Rock Solid Recrap: Drew Pomeranz Continues To Scuffle

Padres 4, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 67 pitches (42 strikes)

Pomeranz just can't get it together, which almost makes me wonder if the Rockies should shut him down now, let him clear his mind and come back with a fresh start next spring. I know getting him the innings to develop and gain experience are important — which is why I hated the paired pitching system from the start — but I think enough might be enough already this season. His confidence is low, and there may not be much more to gain over the last 2 1/2 weeks.

Bullpen's Line: 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 K

Carlos Torres, Edgmer Escalona (he never goes away), Will Harris, Josh Outman and Josh Roenicke were marvelous and played a big role in the Rockies almost coming back here. Collectively, they were the Rockies biggest positive for about the 120th time this season.

Turning Point: There's a big difference between 1-0 and 4-0. That's why Jesus Guzman's three-run homer in the 3rd was the turning point.

Highlight of the Night: Two more hits for Chris Nelson, including this RBI double he ripped in Colorado's three-run 7th inning.

Watch Chris Nelson stay warm

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Settle In After Wild 1st To Beat Padres

Rockies 7, Padres 4 (boxscore)

Winning Players: Carlos Gonzalez & Chris Nelson

The Rockies got a monster performance from their lone all-star in this one. Gonzalez finished the night 4-for-5 (all 4 singles) at the plate and two stolen bases, which makes him the first Rockie ever to have three consecutive 20-20 (home run-stolen bases) seasons. That's kind of a big deal.

Nelson also had a spectacular offensive night, including a home run, double, single, two RBIs and one run scored. And then he flashed a little leather later on to rob Alexi Amarista of a sure hit. Big, big night for Nelly.

Watch Nelson's big blast

Honorable Mentions: Wilin Rosario (two-run 1st inning double) and Jordan Pacheco (two-run 1st inning double). Obviously both played a huge role in the five-run 1st inning that held up as the difference in the game.

Turning Point: I think I'm going to go back to Nelson's home run here. Yes, the Rockies scored five in the first, which ended up being enough, but the Padres did respond to that with four of their own in the bottom half. I think it was important after that for the Rockies to be the next team to score, and thanks to Nelson's home run in the 3rd, they were.

Also in consideration was Tyler Chatwood and Matt Reynolds stranding Cameron Maybin after his lead-off triple in the 4th.

Tyler Chatwood's Line: 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 72 pitches (44 strikes)

I don't care what the pitch limit might be at this time, when your offense gives you five runs in the 1st inning, you better find a way to last five and get a win. What a lost opportunity for to Chatwood to do not only that, but find a little more confidence and consistency as well. Disappointing outing.

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Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Win Ugly Sunday Rubber Match

Rockies 11, Padres 10 (boxscore)

As well played as the first two games were, this one was every bit as ugly. And I'm not just talking about from a pitching standpoint. It was sloppy baseball in general, and that made it quite a chore to sit through despite the offensive fireworks and positive result.

Winning Player: Chris Nelson

Nelly only had one of the Rockies 11 hits, but it was the biggest in the game. It came in the 7th with Colorado trailing 9-7. Tyler Colvin had just sacrificed the tying runs into scoring position (because Jim Tracy is a genius or something), and Nelson said screw that, skip, I'm here to win. So he launched a three-run homer to straight away center to recapture the lead.

Watch Chris Nelson's three-run jack

Honorable Mentions: Dexter Fowler (three hits, two RBIs) and Jordan Pacheco (two hits, two RBIs and two runs)

Turning Point: The Rockies had two big innings offensively, and need every bit of both to pull out this win. Of course one of those was the 7th thanks to Nelson's home run. The other was a seven-run 3rd in which they scored six more two-out runs. I swear they've doubled their season total of two-out runs in the last two days alone. And it's no surprise at all that they have won both of those games.

Jeff Francis' Line: 3 2/3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 10 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 80 pitches (55 strikes)

This looked a lot like his return start back on June 9. The Angels peppered him for 10 hits (all singles) in 3 1/3. Today, San Diego threw a home run and a double in there, but it was mostly Francis getting peppered by singles, and he also didn't get much help from his defense. Indecisiveness, sloppy technique, and missed cutoff men were abound, and each 90 feet allowed proved to be costly in one way or another.

