Rock Solid Record-Breaking Recrap

Dodgers 3, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: It's official, the 2012 Colorado Rockies are the worst we've seen in their two decade long existence, surpassing the 95-loss team from their inaugural season in 1993.

(Please, hold your applause. There are still four (road) games remaining on the schedule and this record in futility could still grow all the way into the triple digits.)

So it's not really about what went wrong tonight. It's about what has been going wrong for essentially three years, leading us to this dreadful season that will mercifully end in four days. 

Turning Point: Matt Kemp cracked a really long two-run homer in the 4th. He then added a completely unnecessary solo homer in the 8th, because the Rockies had already resigned to their fate and checked out after the first one. Typical road Rockies. Typical September Rockies under Jim Tracy. You know all the cliches and hashtags.

Tyler Chatwood's Line: 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 74 pitches (46 strikes)

Nothing to see here. Standard Rockies four-inning outing that was neither excellent nor disastrous. It was just kind of there, which is a fitting ending to Chatwood's season.

That said, I still have a decent feeling about Chatwood long term, but odds are he'll never ever sniff his potential with the Rockies.

Bullpen's Line: 4 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR

Jim Tracy was in heaven tonight utilizing six different relievers to navigate the final four innings. Of course three of those relievers (Rex Brothers, Josh Roenicke and Matt Reynolds) faced a grand total of four hitters, retiring only one of them. But by golly, our manager was out there managing and pushing buttons and making all kinds of things happen! Shake his hand and give him another lifetime deal.

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Rock Solid Recap: The Jordan Pacheco Show

Rockies 7, Cubs 5 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Jordan Pacheco

Real easy choice today. Pacheco was the man offensively (with the 1st inning three-run homer) and defensively (which you'll see shortly).

Watch Jordan Pacheco's three-run homer

Turning Point: Pacheco's 1st inning homer stood up the entire game, but there were moments when that seemed in doubt. That included the 5th inning when Chicago loaded the bases against Jhoulys Chacin with one out. The Rockies held a 7-3 lead there, and Chacin needed those two outs to qualify for the win. And he got them thanks to fielder's choice force play at home against Luis Valbuena and a Steve Clevenger groundout.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 85 pitches (55 strikes)

Chacin didn't have much today, but Jim Tracy allowed him to go beyond to the 75 pitches get out of that bases loaded jam. It was refreshing to see that from Jim and just as good to see Chacin reward the faith. I guess you could call it a gritty effort, but certainly a difficult one to watch or feel overly encouraged about. He is healthy, though, so there's that.

Bullpen's Line: 4 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 K

All of the bullpen's damage came against a gassed out Matt Belisle in the 9th. That was cleaned up by Rafael Betancourt, who struck out back-to-back hitters, and then Jordan Pacheco and Josh Rutledge finished it as you'll see right now.

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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 September Recap: These Are Rare

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2 (boxscore)

Since starting this blog in 2010, the Colorado Rockies record in games from Sept. 15 on is 9-33. That's including Monday's win over Arizona, which broke a nine-game losing streak.

That bad. That real bad.

But Monday was good... so let's talk why they finally won one.

Winning Player: Andrew Brown

Was leaning towards Tyler Chatwood here but Andrew Brown's late home run changed my mind. It was a solo shot in the 8th, but that insurance run was a big one to get for Rafael Betancourt. Brown also had a double earlier in the game and a run-scoring groundout. Productive night all around offensively, and the adventurous catch out in right field was a highlight too.

Watch Andrew Brown's opposite field homer

Watch Andrew Brown's nice catch

Honorable Mentions: Chatwood (more shortly), the bullpen (more shortly), along with Charlie Blackmon and Tyler Colvin who each contributed two hits.

Turning Point: After Arizona scored two in the 4th to take a 2-1 lead, the Rockies battled right back with two of their own in the bottom half (Brown's RBI and a D.J. LeMahieu RBI single). Chatwood then put up a big 0 in the 5th to stabilize things, which allowed the bullpen to bring it home.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Giants 2, Rockies 1. Just Like Always.

Giants 2, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: One day after allowing 12 runs to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park and only losing by one run, the Rockies hold the mighty San Francisco Giants to two runs... and again lose by one run.

