Rock Solid Recrap: The Rockies Scored A Run!

Dodgers 7, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Right: The Rockies scored a run in the 4th inning, which snapped a 26-inning scoreless streak! Thanks, Andrew Brown!

Watch Andrew Brown's home run 

What Went Wrong: Well, as you can imagine, only scoring one run in an entire series is a recipe for being swept. So yeah, the Rockies were swept. They were pretty much unwatchable games the whole weekend. And the road to 100 continues with three games left to go. Buckle up.

Turning Point: The Rockies scored their run to take a 1-0 lead. Then the Dodgers scored four runs in the bottom half to take command of the game. Those four runs came on two-run homers from Matt Kemp and the legendary Luis Cruz.

Jorge De La Rosa's Line: 4 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 67 pitches (46 strikes)

Four innings and done. Four innings and done. Four innings and done. These pitching lines ALL look the same, though it's always good to see De La Rosa avoiding the walks. That's a small positive that does stand out here. As does his good health to end the year.

Bullpen's Line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 5 K

Rob Scahill was touched up for a run on three hits in the 5th. That's the first run he's allowed this season. Alex White then continued to struggle in the relief role by allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. The only clean reliever was Carlos Torres, who struck out two in the 8th.

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Rock Solid Recap: Mother Nature Says Six Innings Is Plenty

Rockies 10, Cubs 5 (boxscore)

A win is a win, even when Mother Nature shortens the game to six innings and especially when you're hoping like heck your favorite team avoids its first 100-loss season.

The good news is this win will increase the Rockies chances of avoiding that slightly. The bad news is they still have work to do over these next eight games to make sure they don't lose six of them.

It's coming down to the wire, folks. Sit tight.

Winning Player: D.J. LeMahieu 3-for-3, home run shy of the cycle, two runs, one RBI

The Rockies obviously had a lot of offense in a short period of time, but LeMahieu really led the attack with his three hits against his former team. The biggest coming in the 4th when he doubled home a run ahead of Josh Rutledge's two-run double that gave Colorado the lead. Another former Cub, Tyler Colvin, contributed two hits himself, including a two-run triple in the 3rd that cut Chicago's lead to 4-1. Also delivering were Chris Nelson (three hits, two runs), Matt Bride (big three-run 5th inning blast) and Wilin Rosario (two hits, HR #27).

In total Colorado had 15 hits and 27 total bases in the six completed innings. Not bad at all.

Turning Point: This game turned the second Theo Epstein traded Colvin and LeMahieu to the Rockies for Ian Stewart and Casey Weathers. It remains Dan O'Dowd's one shining moment over the past 12 months.

Jorge De La Rosa's Line: 3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, 67 pitches (45 strikes)

The two unearned runs came after Josh Rutledge's 1st inning overthrow that landed somewhere in Oklahoma. I mean he overshot Jordan Pacheco at first base by at least 40 feet. Perhaps the wet baseball played a factor in that. Perhaps it didn't. I don't know. I just know it was the only bad throw in the game and the conditions got much worse as it went along.

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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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Weekend Recap: They Beat LA!

Friday

Rockies 13, Dodgers 3 (boxscore) 

Winning Players: The offense... again

The offense continued sizzling on this night against the surprisingly effective 2012 version of Chris Capuano. The boxscore was pretty to look at with Dexter Fowler contributing three more hits (two runs, two RBI), Michael Cuddyer touching the plate four times (home run included) and Wilin Rosario delivering the knockout punch with a three-run 6th inning homer.

There wasn't a single hole in the lineup among position players, and that was ultra-important given the piggyback pitching plan going into this game.

Josh Outman's Line: 3 1/3, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 55 pitches (37 strikes)

Couldn't ask for much more out of Outman under the circumstances. A very effective line.

The Bullpen's Line: 5 2/3, 3 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 4 K

The walks and two runs belonged to Carlos Torres (two innings). Adam Ottavino (1 2/3 - 0 R), Matt Belisle (1 IP - 1 ER) and Esmil Rogers (1 IP - 0 R) closed it down efficiently.

Highlight of the Game

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Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 23 vs. San Francisco

Hits

Jordan Pacheco

Pacheco led the Rockies offensive attack with three hits (all singles) this afternoon. Just another casual reminder that he can really hit and that he'll be traveling with the Rockies to Houston for opening day.

Tyler Colvin

Another start, another multi-hit game for the guy I'm now openly pulling for to make the Rockies opening day roster.

