Moe Belismel tag team broken up

The righty-lefty Rockies reliever tag team I affectionately named Moe Belismel (Matt Belisle & Joe Beimel) is no more. We figured the day was coming when Troy Renck stated the Rockies had no interest in bringing Beimel back, but after the surprising return of Jason Giambi a couple weeks ago, it was worth waiting for the official word.

The word is now official.

Joe Beimel is headed to the new Coors Field East in Pittsburgh.

Much dismay is now ensuing amongst Rockies fans. I understand it to an extent. I liked Joe. Didn't love him, though. His value in the Rockies community is a tad inflated due to the simple fact his name isn't Franklin Morales. Plus the ladies think he's cute and he entered to a kick ass song.

I'm more concerned with the pitching and business side of it. Thankfully the Rockies are too.

There is definitely risk in putting so much stock and faith in a less experienced Matt Reynolds and a roller coaster ride like Morales, but tough decisions have to be made somewhere. And I'm sure the Rockies feel like their right-handers, especially at the back end of the pen, are plenty capable of retiring tough lefties. That's why each of them is making pretty decent coin.

-- In other news... The Rockies have signed OF Willy Taveras, IF/OF Alfredo Amezaga, and C Chad Moeller to minor league deals with invites to spring training. In addition, they have shipped RHP Ethan Hollingsworth to Oakland for AAA RHP Clayton Mortenson.

If I had to venture a guess, I would say Amezaga has the best chance to do something meaningful for Colorado this season. It would take injuries and such, but he has always been an O'Dowd guy and reports are the Rockies came away from his workout at Arizona St. impressed. The fact that he can play three infield positions and the outfield certainly helps his case.

@PoseidonsFist (Andrew T. Fisher, Purple Row) set the over/under at negative three for number of games Willy Taveras would start for the Rockies in CF this season. I'll still take the under there.

-- Rockies avoided arbitration with Ian Stewart on Thursday.

I would hope so. Stewart knows what's at stake this season for him personally. He knows Ty Wigginton, Jose Lopez and Joe Crede are coming to camp. He's heard the far fetched Michael Young rumors. Wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to get hung up over $450K difference in arbitration offers and allow bad feelings to come into play.

Simple advice to Ian going forward... not that he needs it.

Go out on the field, hold off the competition behind you, play at the level we all mostly believe you're capable of playing, and you'll make up whatever money you feel like you're giving up.

I believe Ian Stewart can do it, too. I just doubt Jim Tracy will have the patience to let him play through his slumps, especially with the new options at his disposal.

-- Jim Tracy... Still the two scariest words that come to mind when I think about the 2011 Rockies and how far they can go.

Will he learn when to get out of the way?

Will he learn when to press buttons?

Will there be enough healthy relievers left standing in September?

Will there be lineup stability?

I'm crossing my fingers.

Rock Solid Recap: Speechless

Well, almost. I have to say something.

I don't know what today's amazing victory will mean in the grand scheme of the 2010 season. It may mean nothing. It may mean everything. The bottom line is, there is nothing more exhilarating than watching your favorite team never give up, and then complete a mission that seemed impossible.

Nothing.

Rockies 12, Braves 10 

When you break this thing down and start handing out individual accolades, the only place you can start is with lefty sensation Matt Reynolds.

The kid has pitched his ass off all season, beginning in spring training, continuing through a dominant campaign at Colorado Springs, and he's now showing us firsthand that the hype was legit. Sometimes a guy has the ability, you hear the hype, he shows up and then promptly wets the bed.

Not Matt Reynolds.

The importance of his three shutout innings, on so many levels, simply cannont be measured. There's no stat that can be created that measures what a single performance like this means to a baseball team. Not to mention his patience AB that resulted in a walk and led to three run 5th inning rally. Reynolds did it all on a Wednesday afternoon.

The same praise can be heaped on Joe Beimel and Matt Belisle. That's nothing new for them, though. That's why they have routiniely ranked in the top 5-6 when I do Rockies player rankings.

The Offense?

So many clutch hits.

Dexter Fowler's Little League home run... (Highlight)

Ryan Spilborghs' pinch-hit 2-run double... (Highlight)

Carlos Gonzalez ties the game... (Highlight)

Troy Tulowitzki with another game-winning RBI... (Highlight)

Todd Helton provides the insurance... (Highlight)

And how about CarGo's web gem to end it?  Solid.  (Highlight)

Amazing display by the Rockies. I definitely feel better about this team now than I did a week ago, but that's always the case when they're at home. I need to see this team win a road series before I get too excited about a playoff run.

Or a series win over the Dodgers would be a start as well.

Tomorrow

Rockies get to spend the day with the family.

Friday

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Clayton Kershaw

I'll be back with you on Monday after a nice weekend away from the homestead.

Rock Solid Recap: Back To The Winning Formula

Remember how I broke it down on Friday night?

Rockies 8, Pirates 4

1. Superstars

Four more hits (8 total bases/3 RBI/SB) for Cargo. That good enough?

Another multi-hit game for Tulowitzki + a 2-out RBI + SB. Money.

2. Starting Pitching

Though Esmil Rogers fell short of the statistically defined "quality start," I would still give him the nod on that distinction. Quality, as in, given a lead, he didn't shy away from contact. He made Pittsburgh earn their way in to the run column. When he got himself to the brink of a major jam, he made his pitch to get out of it with very limited damage.

I liked what I saw. I think there's room for him to continue improving, though I think he'll fit the bill as a #5 just fine if his starts all resemble this one.

And hey, he could prove to be a valuable guy sitting around on the bench. He really helped his own cause with two doubles this afternoon. The first one, a 2-out RBI double -- that was followed by a Fowler 2-out RBI double -- in my opinion, was the game clincher.

