Lineup Card: Rockies @ Dodgers 8-8-12

Tuesday's Recap: Rockies, Rutledge Double Up On Dodgers

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (40-68)

1. Eric Young Jr. (LF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Dexter Fowler (CF)
4. Wilin Rosario (C)
5. Tyler Colvin (RF)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Matt McBride (1B)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Jeff Francis (P)

"The best way to defense against teams pitching around Carlos Gonzalez is to sit him down." -- Jim Tracy

Not a real quote... but very possibly a real thought. 

Los Angeles Dodgers (59-52)

1. Shane Victorino (LF)
2. Mark Ellis (2B)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Hanley Ramirez (SS)
5. Andre Ethier (RF)
6. Juan Rivera (1B)
7. Jerry Hairston (3B)
8. Mattsy May-Treanor (C)
9. Chad Billingsley (P)

Thanks to Eric Stephen (@truebluela) for today's lineups. 

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Dodgers 8-7-12

Monday's Recap: Rockies Snap Losing Streak. Jim Tracy Just Plain Snaps

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (39-68)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Dexter Fowler (CF)
4. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Ramon Hernandez (C)
7. Tyler Colvin (1B)
8. Jonathan Herrera (2B)
9. Alex White (P)

Have to keep running Ramon Hernandez out there because...

Only Jim Tracy knows the answer to that.

Los Angeles Dodgers (59-51)

1. Shane Victorino (LF)
2. Jerry Hairston (2B)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Andre Ethier (RF)
5. Hanley Ramirez (SS)
6. James Loney (1B)
7. Luis Cruz (2B)
8. A.J. Ellis (C)
9. Aaron Harang (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Dodgers 8-6-12

The news from the Colorado clubhouse is not good again today. Todd Helton has been diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right hip and will be forced to undergo season-ending surgery on Friday.

The recovery time is estimated to be six months, which would allow Helton to be ready for spring training. He plans on being there, of course, because he's Todd Helton and we would expect nothing less from him. 

You can read more from the Denver Post. 

There's plenty of reason to wonder if Helton will be able to bounce back from an injury and operation of this nature at this stage of his career/life, but until I hear Helton himself say he can't or won't be there, I'm 100% confident he will be.

Get well, #17.

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (38-68)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Dexter Fowler (CF)
3. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
4. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
5. Ramon Hernandez (C)
6. Matt McBride (1B)
7. Chris Nelson (2B)
8. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
9. Drew Pomeranz (P)

Get ready for two months worth of spring training lineups. These will not be pretty at all.

Los Angeles Dodgers (59-50)

1. Shane Victorino (LF)
2. Mark Ellis (2B)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Hanley Ramirez (SS)
5. Juan Rivera (1B)
6. Jerry Sands (RF)
7. Luis Cruz (3B)
8. A.J. Ellis (C)
9. Chris Capuano (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Giants 8-4-12

Friday's Recrap: Giants 16, Rockies 4. It May Only Get Worse. 

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (38-66)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Dexter Fowler (CF)
4. Carlos Goznalez (LF)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Ramon Hernandez (C)
7. Matt McBride (1B)
8. Jonathan Herrera (2B)
9. Jeff Francis (P)

Come on down, Matt McBride and Edgmer Escalona. You're the latest callups thanks to Michael Cuddyer and Christian Friedrich going on the DL. That list seems to add a new name (sometimes two) every single day, and soon will have more names on it than Jim Tracy's lineup card.  

San Francisco Giants (57-49)

1. Angel Pagan (CF)
2. Ryan Theriot (2B)
3. Melky Cabrera (LF)
4. Buster Posey (C)
5. Hunter Pence (RF)
6. Marco Scutaro (3B)
7. Brett Pill (1B)
8. Joaquin Arias (SS)
9. Madison Bumgarner

Same Giants lineup as last night. Go get'em, Jeff Francis! 

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Cardinals 8-2-12

Wednesday's Recrap: Fitting End To A Lousy Day In Rockies Baseball

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (37-65)

1. Tyler Colvin (RF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Dexter Fowler (CF)
4. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Todd Helton (1B)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Alex White (P)

So we've arrived at this lineup combination now?

Why the hell not?

