Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Swept In De La Rosa's Return

Giants 9, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: We always go into these west coast series (especially in San Francisco) half-jokingly and half-seriously expecting the Rockies to get swept, but this wasn't even close or competitive on any level. What a lousy, embarrassing series that saw the Rockies outscored 24-7 over the four games.

But perhaps the worst thing we saw or heard today were these pregame comments from manager Jim Tracy.

#Rockies Jim Tracy: "Let's be honest, I've been managing a rookie ballclub, a club loaded w/rookies, for the better part of over 3 months."
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) September 20, 2012

I understand the comments likely didn't come in the context of 'can you explain why your team is limping to the finish line again', but come on, I'm tired of the excuse-making and bus-tossing from Mr. Clownshoes. It's old, it's tiresome, and it just shows again that he's not willing to accept responsibility for his own short-comings, of which they are many.

Were the 2010 and 2011 teams loaded with rookies too? Why did those teams completely mail it in in September? The way this team finishes (or doesn't finish) really has little to do with experience, but at some point has to begin reflecting on a manager that can never keep his team focused for 162 games, and also consistently puts his team in a position to fail. That includes over-managing and running his relievers into the ground setting them up for a brutal finish.

I'm so, so, so over this guy as the Rockies manager. Play the hand your dealt and make the team better. But this guy just isn't capable of doing either.

Turning Point: The Giants scored six runs with two outs in the 4th. The first of those runs scored on a wild pitch, which is maddening enough. Then came the walk to Angel Pagan. Then came the RBI single from Marco Scutaro. Then came the Pablo Sandoval three-run homer (off Edgmer Escalona) followed by Buster Posey's home run (off Edgmer Escalona).

What a fitting disaster inning for such a disaster series (season).

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Start And Finish Strong, Still Lose

Giants 9, Rockies 8 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Basically everything from the 4th to 7th innings. Details to follow.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 71 pitches (46 strikes)

Chacin had it for three scoreless innings and then completely lost it in a four-run 4th, which included a TWO-out, THREE-run homer by Giants' starter Madison Bumgarner. That was brutal and unfortunately highlights the lack of focus we sometimes see from Chacin at inopportune times. You have to finish the pitcher off there and finish that inning, because not doing so absolutely changed the game.

Carlos Torres' Line: 2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Torres has now allowed a run in seven of his last eleven appearances, but nine of those have multi-inning appearances and they've come just about every third day on average. I'm sure he's on fumes at this point.

Turning Point: Bumgarner's home run really was a game-changer, but the Rockies still had plenty of chances to recover. Unfortunately, Torres made that it more difficult with his poor outing, but Jim Tracy really deserves the majority of the blame for allowing Torres to hit for himself and strikeout in the 5th (he allowed two runs in the top half) when the Rockies had two runners on with two outs.

And that would really pay off so well for Colorado because Torres allowed those two extra runs in the 6th. If the Rockies get a hit there, they could have tied the game or even taken the lead. Instead, they find themselves down 8-5 and end up falling ONE run short.

Embarrassing management of the roster. It's September. The rosters are expanded, yet the Rockies still don't have enough flexibility to pull a reliever or pinch-hit in the middle innings when there's a chance to turn a game around with one freakin' hit? Can you imagine being the Dodgers seeing that? Not that I care about the Dodgers one way or the other, but they're fighting for a division and the team they're fighting with essentially has a win handed to them because another major league team is pushing a flawed system over trying to win games.

I say it again. Embarrassing.

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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: Officially Running Out Of Original Thoughts

Pirates 9, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one inning (thanks to home runs from Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez) and a 5-1 lead after two. That should be good news. However, the Rockies trailed 6-5 after three innings. And then they trailed 9-6 after five.

I got five words for you: Jeremy Guthrie and Jim Tracy.

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 2 2/3 IP, 6 R (4 ER) 6 BB, 1 K, 2 HR, 68 pitches (46 strikes)

A Jordan Pacheco error didn't help matters (unless your main concern is Guthrie's ERA), but the Pedro Alvarez solo home run and the Garrett Jones three-run jack had already taken place, so it's not like the error  began the unraveling. It's just a continuation of a season long unraveling for Guthrie that shows no signs of correcting itself.

