July & August Player Rankings

Unfortunately (or maybe not) I didn't have a chance to do a thorough review of the Rockies July. I'm also a little pressed for time when it comes to doing a thorough review of August, but I will make some time for my favorite of those reviews (the player rankings). '

The following rankings will cover both July and August. It's based on my opinions only, but I look at several different things (offense, defense, pitching, baserunning, poise, consistency, intelligence and ability to change a game) while formulating it. So here we go... ranking all Rockies who suited up in July and August. Well, aside from those who were traded or made very brief cameos (Tommy Field and Edwar Cabrera).

1. Adam Ottavino
2. Wilin Rosario
3. Josh Rutledge
4. Eric Young Jr.
5. Rafael Betancourt
6. Jordan Pacheco 
7. Carlos Gonzalez
8. Josh Roenicke
9. Dexter Fowler
10. Tyler Colvin
11. Matt Belisle
12. Carlos Torres
13. Chris Nelson
14. D.J. LeMahieu
15. Jeff Francis
16. Rex Brothers
17. Tyler Chatwood
18. Jhoulys Chacin
19. Michael Cuddyer
20. Alex White
21. Todd Helton
22. Andrew Brown
23. Guillermo Moscoso
24. Jonathan Herrera
25. Drew Pomeranz
26. Will Harris
27. Matt Reynolds
28. Ramon Hernandez
29. Jason Giambi
30. Mike Ekstrom
31. Charlie Blackmon
32. Christian Friedrich
33. Matt McBride
34. Jonathan Sanchez
35. Edgmer Escalona

Based on workload and production, Ottavino was pretty much a no-brainer in the top spot. He has taken his hybrid role and run with it, making the Rockies front office almost smart in the process. That's tough to do.

The rest of the top 5 was difficult. I went with Rosario second because his development behind the plate has been encouraging, and he's already a game-changer offensively with more room to grow. Josh Rutledge is just a ballplayer, plain and simple. EY2 could have easily taken the #2 slot had he not been injured. He was playing like a man possessed before that. And Rafael Betancourt has remained on point in the 9th inning.

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 Recap: Good Baseball Is Fun — Rockies Win 4th Straight!

The Colorado Rockies have certainly been a huge disappointment this season, but at least they're beating up on the National League's two biggest disappointments — the Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins. 

Rockies 5, Marlins 3 (boxscore)

That's four wins in a row now. Four!

A win on Friday would be five. Five!

Five would equal their longest winning streak of the season, but I'm getting way ahead of myself here. Let's just enjoy four.

I would say the Rockies pitched well overall on Thursday night, but haven't pitched incredible during this homestand. That was especially true in the later innings against Milwaukee. But the reason those six runs Milwaukee scored in all three games on that series didn't balloon to nine or ten is because the Rockies haven't been shooting themselves in the foot with ill-timed errors. And when they have made a mistake like Jonathan Herrera's error tonight, they haven't compounded it with another mental or physical miscue.

They have kept their focus. They have limited damage in the field. They have taken advantage and maximized opportunities to score runs. They are simply playing really good baseball, and have been since the last road trip started in Los Angeles.

Better late than never... I guess.

Winning Player: Welcome back, Michael Cuddyer!

His two-run homer in the 6th tied the game at three and ended up serving as the turning point for Colorado.

Watch Michael Cuddyer's game-tying blast

The Rockies would then score two more in the 7th on a Josh Rutledge pinch-hit RBI triple and a successful safety squeeze bunt from Eric Young Jr.

Watch EY2's effective bunt

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Rock Solid Recap: A Sweep! A Sweep!

Sad but true, there have been more perfect games than Rockies sweeps this season, but it was still pretty cool to see both go down this afternoon. 

Congratulations to 'The King' Felix Hernandez for his DOMINANT 27 up, 27 down performance in Seattle against the Tampa Bay Rays. And congratulations to the Rockies for earning only their second sweep (first three-gamer) with an exciting 9th inning rally and a walkoff.

Those never get old regardless of the circumstances or placement in the standings.

