwhile, Todd Helton gets his routine mid-week day off with Michael Cuddyer moving in to play first and Tyler Colvin sliding over to right. Also, Jordan Pacheco is safe. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (16-21)

1. A.J. Pollock (CF)
2. Aaron Hill (2B)
3. Justin Upton (RF)
4. Jason Kubel (LF)
5. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
6. Ryan Roberts (3B)
7. John McDonald (SS)
8. Henry Blanco (C)
9. Patrick Corbin (P)

It's hard to believe the Diamondbacks are struggling almost as much as the Rockies. I haven't been watching them close enough to know exactly what their problems are — well, aside from missing Chris Young — but this appears to be a chance for the Rockies to string some wins together. 

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