Matt Reynolds' Line: 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 29 pitches (20 strikes)

I understand what Matt Reynolds role is. He understands it as well. I just don't know that is suits him very well or that you should try squeezing a third inning out of him unless it's a desperation situation. Maybe today qualifies, I don't know, but he did well to escape the 3rd inning. He was fantastic in the 4th. And then that 5th inning comes around and he just didn't have much left it seemed.

I know the pitch count was good, and I know he's thrown multiple innings before, but I think it has to be different warming up, coming into the middle of an inning, and then being asked to warm up, throw another inning, warm up again, throw another inning. That's why we've often seen Tracy use a reliever simply to finish an inning and then he goes to the piggyback/bridge guy to start the next clean inning. I think not going that route proved costly today.

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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 Recrap: More About Bob And The Great Guillermo

Nationals 12, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

Farewell, Bob: First things first, I wrote a little bit about Bob Apodaca's reassignment in the Lineup Card today. All I'll really add now is that, despite the low point we've reached now in terms of the Rockies pitching struggles, I truly do appreciate his contributions to the Rockies over his ten seasons of service. 

You can discredit the man if you want, but there's really no denying that a lot of good things happened under his watch, which peaked during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. But there always comes a time when change and fresh ideas are necessary to keep the process moving forward. I think that's especially true when you call Coors Field — the most unique and mentally taxing ballpark on the planet — your home. 

Apodaca's time to move on had definitely arrived. But I'll still pass on kicking him on his way out the door, because he took on the challenge of solving pitching at one mile above sea level for TEN years, and this is the first time he's backed away from the challenge. 

I can admire that. I can respect that. I actually appreciate that. And I truly hope the next full time pitching coach can match his patience and mental stamina when taking on this challenge.

That said, I also hope the new full time pitching coach has more effective and long-lasting ideas, because there's a lot of work to be done to get Rockies pitching back at the 09-10 level, but more importantly, to keep it at that level.

Now about tonight's baseball game...

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Rock Solid Recap: Maybe Jeff Francis Should Start Four Times A Week

Rockies 4, Phillies 1 (boxscore)

You know, since the Rockies lone two wins in the last 14 games have come in Francis starts. Let him start. Give him a 30-pitch limit. Give one day of rest. Bring him right back.

That's pretty sound logic, right Jimbo?

Winning Players: I was all set to name Wilin Rosario and Chris Nelson the Winning Players before last night's ridiculous 9th inning meltdown. To their credit, they came right back tonight and earned the right again by each connecting for a two-run homer to help the Rockies avoid the sweep.

Highlights of the Night

Watch Chris Nelson's two-run homer

Watch Wilin Rosario's two-run homer 

The month of June hasn't provided many positives. In fact, Chris Nelson's recent improved play is the only one I can think of off hand. I'm sure there's something obvious I'm missing though. As for Rosario, he's strong as hell, and should he develop anything resembling decent plate discipline, he'll be pretty special.  For now, though, I'll just enjoy the tape measure bombs and his kid like enthusiasm as he rounds the bases.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Phillies 6-20-12

Tuesday's Recrap: This Really Is The Road To 100

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (25-41)

1. Tyler Colvin (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (SS)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Chris Nelson (2B)
8. Wilin Rosario (C)
9. Alex White (P)

Is Jim Tracy intentionally sabotaging Dexter Fowler, or is Jim Tracy an imbecile? 

Oh wait, we already answered that in Tuesday's Recrap. It's unintentional, but it's completely unacceptable.

Also, the latest on Troy Tulowitzki is that he'll be "out awhile" after surgery Thursday to clean out scar tissue in the left groin area that is pressing on a nerve. Of course this is devastating news for the Rockies lineup, but apparently great news for the Rockies fans on Twitter who passionately root against him. 

Philadelphia Phillies (32-37)

1. Jimmy Rollins (SS)
2. Juan Pierre (LF)
3. Hunter Pence (RF)
4. Carlos Ruiz (C)
5. Shane Victorino (CF)
6. Placido Polanco (3B)
7. John Mayberry (1B)
8. Michael Martinez (2B)
9. Joe Blanton (P)

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

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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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Phillies 6-19-12

Sunday's Recrap: Another Completely Dreadful Sunday

Check out the Q & A I did for the entertaining Phillies blog That Ball's Outta Here

Lineups 

Colorado Rockies (25-40)

1. Eric Young Jr. (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (SS)
3. Tyler Colvin (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Chris Nelson (2B)
8. Wilin Rosario (C)
9. Josh Outman (P)

All I can say is stay tuned to tonight's Recap. I may have a thought or two on Jim Tracy's latest stroke genius. 