St. Louis Cardinals (56-48)

1. Skip Schumaker (2B)
2. Jon Jay (CF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. David Freese (3B)
6. Lance Berkman (1B)
7. Daniel Descalso (SS)
8. Tony Cruz (C)
9. Lance Lynn (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Cardinals 8-1-12

Links

Tuesday's Recrap: Another One For The Pile

And here's a post I wrote for Big League Stew on the Rockies front office 'changes' that were announced on Wednesday.

Making sense of Colorado's front office changes

Lineups 


Colorado Rockies (37-64)

1. Eric Young Jr. (CF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Andrew Brown (RF)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Tyler Colvin (1B)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Drew Pomeranz (P)

Dexter Fowler is still battling a flu bag, explaining his absence. Michael Cuddyer, who exited last night's game early, is also out of the lineup. Not exactly sure why (we'll assume routine), but if I hear something concrete I'll update. 


St. Louis Cardinals (55-48)

1. Daniel Descalso (SS)
2. Allen Craig (1B)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. David Freese (3B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Tyler Greene (2B)
9. Jake Westbrook (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 7-24-12

Monday's Recrap: Sanchez Fills The Guthrie Role To Perfection

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (36-59)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
5. Andrew Brown (RF)
6. Wilin Rosario (C)
7. Josh Rutledge (SS)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (3B)
9. Edwar Cabrera (P)

Roster move: To make room for Cabrera, Jason Giambi was placed on the disabled list with what the Rockies are calling "viral syndrome" or a "viral infection." Obviously we're pulling for improved health for Giambi as quickly as possible, but on the baseball side of things this means the Rockies won't be able to move him before the July 31 deadline. There's still a decent chance they'll be to do so in August, but if he's not on the field teams will likely look elsewhere for their bench bat. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (48-48)

1. Willie Bloomquist (3B)
2. Aaron Hill (2B)
3. Jason Kubel (LF)
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
5. Justin Upton (RF)
6. Miguel Montero (C)
7. Chris Young (CF)
8. Stephen Drew (SS)
9. Joe Saunders (P)

The D-Backs made a huge mistake today designating Ryan Roberts for assignment. They should have allowed him to kill the Rockies for two more games (you know he would have) and then DFAed him. But I won't complain. Rumor has it the Tampa Bay Rays are interested in his services, so it looks like he'll be out of the division all together pretty soon. That's a plus. Now, if he can take Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero with him, that would be an even bigger plus.

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 7-23-12

Weekend Recaps

Friday: Reflection, Perspective, And A Quick Recap

Saturday: Kinda fun

Sunday: Not so much fun 

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (36-58)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
5. Tyler Colvin (RF)
6. Ramon Hernandez (C)
7. Josh Rutledge (SS)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (3B)
9. Jonathan Sanchez (P)

The most interesting angle going into this game is obviously Jonathan Sanchez's Rockies debut.

With a 75 (or thereabouts) pitch limit going in, I wouldn't expect him to go beyond four innings tonight. He's just not a very efficient pitcher, and seems like an extremely poor fit in this type of system. But who knows, maybe he'll surprise and I'll have nothing but glowing things to say afterward. 

Spoiler: He won't be any worse than Jeremy Guthrie. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (47-48)

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS)
2. Aaron Hill (2B)
3. Jason Kubel (LF)
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
5. Justin Upton (RF)
6. Miguel Montero (C)
7. Chris Young (CF)
8. Ryan Roberts (2B)
9. Ian Kennedy (P)

Jason Kubel — the other Minnesota Twins corner outfielder to jump to the National League West this offseason — had what you'd call a productive weekend. On Saturday, he hit three home runs and drove in six in Arizona's 12-3 win over Houston. On Sunday, he homered again, tripled, and scored twice in their 8-2 win. Going back a little more, he's connected for six homers in seven games since the all-star break and he currently leads to the NL with 71 RBI. 

He's going to be a problem this week, as are all of the other usual Rockies killers — Aaron Hill, Miguel Montero, Ryan Roberts, and so on. 