Memo to Charlie Blackmon: You better get healthy relatively soon. Like yesterday.

Misses

Dexter Fowler

First his fiance takes to Twitter to praise Giants fans and elbow Rockies fans in the ribs. (A tweet she later deleted.) Then he goes 0-for-4 to drop his spring average to .125.

Question to Dexter Fowler: How does a platoon with Charlie Blackmon or Tyler Colvin sound?

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies offense lashes out violently

Jim Tracy: "Coors Field will be a bad place for opponents to come." (Denver Post)

For one game anyway, that's no Tracy horseshit.

Rockies 12, Diamondbacks 4 (boxscore)

-- Despite the offensive breakthrough, which was fantastic, the biggest storyline of the afternoon is the soreness in Jorge De La Rosa's elbow. No word at this time what the exact problem is there. All we can do is cross our fingers and hope to hear encouraging news, because that would be a very difficult setback to overcome even for a team's that playing consistently good baseball, which the Rockies are not.

-- I said after Sunday's game that the Rockies offense struggles to create runs. They do, but there's no need to create runs when you're stringing together quality at-bats and putting good swings on baseballs. That's what the Rockies started doing in the 4th inning, and it continued right on through until the end.

-- Carlos Gonzalez started the offense with a solo home run in the 4th. He also finished the offense with a two-run homer in the 7th. In between he drew a walk that loaded the bases and delivered an RBI groundout. That's a beautiful game from your three-hole hitter.

-- Other offensive heroes: Dexter Fowler (two hits, triple, two walks, two runs, two RBI), Seth Smith (home run, double, one run, two RBI), Jose Lopez (two hits), and Chris Iannetta (two hits, walk, two runs).

Damn that Dexter Fowler line was a good one. And I shouldn't forget about Troy Tulowitzki's bases loaded walk. That was a pivotal time in the game, so for Tulo to show that type of patience, and also confidence in the hitters behind him, is good to see.

-- Hats off to Greg Reynolds for his good relief this afternoon. Never easy being forced into duty due to injury, but he gave the Rockies exactly what they needed. Now it seems likely the Rockies will need him to make at least one start this weekend and potentially more depending on De La Rosa and Aaron Cook.

-- Role change: Rafael Betancourt pitched a 1-2-3 7th inning. It appears Matt Lindstrom was due to pitch the 8th, but the Rockies plated five in their half of the seventh so we got Matt Daley instead. Could be a temporary deal, but with how well Lindstrom has thrown, I wouldn't just hand the 8th inning back to Raffy once he figures it out.

-- Overlooked play: Really excellent play by Chris Iannetta fielding the wild pitch ricochet and firing a perfect strike to third to nail Melvin Mora. Definitely some luck involved there, but Iannetta made a nice play. That shut down a potential rally when the Rockies lead was still only 5-3. Big play.

-- That concludes the Game 1 recap. Game 2 recap to come later assuming the weather holds off.

Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies lose by 270 feet

It was an old fashioned pitcher's duel at Citizens Bank Park between Jorge De La Rosa and Cole Hamels. Unfortunately, Hamels got the best of it, striking out eight and allowing only five hits and one run over eight innings.

That left De La Rosa as a tough luck loser. He'll have to settle for a complete game as consolation prize, having lasted eight innings with five hits and two runs (one earned) allowed.

Phillies 2, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

With both pitcher's dealing, this game really game came down to one interesting baserunning decision and two different pitches that cost the Colorado Rockies 270 feet.

In the first, Alfredo Amezaga singled with one out. The next batter, Carlos Gonzalez, pulled a single to right field that John Mayberry Jr. charged, fielded cleanly in shallow right field, and made a great throw to nip Amezaga at third. It was an aggressive attempt. Not sure how smart it was, but I know the result was costly for Colorado.

The two pitches occurred later. Chris Iannetta committed a passed ball in the fifth that put a runner at third with one out. And then Jorge De La Rosa tossed a wild pitch in the eighth that also put a runner at third with one out.

In both instances the Phillies cashed that runner in. In a game that ended up 2-1, I'd say that was pretty significant. You tip your cap to them for executing, but it was very frustrating from my perspective because I really thought Chris Iannetta could have done a better job preventing those runners from advancing.

I've never donned the tools of ignorance at any point in my life, so I have no experience attempting to do what I'm being critical of here. But there's no denying Iannetta's technique can be sloppy from time to time. That he gets into stretches where his first reaction is to backhand everything. If you're expecting a fastball up and it's two feet in front of the plate, it's going to be difficult to block it with the proper technique, but it's impossible when your first instinct is to backhand it.