Rockies 7, Brewers 6 (boxscore)

Winning Players: Eric Young Jr. & Tyler Colvin

EY2 was without question the best player on the field this entire series, which is saying quite a bit when you're sharing it with Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Braun, among others. Two more hits for him today, including his third home run in the past week and a critical single in the 9th inning that set up...

Watch Tyler Colvin's walk-off two-run double

How freaking fast is Young to score from first base on that ball? He was about halfway to second when the ball rolled past the base, yet still managed to score fairly easily without the ball getting to the corner. That's crazy speed. It's also another big hit and big game in a Rockies uniform for Colvin. What an addition he continues to be.

Turning Point: Will Harris had a rough Rockies debut on Monday night, allowing a three-run homer to Rickie Weeks in the 9th. He bounced back nicely in his second outing on Wednesday, retiring all six Brewers he faced in the 8th and 9th innings, which allowed the Rockies offense to rally and ultimately secure the first career win for Harris.

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Rock Solid Recap: Early Offense Carries Rockies Again

Rockies 8, Brewers 6 (boxscore)

This should not be newsworthy, but since we're grasping for positives this season, I'll proclaim it loud and proud anyway.

The Rockies have won back-to-back games TWO weeks in a row!

Absorb that for a moment...

Good? Now absorb this tweet from Purple Row's Andrew Fisher.

That's obviously not Reynolds' fault... but wow.

Winning Players: Eric Young Jr. & Carlos Gonzalez

For the second straight night, EY2 got the offense started with a lead-off double and scored the first run... this time on a Carlos Gonzalez single. Young would go on to produce a three-hit night that included his second home run (this time over the fence and off the facing of the second deck) in less than a week. As for Gonzalez, he would go to on have a 4-for-4 night at the plate with two RBI, a run scored, and a couple caught stealings (the aggressiveness is appreciated).

Great production from two guys at the top order, with Dexter Fowler (two hits), Wilin Rosario (two hits, home run) and Jordan Pacheco (two hits, two RBI) providing enough support to earn Rockies fans tacos and the team a victory.

Watch EY2's highlight reel

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Rock Solid Recap: D.J. LeMahieu's Career Night Paces Rockies Attack

Rockies 9, Brewers 6 (boxscore)

All I wanted for my birthday was some cake, ice cream, and a lot of Rockies runs (enough to win at least). Low and behold, I got all three!

Winning Player: D.J. LeMahieu

I singled out LeMahieu on Sunday for his excellent play on the entire road trip and he follows that up with a career-high four hits on Monday. Granted, all four were singles, but singles can be very effective when everybody in the lineup is contributing. Monday was one of those nights for the Rockies, as all eight position players had at least one hit (Eric Young Jr., Dexter Fowler, Tyler Colvin and Chris Nelson each had two) and all eight position players had at least one run scored or one RBI.

Those nights are the best.

Turning Point: It was nice to see the offense come out swinging against Mike Fiers, who had an incredible 1.02 ERA over his last 10 appearances (9 starts). He's a good — potentially great — young pitcher that I figured this Rockies lineup would struggle against. They didn't struggle at all, and I credit EY and Jonathan Herrera for getting that started in the 1st, as well as Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez and Wilin Rosario for not letting the inning go to waste (Rockies jumped up 3-0).

Jeff Francis's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 77 pitches (44 strikes)

How nice of Francis to allow a two-run homer to Carlos Gomez on his 77th pitch. That made life easy on old Jim Tracy, who immediately brought the hook.

Of course what else would you expect to happen when a starting pitcher has become conditioned to throwing 75-85 pitches, but all of that just plays right into the hands of Rockies management. They can continue selling the 75 pitch thing by pointing at a result like this. Unfortunately for them, though, we're not idiots.

Unfortunately for us, they just might be.

By the way, overall it was a very nice outing for Francis. Happy for him to get a win out of it.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Tired Bullpen Falters In San Francisco

Giants 9, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Not really a big fan of making excuses for failed performance on the baseball field, but it's hard to get around them when looking at the Colorado Rockies bullpen situation. Most of the guys out there are toast, and the ones who aren't toast are seemingly working on fumes.