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Pirates 7-17-12

Monday's Recap: Embracing The Drama

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (35-54)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Dexter Fowler (CF)
4. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
5. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. Josh Rutledge (SS)
9. Christian Friedrich (P)

Alright, well, now we have Dexter Fowler hitting third, and I must say I'm a lot more intrigued by this move than I was hitting Pacheco third. I mean, ultimately I think that's the spot Carlos Gonzalez should hit because he's the best hitter on the team, but there's no doubt Fowler has been the next best hitter (and provides more pop than Pacheco) pretty much all season, so I can actually see this arrangement sticking awhile.  

More roster moves... Jonathan Herrera (shoulder) and Chris Nelson (irregular heartbeat) hit the DL today. We wish them both speedy recoveries (especially Nelson). On the way up are infielder D.J. LeMahieu (who played respectably in his earlier stint) and outfielder Andrew Brown (who is hitting extremely well in AAA). Brown should fill the right-handed bat off the bench role and draw a handful of starts. 

Pittsburgh Pirates (49-40)

1. Alex Presley (LF)
2. Drew Sutton (RF)
3. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
4. Casey McGehee (1B)
5. Neil Walker (2B)
6. Pedro Alvarez (3B)
7. Michael McKenry (C)
8. Clint Barmes (SS)
9. Erik Bedard (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Pirates 7-16-12

Weekend Recaps

Friday: Rockies Rookies Roll Over Phillies
Saturday: Rockies Gonna Rockie
Sunday Snoozer

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (34-54)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
4. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
5. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
6. Tyler Colvin (RF)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. Josh Rutledge (SS)
9. Jeff Francis (P)

Well, Jim Tracy is trying something new again with Jordan Pacheco hitting third and Carlos Gonzalez slipping down to clean up. I give this experiment three games.

In other news, Juan Nicasio is out for the season after undergoing microfracture surgery under his left kneecap to remove bonechips. Nothing but bad luck for him over the last 12 months. 

Pittsburgh Pirates (49-39)

1. Alex Presley (LF)
2. Josh Harrison (RF)
3. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
4. Casey McGehee (1B)
5. Neil Walker (2B)
6. Pedro Alvarez (3B)
7. Rod Barajas (C)
8. Clint Barmes (SS)
9. Jeff Karstens (P)

Andrew McCutchen is still my favorite non-Rockie in baseball and there's not a close second right now. He was just named National League Player of the Week, he's the hottest hitter in baseball since early May, and if MVP votes were tallied this evening, he'd probably win it. He's been that damn good, and if his tear continues against the Rockies this will be a difficult series to win.

Pedro Alvarez has been a Rockies killer before. He also comes to town swinging a hot bat lately, so this really could be a long week. 

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Phillies 7-13-12

The 2nd half is upon us. 

The Rockies have 77 games remaining.

Can we stomach it?

How many Colorado Rockies players/coaches will survive it?

When will we see Nolan Arenado?

Will Tyler Colvin continue pushing Todd Helton out of the picture?

I have no guaranteed answers to any of those questions... BUT... I do have tonight's lineups and roster moves!

Colorado Rockies (33-52)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Ramon Hernandez (C)
5. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
6. Tyler Colvin (RF)
7. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
8. Josh Rutledge (SS)
9. Christian Friedrich (P)

Roster moves galore out the break. First of all, Todd Helton hits the DL with his hip injury, So yes, that will open things up for Tyler Colvin for the time being. It's also a DL situation for Wil Nieves, who's apparently suffering from turf toe. That's never fun. And Tyler Chatwood was optioned to Double-A Tulsa to make a start this weekend. 

Coming up: Prospect Josh Rutledge, who you see in the lineup, is the move for Helton. Assuming he sticks (and he should once Marco Scutaro is moved), he will start seeing extensive time at second base since that's where his Rockies future will be. Ramon Hernandez is also back, as you can see by him hitting CLEAN UP tonight. Alright then. And we also welcome right-hander reliever Mike Ekstrom. 

*Exhale*

Philadelphia Phillies (37-50)

1. Jimmy Rollins (SS)
2. Shane Victorino (CF)
3. Chase Utley (2B)
4. Ryan Howard (1B)
5. Carlos Ruiz (C)
6. Hunter Pence (RF)
7. Placido Polanco (3B)
8. John Mayberry (LF)
9. Cliff Lee (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Cardinals 7-5-12

Wednesday's Recap: Rockies Reach In The Loss Column

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (31-50)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (1B)
5. Tyler Colvin (RF)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
9. Christian Friedrich (P)

St. Louis Cardinals (43-39)

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Jon Jay (CF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. Allen Craig (1B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. David Freese (3B)
8. Matt Carpenter (2B)
9. Lance Lynn (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Cardinals 7-4-12

Monday's Recrap: Outman? More Like Out Of The Rotation.