Bet nobody saw that coming.

And by nobody I mean everybody.

Turning Points: What makes a loss like this one all the more frustrating though is Madison Bumgarner walking five batters in six innings and the Rockies not making him pay for it.

• Dexter Fowlers starts the game with a walk... and then he's caught stealing. 

• Chris Nelson leads off the 2nd with a walk. Andrew Brown follows with a single. But that rally dies on a D.J. LeMahieu double play. 

• Fowler and Josh Rutledge walk with one out in the 4th. Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario fail to drive them in.

• Andrew Brown walks in the 6th... caught stealing (picked off). 

Turning any single one of those walks into a run would have changed the entire outlook. Instead, Bumgarner gets off the hook repeatedly and the Rockies get absolutely nothing going against San Francisco's tough bullpen. Same result we've seen seemingly 1,000 times over the past few seasons against those guys.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 5 IP, 1 ER. 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 80 pitches (50 strikes)

Solid outing that very likely would have stretched out to an excellent outing with a couple more innings of work. But I'm just happy to see Jhoulys throwing this well and looking healthy because that's all that truly matters right now.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Well, At Least They Outscored The Cowboys & Jets

Padres 12, Rockies 11 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Listen, anytime you score 11 runs and lose, it's obvious what went wrong. However, anytime you score 11 runs and lose at Petco Park, you've taken wrong to a whole new level of rotten. Eesh.

Alex White's Line: 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 81 pitches (41 strikes)

Lather. Rinse. Four innings. Nearly 50-50 strike-ball ratio. Repeat. Nothing to see here that you haven't already seen a dozen times.

Adam Ottavino's Line: 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Ottavino just didn't have it, and when you're married to this piggyback system you're pretty much screwed in this scenario. I mean where do you turn? The other piggybacks can't go today. You can't extend one of your late guys. As @Stars5Steve says on Twitter, you're managing to a system that creates little flexibility, not the game flow.

I couldn't think a dumber way to approach baseball than what the Rockies have been doing this season, and will do in an updated form next spring.

Turning Point: This one took some really wild turns: The Rockies scored five straight early to take a 5-1 lead. Then San Diego scored ten straight, including the eight-run 5th against Adam Ottavino and Matt Reynolds. And then in the 8th Colorado rallied for six thanks largely to Josh Rutledge's first career grand slam.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rough First Inning Too Much To Overcome

Giants 8, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: We can pretty much narrow this down to San Francisco's five-run 1st inning against Jeff Francis. Though the 11 strikeouts from the offense and Dexter Fowler and Josh Rutledge combining to go 1-for-9 out of the top two spots in the order could also qualify as parts of the problem, especially considering Carlos Gonzalez and Wilin Rosario each reached three times behind them, including Rosario's 24th homer.

Turning Point: Gregor Blanco started the game with a triple. Marco Scutaro singled him home. The Giants rolled for four more runs, including three with two outs, and never looked back.

Jeff Francis' Line: 3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 78 pitches (51 strikes)

The rough 1st inning put the Rockies behind the eight-ball and guaranteed a short evening for Francis. Pitching for a normal team, he may have been able to squeeze out two or three more innings based on how strongly he recovered in the 2nd and 3rd. The Rockies, however, are not normal, so it just goes down as an awful outing and another taxing night on the bullpen.

Bullpen's Line: 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 7 K

Adam Ottavino was solid, striking over four and allowing one run over three innings. It was Josh Roenicke who struggled the most, allowing two earned runs in the 9th. His ERA finally creeped over 3.00 after staying in the 2's basically all season.

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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: Jhoulys Dominated And Then Dexter Slammed The Door

Rockies 9, Padres 1 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Jhoulys Chacin 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 75 pitches (53 strikes)

To say Chacin pounded the strike zone tonight would be an understatement. What a fantastic outing that only  saw him make one mistake, which of course Will Venable hit over the scoreboard in right for homer. That aside, Chacin was effective, extremely efficient, and more importantly than that, looked confident (and looks healthy). It looks like we might have something to truly look forward to every fifth day in September. 

PS: Chacin is the first Rockies starter to go 7 innings since Christian Friedrich back on June 4 (half a season ago). 