So many unnecessary innings, not only for the piggyback guys, but that next layer as well that includes Matt Belisle, Rex Brothers and Matt Reynolds. Unfortunately. I think Belisle may have finally crossed the line to toast in his 56th appearance on Sunday afternoon after wobbling in the 7th inning and falling completely apart in the 8th inning.

Matt Belisle's Line: 1 1/3 IP,  4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 35 pitches (21 strikes)

Jim Tracy rode Belisle until he had nothing left (and then continued riding him for another 10 pitches or so). He then turned to Rafael Betancourt for a five-out save opportunity. Three batters later — sacrifice fly, three-run homer and a double — Betancourt was out, and the Rockies 6-4 lead entering the inning was now a 9-6 deficit.

Such a disappointing result after the offense battled back from an early deficit to take control in the middle innings. And, as usual, there's no reason to not draw a straight line right to the paired pitching system. It continues to cause more chaos and harm than good.

Alex White's Line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 82 pitches (48 strikes)

Like Jeff Francis on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the damage against White all came within the first few hitters. A lot of his own doing (wild pitch included), but the botched rundown (somebody please work with Wilin Rosario on the basics of defense) certainly helped little. From there White wouldn't really find a good groove until the 4th inning, and of course that was his final inning. Who knows, he may have been good for at least one more inning, even two, which would be so huge to the bullpen's cause. It just isn't an option with our mess of a system in place.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Refuse To Sweep LA

Dodgers 6, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: This game was a complete mess from a strategic standpoint. I'll get into the pitching side shortly, but it really started when Jim Tracy posted his lineup card and it didn't include Carlos Gonzalez. In his career against Wednesday's opposing starter Chad Billingsley, Gonzalez was 10-for-18 with four walks. If you're going to schedule a routine day off for your best player, I wouldn't suggest doing it against a guy he's that locked in against, regardless of the sample size.

Maybe there's something I'm missing and he needed the day off (or maybe Tracy is just married to the two days in a row off thing). I don't know.

With CarGo out of the lineup, Tyler Colvin shifted to the outfield and Matt McBride returned to the lineup. He would proceed to have perhaps the worst game ever for a Colorado first baseman. At the plate, he was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and two popouts (one that failed to advance a runner). That's bad enough.

In the field, he dropped a 1st inning popfly, which extended the inning for Jeff Francis. That's significant when there's a pitch limit in play, and it proved to very significant as this one played out. Later, McBride couldn't handle a throw from Jordan Pacheco that resulted in Pacheco being charged with an error. The throw was definitely high, but it had to be caught. No excuse.

Basically you bench CarGo for McBride straight up.

McBride's defense likely leads to a shorter outing for Jeff Francis.

CarGo never even receives a pinch-hit appearance.

Rockies lose 6-4.

Mess.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies, Rutledge Double Up On Dodgers

Rockies 3, Dodgers 1 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Josh Rutledge

The Rockies pitched their way to a series victory and their first back-to-back wins over the same team since they swept the Houston Astros four straight back in May. However, the big story for Colorado continues to be the hot hitting of rookie Josh Rutledge, who collected his first four-hit game, including three doubles (to all three fields by the way) and all three Rockies RBIs.

It's early for Rutledge, obviously, and he appears to have a few detractors in the scouting world (see: Law, Keith), but his swing looks smooth and the sounds his bat makes are wonderful. The ball is jumping off his bat right now, even in Dodger Stadium at night. The last two doubles especially were smoked. He's no doubt feeling it and seeing it well.

Will there be rough days ahead?

Positively. It's the big leagues. But he seems to be handling the day-to-day adjustments well and hasn't given me a good reason yet to feel nervous about him becoming overmatched once pitchers make their next round of adjustments.

Again... early... things change quickly. But for now, just keep swinging, kid. Just keep swinging.