Tuesday's Recap: Francis, Colvin Continue Carrying Rockies

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (31-49)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Tyler Colvin (RF)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Chris Nelson (3B)
7. Wil Nieves (C)
8. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
9. Jeremy Guthrie (P)

— Tyler Colvin is hitting cleanup for the time this season, which means he's now started at every spot in the order expect for 9th. I think we can rule that out now with interleague play over, but, then again, you know all about Dan O'Dowd and Jim Tracy's radical ideas.

— I would not have minded an outfield of Gonzalez, Fowler and Eric Young today for one reason: Defense doesn't matter with Jeremy Guthrie pitching. You just need guys who can run to the wall quickly.

— Josh Outman was optioned to Double-A Tulsa (according to Tracy Ringolsy) this afternoon. No word yet on if he shoulderblocked Tracy on his way out of the manager's office, but we do know Carlos Torres was recalled to take his spot.

 St. Louis Cardinals (42-39)

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Jon Jay (CF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. Allen Craig (1B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. David Freese (3B)
8. Skip Schumaker (2B)
9. Adam Wainwright (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Cardinals 7-2-12

Sunday's Recrap: Kip Bleepin' Wells

Lineups 

Colorado Rockies (30-48)

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

No Dexter Fowler tonight, because... well... we really don't know at this point. Probably just a Jim Tracy decision, but Troy Renck is looking into it anyway.

No Todd Helton tonight, either. That's easier to explain. He's struggling and Jim Tracy feels like Michael Cuddyer is emerging from his June swoon, so Cuddyer plays. Also, Tyler Colvin needs to keep playing.

Update: Troy Renck reports Dexter Fowler is sitting tonight with a sore left lat muscle and Todd Helton is nursing a sore hip. Please disregard my previous analysis. 

St. Louis Cardinals (41-38)

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Jon Jay (CF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. Allen Craig (1B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. David Freese (3B)
8. Daniel Descalso (2B)
9. Kyle Lohse (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Padres 7-1-12

Saturday's Speedy Recrap: Guthrie Leads Bullpen Collapse

June Review and Player Rankings

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (30-47)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Jason Giambi (1B)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Tyler Colvin (LF)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
8. Wil Nieves (C)
9. Drew Pomeranz (P)

That's the first true Jim Tracy Sunday lineup I've seen in a long time. (Well, since April) 

Of course it falls right in line on the day Drew Pomeranz returns.  

San Diego Padres (29-50)

1. Chris Denorfia (RF)
2. Logan Forsythe (2B)
3. Chase Headley (3B)
4. Jesus Guzman (LF)
5. Yasmani Grandal (C)
6. Yonder Alonso (1B)
7. Cameron Maybin (CF)
8. Alexi Amarista (SS)
9. Kip Wells (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Padres 6-30-12

Friday's Recap:  The Road To 100 Detours Through San Diego

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (30-46)

1. Dexter Fowler (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. Christian Friedrich (P)

San Diego Padres (28-50)

1. Chris Denorfia (RF)
2. Logan Forsythe (2B)
3. Chase Headley (3B)
4. Carlos Quentin (LF)
5. Yasmani Grandal (C)
6. Yonder Alonso (1B)
7. Cameron Maybin (CF)
8. Alexi Amarista (SS)
9. Edinson Volquez (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Padres 6-29-12

Thursday's Recap: Josh Outman Starts Are Fun!

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (29-46)

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

A couple things of note today.

1. Todd Helton sits for that second time in three days to accommodate the Rockies need to keep Dexter Fowler and Tyler Colvin on the field together. I suspect this is something we'll start to see more often, and honestly, it works for me because Fowler and Colvin do need to play, and a fresher Helton likely makes him more effective as well. Those incredibly long innings standing around in the field have to be taking their toll on some level.

2. Tyler Chatwood has been recalled and will piggyback Jeff Francis tonight. I imagine he'll eventually replace Josh Outman as a front end man in the paired pitching system. Edwar Cabrera was shipped out to make room for Chatwood to wrap up his (sarcasm) overwhelmingly positive first experience at the big league level (/sarcasm). 

