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 Recap: Charlie Blackmon Homers, Helps Rockies Preserve 7th Shutout

Rockies 6, Cubs 0 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Charlie Blackmon

Blackmon had solid day at the plate with his third career home run and another run scored.

Watch Charlie Blackmon's solo homer

He also had a key play in left field where he threw out Joe Mather at third base trying to advance on a flyball, which kept the Rockies 7th shutout intact as the tag was applied before Josh Vitters could touch home. Really a fantastic throw that almost had you wondering if Carlos Gonzalez was out there.

Watch Charlie Blackmon's great throw

Honorable Mentions: The entire Rockies pitching staff.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 84 pitches (51 strikes)

The opponent has to be taken into consideration, but this is still a pretty solid performance for Pomeranz. Granted, the three walks are a bit high, but to see him work a little deeper and put up nothing but 0's overrides that. And really, any step that isn't directly backwards is a positive for Drew as he wraps up this highly disappointing season.

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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 Recrap: Drew Pomeranz Continues To Scuffle

Padres 4, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 67 pitches (42 strikes)

Pomeranz just can't get it together, which almost makes me wonder if the Rockies should shut him down now, let him clear his mind and come back with a fresh start next spring. I know getting him the innings to develop and gain experience are important — which is why I hated the paired pitching system from the start — but I think enough might be enough already this season. His confidence is low, and there may not be much more to gain over the last 2 1/2 weeks.

Bullpen's Line: 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 K

Carlos Torres, Edgmer Escalona (he never goes away), Will Harris, Josh Outman and Josh Roenicke were marvelous and played a big role in the Rockies almost coming back here. Collectively, they were the Rockies biggest positive for about the 120th time this season.

Turning Point: There's a big difference between 1-0 and 4-0. That's why Jesus Guzman's three-run homer in the 3rd was the turning point.

Highlight of the Night: Two more hits for Chris Nelson, including this RBI double he ripped in Colorado's three-run 7th inning.

Watch Chris Nelson stay warm

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A Double Rock Solid Recrap With Errors... Lots Of Errors

Game 1: Phillies 3, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: I think we saw this game before. Oh yes, it was Friday when the Rockies also scored two runs early, stopped scoring, blew the 2-0 lead, and then lost 3-2 in the 9th to the Phillies. Mhm. Same script. Same result. Including two wins for Jonathan Papelbon. Bleh.

Turning Point: 9th inning with Philadelphia hitting. The Rockies had just elected to intentionally walk Chase Utley to put runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs. Acceptable strategy implemented there by Mr. Tracy to give his team more options to record the third out. Problem is, with Ryan Howard hitting, Wilin Rosario wiped that strategy out by committing yet another passed ball (I've lost count of the official number - it's too damn high). That put the winning runner (Nate Schierholtz, of course) at third. Howard is intentionally walked to load the bases to again give them more options defensively, but also zero margin for error.

Then this happened.

Watch the Rockies lose on Mayberry's walk-off single

Phenomenal effort there by Carlos Gonzalez, it just wasn't in the script for him to make that catch.

Tyler Chatwood's Pitching Line: 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 K, 76 pitches (41 strikes)

Poor command and walks aside, Chatwood was pretty effective this afternoon. And that's pretty much him in a nutshell this season. He'll flash some promise but it's always marred by inconsistency and inability to throws strikes. He, like the other young Rockies starters, needs to clean that up before he can take the next step forward.

Tyler Chatwood's Batting Line: 2-for-2, RBI

Well, there's no doubt Chatwood had confidence at the plate today, raising his season average to .300 with these two hits. The RBI was the first of his career.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Bats, Bullpen Carry The Load

Rockies 6, Braves 0 (boxscore)

Winning Players: The Bullpen 6 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 K

Another dominant performance from the Rockies bullpen with Carlos Torres leading the way again in the piggyback role. He allowed three hits over three innings while striking out three and continues to be, along with Adam Ottavino, the most pleasure surprises on the pitching side this season. Torres then gave way to Rex Brothers, who was flat filthy in two innings, striking out four and walking one. Matt Belisle put the finishing touches on Atlanta with a strong 9th.

