Thoughts on Miguel Olivo being traded to Toronto

It's Official: The Colorado Rockies have traded Miguel Olivo to the Toronto Blue Jays for a guy not yet identified and/or cash money.

There had been at least two incorrect reports from Tracy Ringolsby leading up to the official announcement of the trade. Sloppy reporting on his end, no question about that. But all reporters get caught with bad information from time to time. I don't think it makes him any less the credible source. Though you give credit to Thomas Harding and Troy Renck for sticking to their guns here.

Anywho... a lot of Rockies fans seem disappointed by the news, which I guess I expected, though not to the extent I've seen on Twitter.

Unfortunately the arguments for Olivo staying mostly center around him fitting in, being a nice guy, always smiling, wanting to be a Rockie, so on. All nice things, but things that play little part in winning a championship.

Really all you need to know is that Toronto will be Olivo's 7th different team since 2004.

• Chicago White Sox 
• Seattle Mariners 
• San Diego Padres 
• Florida Marlins 
• Kansas City Royals 
• Colorado Rockies 
• Toronto Blue Jays

Not to rip on the guy, but this isn't a monumental loss from any baseball standpoint. In fact, that Dan O'Dowd was able to swing a last minute deal is a pretty nice piece of GMing on his part. It saved the team a $500,000 buyout, which could be signficant in making another signing down the road.

Also, Olivo wasn't brought in to be a long term solution. He was brought in to play a backup role to Chris Iannetta for a year or two while the Rockies young catching talent developed.

It turned out he had an amazing start to the season, very likely all-star worthy, took the job, and then he regressed back into being the guy he's been his entire career -- an okay backup catcher that moves around a lot like all backup catchers do.

Unfortunately Chris Iannetta never got into a rhythm, so the Rockies had a gaping hole behind the plate the last three months of the season, but the way it was designed made sense.

I know names like Mike Napoli and Victor Martinez are being tossed around. I'm sure a couple more names will be thrown in that mix. We'll see what happens. There are many factors involved here including how the Rockies want to spend their money, roster flexibility, and how they view their catchers behind Iannetta.

It's a process and it's impossible to predict which way they'll go until some chips start falling around the league.

Also, in case you haven't heard.

The Rockies declined the option on Jeff Francis. They will attempt to re-sign him for far less money.

They also declined the option on Octavio Dotel, which had to be one of the easiest decisions O'Dowd has ever made.

And finally, O'Dowd declined the option of fries with his sandwich at lunch today. By my count he's 4-for-4 so far in the offseason.

Rock Solid Recap: That'll Do

This isn't the BCS.

Style points aren't necessary here.

Who you beat, how you beat'em, where you beat'em and why you beat'em don't mean a damn thing.

Win a baseball game.

The Colorado have won nine of them... in a row.

All fun has broken loose in Denver.

Rockies 2, D-Backs 1

Tonight's game was a perfect illustration of just how focused, confident, and red hot the Colorado Rockies are as we head towards September 12th. These are the games the Rockies were allowing to get away for the first five months of the season. The ones we said we'd look back at in frustration if this season didn't improve.

Well, it has improved, but we still run the risk of having those games bite us in the ass. That is why not allowing this one to get away was ultra important. That counts double when it's Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound.

It was an odd night for Ubaldo. He really never seemed to find a comfort level or real rhythm out there. The command was off. The efficiency was less than desirable. But in the end, the results were solid enough to keep his struggling offense in the baseball game.

Yes, I said struggling offense. Yes, Ubaldo was outpitched by Rodrigo Lopez. Yes, it doesn't matter, because the Rockies found a way to win.

It came down to four really productive at-bats in the bottom of the 7th

1. Melvin Mora pulled a single to left on an 0-1 pitch. 
2. Ryan Spilborghs drove a 1-0 pitch to the oppo gap for a double. 2nd and 3rd one out. 
3. Miguel Olivo broke the ice for Colorado with a first pitch RBI single through the left field. 
4. And then the AB of the game from Jonathan Herrera. A sacrifice fly to deep center on a 1-2 pitch.

Again, what Jonathan Herrera gives the Rockies simply can't be measured in stats and charts. I spoke of style points at the top. There are no style points with Johnny. All he does is produce, make his team better, and give them a better chance to win baseball games by simply doing what's asked of him and understanding his role.

Yeah, you need your CarGo's and Tulo's and Helton's to have success. But what separates winning teams from losing teams are guys like Johnny.

Really all four guys involved in that inning (Herrera, Spilborghs, Mora and Olvio) fit the mold of role players who make the team better by understanding their role and excelling at them. Really is a nice mix of guys that all fit together perfectly after the release of Brad Hawpe.