Heck, sometimes Chris will backhand pitches on the inside corner and take them right out of the strike zone. I don't think that's what he wants to be doing there, but again, I have no catching experience.

I was probably too harsh in my tweet on the wild pitch. But it was frustrating to watch. It may seem like a minor thing overall, but on a night when run scoring opportunities were scarce and every 90 feet was of the utmost importance, it was magnified.

To Iannetta's credit, he called a terrific game. He had De La Rosa's full trust with the game plan and that led to a gem. The offense just couldn't get anything going against Cole Hamels. And then they wasted Seth Smith's lead-off double in the ninth with Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Jason Giambi all striking out.

And no doubt there were some questionable strike calls mixed in there.

Hopefully the Rockies can put this one behind them and head into tomorrow's game maintaining the confidence they built sweeping San Francisco. There's no shame in splitting in Philadelphia.

Rock Solid Recap: Confidence and aggression key offensive breakout

That was quite a different looking Rockies offense we saw on the field Friday night. Even when they were finding ways to win in Pittsburgh and New York, we didn't see nearly enough of what we saw here.

We saw aggression. We saw them attacking early in the count, driving baseballs back through the middle. We saw them putting runners in motion, putting pressure on the defense. We saw them taking 90 feet when it made sense, not waiting for it to be handed out or running into easy outs.

But more importantly than that, we saw confidence. Swagger as the kids call it today. They conducted themselves like a team that knew it was supposed to win, supposed to dominate a mediocre pitcher, and they went out and did it. No excuses. No questioned asked. They blooded Dustin Moseley's nose early, and they kept kicking his ass until Bud Black threw in the towel.

Where that came from I don't know. How it could appear so quickly after being nowhere to be found I can't tell you. Even the Rockies probably couldn't tell you. But it was damn nice to see for one night, and I hope it's something that sticks around for weeks and months to come.

Rockies 12, Padres 7 (boxscore)

-- Ryan Spilborghs: Three hits, two runs, one RBI -- By far his best game in a long time. I'm sure that can be attributed to getting back-to-back starts for the first time in a long time as well. Let's see if Tracy sticks with the hot hand again Saturday again.

-- Troy Tulowitzki: Three hits, home run, three RBI -- I knew his line out on Thursday was a good sign. But even when you've seen a player for so long and you recognize good signs, it's still nice to see them build on it. San Diego pitching is going to leave town with a negative attitude thanks to this guy.

-- Carlos Gonzalez: Three runs, walk, triple, two steals -- It's easy to forget that Gonzalez has game changing speed and pretty solid base stealing instincts. If he can continue showing the patience we've seen over the past 3-4 games, special things will start happening.

-- Todd Helton, Seth Smith & Jonathan Herrera: Two hits each -- Helton left the game with soreness in his left calf. Hopefully that's something that will calm down quickly. Smith and Herrera did a fantastic job setting the table and establishing the mindset with their performance.

-- Jorge De La Rosa was far from his best in this one. He struggled to put his foot down every time the Rockies offense gave him breathing room, which made the game more interesting than it had any right to be. That said, Jorge's been the victim of lousy support several times himself, so he was more deserving of having the offense pick him up.

-- It took the Rockies several weeks to blow their division lead. It only took the Giants one day. Yay us?

Rock Solid Recrap: Cy Vogelsong has no ring to it

The Rockies didn't respond to Jim Tracy's angry rant before Sunday's game, so he changed his approach to a much gentler (via @TroyRenck)...

Tracy said every team steps in pothole. That their mettle is being tested. That good teams get out of it sooner rather than later.

Probably a good way to go if he wants to keep his 25 homeboys on his side. Everybody knows they have to step up. That's not breaking news to anyone. But consistently throwing the players under the bus for their performance while taking none yourself is a good way to lose player and fan support. So at least he avoided doing the former for one day. 

Giants 3, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

-- One hit against Ryan Vogelsong in 6 1/3. There's no way to analyze that other than to say it's embarrassing. It can't happen.

-- Jorge De La Rosa did well to last six innings, but this wasn't a pretty start. Five walks. Forget everything else. Five walks against a team that quite honestly isn't much better off offensively than the Rockies are. De La Rosa should have dominated them.

-- Cody Ross is the definition of average... unless he's playing the Rockies or it's the postseason. It's amazing. That's what his career is built on.