And don't forget the sac bunt that led directly to a run. That's quality!

3. Defense

Again... we can't punish the entire defense for a Melvin Mora mishap. Today it what the poor footwork routine we saw from him in San Diego.

Okay, fine, there was the errant pick-off throw by Esmil. Two error games won't win very often on the road. Then again, when the home team commits two of their own, plus the poor baserunning, your chances for survival are back to even.

At least Colorado avoided the sloppy, non-error defensive breakdowns we've become accustomed to in key road games.

4 Role Players

Dexter Fowler reached base three times, scored twice, collected two 2-out RBI. You'll take that everyday from the top of the order.

Spilborghs chipped in two hits and some good RF.

Joe Beimel, Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt with three shutout innings of relief. Good stuff.

Tomorrow

Rockies can relax in the Big Apple.

Tuesday

It's Ubaldo Jimenez going toe-to-toe with Mike Pelfrey.

Even with the pitching match up overwhelmingly in the Rockies favor, they're still going to have to earn it.

Rock Solid Recap: A Step Towards Manhood

Rockies 2, Red Sox 1

Winning Player: Jhoulys Chacin

There are starts in the Major Leagues, and then there are starts in the Major Leagues against the Boston Red Sox (and their ace) in your home ballpark.

No problem, huh kid?

Seriously, to embrace that challenge, knowing your team's scoring opportunities will be limited, and knowing the reputation of the lineup you're facing, shows the makeup Chacin has. It's all there. It's all going to be on full display at some point real soon.

There are still some steps remaining for young Jhoulys Chacin to reach that level...

• Slowing the heartbeat a little bit when there's traffic  
• Getting comfortable in the stretch
• Repeating the same motion  
• Not overthinking a situation  
• Trusting his stuff

... but tonight was a large step in the right direction on many fronts. Tonight you could clearly see why the Rockies (and all scouts who have seen him) visualize him as a fixture in their rotation for years to come. Tonight was pretty damn special.

Speaking of special. A pretty special night for Chris Nelson.

Nelson made his first ML start at third base -- a position he hasn't seen much of throughout in baseball playing days -- and had an up and down game there. However, it was his first ML hit in the 5th inning that led directly to the Rockies first run.

Another First

Huston Street was in the building and active. Manny Corpas was in the building but not available after pitching four straight days (two very poorly).

Enter Matt Belisle.

It was shaky at times, but Belisle earned his first save since 2005 -- first as a Rockie. That opportunity was made possible by Rockies bullpen cornerstones, Rafael Betancourt and Joe Beimel, holding the Red Sox in check. It was also made possible by possibly the defensive play of the year for Colorado.

Clint ****ing Barmes! (Video Highlight)

I don't know how important this game will look in the standings for Colorado or Boston 3 1/2 months from now, but I do know I'll remember this game for four very specific reasons.

1. Jhoulys Chacin pitched a gem. 
2. Chris Nelson's first hit. 
3. The bad bounce single by Spilly. 
4. Clint Barmes robs Mike Lowell.

What a game.

Rockies Player Rankings

Wondering how I'm feeling about certain Rockies players?  Refer back to this list.

I'm not sure how often I'll be updating the rankings -- could be weekly, could be monthly, could be after every inning.  We'll just see how it goes.  But this is how I would rank the players currently.

Everything is taken into consideration -- offense, defense, pitching, clutchness, baserunning, consistency, awareness, intelligence. You know, all the things the Rockies don't do well as a team.

1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Miguel Olivo
3. Troy Tulowitzki
4. Manny Corpas
5. Joe Beimel
6. Matt Belisle
7. Carlos Gonzalez
8. Jeff Francis
9. Jason Hammel
10. Seth Smith
11. Jhoulys Chacin
12. Melvin Mora
13. Clint Barmes
14. Brad Hawpe
15. Rafael Betancourt
16. Ian Stewart
17. Todd Helton
18. Ryan Spilborghs
19. Aaron Cook
20. Matt Daley
21. Randy Flores
22. Jonathan Herrera
23. Franklin Morales
24. Jason Giambi
25. Chris Iannetta 

Top 5 Rockies not currently on the roster.

1. Huston Street
2. Jorge De La Rosa
3. Dexter Fowler
4. Paul Phillips
5. Eric Young

Rock Solid Recap: Stress Free Francis

Rockies 3, Royals 0

Winning Player: Jeff Francis

He looks good doesn't he? I'm always a little cautious to say a guy's back to top form so soon after 21 months on the shelf... but damn, he's in really, really good form.

Everything is so smooth and effortless out there. He's locating precisely, he's setting hitters up 2-3 pitches ahead, and then he's attacking and finishing them off. That's the new wrinkle in Ubaldo's game that has put him over the top. For Francis, it's an old wrinkle that he has to live and survive by because he's not overpowering.

So far, so good.

I understand he came in to the game dealing with strep throat, so that just makes his endurance and performance.out there even more amazing.

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Hits & Misses: Spring Training Game 28

Rangers 7, Rockies 6 (Boxscore)

Hits

Ian Stewart

Mashed his first big fly of the spring. Been really impressed with the number of hits Ian has compiled this spring without hitting a HR. Hopefully that's a mindset he can carry over... that hitting a ball hard through the hole or in a gap will help just as much as the longball. Stewart becoming a complete hitter would give the Rockies a bonafide all-star at third.

Joe Beimel

Got to love these veteran guys that can go unsigned deep into camp and come out ready to roll. I would have to say Beimel's chances of making the team are on the north side of 50% at this point, which is pretty damn amazing.

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