Funny how that works sometimes.

Tomorrow

Jhoulys Chacin vs Ian Kennedy

Time to go 1-0 and see where the chips fall by Sunday night. Gotta like your chances with Mr. Chacin taking the hill.

Rock Solid Recap: Being Better At Baseball

The Colorado Rockies have a job to do. They also currently have an opponent that quite frankly stinks, but for some reasons gives them fits in 2010. 

Best way to remedy that? Show up with some focus and be better at baseball.

It's really that simple.

The talent level between the Rockies and Diamondbacks was pretty much even back in 2007. I expected it to stay that way for at least the next 4-5 years... but it hasn't. The two rosters aren't even close, and tonight, that difference in talent was on full display.

Rockies 13, Diamondbacks 4 

This game was essentially over the moment Todd Helton laced this 2-run single in the first inning (Highlight). For real. The Diamondbacks could have packed their bags and headed back to the hotel right then and there.

One big reason for that? Jorge De La Rosa. Again, not the most efficient work from DLR, but he was inefficiently dominant with 10 Ks over 6 six innings of 2 run ball. Despite the 103 pitches in those 6 innings, he did not walk a batter. Several full counts are what led to an early departure. And he may have left early anyway because of the lopsided score.

Another big reason for that? Troy Trevor Tulowitzki. T Times 3, as in 3-for-3 with 2 bombs, 3 runs, 4 RBI and a token BB. That makes 5 HR in 3 games. That's what they call white hot in the baseball broadcasting business.

Ryan Spilborghs (2-for-3,2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Eric Young (2-for-5, RBI, SB), Melvin Mora (2-for-3, 2 R, BB), Todd Helton (2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB) & Miguel Olivo (1-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI) all had big nights for the Rockies as well.

See what I mean? The talent differential is quite staggering.

And how about *cringe* Franklin Morales? Tonight made two excellent outings in a row. This one was actually dominant (1-2-3, 2 Ks).

I was the last one off the Morales bandwagon earlier in the season. I'm very hesitant to be the first one back on, but I do really like what I'm seeing. Granted he's been eased into two very low pressure situations, but I'm still praying to the Baseball Gods that some sort of switch has been flipped here.

All that hope aside, he would have to be absolutely insane for the next three weeks to even be a consideration for a playoff roster should the Rockies become that fortunate. But just having another reliable lefty arm for three weeks would be huge in aiding that process.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Rodrigo Lopez

As pitching matchups go, this one appears slightly advantageous for our favorite baseball team.  Regardless, the Rockies have more work to do. No time to start making any assumptions or losing focus. Just come out and be better at baseball for 9 more innings.

Rock Solid Recrap: Still Can't Count To 18

Ubaldo Jimenez is stuck on 17 wins...for all eternity.

Giants 2, Rockies 1

As I figured, the Rockies needed two big hits to win tonight's baseball game.

They only got one.

Who by? You know who... (highlight)

Ubaldo Jimenez was as untouchable as we'd seen him at any point all season for the first four innings. Aside from that CarGo HR, so was Tim Lincecum. In fact, both were so good, the first 4 1/2 innings of the game were completed in exactly one hour.

27 outs = 60 minutes. Damn.

The Giants then touched Ubaldo for one in the 5th on a pair of singles and a walk. He would shut them down again in the 6th and 7th, before walking Mike Fontenot leading off the 8th. That's never good. Pinch-runner Darren Ford (MLB Debut), would be sacrificed to second by Lincecum, took third on a wild pitch, and scored the game-winning run on an Olivo throwing error.

You know me by now, I never point to one play and say THAT decided the game. It's baseball. There is always more to the result than one play. That holds true again tonight.

The offense was awful... again. Well it's Tim Lincecum, so big deal, right? Tim Lincecum has been brutalized by every offense he's faced (home or road) in the last month. No exceptions. He has been dreadful... until tonight.

Go figure.

A lot of people before the game questioned why Miguel Olivo started all three games of the series over Chris Iannetta. Count me among those. Troy Renck explained it as a comfort situation between Olivo and Ubaldo. I don't think Ubaldo cares who's back there, just put the best player on the field.

For the first three months of the season, the best player was Miguel Olivo. It's not anymore. Hasn't been since the all-star break. Why Jim Tracy refuses to acknowledge that I don't understand, but I really don't understand much that goes through his mind.

Hindsight wasn't 20-20 on that one play. Foresight saw it all very clearly. People that like to defend Jim Tracy (there seem to be plenty) are entitled to do so (I do when warranted), but that's not really a conversation I'm interested in having at this point. I've seen what I need to see. I've consulted enough people from Pittsburgh and LA. I'm comfortable with my assessment of Jim Tracy as a non-instinctual and downright poor manager.