-- Same goes for Freddy Sanchez the past two years. He's had a solid career overall, don't get me wrong, but the past two seasons he's Tony Gwynn against the Rockies. Threading every hole in the infield with precision.

-- Both Troy Tulowitzki and Seth Smith are reaching and pulling weak grounders. I guess the Carlos Gonzalez slump was contagious.

-- First thing every opposing analyst says about Franklin Morales: "He has terrific stuff but no idea how to harness it." Happens every time.

-- So the Rockies get swept in San Francisco, pushing the losing streak up to four. Yet here we sit on May 8th with a team that is positioned firmly above water.

Yes, it's frustrating to see games slip away and their record creep closer to .500. But this is so much better than watching .500 get further in their rear view mirror. But I will say they aren't getting anywhere without beating the Giants. We've seen this cost them in the past with the Dodgers, now it's happening with San Francisco.

-- Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Even the mothers of these two Giants fans...

Rock Solid Recap: Todd (expletive) Helton

And Jorge De La Rosa, too. Co-MVPs for tonight's win.

Rockies 4, Cubs 3 (boxscore)

-- We'll start with Todd Helton, because he is after all, Todd ****ing Helton.

Helton delivered his first multi-HR game since August 7th, 2007, and his 27th multi-HR game of his borderline Hall of Fame career. I hate having to phrase it that way but that's where he is right now.

Watch home run #1

Watch home run #2

Both homers were solo shots, and both came off a lefty in James Russell. Granted Mr. Russell is, as one Cubs fan noted on Twitter, possibly the worst pitcher to ever make three consecutive starts in the Majors. From what I've seen I can't form an argument against that.

The first was definitely aided by the wind blowing out towards right. No problem with that. I think the second one to straight away center leaves pretty much any ballpark save for Petco and Minute Maid in Houston. That ball was struck with some serious authority. That was a vintage Todd Helton year 2000 swing.

And he had another decent swing that he felt he just missed based on his reaction. So needless to say he's feeling pretty comfortable.

Will Todd get another start in the three-hole based on Tuesday's results? I'm going to say no to Wednesday, but I'm sure next time Jim Tracy needs a guy there, Helton will be the choice. It's really nice being able to say that and know it's not wishful thinking.

-- Jorge De La Rosa had a really good plan of action against the Cubs tonight with the wind blowing out. Credit Bob Apodaca as well. They knew they were facing a strictly right-handed lineup in less than favorable pitching conditions, but it's also a very undisciplined lineup. De La Rosa was able to take advantage, striking out nine, walking NONE and allowing one earned run over seven innings.

Very impressive outing that improves Jorge to 4-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.61.

-- Ty Wigginton also provided another key hit on the road. His 4th inning solo homer put the Rockies ahead for good. He also doubled, singled and stole a base to round out his impressive game.

Watch Wiggy's blast

-- Damn, Jose Lopez has hit the ball hard and given good at-bats dating back to Sunday against Josh Johnson. All that has gotten him is an 0-for-11. The game really isn't fair sometimes.

-- Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street. You know the drill.

-- No sense settling for a series win in Chicago. Let's hope the Rockies can finish strong here, finish off the sweep, and go home with TWO winning road trips to start the season.

Rock Solid Recap: No Sweep For You, Champ

The Rockies may have dropped their first series of the season to San Francisco, but they sure as hell weren't going to be swept.

Rockies 10, Giants 2 (boxscore)

-- The offense really provided a great lift, scoring just as many runs today (6) against Cain as they did in his four starts against them last season.

Obviously Cain wasn't at his very best, but I didn't really think he was bad either. The Rockies offense just took it to him. They did what made them successful on the road trip, and that's maximize their scoring opportunities. A pair of four run innings certainly bears that out.

-- The biggest swing came from Ty Wigginton. His three-run second inning homer, which was also his 1,000th career hit, was the big hit the Rockies can never seem to find against Cain. Wigginton also had the two-out, three-run double in Pittsburgh which is a big hit the Rockies can rarely find on the road.

What I'm saying: Mr. Wigginton has been a fantastic addition even if the average doesn't overwhelm you.

Watch Wigginton's three-run homer

-- Nice job by Jorge De La Rosa to minimize the Giants first inning damage today. They did score one, but it looked like it could be a three-peat of the last two games. He put an end to that, and then pitched aggressively and effectively with a nice lead.

His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. That's as Rock Solid as it gets.