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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 Recrap: Rockies Close Surprisingly Successful August With Loss

Padres 5, Rockies 4 (boxscore) 

What Went Wrong: Not a lot, really. I felt like both teams played a solid and watchable game, which is not often the case from 4th and 5th place teams on the final day of August. The Padres just played a little bit better, as they have been overall over the past month, and eeked out the win.

Turning Point: Again, a pretty straight forward game that was well played but didn't have a lot of eb and flow. San Diego jumped out 3-0 in the first three innings thanks to a Carlos Quentin solo homer and RBIs from Logan Forsythe and Chase Headley. The Rockies chipped away, mostly with solo homers of their own (Jordan Pacheco, Wilin Rosario and Andrew Brown) but San Diego stayed at least one step ahead until the 27th out.

Alex White's Line: 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 76 pitches (49 strikes)

White snapped his string of four inning starts at five, so that was different. Unfortunately, he's only gone past the magical four inning mark one time in his last 10 starts, so that's pretty bad. I guess that's why the Rockies see him in the hybrid role next season. Personally, I still see him as a third or fourth starter on a major league team. If the Rockies ever go back to being one of those, he could still be useful.

Bullpen's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K

I hope they all enjoyed their day off. They only have one more (Sept. 13) until the end of the season.

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Rock Solid Recrap: So You Want To Be A Catcher?

Padres 3, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Rough day for the offense against Ross freaking Ohlendorf and company.

How rough?

Hitters 3-6 were a combined 0-for-14, with the only production coming from Carlos Gonzalez (two walks, two stolen bases). It will take a special day from the bottom of your order and/or your pitching to overcome that.

As you can tell by the score, the Rockies almost did.

Turning Point: Jordan Pacheco's second big league start behind the plate on Sunday turned out to be quite the experience, which you had to expect it would be given how this entire season has gone for the Rockies.

Naturally his day got off to a very active start in the first inning. Before the Rockies could off the field in that frame, Pacheco was forced to attempt blocking a pitch in the dirt, which did not go well at all. Rather than drop to his knees and smother it, he went backhand and baseball went to screen. He also had to go way up the line to knock down a throw from the outfield. He did that well. And then he handled a pop up right up the elevator shaft without any problems.

All in all, not the worst possible start.

Then comes the play at the plate in the 4th inning. John Baker singles to Eric Young in center, Everth Cabrera comes charging around third with the tying run. EY makes a good, strong throw home, but the ball and Cabrera unfortunately arrive at the same time, and Pacheco paid the price for it.

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Rock Solid Recap: That Game Was Quite Fun

Rockies 8, Padres 6 (12 innings - boxscore)

I'm almost a little rusty when it comes to talking positive about the Rockies, but I must say tonight was one of the most enjoyable complete game experiences of the season. It was really was a fun, competitive game, that saw both teams coming up with the timely hits and spectacular defensive plays to literally keep their teams alive.

And we're happy to report that when all was said and done, it was the Rockies who prevailed, thanks in large part to the man our resident Rockies nickname-giver Brian Smith quickly anointed #Paycheck.

Winning Player: Jordan Pacheco (3-for-6, career-high 4 RBIs, game-winning hit)

I couldn't think of a more spot on nickname for Pacheco, who continues to cash in on his extended opportunity to start games at the hot corner. Obviously, Pacheco can flat out hit. He's also an improving defender, though there's still a long way to go before we'll feel 100% comfortable over there. But it's clear he's willing to work hard at it, and it's more clear he's going to carve out a nice little career for himself regardless of where or how much he plays.

Another good hitter, Michael Cuddyer, also had a big night at the plate, tying a career-high with four hits. He scored the winning run on Pacheco's 12th inning single. Ramon Hernandez then followed with his own RBI single to make it 8-6.