Nice guy. Not getting the most of his team.

Tracy is a big reason for my optimism reaching an almost non-existent level. The Rockies lack of clutch hitting is another. The third reason weighs a lot more than the first two put together, and that is the respect I have for the teams they are chasing.

Listen, the Padres are down right now. Are they going to stay down? They could, but I'm not very optimistic they will be poor enough to allow Colorado to catch them. Same can be said for Philadelphia. They are healthy now. They have a 5-1 road trip (something we can't even dream of) going. They are experienced.

If those two teams do what I expect, it really won't matter what Colorado does, or even what San Francisco or St. Louis does.

Hope to the Baseball Gods I'm wrong, but I'm not going to wave pom-poms and write things I don't believe to be true.  Sorry.  There are other sites out there if that's what you're looking for.

Tomorrow

Make-up day with Philadelphia.-- Joe Blanton vs Jhoulys Chacin.

That's a really nice test for Jhoulys.  Not that I need to see much more to be convinced he's a special talent.

Return of the Rock Solid Recap

But first, I have to nitpick...

The handshake line was a little sloppy and out of sync. Need to work on that after all three games in the Cubs series.

Rockies 9, Pirates 3

Pretty basic formula: Great starting pitcher + Timely hitting.

Ubaldo Jimenez

We can back away from the ledge here. While Ubaldo wasn't exactly dominant or as efficient as you'd hope today, I think we would have had to be satisfied with any marginal improvement over the last start in Philadelphia.

This was more than marginal.

He stayed in control of himself. He didn't rattle. His mechanics were solid. Stamina was good. This was a very good first step back to the Ubaldo form we saw the first 2 1/2 months of the season.

He'll get yet another crack at the Giants in his next outing. In two previous outings this season, he's had a complete game shutout and a complete meltdown. I'm betting this one rests somewhere in between, but hopefully closer to the shutout.

Timely Hitting

All it takes is a couple well-timed basehits to give a scuffling offense a little of confidence.

It's not like the scoring chances haven't been coming, they just haven't been accompanied by those timely, confidence building hits. When you don't get those timely hits, you need a lot of home runs (or lucky breaks) to score your runs. Those haven't been coming either.

So those timely hits are essential in being successful. That's why they're called timely hits.

Dexter Fowler had the biggest one.

His bases loaded, 2-out, 2-run double in the second inning got that proverbial monkey off the offense's back. You could just feel the sigh of relief and the building of confidence all at once. Fowler had 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI in the game. His best in a long, long time.

Clint Barmes rode the wave started by Fowler, following immediately with a 2-run single. I know I joked about Clint Barmes hitting second today in the pregame. Credit where it's due, the move worked. Barmes had his best offensive day (2 hits, 3 RBI) in quite some time.

Later in the game, Miguel Olivo also had a 2-out, run scoring single that extended the lead to 6-1. Like Fowler and Barmes, Olivo is another guy that has been struggling of late, so I'm hopeful this is something he can build on as well.

Oh, and I couldn't conclude without mentioning CarGo's home run to left center.  Absolutely gorgeous swing.  When he's focused on driving the ball to the opposite field, he's deadly.  The Rockies will need a deadly Carlos Gonzalez to have any prayer of making any type of run.

Tomorrow

Cubs are in town. It's the battle of the Canadians! Ryan Dempster vs Jeff Francis.

Rock Solid Recrap: Cook & Olivo Go Together Like...

Like...

Fire and Gasoline.

Have you noticed that?

I started to notice it on Sunday when Cook was completely in charge against the best offense in the NL. Chris Iannetta called all those pitches.

Get Miguel Olivo back out there against another good offense -- though one that's been struggling -- annnnd we're back to the Aaron Cook who looks lost on a pitching mound.

I'm not the stat guy around here... but here are those numbers updated after tonight.

• Cook with Iannetta -- 5 starts, 32 IP, 3.09 ERA

• Cook with Olivo -- 13 starts, 74.2 IP, 5.30 ERA

That's a pretty dramatic difference. Dramatic enough that you would think a manager that "pushes all the right buttons" (as Troy Renck likes to remind us only when Tracy's decisions work out), would notice it and maybe adjust his catching rotation to match Cook up with the catcher he's comfortable with.

Anywho...

Phillies 6, Rockies 0

Wouldn't have mattered much tonight anyways. Roy Halladay was in cruise control from pitch #1 to pitch #116.

Not even sure he broke a sweat until he covered first base on Fowler's groundout in the 8th.