-- It could be time for Seth Smith to shed the Mr. Late Night nickname. It's a fun one to be sure, but he's a starter now, and he's hitting at all hours of the day.

Watch Smitty do work

-- Really impressed with the at-bats Jose Morales takes. Working counts. Driving pitches the other way. Looks like he may strike out quite a bit, but doesn't do so without putting up a decent fight. Really nice guy to have as a backup.

Watch Jose's RBI double

-- Carlos Gonzalez looked pretty lost against lefties Dan Runzler and Jeremy Affeldt late in the game. He was bailing on some pitches and just looked really uncomfortable. His reactions after both at-bats tell you he's fighting it mentally. Hopefully he finds a good answer to his problem during the off day.

-- Troy Tulowitzki had a very professional day at the plate. Three hits, three runs scored. Didn't look like he was thinking about hitting that 100th career home run, just looking to find a way on base and help his team that way.

-- Ryan Spilborghs came through with the three-run homer the Rockies could have used last night down three. The home run extended the lead from 7-2 to 10-2. Oh well, like I tweeted when it happened, he needed it more than the team did. Hopefully it'll jump start him on a hot streak.

Watch Spilly find the Rockies bullpen

-- And we'll just call it a day with this wonderful screencap courtesy CSN Bay Area.

Rock Solid Recap: Boomsticks & Broomsticks

Rockies 9, Mets 4 (boxscore) 

Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the Colorado Rockies winning a series in Pittsburgh, following that up by not only winning that elusive series in New York, but sweeping an entire four game series in New York, including sweeping a doubleheader. That sh... stuff never happens! None of it.

But you know what? When Troy Tulowitzki isn't in the mood to lose. When Jonathan Herrera muscles up for his second career home run. When you get back-to-back solid starts from both Esmil Rogers and Greg Reynolds. When your closer can be awful in a save situation and you still don't blow the game.

When all of those things come together -- you may be a little bit lucky, but -- you're not going to lose.

-- Yes, I said Jonathan Herrera went yard. He turned on a Taylor Buchholz pitch and hit a three-run missile into the right field seats in the 6th inning. That came two batters after Brad Emaus failed to turn the easiest inning-ending double play of life with Jorge De La Rosa running. Dexter Fowler also had a clutch two-out, RBI single which set the table for Herrera.

Watch Herrera's rocket

The reactions of Troy Tulowitzki, Jim Tracy and the guys in the dugout are priceless.

-- Troy Tulowitzki completed his sweep of New York. He became the first player to homer in every game of a series at Citi Field. In case you forgot, this was a four game series.

Watch Tulo's 99th career homer

-- Jorge De La Rosa's day was an interesting one. He did not have much command of anything early on. He left several flat pitches right in the happy zone and New York's right-handed bats made him pay with some good swings, but never could deliver a knockout blow. They would regret that because Jorge collected himself in innings five, six and seven.

In the end his lined looked this: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO, 1 WP. 116 pitches.

Again, considering the way he started that's an excellent line. But on a normal day under normal circumstances I wonder how long Tracy would have stuck with him.

-- Good job by the bullpen -- Matt Reynolds, Rafael Betancourt and Felipe Paulino -- to eliminate any and all drama from the second game. We all needed that little late inning breather, but no one needed it more than Jim Tracy.

-- Todd Helton had three hits. Because he's a freaking brilliant hitter.

-- Carlos Gonzalez waits patiently for Dexter Fowler to catch a flyball in Game 2.

-- Well, the Rockies will be dragged kicking and screaming back to Coors Field for a homestand beginning with the Cubs on Friday. This would be an easy series to overlook coming off this roadie and looking ahead to the Giants coming in next week. Hopefully Colorado can maintain the focus necessary to take care of business.

Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies go cold in frigid Pittsburgh

Pirates 4, Rockies 3 (14) (boxscore)

Where do we begin tonight?

-- Well, how about with the lack of a clutch hit or timely contact. After Jason Giambi crushed a three-run first inning homer, the offense couldn't muster one single run. They had several chances, but when they needed to move a guy 90 feet, they couldn't get a baseball in play. When they needed a hit, it always found a Pittsburgh glove.

-- Carlos Gonzalez finished the night 0-for-7. That will never happen again in his career. Troy Tulowitzki finished 0-for-4 (three walks), but didn't see a lot to hit after Jason Giambi the game early for a pinch-runner.