Watch Josh Rutledge's huge night

Turning Point: Rutledge's night would have been a waste if not for Eric Young Jr. again reaching base at will. After a three-hit, two-run night in the opener, Young followed with three more hits, a walk, and two more runs scored. That's what a difference maker does. His name in the lineup and his production has changed the entire series.

To repeat what I said last night about Young: Need more of this!

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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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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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Rock Solid Recrap: Another One For The Pile

Cardinals 11, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

Turning Point: The Cardinals plated four in the 1st on a Matt Holliday two-run double and a Carlos Beltran two-run homer. The Rockies wouldn't fold there, though, immediately cutting it to 4-2 and then 6-5 in the 6th. That's when Holliday delivered a the dagger against Adam Ottavino in the 7th (two-run homer). No turning back at that point.

Jeff Francis' Line: 4 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 56 pitches (38 strikes)

This is Francis' second rough outing of his last three, but only his third overall in 11 starts since returning to the Rockies. If you had told me this would be the case when he signed, I would have done cartwheels. However, if he struggles again in the next outing, it's probably time to assume he's hitting the wall in this paired pitching system much like Alex White, Christian Friedrich and pretty much everybody involved in it have to date.

Adam Ottavino's Line: 2 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 HR

It's probably time to start treating Ottavino like a regular reliever (which is what he always should have been) rather than a piggyback reliever. It's not fair to him. It's not fair to the team. It's not fair to us watching. It's just not working.

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Rock Solid Recap: Embracing The Drama

Rockies 5, Pirates 4 (boxscore)

When you enter play at 34-54, you'll take a win any way you can get it, even if that includes suffering through an hour long delay in the 9th inning, blowing a 4-1 lead in said 9th inning through the combined efforts of Rafael Betancourt (credited with a "hold"), Rex Brothers (vultures a "win") and Pedro Alvarez (certified Rockie killer) before ultimately scoring the game winner in a dramatic bottom of the 9th.

It was miserable.

It was painful (especially seeing Jeff Francis lose a much deserved victory).

It was also quite predictable.

It was Rockies baseball at its Rockiest... right up until Dexter Fowler's sacrifice fly clinched them victory #35 (Yes, I was expecting Wilin Rosario to slip on a wet spot 80 feet down the line).

I'll take it.

Winning Player: Jeff Francis: 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 73 pitches (42 strikes)

Solid contributions from a number of players tonight (Dexter Fowler, Wilin Rosario, Josh Roenick, and even Eric Young Jr. and Jason Giambi off the bench), but Francis is simply rolling right now and deserves the nod.

Every fourth day you know you're getting at least five innings from Francis, which under our current system is like a guaranteed eight innings every fifth day. He's pounding the strike zone. He's putting up zeroes. He's also bringing a small bit of stability to a rotation that needs a lot of it, but what any little bit is definitely appreciated.

Keep it rolling, Francis.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Follow The Script, Steal Series From Washington

Rockies 4, Nationals 3 (boxscore)

Taken directly from Saturday's Recrap:

THEY (the Rockies) have to be the team that gets those difference-making runs. THEY cannot afford to be the team that doesn't get those difference-making runs, while also giving away difference-making runs. It would be nice if they could make that a point of emphasizing that down the stretch just so they're prepared and capable of being a team that can compete next season.

I think the Rockies got the memo. They found a way to get those difference-making runs on Sunday. It doesn't matter that they got a TON of help from Washington. It's that they actually were in a position to take advantage of Washington's mistakes, and then did it. That's what matters. And they did it against a very good bullpen anchored by Tyler Clippard.

I'm very happy with that.

Winning Player: Jeremy Guthrie: 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 83 pitches (54 strikes)

It's nice to know this Jeremy Guthrie still exists. Yeah, he still made that one big mistake, and Ian Desmond made him pay for it with a two-run homer. But he limited it to that one mistake, he worked deep into the game, and he afforded the Rockies an opportunity to steal a win and to steal a series. He survived, and that allowed the Rockies to overcome.