The Rockies offense had maybe one almost significant threat that really didn't stand a chance with Miguel "Gun Show" Olivo and Brad Hawpe hitting with RISP.  They are the opposite of locked in right now.

Silver Lining?

Well... again... I like what Manny Corpas is doing.  I don't know what his role is exactly.  As David Martin pointed out on his Twitter tonight, Jim Tracy might not know Manny's role either.

Dear Mr Corpas, You are going to be my mop up guy, my one inning guy, and every now and then a setup guy. At the same time. -Jim Tracy

But I do like that Manny is at least throwing the ball well.  He will continue to do so until Jim Tracy wears his arm again sometime in the second week of August.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Kyle Kendrick

Do I even need to tell you how important the game is?  This pitching matchup (on paper) is a huge mismatch in the Rockies favor.  But can they take advantage of that?  Or will Kyle Kendrick just be the latest scuffling pitcher to baffle the Rockies lineup?

Tune in to FOX... yes, FOX... to find out.

Rockies First Half Player Rankings

Ranking every player that has throw a pitch or made a plate appearance for the Rockies in the first 88 games.

The criteria consists of...

• Impact.  
• Offensive.  
• Defense.   
• Efficiency.
• Consistency.    
• IQ.   
• My Confidence.  

Without further ado...

1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Carlos Gonzalez
3. Miguel Olivo
4. Jason Hammel
5. Joe Beimel
6. Troy Tulowitzki
7. Matt Belisle
8. Jonathan Herrera
9. Clint Barmes
10. Jhoulys Chacin
11. Seth Smith
12. Huston Street
13. Ian Stewart
14. Esmil Rogers
15. Randy Flores
16. Jason Giambi
17. Manny Corpas
18. Brad Hawpe
19. Matt Daley
20. Todd Helton
21. Ryan Spilborghs
22. Aaron Cook
23. Chris Iannetta
24. Melvin Mora
25. Paul Phillips
26. Rafael Betancourt
27. Dexter Fowler
28. Jorge De La Rosa
29. Jeff Francis
30. Brad Eldred
31. Eric Young
32. Chris Nelson
33. Juan Rincon
34. Greg Smith
35. Franklin Morales

Here are the Top 3 in each category.

Impact

1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Carlos Gonzalez
3. Jonathan Herrera

Offense

1. Carlos Gonzalez
2. Miguel Olivo
3. Seth Smith

Defense

1. Troy Tulowitzki
2. Carlos Gonzalez
3. Todd Helton/Clint Barmes

Efficiency

1. Joe Beimel
2. Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Matt Belisle/Huston Street

Consistency

1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Carlos Gonzalez
3. Jason Hammel (Post DL version)

IQ

1. Miguel Olivo
2. Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Jonathan Herrera

My Confidence

1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Carlos Gonzalez
3. Joe Beimel

Rock Solid Recap: Good Things Happen When Bat Meets Baseball

Rockies 10, Padres 8

Here's an inning-by-inning breakdown of the Rockies offense on balls in play.

• 1st: 2-for-4 -- 2 singles 
• 2nd: 0-for-1 
• 3rd: 5-for-5 -- 2 HR, 2 2B, 1B, 5 Runs 
• 4th: 0-for-1 
• 5th: 0-for-3 
• 6th: 0-for-1 
• 7th: 4-for-5 -- 3 soft singles and a Grand Slam, 5 Runs 
• 8th: 0-for-1
• 9th: No Need

You'll notice that it's extremely difficult to mount any offense in innings where one or less baseball is put in play.  On the flip side, when you're putting the ball in play at least three times an inning, you're likely to run into some good luck and/or hit some balls hard and create a situation.  

I could probably end the recap there and have already said enough.  Then again, I haven't told you anything you didn't already know.

Ian Stewart

Had himself a fine evening at the plate.

Only thing better than hitting a go-ahead HR in a game is coming back a few innings later and htting a go-ahead Grand Slam to the opposite field. Ian also drew a walk in his lone matchup against lefty special Joe Thatcher.

Ian's getting more locked in with each passing day.  

Highlights: 2-Run Blast, Grand Slam

Miguel Olivo & Carlos Gonzalez

This whole all-star snub thing may just work out after all. Both men will get four days of much needed rest, and it seems each will be very motivated to prove they belonged there. Determined superstars are good guys to have in the clubhouse and in the lineup.

Highlight: CarGo HR, Olivo's RBI Double

Dexter Fowler & Brad Hawpe

Four strikeouts apiece. Ouch.

I hope the HR the other night isn't in Dexter's head too much. The swing was kinda uppercutty with two strikes a couple times, which makes me nervous. He could just need a day off, too. He's being run out there every day since his recall.