Turning Point: All of those heroics wouldn't have been possible without one incredible play by right fielder Tyler Colvin. With runners on 1st and 2nd in the 9th and only one out, Mark Kotsay pulled one towards the right field line that seemed destined to fall for a game-winning double. However, Colvin was able to run it down (showing the advantage the Rockies have with a Gonzalez-Fowler-Colvin outfield) and made an incredible diving catch to save the game.

And thanks to the overly aggressive baserunning of Everth Cabrera, it turned into an inning-ending double play.

It was awesome. Like, really awesome.

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Reflection, Perspective, And A Quick Recap

The past 24 hours have served as a sobering reminder of just how precious life is, and how quickly lives, outlooks and perspectives can change.

Around 11 PM on Thursday night, I began working on an article for Big League Stew that centered around the Colorado Rockies spinning their attempts to silence fan discontent as a security issue. I felt passionate about this topic and believe me, I didn't hold back on my feelings in one of the lengthier posts I've written this season.

A couple hours later, I put the finishing touches on the article and submitted it to our editor.

Not 10 minutes after that I saw the first flashes of breaking news on Twitter. I immediately turned the television to CNN and found a couple local Denver news streams to get a better idea of what was happening. Once I understood the scale of the horrific event, I immediately felt retroactive guilt for writing the article I'd just completed on the Rockies. Hours later, I would be relieved when the obvious decision to shelf it was made, because that story just wasn't important anymore .

Their decision to ban fans from wearing paper bags on their heads, which had been my sole focus for the past several hours, was just that quickly reduced to it's actual level of importance in mine, yours and our world: Zilch.

The Rockies dismal season and road to 100 losses: No fun, but it won't truly change our lives one way or the other. It's baseball.

I was reminded again of what's really important.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Kip Bleepin' Wells

Padres 2, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong

Not a lot more needs to be said. 

Turning Point: The pitching was terrific. The offense was crap. That must mean the defense played a major role in the Rockies defeat on Sunday.

Of course they did. This time it was a total breakdown on the infield after a jam sandwich off the bat of Logan Forythe landed safely behind the mound, just out of the reach of Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Pacheco. Pacheco then scooped the ball and airmailed a throw over Jason Giambi's head for a two-base error. Chris Denorfia scored from second to give San Diego a 1-0 lead in the 3rd.

That was seriously all the Padres needed, but they added an insurance run in the 7th just to be safe.

Highlight of the Afternoon: There was ONE. It came via the arm of Dexter Fowler in that 3rd inning.

Watch Fowler complete the double play with an OF assist 

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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

Speedy Rock Solid Recrap: Guthrie Leads Bullpen Collapse

Padres 8, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: I couldn't see the game! (Expletive) Fox!

Turning Point: The moment Jeremy Guthrie was summoned from the bullpen, this game went from very winnable to just plain winnable. But the Rockies offense failed to get on track against Edinson Volquez, so it was looking less than winnable heading to the late innings. Then Adam Ottavino took the mound in the 8th and had a rare terrible outing, turing the game into a completely unwinnable.

It was a gradual turn, but it definitely started with Jeremy Guthrie allowing a pair of home runs in his two inning relief effort.

Christian Friedrich's Line: 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 74 pitches (49 strikes)

Since I can't analyze how he looked, I'll just point out how much I love to see a zero in the walks column. It was just three starts ago that Friedrich walked five Tigers in less than five innings. Since, he's only walked one single batter. Improved numbers across the board will start coming when a pitcher starts locating better, so I'm encouraged by that.

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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

Rock Solid Recap: Road To 100 Detours Through San Diego

Rockies 10, Padres 2 (boxscore) 

If there's a reason or two to believe the Colorado Rockies will avoid triple digit losses for the first time in franchise history, it's that they still have 11 games remaining with the San Diego Padres (not to mention another 6 with the Chicago Cubs). My God are they awful.

Winning Player: Jeff Francis - 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 82 pitches (49 strikes)

Beautiful performance by Francis. And no, I do not care who it came against, it was beautiful and should be recognized as such.

It's also the first win by a Rockies starting pitcher since Christian Friedrich on June 4.