Philadelphia Phillies (31-37)

1. Jimmy Rollins (SS)
2. Placido Polanco (3B)
3. Hunter Pence (RF)
4. Carlos Ruiz (C)
5. Shane Victorino (CF)
6. Ty Wigginton (1B)
7. John Mayberry (LF)
8. Michael Martinez (2B)
9. Cole Hamels (P)

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Tape Measure Home Runs & One Really Dumb Bunt

Athletics 8, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Starting pitching. Jeremy Guthrie. You know the drill.

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 5 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 3 HR, 102 pitches (66 strikes)

The three home runs traveled nearly 1/4th of a mile put together. Two were hit by Brandon Moss, who was in the minor leagues a few days ago and has been a journeyman pinch-hitter the past six seasons. The other was hit by light-hitting shortstop Cliff Pennington. I wish I could say I was kidding.

Turning Point: Well, Oakland's six-run 3rd inning that erased the Rockies 4-0 lead was certainly the biggest turning point, but there's only so many things I can say about our pitching without getting physically ill.

Another came when the Rockies were hitting in the 6th, trailing 7-5. Wil Nieves led off the inning with his second single. Pinch-hitter Eric Young followed that up with a walk. That brought us back to the top of the Rockies order where their hottest hitter, Tyler Colvin, was penciled in this evening. Colvin was 1-for-2 at this point with a home run (fourth in last three games) and a walk. So naturally, Jim Tracy has Colvin lay down a sacrifice bunt, which to Colvin's credit he did and did well.

Unfortunately, like everybody following along on Twitter (and not following along on Twitter) predicted, the bunt killed the potential rally. Four pitches later (Scutaro groundout, CarGo strikeout), the inning was dead, and Jim Tracy sat alone in the dugout figuring out which player he wanted to bus toss for his own ignorant decision.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Take Another Weekend Off, Swept By Angels

Angels 10, Rockies 8 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Lousy starting pitching was the biggest problem... again.

The umpires didn't help much, either.

With Carlos Gonzalez representing the tying run in the 9th, the soon to be all-star hit a line drive (not just any line drive, a CarGo line drive) back to Angels' closer Scott Downs that the lefty miraculously snagged cleanly out of the air, and then lost on the exchange from glove to hand as he attempted to double off Marco Scutaro. Only the four-man umpiring crew led by NBA official Joey Crawford and three direct descendants of the Three Stooges ruled that Downs didn't catch the ball.

(OK, the crew was actually Greg Gibson, Gerry Davis, Phil Cuzzi and Manny Gonzalez, but you could have fooled me.)

Gonzalez, who had the best view of Downs making the catch, never took off for first. Marco Scutaro apparently had the second best view, because he retreated to first base. That led to one of the most awkward looking and slowest developing 1-6-3 double plays you'll ever see. And it also led to an animated Jim Tracy outburst that earned him his first ejection of the season.

Watch the madness

It's always rough when a blown call takes an opportunity away from your offense, especially when it's at that point in the game. But again, starting pitching was the real problem today. The offense hit well enough that it should have never come down to the incompetent men in blue. Unfortunately, things aren't about to get better in that regard. By the same token, things aren't about to get better with these umpires either until MLB gets serious about expanded replay.

Fails galore.

PS: This in the fourth weekend the Rockies have been swept in the last six. They're 3-15 over that stretch.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Still 121 Chances To Write A Perfect Recrap

Marlins 7, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies scored four runs in the first thanks to four consecutive hits. Jordan Pacheco and Carlos Gonzalez both singled. Michael Cuddyer cracked a two-run double off the left field wall. Troy Tulowitzki crushed a two-run homer over the left field wall.

They didn't record their next hit until the 8th inning.

It was a truly futile offensive performance that included a five-pitch 3rd inning, an eight-pitch 4th, and a nine-pitch 6th. It's like they got their hits out of the way early and then flushed the gameplan down the toilet, or they had no gameplan and got lucky in the 1st.