Jonathan Herrera

Two more hits.  Two more runs scored.  Web Gem.

Jorge De La Rosa

Shaky return. His issue tonight was the inability to put hitters away with runners on base. He was ahead of just about every hitter, he just couldn't put enough of them away. That's typically a strength for Jorge, it will be again once he's comfortable, it just wasn't there for him tonight.

Realizing this, I have no idea why Tracy stuck with him so long. Or maybe Tracy just didn't realize it.

Manny Corpas

Made nothing but good pitches in the 5th inning, yet a number of Rockies fans on Twitter acted as if he allowed 7 runs. He didn't. Sixth inning was a little rougher with the double and the walk. That time Randy Flores cleaned it up and the Rockies stayed comfortably in the baseball game.

Back End

Matt Belisle, Joe Beimel, Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street. Fantastic work by each.

Tomorrow

Jason Hammel vs Wade LeBlanc

The Rockies have made full turn through the rotation undefeated. Time for Jason Hammel to start another.

Rock Solid Recapping A Nine Run 9th Inning Comeback

Those Colorado Rockies did it again. They made me fall in love with the game of baseball... for about the 813th time.

Rockies 12, Cardinals 9

I'd be lying if I said I saw that 9th inning coming. In fact, I was already in the process of putting my thoughts together on a Rock Solid Recrap. I mean seriously, a 6 run deficit in the 9th inning? A team that's left a total of 33 men on base the last two ball games? There's no way they can come back here, let alone make it interesting.

Hey, if there's ever a good time to be wrong, this would be one of those times.

How does a comeback like this happen? It takes a lot of work, and some of the most important work actually comes well before the decisive moment or string of moments.

Manny Corpas

Jim Tracy threw Manny Corpas out there in the 8th thinking this would a great time to get him some confidence. Corpas responded with an efficient and perfect 8th inning. So efficient, in fact, Tracy stuck him out there again in the 9th. Corpas responded again with a perfect inning.

That was step one in two different comebacks. 1) The Rockies victory. 2) Manny's confidence.

Miguel Olivo

Three hits, including TWO in the 9th inning. Yadier Molina got a good look at what a real all-star is, especially when Olivo crossed home plate as Molina lolligagged after his Passed Ball. What a joke.

Melvin Mora

A professional AB down six runs. Doesn't give away the AB, just puts a ball in play. Gets himself a hit. Extends the rally.

Clint Barmes

Here's an overlooked plate apperance. Clint Barmes drawing a walk is news all by itself. Clint Barmes drawing a walk under these circumstances is momumental. Terrific job by Barmy.

Chris Iannetta

That HR was a freaking clothesline.

It's so nice to see Chris hitting the ball well. I always predict good things for him, he always seems to leave us wanting more, but he's getting his house in order at a perfect time. His value is on the rise not only to the Rockies, but possibly other teams as well.  And he played third base for a couple innings!

Dexter Fowler

Understands the importance of just getting on base now. His basehit was important because often times a HR signifies a rally killer. Dexter assured us that wouldn't happen.

Carlos Gonzalez

Where the hell was Randy Winn playing? Under normal circumstances CarGo's well hit liner would have found the RF's glove and left us all deflated. With Winn playing practically in the Rockies bullpen, the ball dropped just shy of Winn and extended the inning a little more.

Thanks for that Randy Winn.

Highlight: CarGo's 2-run HR

Jason Giambi

Think he's not loving his playing time? He's a closer killer. Like CarGo's ball, Giambi's may have been playable for a nomrally positioned RF, but Winn again was back and a little more towards the line. The ball dropped, Winn bobbled, Winn dropped, Winn threw in weakly. CarGo scores from first.

Aaron Cook

Always ready to contribute on his non-pitching days. His 1st-to-3rd on Olivo's 2nd hit didn't up factoring in in any way, but just getting to third there gave the Rockies 30 different ways they could have won. Thank you for that effort Aaron.

Seth Smith

Mr. Late Night is quickly becoming one of my favorite Rockies of all-time. We're talking Dante Bichette/Todd Helton/Vinny Castilla levels here. You hate to ever expect a guy to hit a HR or double off the wall when the situation warrants it, but my God, Smith comes through every time.

And that swing? That swing is Helton-esque in his prime years. Seth Smith, my friends, is the best pure hitter on the team.

Highlight: Smith's Walk-off

I think I'm going to wear that highlight out a ton the next 24 hours.

Whew. I'm exhausted. I don't think anything I could write could do this game justice. I I'm incredibly proud of those 25 men wearing Rockies uniforms tonight. That's as good as a feeling as one can get watching a Major League Baseball game.