Honorable Mention: The offense was again very productive, backing up an 11-run outburst on Thursday with 10 more against Jason Marquis and others. Marco Scutaro, Michael Cuddyer and Wilin Rosario led the way with two hits each, with Cuddyer and Rosario both hitting their 12th home run.

Highlight of the Night: Rosario's home run was an absolute BOMB. You should definitely watch it again.

Watch Wilin Rosario's two-run BOMB

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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

Rock Solid Recap: Christian Friedrich Shines In Big League Debut

Rockies 6, Padres 2 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Christian Friedrich

Rockies fans have been waiting anxiously for Christian Friedrich's big league. Well, today was the day, and the 24-year-old left-hander did not disappoint one bit. In fact, he managed to surpass even reasonable expectations — even against the Padres in San Diego — with a stellar line.

Christian Friedrich's Debut Line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 7 K, 93 pitches (60 strikes)

Friedrich pounded the strike zone all day with a fastball ranging between 91-94, and kept Padres hitters off balance with a curveball in the 76-78 range and an effective changeup. I can only think of two pitches San Diego squared up. One was a lead-off single by Will Venable in the 1st that led to their first run. The other was Chase Headley's lead-off single in the 6th on a 3-2 pitch. Friedrich left him stranded.

San Diego's unearned run came after Marco Scutaro committed an error beginning the 3rd. Chase Headley followed that with a bloop single and then Yonder Alonso plated the run on a broken bat bloop double just out of Chris Nelson's reach.

In other words, Friedrich was really, really sharp today, and should have earned himself another turn in the rotation. And honestly, I wouldn't be opposed to several more turns.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Padres 5-9-12

Last Night: Recapping Another Rockies Loss And Remembering Jerry McMorris

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (12-17)

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

Troy Tulowitzki sits after tweaking his groin on a bang-bang play at first base last night. Meanwhile, Todd Helton gets one of his routine days off. That leaves the debuting Christian Friedrich in a position where he has to be really, really sharp today to keep the Rockies offense in the game, and has to do with an even further weakened defense behind him.

Aside from that, no real pressure or anything. 

San Diego Padres (11-20)

1. Chris Denorfia (RF)
2. Cameron Maybin (CF)
3. Chase Headley (3B)
4. Yonder Alonso (1B)
5. Jesus Guzman (LF)
6. Nick Hundley (C)
7. Orlando Hudson (2B)
8. Andy Parrino (SS)
9. Anthony Bass (P)

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

Bad Day: Recapping Another Rockies Loss And Remembering Jerry McMorris

The Rockies suffered a couple tough losses on Tuesday. One of them on the field, which I'll cover like usual, and a bigger one off the field, which I'll touch on at the end.

Padres 3, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: We're on the road now so naturally this section will be filled with reports of didn't get the big hit, bad baserunning and made awful or old starting pitcher look great.

Tonight, that old starting pitcher was Jeff Suppan, who tossed five innings of one run ball on only four hits. Five Padres relievers took it from there, holding Colorado scoreless over the final 12 outs to get Suppan his second win of the year.

Speaking of bullpens, Jim Tracy is struggling to juggle his right now (when isn't he, honestly) as he elected to use Esmil Rogers to finish the 7th — which he did after his walk to Cameron Maybin loaded the bases and then he struck out Chase Headley — and start the 8th.

The 8th was, as many predicted, a mess. It started with a four-pitch walk to Yonder Alonso. Soon to be released Orlando Hudson followed that with an RBI triple. And then for good measure, Rogers intentionally walked John Baker before taking his leave.

It really was the most Esmil Rogers relief appearance possible.

Turning Point: Remember last night when the Rockies blew their best chance at a rally by making consecutive awful outs at second base?

They were even more creative tonight.

In the 9th inning, Colorado had runners at the corners with one out and Jordan Pacheco at the plate. My thought at that point being if Pacheco doesn't hit into a double play here, we have a chance because Carlos Gonzalez is due next.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Padres 5-8-12

Our condolenses go out to the family of former Rockies owner Jerry McMorris, who passed away today at the age of 71. 