Honorable Mentions: Josh Rutledge (three hits, one run) and Tyler Colvin (home run, double, three RBI). 

Both of these guys keep on hitting and producing. Thinking about them in a lineup with Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler and Wilin Rosario for years to come makes me as giddy as one can be while still fully understanding this team isn't set up to win anytime soon.  

Turning Point: The Rockies jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to some good two-out hitting. That started right away in the 1st inning when Carlos Gonzalez doubled and then Wilin Rosario knocked him in with a single. They would then add three more two-out runs in the 5th thanks to Tyler Colvin's two-run double and Chris Nelson's RBI single. And who knows, that inning could have been even more productive had Jim Tracy not gone to the Little League playbook with the old 1st-and-3rd steal a run double steal with Nelson on first and Jordan Pacheco on third.

That failed miserably, and probably will most times unless you have an EY2 or Dexter Fowler running at third or you're facing a team below rookie ball level.

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Rock Solid Recap: Obviously The Dodgers Need More Help

That, or the Rockies are inexplicably locked in right now or the Dodgers have terrible timing. These first two games have not even been close.

Rockies 8, Dodgers 4 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Wilin Rosario (3-for-4, 22nd home run., three RBI)

He's officially no longer a rookie hitter. He's a professional hitter and he's getting better all the time. Exciting!

Watch Rosario unload in the 3rd

Andrew Brown also contributed three hits for the Rockies, which establishes a new career-high for him. Josh Rutledge, Jordan Pacheco and Charlie Blackmon each had two hits in the attack.

Turning Point: The Rockies jumped out 4-0 and never looked back in this game. However, the Dodgers did have one opportunity in the 4th where they loaded the bases with no outs against Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood responded by getting a double play ball off the bat of Adam Kennedy. Then, after an intentional walk to A.J. Ellis, Chatwood blew away Chris Capuano to kill the rally. That's how you prevent a turning point!

Tyler Chatwood's Line: 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 80 pitches (51 strikes)

Chatwood worked in the strike zone frequently and again found success because of it. His work in the Kennedy at-bat mentioned above was especially impressive, and the young righty appears to be getting more comfortable dealing with traffic (Miami start aside) and confident in his ability to pitch around it. I remain convinced he'll be a solid contributor in 2013.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Put Rare Resilience On Display

Rockies 4, Cubs 3 (boxscore)

I'm not used to this from the 2012 Colorado Rockies. They lost a game they absolutely should have won on Friday. Then they fell behind on Saturday 3-0, which is often times a sign the game is about to get ugly (especially away from Coors Field), but the Rockies bullpen held things in check, the defense held strong, and the bats provided just enough timely hits to complete the comeback.

Dare I say, they looked like winners.

Winning Players: The Bullpen... again. 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K

The win goes to Carlos Torres, who pitched  2 1/3 scoreless at the piggyback reliever. Rex Brothers added a strong 1 1/3 and now has a scoreless streak of 7 1/3 innings over five appearances. Will Harris, who has served in the setup lately when Matt Belisle needs a day off, retired the only batter he faced to end the 8th. Rafael Betancourt was flawless in the 9th to earn his 26th save. Brilliance abounds in the bullpen right now.

Turning Point: Two big moments stand out for me.

The first, Josh Rutledge's pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 5th that got Colorado on the scoreboard and cut the deficit to 3-2.

Watch Josh Rutledge go yard

The second came after the Rockies grabbed the lead in the 7th. The Cubs were putting together a little rally with runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. For some unknown reason, manager Dale Sveum elected to put the double steal on at that point, and Wilin Rosario put the fire out with a strong throw to cut down the trail runner Joe Mather.

Watch Wilin Rosario kill a rally

Huge play. And what makes it more impressive is that he dug out a ball in the dirt and still had the ability to make a good throw, and also had the presence of mind to throw to the correct spot. Very encouraging stuff from Rosario, who seems to be gaining confidence by the day behind the plate.

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Rock Solid Recap: Just Another Four-Game Winning Streak. No Big Deal.

Rockies 5, Mets 2 (boxscore)

Remember when the Rockies couldn't beat the same team twice in a row for like three months? Yeah, so now they're not only doing that, they're actually taking it one step farther and beating the same team three times in a row. They did it to Milwaukee last week at home. Now they're doing it to the Mets in New York. 