Yes, even Jeff Francis, who struggled again, but whose comeback shows he's no quitter either.

We'll delve more into that tomorrow.

Tonight, we enjoy our stay on cloud 9.

Go Rockies.

And maybe vote CarGo too if you get a few minutes.

Tuesday Links: O'Dowd, CarGo, Olivo

All-Star Links

-- My rant on the entire MESS of an All-Star Selection Show that aired on TBS this past Sunday. (Bugs & Cranks)

-- David Martin gives his take on the Miguel Olivo snub.  (Rockies Review)

-- Travis Lay jumps on the Olivo bandwagon, while linking to several experts with varying takes on the whole mess.  (Rockies Examiner)

-- Tom Verducci says the Rockies hit the jackpot with Miguel Olivo.  (SI)

-- I didn't forget Carlos Gonzalez.  If you're interested in voting for CarGo, and you don't mind validation codes, you can submit your votes at MLB.com. (Vote CarGo)

I've voted about 40 times in the last couple days.  I hope that means I remain in good standing with Rockies fans.

Unfortunately, I think we could all vote 1,000 times and Joey Votto will still get no less than 60% of the vote.  This thing has been setup for him to win.  He's the biggest snub on either ballot.  I don't really like it, but it is what it is.

That said, I think still think Gonzalez makes it if the NL needs a position player replacement.

Trade Talk Links

-- Dan O'Dowd tells Jim Armstrong the Rockies won't be pulling the trigger on anything until later in the month.  (Denver Post)

I continue to admire the way O'Dowd manages this team from up top.  Never any panic.  Never any hint of desperation.  He has a great feel for his team and what needs to be done.  I'm very comfortable with whatever he decides to do... even if it's nothing at all.

-- I was reluctant to read the Woody Paige article on Dan O'Dowd.  (Denver Post)

I'm glad I did.  It might be Woody's best work in years.  Seriously, he wrote an entire article that made sense and didn't once veer from reality.  That's historical.

My Projected NL All-Star Roster

National League Starting

1B Albert Pujols -- St. Louis
2B Martin Prado -- Atlanta
3B David Wright - New York
SS Hanley Ramirez -- Florida
C Yadier Molina -- St. Louis
OF Ryan Braun -- Milwaukee
OF Andre Ethier -- Los Angeles
OF Jayson Werth -- Philadelphia
DH Joey Votto -- Cincinnati
SP Ubaldo Jimenez -- Colorado

Reserves

1B Adrian Gonzalez -- San Diego
1B Ryan Howard -- Philadelphia
2B Brandon Phillips -- Cincinnati
3B Scott Rolen -- Cincinnati
SS Jose Reyes -- New York
C Miguel Olivo -- Colorado
OF Carlos Gonzalez -- Colorado
OF Carlos Lee -- Houston
OF Andrew McCutchen -- Pittsburgh
OF Colby Rasmus -- St. Louis
OF Chris Young -- Arizona

Corey Hart is probably the most glaring omission in most people's eyes. Listen, the Brewers pretty much blow if you're honest about it. They already get Braun and I also give them Gallardo below. Two is more than enough Brewers.

Besides that, Houston, Arizona and Pittsburgh are each required to have an all-star. The guys I picked for each happen to play OF. There's no way in hell i'm putting Hart on over Gonzalez or Rasmus. The other thing would be to squeeze off Ryan Howard.

No thanks. Corey Hart can stay home.

Pitchers

SP Chris Carpenter -- St. Louis
SP Yovani Gallardo -- Milwaukee
SP Jaime Garcia -- St. Louis
SP Roy Halladay -- Philadelphia
SP Josh Johnson -- Florida
SP Mat Latos -- San Diego
SP Tim Lincecum -- San Francisco
SP Stephen Strasburg -- Washington
SP Adam Wainwright -- St. Louis

RP Heath Bell -- San Diego
RP Jonathan Broxton -- Los Angeles
RP Carlos Marmol -- Chicago
RP Billy Wagner -- Atlanta

Strasburg gets the nod as Washington's selection. It could also be Ryan Zimmerman or Matt Capps... but come on, there's no buzz surrounding those two. Plus, you know, an inning of Strasburg late could honestly make a difference in the game.

Of course not all of these pitchers will be available based on the new pitching rules and what not, so these are all just very loose projections.

Rock Solid Recap: A Solid Baseball Win

No need for overreactions today.

Rockies 7, Giants 3

We haven't seen a whole lot of these. You know, a game the Rockies play and execute well for the entire nine innings. An enitrely stress free ballgame that you never once doubted the Rockies would win. I think I can count maybe 5-6 of those at best -- and of course those were all Jimenez starts.