This Jeremy Guthrie will help a contender down the stretch. I just hope a contender realizes it before he throws another game at Coors Field, because that Jeremy Guthrie is a miserable mess.

Turning Point: Down 3-1 in the 8th, the Rockies found a way to scratch out a difference-making run. It came off the bat of Eric Young Jr., who homered for the first time since 2009 off Sean Burnett leading off the inning. Yes, that Sean Burnett, the one with the 1.42 ERA and strong stats across the board in the first half.

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Rock Solid Recrap: This Really Is The Road To 100

Phillies 7, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies showed up. The Phillies showed up. This game was pretty much over when those two things happened.

Turning Point: The Rockies led 1-0 (I kid you not) in the 3rd inning and Josh Outman was one out away from working three scoreless when he walked Jimmy Rollins. Naturally, Placido Polanco followed that up with an RBI double to tie the game. One inning later, Outman was again one out away from a scoreless inning when John Mayberry hit a two-run homer.

Long story short, the Phillies scored 6 of their 7 runs with two outs.

Josh Outman's Line: 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 72 pitches (40 strikes)

Game 1 of Jim Tracy's latest failed experiment (more on that later) went about like you'd expect. Josh Outman was, in two words, Josh Outman. That basically means a lot of baserunners, and the Phillies capitalized on their opportunities with those timely two-out hits. That said, without the new pitch count Outman likely gets through the 5th. That would have been nice for the bullpen.

Bullpen's Line: 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR

Adam Ottavino finally had a rough night (allowed all three runs), but I suppose we should get used to those now that he'll be overworked even further.

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Another Rock Solid Recap? Two in a row?

Rockies 6, Reds 3 (boxscore)

The Rockies streak of impressive play improved to 15 innings on Friday night. Their streak of not being outscored by the opponent now sits at two games. That means we get to pick a winning player!

Winning Player: Todd Helton! 

This is what Todd Helton does once or twice a month. He reminds us that an elite baseball player remains somewhere underneath his beaten up body, and when he's feeling good, he can win you a baseball game at any time all by himself.

Granted, he had help on Friday from Troy Tulowitzki, Christian Friedrich and a damn solid bullpen, but it was Helton's two-run homer that set the tone, and his RBI single that provided the insurance.

This one belongs to The Toddfather.

Turning Point: The Rockies jumped up 3-0 early, then Cincinnati tied it at 3 in the 4th. It's at times like this that the Rockies have lost their focus this season. The quality of at-bats tend to decrease significantly. But that wasn't the case this time around. Rather, the Rockies continued pressuring Reds ace Johnny Cueto (who admittedly wasn't on his game), and quickly regained control of the game.

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Lineup Card: Rockies vs Braves 5-5-12

Friday's Recrap: Colorado Springs Shuttle Gaining Occupants

Rockies Roster Moves

Recalled: INF/C Jordan Pacheco and RHP Adam Ottavino (to occupy a spot in the bullpen for a couple days)

Optioned: RHP Guillermo Moscoso (Because duh)

Bereavement List: OF Eric Young Jr. (We send our best wishes to EY at this time) 

Lineups 

Colorado Rockies (12-13)

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

Wilin Rosario and Chris Nelson get starts tonight against left-hander Mike Minor. That means Dexter Fowler moves back up to the second spot in the order.

Atlanta Braves (16-11)

1. Michael Bourn (CF)
2. Chipper Jones (3B)
3. Freddie Freeman (1B)
4. Brian McCann (C)
5. Dan Uggla (2B)
6. Matt Diaz (RF)
7. Jason Heyward (RF)
8. Tyler Pastornicky (SS)
9. Mike Minor (P)

This is an even tougher lineup tonight for Jamie Moyer to deal with after the additions of Matt Diaz and impressive rookie Tyler Pastornicky.

After last night's miserable outing from Guillermo Moscoso, coupled with the game going a couple extra frames, there's pressure on Moyer to again to go at least six innings against this starting nine. If I were a betting man, I'd unfortunately have to take the under. 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: The Machine Is Battered... Perhaps Broken

Dodgers 7, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: This will give you a pretty good idea...