-- Jorge De La Rosa was cruising right along for three innings until, once again, a blister problem popped up, altering his command and ending his night early. One has to assume he'll be pushed back a couple days this time as he deals with the reoccurring issues.

-- Dexter Fowler was caught wandering off first base after delivering a one out basehit in 11th. What should have been 1st and 3rd with one out quickly and senselessly became runner on 3rd with two outs.

-- Franklin Morales suffered another meltdown at a bad time for the Rockies. After retiring Jason Jaramillo, Morales forced Ronny Cedeno to pop up on the infield. Morales called for the ball, which no pitcher should ever do, and collided with Ty Wigginton. Morales caught the ball on the rebound, but was clearly rattled, walking Josh Rodriguez on four pitches.

After going 3-1 on Jose Tabata, Morales laid a fastball on a tee that Tabata bounced off the right field wall for the walk-off win.

-- It was also a bad night for manager Jim Tracy. Tracy removed Jason Giambi, who filled in last minute for the injured Todd Helton, for pinch-runner Ian Stewart in 6th. Stewart entered the game with the flu, and unfortunately only lasted three innings. It was clear Tracy wanted to improve the team's defense protecting a one run lead, which is smart, but with the circumstances surrounding Stewart's health, he left himself with no flexibility later in the game.

He probably should have gone to Lopez there and kept Ian for a pinch-hit attempt later on.

I also wasn't a fan of using Huston Street three innings. Low pitch count aside, it's April, and it's your closer that's spent time each of the last two seasons on the DL. Makes me nervous.

And finally, there are some in Pittsburgh who believe Clint Hurdle duped Tracy into pitching to Jose Tabata in the 14th by having Andrew McCutchen stand in the on deck circle one batter before his turn. The next due batter was actually the pitcher's spot currently occupied by Garrett Olson.

To me this sounds like a group of writers out to make Jim Tracy look stupid after his failed run in Pittsburgh. That said, there's little doubt who the better manager was on Friday night. It was the guy we used to have, not the guy we have now.

Rock Solid Recap: The long climb back to .500

1-1 means one of two things.

1. You're disappointed you're not 2-0.
2. You're relieved you're not 0-2.

The Colorado Rockies fall under the latter category after tonight's hard fought victory.

Rockies 3, Diamondbacks 1

-- You have to start with Jorge De La Rosa. He was hurling quite a gem out there for 5+ innings before exiting with that nasty blood blister. We're just relieved to hear that's all it was considering it was the same finger he tore the tendon band on last season.

5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K.

At 87 pitches, it's likely that would have been his final inning. Maybe not in July when pitch counts are extended, but at this stage 95-100 would be a reasonable number. Arizona's Daniel Hudson exited after six innings and 101 pitches. Can we find a way to get him?

-- Matt Belisle needed three webgems to get through his 1 2/3. Watch Cargo's beauty.

-- Rafael Betancourt was solid in his frame. Huston Street? Not so much. You'd have to watch the inning to really understand how messy it was. He couldn't put anyone away with his slider. He lost his balance turning to make a pickoff throw. He looked as uncomfortable as I've seen him in his career. And that's saying something.

I like Street. I really do. He can do the job if you need him to, but he's not going to lead this team is saves this season. Jim Tracy will eventually experiment with power arms Matt Lindstrom and Felipe Paulino. I predict one of them will sitck and help make life in the ninth inning a little easier.

-- Tulowitzki remains hitless.

That would be quite a story on May 2nd. April 2nd, not so much. He's just not seeing the ball well. It's not the curse of Katy Perry. Has nothing to do with pressure from the contract. He's a notorius slow starter. You should know that going in, and you know what will follow once he's locked in.

-- Good Chris Iannetta is really good. Why Arizona pitched to him with a base open and a RISP I don't know, but I thank them. Of course De La Rosa followed with an RBI of his own. but Iannetta's RBI double would prove to be the dagger.

Spring Training Game 31: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Mariners 7, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

Hits

Offense

Everyone in the lineup today (minus Jose Lopez) recorded at least one hit. Willy Taveras and Ty Wigginton each had three, with Willy scoring twice and Wiggy driving in three. Matt Pagnozzi muscled up for a long ball. 14 hits in total.

Rafael Betancourt

Dial it up big man. Betancourt with his best outing of the spring, striking out all three batters he faced. And I don't care that they were Brendan Ryan, Jack Wilson and Kalian Sams.