Current Rockies owner Dick Monfort released the following statement on his passing (via Colorado Rockies on Twitter).


"The Colorado Rockies family is deeply saddened by the passing of Jerry McMorris. I believe it's fair to say without the efforts of Jerry there may have never been MLB in Denver. He will be greatly missed by us all.”

I'll have a few more thoughts on Jerry McMorris during tonight's Recap. But in short, he was a good man and an important person to me and every Rockies fans out there. He will certainly be missed, but always appreciated.

— Monday's Recrap: Rockies Run Out Of Chances (Literally and Figuratively)

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (12-16)

1. Marco Scutaro (2B)
2. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. Tyler Colvin (CF)
9. Alex White (P)

— Logan Burdine took a look at the worst defense in baseball earlier today. Yes, that belongs to the Rockies. Will it get better? Can it possibly get worse? He has thoughts. (Link: Blake Street Bulletin)

San Diego Padres (10-20)

1. Will Venable (RF)
2. Cameron Maybin (CF)
3. Chase Headley (3B)
4. Yonder Alonso (1B)
5. Mark Kotsay (LF)
6. Orlando Hudson (2B)
7. John Baker (C)
8. Jason Bartlett (SS)
9. Jeff Suppan (P)

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Run Out Of Chances (Literally and Figuratively)

Padres 3, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies fell behind early. (1-0 after one, 2-0 after two) and completely FAILED to make Edinson Volquez pay for his wildness (four walks in 5 1/3). Those failures included back-to-back walks (on eight pitches) by Volquez in the 2nd that resulted in back-to-back baserunners being thrown out at second base.

First it was Michael Cuddyer, who had the bag stole but was tagged after sliding over the base. Seriously. Next it was Wilin Rosario, who was thrown out by Nick Hundley trying to advance on a ball in the dirt.

You can't make this stuff up.

Turning Point: For the most part this was a blah game that seemed headed in San Diego's direction right off the bat. The Rockies did mount one big threat though in the 6th.

One batter after Marco Scutaro won a 12-pitch at-bat with a lead-off single, Carlos Gonzalez drove him home with a broken bat single that made it 3-2 San Diego. Troy Tulowitzki then walked, setting the stage for Todd Helton and Michael Cuddyer.

Bud Black then went to his bullpen, summoning lefty Joe Thatcher to face Helton. A battle Thatcher won with a strikeout. Next, Black called on right-hander Brad Brach to pitch to Cuddyer. Brach won that battle, also with a strikeout, to end the inning.

No Rockie would reach base in the final three innings.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Padres 5-7-12

Sunday's Recrap: Same Starting Pitching. Less Offense. More Bad Results

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (12-15)

1. Marco Scutaro (2B)
2. Jordan Pacheco (3B) 
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. Dexter Fowler (CF)
9. Drew Pomeranz (P)

- Jordan Pacheco gets his first start since being recalled on Saturday. I guess we'll see if any improvement has been made defensively at the hot corner.

- Phil Rosenthal speculated on a Rockies coaching shakeup in his Monday column after this past weekend's disaster series against Atlanta. It's a short blurb and very likely meaningless (at least for the near future), but hey, at least the national media is acknowledging the Rockies exist, and maybe the negative attention will be enough to cause some stir.

Just don't hold your breath on that one. Link: Fox Sports

- Troy Renck also has a quick blog on the Rockies adding Alex White and Christian Friedrich to their rotation in San Diego (Link: Denver Post) and another updating Jhoulys Chacin's status (Link: Denver Post).

San Diego Padres (9-20)

1. Chris Denorfia (RF)
2. Cameron Maybin (CF)
3. Chase Headley (3B)
4. Jesus Guzman (LF)
5. Yonder Alonso (1B)
6. Nick Hundley (C)
7. Orlando Hudson (2B)
8. Jason Bartlett (SS)
9. Edinson Volzquez (P)

Despite their rotation turmoil and an offense that is likely to be less effective on the road, the Rockies SHOULD win this series. They also kind of have to, because they will also be visiting Los Angeles and San Francisco on this road trip.

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