Bottom Line: I think we need to really savor this one!

Aaron Cook

As any good veteran should, Cook is flat out refusing to relinquish his spot in the rotation. I don't know how much trouble it was ever honestly in, but he's not losing it. Not with performances like we're seeing lately.

And the best news? I think there's still plenty room for improvement. His command is still getting away from him at times, but I slowly see him getting a handle on it (1 walk). When he is getting hit -- aside from the Matsui grand slam (bad pitch) and near Aaron Roward grand slam (bad pitch) -- it's choppers through the infield and seeing eye singles.

That's much more Cookmanlike.

This upcoming decision for Jim Tracy, Dan O'Dowd and many others will be excruciating. Chacin is the heavy favorite to be optioned, clearly, but I think of the established guys, Cook is looking more secure than Francis is right now. That's not to say Francis stinks... it's just the hitting the wall around 85-90 pitches every start.

But again, all the established guys are going to be safe upon DLR's returns, unless something significant occurs in the next week.

CarGo

Is it too soon to call Carlos Gonzalez is the best position player not named Todd Helton to wear a Rockies uniform?

A little too soon?

Alright, I'll just wait until the very second it's not too soon to say it. That home run was another bomb left on left. There just aren't a lot of guys who can swing it that powerfully left on left. It's beautiful.  It's special.  He should never leave the 3-hole until 2020.

Olivo

The life of a catcher. Miguel took another pounding tonight.

A foul tip off the cage. A foul tip off the sensitive spot. Had a strikeout go through the five-hole on him. He also had another rough slide at third, and a near collision at the plate right after that.

This forthcoming all-star selection is going to make all those ache and pains feel a whole lot better.

Melvin Mora

Is a big league third baseman. It's fortunate he couldn't materialize in the super utility role the Rockies envisioned, but that was actually a pretty poor vision. Maybe if he was 28 he could learn to play these positions, but not 38. The old saying is quite true here...

You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Madison Bumgarner

Looks like a baseball player. He's a great athlete. The pitching will continue to develop as he gets used to the ML surroundings, but the makeup is clearly there.The Giants likely have themselves another gem to put in their already stacked rotation.

Damn them.

And Buster Posey ain't half bad either.

Tomorrow

Jhoulys Chacin vs. Tim Lincecum.

There's no doubt where I'll be when the first pitch is thrown out. Should be a good one.

Rock Solid Recap: It's A Win!

Rockies 10, Padres 6

The Rockie bats kept Taco Bell in business.

The Rockies arms went a long way towards keeping pepto bismol in business.

There are just some things in life that should never happen.

One of those things would be a game Ubaldo Jimenez is leading 8-0 (with a no-httier going) in the 6th inning turning into barnburner.

That's exactly what happened tonight. Scott Hairston, the undisputed champion of all Rockies killers, who hit a 3-run HR the inning before, was literally a foot away from a second 3-run HR. That one would have tied the game.

Not only would it have tied the game, but it would have crushed the spirit of Rockies fans and very likely a lot of Rockies players.

But it didn't go out. It's a win. Style points be damned, it's still a win.

It's a win because for the second consecutive Jimenez start, the offense gave him the support he needed... plus a little more.

Four HRs in Petco Park (CarGo, Olivo, Spilly and Mr. Late Night in the 9th). I'm too lazy/tired to look this up but I suspect not many visiting teams have hit four HRs there in a series... let alone a single game. Not this season... not any season in Petco.

That's some impressive thump for a team so often lacking the firepower.  Makes you wonder what could be if there was ever consistency.

Ubaldo Jimenez

I'm not excited that Jimenez allowed some hits and some runs in that sixth inning tonight, but it does make it easier to mention his command was kinda all over the place. The Padres impatience certainly assisted in Ubaldo completing five no-hit innings, but once they adjusted they started laying off the junk and squaring up the fastball pretty well.

It happens to the best of them. You miss location, you get hit. Jimenez just needs to clean a couple things up in his mechanics.

 Mitch Williams on MLB Network was consistently pointing out the difference in Ubaldo's front foot landing from previous starts. The front side was opening a lot more than we're used to from.  That likely led to the decrease in velocity and often inconsistent command.  I personally wonder if the shape of the mound is what led to that different delivery.

Aside from the command, he and Olivo missed connections a couple times. I don't want to call it sloppy, but there were elements that weren't smooth. So you see, even the guy most are calling the best pitcher in baseball still needs to work on his game. That's why this game is so impossibly difficult to master. That's why failing 70% of the time is acceptable for any hitter.