Misses

Jorge De La Rosa

Eh, final tuneup wasn't very smooth, but who cares. He gets the D-Backs on Saturday and I expect a much sharper and more focused DLR.

Matt Belisle

Belisle was unable to record an out today. Three singles and an error by right fielder Bronson Sardinha were enough to give Seattle the two runs they needed to pull the game out. So that's nice for them. I think their announcers are still screaming like they won a game in September or October. Sheesh.

Foul Tips

One more

Tomorrow is the final day of Cactus League baseball before the Rockies move on to Tulsa. That means tomorrow will be the final Hits, Misses & Foul Tips of the spring. Fine with me. I'm ready to talk about games that count. Apparently the Mariners announcers are as well.

Spring Training Game 25: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 6, Mariners 5 (boxscore)

Hits

Jorge De La Rosa

Good stuff from DLR tonight (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). The K/BB is especially fun to look at when you think about some of his inconsistencies hitting the zone. At this point I feel pretty confident penciling him in for 15 wins this season. That's based on nothing other than my gut and my hope he can stay healthy the whole way through.

Carlos Gonzalez

The swing was pure. The sound was beautiful. All systems are go for Cargo.

Felipe Paulino

Paulino got the call in the 9th and protected a one run lead with a quick and flawless inning. I think he's going to be a real nice addition to the bullpen and should really help take some pressure off guys like Belisle and Betancourt. Though I still think he would have been just as helpful in the 5th starter role.

Misses

Rafael Betancourt

Speaking of... Raffy had rough time of it in his usual 8th inning, allowing a pair of runs on three hits. He was also working extra excruciatingly slow. Or maybe it just seemed that way because Seattle was fouling off all of his put away pitches.

Foul Tips

Solid play

Felt like the Rockies played a solid all around game this evening, which is something you couldn't say most of last week. Aside from a questionable error ruling on Stewart, they were flawless defensively, smart on the bases and sound in their approach at the plate. Wouldn't mind to see another performance just like it against LA tomorrow.

Spring Training Game 22: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 9, Brewers 7 (boxscore)

Hits

Todd Helton

No hits for Helton, but two walks and he scored all the way from first base on a Ty Wigginton first inning double. Things are looking far more positive for him at this point than I anticipated - health wise and offensively - even with the move to Scottsdale easing the spring travel.

Ben Paulsen

Paulsen recaptured the lead for Colorado with a two-run single in the 7th inning. Regardless of the level of pitching he's faced most of the spring, you have to be impressed with his production. He'll be an interesting guy to follow in the minors as the season progresses.

Misses

Greg Reynolds

First three innings: 1 H

Last three innings: 8 H, 6 ER, 2 K

Well, maybe there's a future for Reynolds in long or middle relief. This probably is/was his best chance at cracking the Rockies rotation, and now it's gone.

Esmil Rogers, come on down. John Maine, you're on standby.

Jorge De La Rosa

Continuing the theme of Rockies starters getting clunkers out of the way this week, De La Rosa allowed seven hits, five earned runs, walked one and struck out four in four innings against the Angels High-A squad. Not pretty, but not overly concerning.

Foul Tips

1st Inning

Much like the Greg Reynolds situation for Colorado, injuries to Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum left the door open for Brewers prospect Wily Peralta to make the opening day roster. That door likely closed today. Peralta recorded 14 less outs than the Brewers were hopeful he would. Within the first eight batters, he allowed five runs, six hits and walked one.

It was brutal for Peralta, but it was good to see a full lineup of main roster Rockies feasting on a nervous young pitcher. Unfortunately, much like we saw several times last season, the offense started hot and then was completely shut down by Tim Dillard and others until the 7th inning.

Matt Reynolds

Reynolds notched his first scoreless inning in 1-2-3 fashion. That has to be quite a feeling of relief... lame pun intended.

Spring Training Game 10: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 4, Cubs 0 (boxscore)

Hits

Jorge De La Rosa

Awesome. Could not ask for a better outing (4 IP, 2 H, 5 K) from a starter 11 games into the spring.

Jordan Pacheco

Pacheco lit up the scoreboard again today with a three-run home run off Braden Looper. The story of camp continues.

Clayton Mortensen

Mortensen is making the most of his spring opportunity after being acquired from Oakland to add depth to the starting rotation in Colorado Springs. He won't make the opening day roster, but he's a decent bet for a spot start or stint in the bullpen if the Rockies depth is tested.

Franklin Morales 

Three scoreless appearances this spring. Let's all cross our fingers and really hope he's found his groove during the winter.