When the starting pitchers were in, this game was all Dodgers. Once the bullpens took over, though, the Rockies were able to fight — and I mean they fought valiantly — thanks to the outstanding work of Josh Roenicke, Matt Belisle and Matt Reynolds — seriously, those guys all deserve more than a simple pat on the ass — and a relentless offense that has feasted on bullpens during this homestand.

Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough... because.

Turning Point: In ten career starts and one relief appearance (64 innings) against the Dodgers prior to this evening, Chacin had allowed only ONE home run.

Four batters into this game, he'd already allowed two and trailed 4-0. He then allowed a third home run in the 5th to A.J. Ellis which ended up being the decisive blow.

WARNING: Graphic Pitching Line To Follow 

Jhoulys Chacin's Final Line: 4 2/3, 7 ER (career high), 11 hits, 4 BB, 3 K, 3 HR, 112 pitches (63 strikes)

If Dee Gordon's first career home run didn't rattle Chacin off his foundation right from the start, it's likely Andre Ethier's three-run homer that followed did the trick. It was a brutal start, and although he rebounded to a very small degree just to work into the 5th inning, it was an all around painful performance to watch.

On a 1-10 scale, his command was a 2. His velocity showed no improvement. Basically the Dodgers just sat back and barreled him up all night long because they're all professionals and that's what professional hitters do to struggling pitchers. In fact, of the 11 hits Chacin allowed, I can only picture one that was a cheapie. There may have been another one or two, but they all seemed to be struck with violent purpose.

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April Review and Player Rankings

May 1st already. Man, the days and weeks fly by when baseball season is in full swing.

Welcome to my own odd look back at the Rockies month of April. I actually used to do a variation of these monthly reviews back when I covered the Rockies for Bugs & Cranks circa. 2007-2009, and had some fun with them, so I've decided to bring them back and have some fun again in front of my new/old audience.

Here we go.

April Record: 11-11

Swing Games: Tommy Lasorda always said "every team wins 60 games and losses 60 games. It's what you do with the other 42 games that counts." We'll call those swing games, or to break it down even further, the ones you really wish you'd won or easily could/should have lost, but didn't.

By my count, the Rockies played six of those "swing games" in April, and managed split them right down the middle.

Wins

• April 14th vs Arizona (Read the Recap)
• April 20th @ Milwaukee (Read the Recap)
• April 25th @ Pittsburgh (Read the Recap)

Losses

• April 8th at Houston (Read the Recrap)
• April 24th at Pittsburgh (Read the Recrap)
• April 29th vs NY Mets (Read the Recrap)

The win over Arizona was my favorite. I'll highlight why in a moment. All three losses were equally disappointing because they all contributed to a losing series against a team the Rockies needed to beat.

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Quick Game 1 Recap and Game 2 Lineups

Rockies 2, Pirates 1 (boxscore)

Winning Player: It probably feels like Juan Nicasio deserves the nod here, but how about the bounce back effort from Esmil Rogers?

Called upon in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, Rogers not only accepted the challenge from Jim Tracy, but owned it by striking out the Pirates 2-3-4 hitters. A dominant, emphatic and damned impressive shutdown inning when the Rockies desperately needed one. Also, our short relievers take a pounding when things go poorly, so why not pat them on the ass when they come up big?

Well done, Esmil.

And well done by Matt Reynolds (got his one batter) and Rafael Betancourt (1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save).

Turning Point: Eric Young's wheels have been changing games all month, and that's what happened again with the game tied at 1 in the eighth.

With one man already out, the speedster reached base on a hit by pitch. Marco Scutaro directly followed that with a single through the hole on the LEFT side created by Clint Barmes cheating towards second (looking for an EY steal attempt), which allowed Jr. to move first to third without hesitation. That set up Tyler Colvin, who hit nothing more than a medium pop fly to right field. But that's all EY needed to score from third and give the Rockies the lead.

Watch EY get down the line for the win

Just that simple. That just quick.

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