In addition to Jimenez, I think the entire staff needs to work on pitch efficiency. Too many walks are taking place that are leading to too many extra pitches being thrown, which is leading to a lot of tired looking pitchers before July. That's a concern.

Another concern would be Todd Helton's back flaring up on him in BP tonight. He was scratched from the lineup and early indications are day-to-day. That said, any time I read Todd Helton, back, and spasms in the same tweet, I brace for the worst.

In other late breaking news... it appears Dexter Fowler will be getting the recall to the big leagues. Much deserved for him. I don't know what this possibly indicates from a Rockies rosters standpoint, but I would assume it's health related to Helton, Hawpe, or both.

Healthy bodies are few and far between.

Well this concludes another exhausting day of Rockies baseball. Like I've said a couple times... it wasn't pretty, but it's a win. Now you just close your eyes, get some sleep, and wake up hoping today is the day everything clicks at once.

Rockies Player Rankings

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

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

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

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

Top 5 Rockies not currently on the roster.

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

Rock Solid Recap: I Prefer That Jason Hammel

Rockies 5, Astros 1

No mystery tonight...

Winning Player: Jason Hammel

I said something to this effect recently.

When Jason Hammel starts avoiding the disaster inning, he'll turn into one damn solid starter in a big league rotation.  

Seems Hammel has gotten, or is in the process of getting over that hump. A good indication of that was tonight's second inning.  The first two batters reached on infield singles. If anything is a recipe for disaster, it's making two solid pitches, forcing two weak swings, and getting no outs to show for it.

That didn't happen tonight.  Hammel got the 6-3 double play off the bat of Tommy Manzella, then struck out the pitcher to end the threat.  Hammel did a pretty good job of limiting his traffic from that point on, but the real key to his success was that great pitch when the situation called for a great pitch.  A hit allowed there and who knows which direction this game goes in.

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Rock Solid Recap: Maligned Rockies Come Up Big

If Baseball is a game of what have you done for me lately, then three of the Rockies biggest targets for criticism have taken the elevator from outhouse to penthouse in San Francisco.

I'm fully aware outhouses don't have elevators but just go with me here. It's late.

Rockies 2, Giants 1 (11)

Winning Player: Clint Barmes

Aside from Franklin Morales, no Rockie has taken more flack than Clint. Granted, some of it has been warranted, but the majority of it has been complete nonsense and/or a fabrication based on useless statisitcal analysis. .

Whatever the case, I think almost all of that criticism -- warranted and nonsense -- is going to die down for the next few weeks. He's earned a break.

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Rock Solid Recap: Milestones Galore

Before we get too far in... yes, we must take our hat off and salute the great Roy Halladay on his Perfect Game in Florida.

Alright, that's enough saluting already.

There were actually two MUCH more important milestones that took place at Coors Field on Saturday night.

1) Rockies 11, Dodgers 3

Boy does that feel good to type.

2) Jim Tracy's 100th victory as Rockies manager.

Congratulations to Jim for not only achieving the milestone, but doing so so quickly. Pretty amazing.

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Sunday Linkage: Which Team Has a Crush on Iannetta?

David Martin breaks down the Rockies 3-0 win over Kansas City and evaluates the potential impact of a healthy Jeff Francis. (Rockies Review)

Irv Moss fills us in on the Rockies farm system, including answering concerns over the lack of power hitting in the system. (Denver Post)

The Boston Red Sox have always had strong feelings for Chris Iannetta. (WEEI)

Dave Krieger tackles Dexter Fowler's switch-hitting experiment. (Denver Post)

10 Thing The Rockies Can Do To Turn Their Season Around (Bleacher Report)

How much credit does Miguel Olivo deserve for the success of Zack Greinke and Ubaldo Jimenez?  (Bleacher Report)

Rock Solid Recap: Stress Free Francis

Rockies 3, Royals 0

Winning Player: Jeff Francis

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

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

So far, so good.

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

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Rock Solid Recap: Halladay Serves As Olivo's Slumpbuster

Rockies 4, Phillies 3

As I said earlier... to call this a big win would an understatement.

The Rockies didn't beat Roy Halladay, but they knocked him around quite a bit. Great swings up and down the lineup. High pitch counts. Bascially they made him work harder for his money than any other Halladay opponent this season. This approach needs to carry over to every pitcher, not just the elite ones.

Aaron Cook pitched a fantastic six innings. Seriously. I'm not a fan of the quality start stat, because I think it needs to be adjusted for ballpark and opponent, but this qualifies as a quality start on any scale. He kept the Rockies in the game and held down a terrific offense. I'm very pleased with Cook.

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