Misses

Nothing really stood out here. I was honestly more focused on the Rockies game with the White Sox that aired locally than this game, but from what I heard the Rockies played solidly.

Foul Tips

Split Squads

If you're going to split the squads, stagger the times so nerdy fans like myself with blogs can keep their thoughts straight. That is all!

Spring Training Game 5: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Giants 7, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

Hits

Todd Helton

Helton vowed to swing better today after a rough afternoon on Wednesday. He delivered on his promise, lining out to right in his first appearance and doubling in his second. So that's good.

Jordan Pacheco/Ben Paulsen

Another day. Another hit. Another RBI. Another dollar for Pacheco.

Paulsen has also been impressive in the early going. Today he contributed two hits (one triple), a run, and two RBI.

Despite the admirable attempt to comeback from a 7-0 deficit, this was a difficult day to find many true positives, so forgive me if these hits weren't all that exciting.

Misses

Jorge De La Rosa

Jorge allowed the first run by a Rockies starter all spring. And then he allowed the second, third and fourth. The damage included a solo HR by the light-hitting Darren Ford and a monster home run to straight away center by the heavy-hitting Buster Posey.

The bad news? It could have been even worse if not for a line drive that was snagged by Ty Wigginton that resulted in a 5-3 double play, and a full out diving grab by Willy Taveras. De La Rosa just didn't have it today.

Huston Street

Sounded like Huston struggled putting a couple hitters away today and it cost him. He struggled with that at times last season, and boy did that not only cost him but it cost the Rockies big time. Street's progress this spring will be worth monitoring. It he can't find that put away slider that made him so dominant in 2009, things could get a little too interesting in Colorado's 9th innings.

Hector Gomez

Upped his spring error total to four with a throw that sailed over Ben Paulsen's head, allowing San Francisco's 7th run to score. I don't think we'll ever see this once promising prospect make his big league debut at Coors Field.

Foul Tips

Felipe Paulino

A decent line (3 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K) for the guy whose chances to become the Rockies 5th starter seem to increase with every update on Aaron Cook's shoulder. I've been impressed with Paulino the times I've seen him in the past. Granted, most of those were against Colorado while they were struggling and the Cubs while they were Cubbing, but I really think he can help the Rox if indeed he ends up starting.

Camp Caution

Troy Tulowitzki was the latest to leave a game for precautionary reasons after hitting himself in the foot with his bat on an awkward swing. The official diagnosis is a bruised right heel.

The Rockies are correctly taking a more cautioned approached this spring. A sign of a team that is confident and positioned for success. While some fans (too many fans) are treating this like the regular season, freaking out about scores and looking to trash talk other fans, the rest of us (including the Rockies) are holding our breath with each tweak, sprain and infection.

Sure that makes spring training a lot less fun, but that's fine with me, because the regular season is a lot more fun than it used to be. That's a trade every fan should be willing to make.

Rock Solid Recrap: Another Day, Another Clunker

Before I get worked up or start saying things about a completely meaningless and unimportant baseball game, I want to send along the very best wishes to Miguel Olivo.

That is one of the scariest things you'll see on a baseball field. One blow to the head is nothing to take lightly. Then you think back to the collision with Tulowitzki on Sunday and how Olivo needed a couple days to recover from that shot to the head. Two blows to the head (including one with a bat) in five days is something I would say is potentially serious.

Here's to hoping he'll be okay, that he's getting the best care (which I fully believe he is in St. Louis.), and that he'll make good decisions about his health now and in the future if this becomes a reoccurring issue for him.

Cardinals 3, Rockies 0

Thank goodness this thing ends on Sunday.

Seriously, if this season had another week or two left, I'd be concerned the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros would end up with a better record. This team has simply checked out.

I wish (for their sake) I could come up with an acceptable excuse for what we're seeing, but it's at the point now where I just shake my head in embarrassment.  Thankfully no one outside Colorado is paying attention anymore. If they were, I would have a difficult time trying to explain why this is happening.

Chris Carpenter shutting you down is one thing, even if you didn't exactly battle at the plate as I would expect you to, but following that up with this effort against Jake Westbrook is awful. Have some pride.

On a positive note: Jorge De La Rosa pitched well again. Dexter Fowler and Jonathan Herrera are still doing their thing. Annnnddddd... that's about it.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez goes for #20 against Kyle Lohse.  

Remember folks, that's an early start for all of you in Colorado.  First pitch is 11:10.