Unreal.

Also, thank you Brewers and Mets falling apart at the seams at just the right time. Of course I want to see changes from top to bottom and left to right, but I don't really want to see the Rockies ever loss 100. Very happy they're moving further away from that pace. 

Winning Player: Wilin Rosario 

The Rockies rookie catcher was terrific in Wednesday's win, and it all started in the 1st inning when he ended the Mets mini-rally (one run in, runner on first) by catching David Wright stealing.

Even if it ultimately didn't save a run, it definitely saved Francis a few precious pitches. We all know how vital that is for Rockies starters. In this case, it would help Francis stick around long enough to have a shot at winning (he didn't, of course).

Rosario then got the Rockies offense started in the 4th with a sacrifice fly scoring Jonathan Herrera. The thing I liked most about that plate appearance (aside from the obvious) is that he picked up Carlos Gonzalez, who had just struck out with the runners at second and third. Even if the Rockies didn't get the most out of the opportunity, at least they got something because of Rosario's good work.

That evened the score at 1-1. It stayed that way until the 7th when Mr. Rosario again made a difference with a go-ahead solo homer.

Watch Wilin Rosario Hit No. 20

I think the home run speaks for itself. He's a strong kid with scary offensive potential. We need a couple more of those guys.

Turning Point: Those three Rosario moments could all be considered turning points in the game. I also think the Rockies adding two insurance runs in the 9th was a huge difference (Chris Nelson's RBI single and Josh Rutledge's pinch-hit RBI double), especially when you look at how the bottom half played out with New York getting two runners and the tying run to the plate.

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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 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 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 Recrap: Another Rockies Rerun

Giants 11, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

If you've seen this game once, you've seen it 67 times this season. Lousy starting pitching. Lousy relief pitching. Lousy defense. Decent enough offense, but too little and too late to make a difference.

More of the same. No end in sight.

Jeff Francis' Line: 3 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 66 pitches (41 strikes)

If it wasn't official after his last start, it's official now: Jeff Francis has hit the four-man rotation wall, and he's impacted it pretty violently. No surprise there. But he should be given credit for holding up as well as he did for as long as he did. He was asked to put a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on his arm for a team that's going nowhere. I realize he had to do to stay in the big leagues, but I still respect him for doing it and having success with it for six weeks.

Edgmer Escalona's Return Line: 1 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB

He's not a major league pitcher. Cut him. Immediately.

Highlight of the Night: Like I said, I'll keep showing them if Josh Rutledge keeps hitting home runs. He did it again on Saturday night, this time against Madison Bumgarner.

Watch Josh Rutledge's 6th home run

Of course it doesn't hurt that his home runs are often the only highlight of the game for Colorado fans. Pickins' are slim.

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Rock Solid Recap: White Impressive In Latest Return, Rutledge Remains Warm

Rockies 8, Cardinals 2 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Jordan Pacheco

Paycheck keeps on hitting and producing in the Rockies lineup, going 3-for-3 with a sac fly, two RBI and a run scored on the evening. His average sits at a pretty .307, and he also continues to show steady improvement defensively. He's a real nice guy to have around regardless of where you sit in the standings.

Tyler Colvin (two doubles, RBI), Josh Rutledge (another home run), Carlos Gonzalez (two hits, one run) and Todd Helton (three walks) also had some nights at the plate. It was honestly a good solid game all the way around for Colorado, so we'll definitely enjoy the treat.

Alex White's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 84 pitches (50 strikes)

White looked better than ever (which might not be saying much during his Rockies tenure) through five innings, but then impacted a wall head-on in the 6th. Jim Tracy gave him a chance to work out of it (going beyond the 75-pitch something or other) but White couldn't pull it off, leaving with two runs in and the bases loaded. However, Rex Brothers did get through the inning without further damage with a double play, keeping White's line very respectable and more importantly keeping the Rockies in the game.

Overall I'd call it an encouraging outing (especially considering the opponent), but we still need to see some consistency from White before getting too exciting. Unfortunately, though, I'm not sure the paired pitching system allows for said consistency.

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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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