Dominant.

Turning Point: Well, since only one team scored, I'd say the first run of the game was very important. That was produced by the bat of Carlos Gonzalez, who connected for his 22nd home run.

Watch Carlos Gonzalez go yard

One inning later, Jordan Pacheco would hit his 4th of the season to make it 2-0. That was also very important.

Watch Jordan Pacheco muscle up

Then again, you could easily argue the disastrous double play that killed a potential rally for Atlanta in the 6th inning was the most important of all important plays.

Watch Atlanta run into a double play

I think Fredi Gonzalez stole a page from the Jim Tracy playbook with that call. What in the blue hell was he thinking?

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Can't Overcome Themselves In Series Finale... But Gave Great Effort In Trying To

Dodgers 10, Rockies 8 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Oh, you know, many of the usual things. The starting pitching effort wasn't the strongest we've seen in recent weeks. And there was also some unsatisfactory work behind the plate from Ramon Hernandez, not to mention a throw or two going to the spot. Then reliever Will Harris imploded in the 8th (1 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB), which would to be more costly than we could have imagined with the Rockies scoring seven runs in their half of the 8th.

Many of those things serve as a nice reminder that changes need to be made in this organization, despite the fact that Colorado has played improved ball recently and showed a lot of heart with their comeback attempt. They still lack fundamentals. They still lack direction. They still stink big picture. But I'll give them credit for showing some professional pride.

Turning Point: The 3rd inning (Read all about in the Pomeranz, Drew section). With an honorable mention to the top of the 8th inning and Will Harris.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 4 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 66 pitches (49 strikes)

The 3rd inning was a big problem for Pomeranz, though not all of it was his doing. There was some tough luck mixed in there with the bloop single from A.J. Ellis and the error on Jordan Pacheco that allowed Mark Ellis to reach. Then came Shane Victorino's infield hit that scored a run, follow by Adrian Gonzalez's seeing eye single through the right field for two more runs. Some maddening stuff in there.

Unfortunately, the two-run home run Hanley Ramirez hit to cap the inning was completely on Pomeranz. If you're going to establish yourself at the top of a rotation someday, those are the game-changing blows you have to avoid. Pomeranz hasn't been able to do that enough up to this point (at the big league level).

On the positive side, he was spotless in the 1st and 2nd innings. He then bounced back with a scoreless 4th despite a lead-off double. Also, he didn't walk anybody. So yes, ugly results, but far from his worst performance of the season.

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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.

Watch & Listen

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

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Split With Marlins, Lose Half Their Roster

Rockies 3, Marlins 2 (boxscore)

Winning Player/Turning Point/Highlight of the Afternoon: Jordan Pacheco

All Jordan Pacheco does is provide good at-bats every time he steps to the plate which regularly result in hits. He was at it again on Sunday, producing 33% of the Rockies hit total with a 3-for-4 day. That included a go-ahead two-run home run in the 5th inning that surprisingly held up to be the difference in the game.

Watch Jordan Pacheco's two-run homer

The homer was only Pacheco's 2nd of the season, but we obviously already know that's not his game. Whether or not that bothers you is completely up to you. Personally, I understand the need for some pop from the third base position, but the Rockies really just need offense in any form they can get it. So I'm perfectly content with Pacheco for the time being.

Other Winning Player: Adam Ottavino: 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Good stuff again from Ottavino to protect the lead and ultimately get himself another win (5-1). I'd say he's going to be due for a nice raise this offseason... unless his arm detaches itself.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 4 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 76 pitches (42 strikes)

One of the walks was intentional to Giancarlo Stanton, so it's nice to see the Rockies figure something out there. Otherwise it was just another basic four-inning start by a Rockies pitcher since they went to four men. Nothing special, but not too discouraging. He was just kinda there and then gone, with no reason to believe we're actually trying to develop the kid.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Unable To Overcome Cain... Or Themselves