Just pathetic.

Turning Point: Well, aside from the offense disappearing, the game-changing moments came in the 4th inning. That's where Mark Buerhle doubled hard off the right field fence (missed a homer by three feet). Jose Reyes followed that with a single to center that Dexter Fowler overran, allowing Buehrle to score from second.

Then things completely unraveled as Moyer walked Hanley Ramirez and Austin Kearns ahead of a Giancarlo Stanton Grand Slam.

4-1 lead to game over in the a matter of six hitters.

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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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Rock Solid Recap: Marco Scutaro Helps Rockies Escape San Francisco With Unexpected Split

Rockies 5, Giants 4 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Marco Scutaro

Scutaro was out of the starting lineup tonight and didn't enter the game until an 8th inning double switch. That still left him plenty of time to play hero as his lead-off home run (first as a Rockie) in the 9th provided the difference in the game.

Highlight of the Night: Watch Marco Scutaro's home run through a flock of seagulls

Turning Point: Of course it wasn't an easy path to get to that moment. The Rockies led 4-1 in the 7th before Josh Outman and Matt Belisle worked together to allow San Francisco to tie the game. More on that debacle and where the blame ultimately lies a little later.

When the bottom of the 8th rolled around, Jim Tracy continued to show confidence in Rex Brothers by throwing him into the fire. Naturally, four batters into the inning, the Giants had the bases loaded on three walks (one intentional). Everybody had a pretty good idea on how this would end, but Brothers actually flipped the script this time by overpowering and striking out both Brandon Belt and Melky Cabrera to escape the jam.

If I'm Bob Apodaca, I'm calling Brothers into the video room first thing tomorrow to make him watch that entire inning pitch-for-pitch, and then repeatedly tell him how damn good he can be and how much easier his life will be if he attacks hitters and trusts himself. That message needs to become lodged in his head.

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K (season high), 90 pitches (50 strikes)

Was hoping Guthrie would be more efficient and work a little deeper in his return, but looking back at how the outing unfolded, I'll certainly take this line. The Giants had plenty of opportunities to make it an even shorter outing, but Guthrie survived it by making a quality pitch every time he needed one. He even racked up a couple strikeouts in those spots and doubled his season high overall.

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What They're Saying About Jhoulys Chacin's Demotion

In case you haven't heard (or couldn't watch), yesterday's game was pretty fun. Heaven & Helton

Of course the big story after yesterday's game was the demotion of right-hander Jhoulys Chacin to Triple A - Colorado Springs. It certainly wasn't an unexpected piece of news after his rough outing on Tuesday night capped a brutal first month to his season. And if you back to 2011 you'll find his stretch of hot garbage actually extends all the way back to last June. 

If those painful visuals and numbers still left some doubt in your mind that Chacin needed physical and mental maintenance away from Coors Field, I'm sure the stinging words from manager Jim Tracy after the game made it clear it was only a matter of time... 

"Our starting pitching tonight was awful."

"I need to sleep on it, but you just can't go out and pitch like that. You just can't"

So there you go.  

I'm not sure anyone has a firm understanding or explanation as to what exactly is wrong with Chacin. Who knows, there may be a lot of somethings wrong that will take weeks, if not months, to iron out. The answers just aren't there, but the bloggers and writers have jobs to do and several of them have been weighing in over the past 24 hours.

Here's a quick rundown.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Tracy, Bullpen fall apart in 7th inning

Brewers 9, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies bullpen has been a strength in the early going.

Tonight, not so much.

It started in the sixth inning as Jim Tracy called on Esmil Rogers to protect a one run lead. Rogers, who had put together four scoreless relief appearances — retiring at least four batters in each — to begin the season, was greeted by a game-tying Ryan Braun home run.

That you could live with. However, Tracy elected to stick with Rogers (18 pitches in the sixth) into the seventh, and the wheels promptly fell off as three of the first four Brewers reached, including a Rickie Weeks RBI triple.

So Rogers gets the hook with Colorado now trailing 5-3. In comes Edgmer Escalona, who proceeds to throw gas on the fire beginning with a Ryan Braun RBI triple and ending with an Alex Gonzalez three-run homer.

9-3 Brewers. Game over.