San Diego Padres (28-49)

1. Chris Denorfia (RF)
2. Logan Forsythe (2B)
3. Chase Headley (3B)
4. Carlos Quentin (LF)
5. Yonder Alonso (1B)
6. Cameron Maybin (CF)
7. Everth Cabrera (SS)
8. John Baker (C)
9. Jason Marquis (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Nationals 6-27-12

Tuesday's Recrap: More About Bob And The Great Guillermo

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (28-45)

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

With the Bob Apodaca news breaking yesterday, I neglected to mention the Rockies recalling 24-year-old left-handed pitching prospect Edwar Cabrera, while shipping the struggling Alex White back to Colorado Springs. 

Cabrera will make his major league debut tonight against Washington, and then enter into the circus known as the Rockies four-man rotation. And I'll be honest, I think this is a really awful way to acclimate a young pitcher you'll be counting on for years to come into the big leagues. But hey, (sarcasm) look how well it's working for White and Christian Friedrich (/sarcasm). 

Washington Nationals (42-30)

1. Danny Espinosa (2B)
2. Bryce Harper (CF)
3. Ryan Zimmerman (3B)
4. Michael Morse (RF)
5. Ian Desmond (SS)
6. Mark DeRosa (LF)
7. Tyler Moore (1B)
8. Jhonatan Solano (C)
9. Jordan Zimmerman (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Nationals 6-26-12

Monday Recap: Jeff Francis Continues To Embrace Weird Pitching Gimmick

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (28-44)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Chris Nelson (2B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
9. Christian Friedrich (P)

Never a dull moment with these here Rockies. The USA Today — not the Denver Post, because the Rockies apparently feel it's necessary to stick it to the local media — is reporting that Bob Apodaca has asked for and been granted a reassignment within the Rockies organization. 

According to Tracy Ringolsby, the Rockies will now split the pitching coach duties between Jim Wright (bullpen) and Bo McLaughlin (starters). I imagine that setup will remain in place at least through the end of this season. And we've also now learned that Apodaca will be taking on a role titled "Special Assistant to the General Manager", which basically means "We don't have the balls to fire you, so here's a desk, office and paycheck. Be here everyday by noon." 

But the only news that really matters is that, for better or worse, he's no longer the Rockies pitching coach. And I'm 90% sure it's for the better, because constantly attempting to solve pitching at Coors Field has a way of mentally beating people down over time. Keeping the minds (and arms, too) involved in the process as fresh as possible seems like a good plan of action to me, but it also might be impossible to keep them fresh enough to really be effective for a sustained stretch. 

Washington Nationals (41-30)

1. Danny Espinosa (2B)
2. Bryce Harper (CF)
3. Ryan Zimmerman (3B)
4. Michael Morse (RF)
5. Adam LaRoche (1B)
6. Ian Desmond (SS)
7. Tyler Moore (LF)
8. Jesus Flores (C)
9. Gio Gonzalez (P)

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

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Rangers 6-24-12

Saturday's Recap: Rockies 11, Rangers 7. Let It Sink In.

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (27-43)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Jason Giambi (DH)
5. Wilin Rosario (C)
6. Todd Helton (1B)
7. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
8. Jonathan Herrera (SS)
9. Dexter Fowler (CF)

Alex White (2-5. 6.06)

It's always refreshing when Jim Tracy figures out something new about making lineups. Of course I'm referring to the catcher, Wilin Rosario, hitting higher than 7th. He'd let Ramon Hernandez do that every now and then. Rosario may have done it once or twice already, but it's not often. And of course Chris Iannetta never hit higher than 8th, so congrats to Jim there.

Oh, and there's Dexter Fowler hitting 9th again. Guess we can't win them all.

Texas Rangers (44-28)

1. Ian Kinsler (2B)
2. Elvis Andrus (SS)
3. Josh Hamilton (LF)
4. Adrian Beltre (3B)
5. Michael Young (1B)
6. Nelson Cruz (DH)
7. David Murphy (RF)
8. Mike Napoli (C)
9. Leonys Martin (CF)

Matt Harrison (9-3, 3.41)

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