Giants 9, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Well, for starters, Matt Cain is pretty good at pitching. Once the Rockies got behind 4-0, this one was pretty much in the books. However, Drew Pomeranz didn't have his best stuff today and the bullpen was unable to keep things relatively close, so chalk this one up as another one-sided thrashing.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K, 1 HR, 73 pitches (45 strikes)

Buster Posey was out of the Giants lineup on Friday, but he's the guy who really got to Pomeranz on Saturday. His single leading off the 2nd set up that mini-rally which was capped by two-out RBI singles from Joaquin Arias and Matt Cain (the 8-9 hitters). Posey then hit a two-run homer in the 3rd to cap the scoring against Pomeranz. Just kind of a blah outing that could have gone either way had he been allowed to go beyond 73 pitches.

Afterwards, Pomeranz was rightfully displeased with his fastball command. As we know, that's pretty much where his success begins and ends.

Josh Roenicke's Line: 2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 43 pitches (23 strikes)

This pushed Roenicke's ERA from 2.21 to 2.65. That says a lot about how well he's pitched in 71 1/3 innings.

By the way, Rex Brothers would allowed the ninth and final run in the 8th. His up and down, mostly disappointing season continues.

Highlight of the Afternoon: Another first career home run for a Rockie. This time it's D.J. LeMahieu. Congrats to him!

Watch D.J. LeMahieu's first home run

With Dexter Fowler telling the Michael Phelps story (AGAIN) over the entire highlight. I think I've heard the story 12 times over the past two weeks.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Snap Losing Streak. Jim Tracy Just Plain Snaps.

Rockies 2, Dodgers 0 (boxscore)

The Colorado Rockies won a baseball game with pitching!

Holy crap!

Winning Players: The pitchers!

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 4 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 7 K, 84 pitches (48 strikes)

Pomeranz dealt with a ton of traffic (mostly his own doing) but worked around it nicely, especially in the 1st when Los Angeles had two on with nobody out. Pomeranz calmly struck out Matt Kemp with some high heat, retired Hanley Ramirez on a soft grounder, and then finished it off with a strikeout of Juan Rivera.

I really thought at that point he would settle in and rattle off 5-6 good innings. Instead, he battled hard just to finish four scoreless. I guess if you want to bottom line it the scoreless part is the most important thing, along with his ability to dominate (good) hitters under pressure, but I still have a difficult time drawing real conclusions when he's being forced out there every four days.

Adam Ottavino's Line: 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K, 46 pitches (30 strikes)

Ottavino's outings have been all over the place of late, but he really settled in nicely tonight and gets a win out of it. I'm happy for him. Now hopefully he ices his arm good for his next multi-inning outing.

Matt Belisle's Line: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Belisle's 97th appearance of the season was much better than his 96th on Sunday. He's such a pro.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Dodgers 8-6-12

The news from the Colorado clubhouse is not good again today. Todd Helton has been diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right hip and will be forced to undergo season-ending surgery on Friday.

The recovery time is estimated to be six months, which would allow Helton to be ready for spring training. He plans on being there, of course, because he's Todd Helton and we would expect nothing less from him. 

You can read more from the Denver Post. 

There's plenty of reason to wonder if Helton will be able to bounce back from an injury and operation of this nature at this stage of his career/life, but until I hear Helton himself say he can't or won't be there, I'm 100% confident he will be.

Get well, #17.

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (38-68)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Dexter Fowler (CF)
3. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
4. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
5. Ramon Hernandez (C)
6. Matt McBride (1B)
7. Chris Nelson (2B)
8. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
9. Drew Pomeranz (P)

Get ready for two months worth of spring training lineups. These will not be pretty at all.

Los Angeles Dodgers (59-50)

1. Shane Victorino (LF)
2. Mark Ellis (2B)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Hanley Ramirez (SS)
5. Juan Rivera (1B)
6. Jerry Sands (RF)
7. Luis Cruz (3B)
8. A.J. Ellis (C)
9. Chris Capuano (P)

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Fitting End To A Lousy Day In Rockies Baseball

Cardinals 9, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Aside from four batters in the bottom of the 6th inning (where they scored four runs after four consecutive extra basehits), the Rockies were a complete disaster tonight. Just stupid, unfocused, fundamentally unsound, hopeless and directionless baseball.