Other problems: Managing only two hits and striking out nine times against injury fill-in Marco Estrada wasn't exactly inspiring. Marco Scutaro was one of those victims, striking out for the first time in 2012. Maybe he'll only strikeout against pitchers named Marco.

Oh, and remember how I was praising Wilin Rosario for his work behind the plate in his early starts? BIG step back tonight with some lousy (perhaps lazy) footwork leading to a pair of passed balls and a wild pitch. He needs to bring it every night.

Turning Point: Back to Jim Tracy's odd use of the bullpen in the seventh.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Pomeranz Bad. Offense Bad. Sundays Bad.

Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Another everything sucked kind of Sunday at Coors Field.

Of course, Jim Tracy's Sunday lineup card is getting most of the blame for that. And as always, there's justification in that thought process. However, for me at least it was easier to tolerate because we know Carlos Gonzalez is unavailable due to strep throat, and Ramon Hernandez, Todd Helton and Marco Scutaro were all no brainers to sit after a really long night at the ballpark full of stops and starts.

(Especially Helton, who as Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson pointed out had to go through his stretching routine twice.)

That said, I'm sure Tracy would have used a similar lineup regardless of last night's situation because he's Jim Tracy and that's how he rolls, but I also have a feeling the regulars would have struggled just as much against a locked in Trevor Cahill as the B squaders did — PS: Johnny Herrera did have three of the four hits Cahill allowed — so I'm not going to waste more time or energy beating the obvious drum this week.

I'll just tip my cap to Cahill for his effort, acknowledge Drew Pomeranz wasn't nearly good enough, and get ready to turn the page to San Diego.

Turning Point: Speaking of turning the page, the calendar flipped to Sunday. What more do you need to know?

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HR, 100 pitches (61 strikes)

Pomeranz was a mess today. It was obvious almost immediately that his offspeed pitches were going to be non factors, so Arizona turned him into a one-pitch pitcher. And to be honest, his fastball wasn't all that impressive either, so that obviously added up to an ineffective outing.

He also needs to improve holding baserunners — and by improve I mean at least make an honest (without balking) effort — because the Diamondbacks weren't shy about exposing that flaw and you know everyone else is taking note of that.

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Rock Solid Recap: Astros Giveth, Rockies Taketh

Rockies 5, Astros 3 (Boxscore)

Winning Player: One game in, one tough decision on who deserves to be the Rockies winning player. I thought Troy Tulowitzki had a terrific game with the early sac fly, a pair of defensive gems, and then the ninth inning home run — which you'll see later — that went over the train tracks and vacated Minute Maid Park all together.

Jeremy Guthrie had a very strong seven inning Rockies debut, and rightfully earned his National League victory.  Todd Helton and Michael Cuddyer were also important cogs with their two-out, opposite field run scoring hits in a pivotal third inning rally.

But my vote for the Rockies winning player goes to left-handed setup man Rex Brothers. After the Rockies took the lead in the top half, Brothers breezed through his first eighth inning appearance 1-2-3 with a pair of overpowering strikeouts and a weak groundout. That got the Rockies right back into the dugout feeling good, and then from there they added the insurance run that basically sealed the victory.

Many outings just like are sure to follow for young Mr. Brothers.

Turning Point: Jim Tracy's decision to pinch-run Eric Young Jr. for Ramon Hernandez after his eighth inning lead-off single paid off immediately with a stolen base. Of course, one minute later, it was on the verge of turning into a disaster when EY was caught in between second and third on a ball in the dirt that was blocked by Astros catcher Jason Castro.

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Jim Tracy tells us how he really feels about Ubaldo Jimenez

While Troy Tulowitzki elected to take the high road in his postgame comments regarding the Ubaldo Jimenez incident.

Manager Jim Tracy elected to take the Jim Tracy road. A road that all too often leads to nowhere.

Here's what he said via the hard-working Rockies beat writers over at the Denver Post.

“It’s the most gutless act I have seen in 35 years of professional baseball. I have lost all respect for him. To do something like that and walk down off the mound, and if there’s any suggestion whatsoever that the ball got away, I don’t want to hear any of that (expletive). He intentionally threw at him. He should be suspended. I am going to be very disappointed if he doesn’t get suspended. He deserves to be,” Tracy said, his voice rising in anger.

Message received.

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