But when you think about it honestly, they could not have followed up the front office news earlier in the day with a more fitting performance. It was perfect in that regard, and if there's one play that symbolizes the entire Rockies organization in its current structure, it's the one below.

Watch Ramon Hernandez not tag Matt Holliday

Maybe if I half-ass try to tag the runner, the umpire will call him out!

Maybe if we make half-ass changes in the front office, the fans will really think we're making a real effort!

Guess what. That umpire wasn't an idiot.

Guess what else. The majority of Rockies fans aren't idiots either.

Turning Point: We go back to that 6th inning where Colorado scored the four runs. It actually could have been more, except the Rockies had to squeeze their nightly baserunning error in there to kill the rally dead. That error comes courtesy of Eric Young, who knocked in the fourth run with a double and then was tagged out going for three when he chose slowing down over sliding.

I kid you not.

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Lineup Card: Rockies vs Cardinals 8-1-12

Links

Tuesday's Recrap: Another One For The Pile

And here's a post I wrote for Big League Stew on the Rockies front office 'changes' that were announced on Wednesday.

Making sense of Colorado's front office changes

Lineups 


Colorado Rockies (37-64)

1. Eric Young Jr. (CF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Andrew Brown (RF)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Tyler Colvin (1B)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Drew Pomeranz (P)

Dexter Fowler is still battling a flu bag, explaining his absence. Michael Cuddyer, who exited last night's game early, is also out of the lineup. Not exactly sure why (we'll assume routine), but if I hear something concrete I'll update. 


St. Louis Cardinals (55-48)

1. Daniel Descalso (SS)
2. Allen Craig (1B)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. David Freese (3B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Tyler Greene (2B)
9. Jake Westbrook (P)

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

Rock Solid Recrap: A Very Whatever Game, Followed By A Whatever Trade

Reds 3, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

Was that game just completely boring or was that game completely uninteresting? Those are the only two options I'm giving you, and the good news you can't go wrong with either answer.

What Went Wrong: Well, aside from the obvious, which is scoring zippo against Bronson Arroyo and company, I'd like to focus on the continued defensive struggles of Wilin Rosario, which were on full display during the 6th inning once Adam Ottavino was summoned. In the span of I believe three pitches, Rosario was unable to knock down two of them, which allowed Ryan Ludwick to come around from second base (without a ball being put in play) with Cincinnati's third and final run.

The first one was an obvious wild pitch, one that no catcher in baseball would have been able to smother. But the awful technique and the awkward looking stab he made at the ball were detectable to even the least experienced baseball watcher. It was brutal.

The second should have been much easier to block and keep in front of him, but Rosario failed to stay down allowing the ball to squirt between his legs.

Here's a look at that attempt

That technique leaves an awful lot to be desired, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't it pain me to watch him struggle to that extent for a couple of reasons.

1. I really like the kid and really want to see him succeed. That's the obvious one.

2. At times his technique looks so bad you almost wonder if it's possible he'll never improve. I'm sure he will in time, mainly because he seems like the type who will put in all of the extra work necessary, but it's discouraging/disappointing when you're constantly reminded just how far away he is from getting there. Time is on his side, though, so let's just cross our fingers and hope for the best.

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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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Reflection, Perspective, And A Quick Recap

The past 24 hours have served as a sobering reminder of just how precious life is, and how quickly lives, outlooks and perspectives can change.

Around 11 PM on Thursday night, I began working on an article for Big League Stew that centered around the Colorado Rockies spinning their attempts to silence fan discontent as a security issue. I felt passionate about this topic and believe me, I didn't hold back on my feelings in one of the lengthier posts I've written this season.

A couple hours later, I put the finishing touches on the article and submitted it to our editor.

Not 10 minutes after that I saw the first flashes of breaking news on Twitter. I immediately turned the television to CNN and found a couple local Denver news streams to get a better idea of what was happening. Once I understood the scale of the horrific event, I immediately felt retroactive guilt for writing the article I'd just completed on the Rockies. Hours later, I would be relieved when the obvious decision to shelf it was made, because that story just wasn't important anymore .

Their decision to ban fans from wearing paper bags on their heads, which had been my sole focus for the past several hours, was just that quickly reduced to it's actual level of importance in mine, yours and our world: Zilch.

The Rockies dismal season and road to 100 losses: No fun, but it won't truly change our lives one way or the other. It's baseball.

I was reminded again of what's really important.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Sunday Snoozer

Phillies 5, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Looks like I picked another good (Sun)day to miss a game. The Rockies were again mystified and dominated by Cole Hamels, which is understandable. He's a motivated pitcher right now and he's also among the most talented in either league. It's not like it's a random shutout by Jeff Suppan or Chris Capuano, so that's fine. It happens.

Unfortunately, though, Hamels may soon be a fixture in the National League West (assuming the Dodgers trade for him or sign him in the offseason, which is heavily rumored), so hopefully they figured a few things out in the process of being stifled.

Get in that video room.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 5 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 80 pitches (49 strikes)

A step back for Pomeranz today, but certainly not a big enough step to discourage me. Everything went satisfactory right up until Philadelphia's two-out rally in the 5th. The Jimmy Rollins single, the Shane Victorino walk, and of course the three-run homer by Hunter Pence.

It's the same old, tired, worn out problem the Rockies have had all season  — their inability to close out innings. It has to improve. They have to become better finishers, get themselves back in the dugouts quicker and allow their teammates to get off their feet and get comfortable at the plate.

Oh, and allow fewer runs. Also important.

But focusing on Pomeranz primarily, the feeling I get from watching him and listening to/reading his words is that he is very comfortable with his game right now, but also understands there are things to improve on to take those next 4-5 steps in his development. I think Sunday's experience gives him that next new thing to focus on, so it'll be interesting to see how he attacks it and comes back his next time out.

Turning Point: We just talked about it. The Hunter Pence home run moves a 2-0 game to a 5-0 game in those pivotal middle innings. No way the Rockies could recover with Cole Hamels dealing.

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Rock Solid Recap: Tyler Colvin Is Unconscious, Drew Pomeranz Is Just Plain Confident

Rockies 5, Nationals 1 (boxscore)

Winning Player #1: Tyler Colvin

Dude took Stephen Strasburg deep twice on Friday night. I wouldn't put his hot streak in the same category as Troy Tulowitzki's 2010 September, or just about any of Carlos Gonzalez's torrid stretches, but this is pretty damn special.

Watch Tyler Colvin's big night

It was also nice to see him get a little help tonight from Dexter Fowler, who also homered as the Rockies defeated Strasburg for the second time in as many weeks.

Hey, remember when everybody was arguing over Fowler and Colvin and who should play, who should sit,  and all that? It looks like everybody was right, so let's all pat ourselves on the back!

Winning Player #2: Drew Pomeranz - 6 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 81 pitches (52 strikes)

Pure brilliance from Pomeranz against a premier offense that had scored 32 runs over their last four games... against San Francisco no less. And he did it almost exclusively with fastballs (74 of 81 pitches) because he locating it with precision and Wil Nieves allowed him to stick with what was working.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Kip Bleepin' Wells

Padres 2, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong

Not a lot more needs to be said. 

Turning Point: The pitching was terrific. The offense was crap. That must mean the defense played a major role in the Rockies defeat on Sunday.

Of course they did. This time it was a total breakdown on the infield after a jam sandwich off the bat of Logan Forythe landed safely behind the mound, just out of the reach of Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Pacheco. Pacheco then scooped the ball and airmailed a throw over Jason Giambi's head for a two-base error. Chris Denorfia scored from second to give San Diego a 1-0 lead in the 3rd.

That was seriously all the Padres needed, but they added an insurance run in the 7th just to be safe.

Highlight of the Afternoon: There was ONE. It came via the arm of Dexter Fowler in that 3rd inning.

Watch Fowler complete the double play with an OF assist 

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