Rock Solid Recrap: Ailing Clayton Kershaw Overpowers Rockies

Dodgers 8, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: On a night that featured a no-hitter and a one-hitter, I suppose things could have been worse for the Rockies. But it still wasn't pretty as a far less than 100% Clayton Kershaw (bad hip) dominated them for eight shutout innings, striking out 10 along the way. In fact, the Rockies would only scratch out four singles and a Wilin Rosario double, and never saw a runner reach third base.

Like I said... not pretty.

Turning Point: They're on the road and they aren't playing the Cubs anymore. This game was over before it started.

Jeff Francis' Line: 4 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 66 pitches (38 strikes)

And then Jeff Francis made sure it never got in doubt by allowing a four-spot in the 2nd. Shane Victorino's three-run homer was the big blow there. Blah outing.

Bullpen's Line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K

All of the damage here came against Will Harris in the 8th inning. He allowed a two-run homer to Bobby Abreu, which is a really tough thing to do these days. Guillermo Moscoso (2 IP) and Josh Roenicke (1 IP) were both excellent, though, which kept this from being extremely embarrassing.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Make That Nine Straight Losses

Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 7 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Well, for starters, I benched Andrew Luck for Michael Vick in my fantasy football league. That backfired spectacularly. I also went a disgusting 4-10 against the spread in my NFL picks. But the plus side to that is I reminded myself again why I don't gamble. Nothing gained. Nothing lost.

As for the Rockies, it appears they had no problems offensively — 7 runs on 16 hits — but the bullpen faltered late with Rex Brothers, Matt Belisle and Will Harris combining to allow seven runs over the final two innings. This is where I tell you these guys are all wearing down... especially Matt Belisle as he closes in on 80 innings as a set up man.

Turning Point: That would have to be Aaron Hill's two-out three-run homer off Belisle in the 8th that broke the 4-4 tie. What a heartbreaker that must have been for the "32,448" in attendance.

Jeff Francis' Line: 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 75 pitches (45 strikes)

Even without a walk or strikeout, Francis hit 75 pitches in four innings. But it's not like he got knocked around the park either based on the numbers. Kinda just shows again how silly a pitch-limit that low is. Let a man do his work and let those reliever catch a break. Geez.

Bullpen's Line: 5 IP, 8 ER, 11 H, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR

As referenced above, these guys had a rough go of it in the later innings which cost the Rockies a chance to steal one. Belisle is the one who took the loss... which was his 8th if you can believe that. On the plus side for Jim Tracy though... he got to use six relievers, and the one whose numbers stand out the most are Rob Scahill with 1 2/3 scoreless. His ERA remains 0.00 through four appearances.

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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 Recrap: Labor Day Circus

Braves 6, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Geez, I know it was a quick turn around and all but did the Rockies not get any sleep on the plane or at the hotel overnight? Just take a look at some of the crap they served up this afternoon

Michael Bourn scores on a wild pitch

Freddie Freeman scores on two errors

That was just the 1st inning. How about the 3rd?

Dexter Fowler's misread lead to two more

Been awhile (couple weeks anyway) since I've had full blown circus music playing in my head while watching the Rockies. As catchy as that can be, I'd much rather have a Justin Bieber song in my head.

Turning Point: The Rockies - a professional baseball team - didn't show up ready to play. No turning point, just several embarrassing ones.

Tyler Chatwood's Line: 3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 2 H, 5 BB, 2 K, 74 pitches (41 strikes)

Walks, wild pitches, errors and other defensive miscues defined Chatwood's outing today. I mean just look at the run column and then look at the hit column. I haven't seen anything like that since high school. Or maybe it was Little League. Regardless of the embarrassing defense behind him, Chatwood beat himself today, plain and simple, and needs to start throw strikes consistently, not three out of every five starts.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Drop Series To Cubs, Lose To Chris Volstad

In case you haven't heard, both of those things are difficult to do. Especially the losing to Chris Volstad part. He hadn't won since July 10, 2011 — a span of 24 starts and 413 days.

Cubs 5, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: It's not just that they lost to Chris Volstad, it's that they were pretty much dominated by Chris Volstad. The Rockies only managed three hits (and three walks) against him in 6 2/3 innings. Their first runner in scoring position didn't come until the 7th. Just a forgettable effort offensively. Rain delay or not (which delayed the start of the game by more than two hours), they have to come out ready to play and be more productive against a guy barely hanging on to a major league career.

Turning Point: None really. Unless you want to consider the delay itself a turning point since the Rockies mentally checked out and never checked back in.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 77 pitches (47 strikes)

From what I saw and heard (bits and pieces while he was in) he was pounding the strike zone and didn't get hit all that hard. Maybe a few too many flyballs mixed in there if you wanted to nitpick, but it would be impossible to not be encouraged by his first two outings. Now let's see what start #3 brings this week.

Highlight of the Afternoon: Certainly nothing from an offensive standpoint. But how about that throw by Carlos Gonzalez.

Watch CarGo's ridiculous throw

After a great day defensively on Saturday, Wilin Rosario struggled at times in the wet conditions on Sunday. Case in point, the inability to handle thaat throw (which ended up as an error on CarGo). Then 4-5 pitches later he couldn't knock one down in the dirt and threw wildly to Will Harris covering the plate.

It's a process, folks. It's a process. Must take the good with the bad to get somewhere.

What's Next: The Rockies head home after a highly (and unusually) successful road trip. Who will be waiting for them in Denver? None other than the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers. Yes, Adrian Gonzalez is back to being a Rockies murderer, and we'll also be the first team to see Josh Beckett (5-11, 5.23) wearing blue on the hill. He'll go against Jeff Francis (4-4, 5.79), which makes this a rematch from Game 1 of the 2007 World Series.

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

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Complete The Sweep In New York

Rockies 1, Mets 0 (boxscore)

For some reason Citi Field in New York has become a nice home away from home for the Colorado Rockies (eight straight wins there over the past two seasons). And if you're asking for my best guess as to what that reason is... I'll say it's probably because the Mets play there, and the Mets are kind of a mess.

But hey, I'm not giving back any of those wins. I just wish they could stay longer.

Winning Players: The Bullpen 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K

With 150 friends and family members in attendance on Wednesday night to see Adam Ottavino's scheduled piggyback outing, manager Jim Tracy elected to push him back until Thursday, which was kind of a dick move if you ask me. I mean, yes, this is professional baseball. There are no promises and you just have do your job when you're told and hopefully do it to the best of your abilities. That said, the Rockies have been dipping their toes in some Little League waters with his pitching system, so why not just pitch the guy when you said you would so he can have that night in front of his family.

That bugged me more than it should have, but it worked out well for the Rockies on Thursday as Ottavino was able to give them a couple scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He was followed by Rex Brothers, who also tossed two scoreless innings and ended up getting the win (8-2). Then it was Will Harris (he's turning out to be a nice find, huh?) with an overpowering 8th inning in the setup role to Matt Belisle, who earned the save in place of the resting Rafael Betancourt.

Amazing work by the bullpen the entire series.

Turning Point: The Mets have a lot of things that look and feel out of place. Among the most noticeable would be their decision to play Jordany Valdespin, an infielder by trade, playing center field in Thursday's game. That misguided strategy led directly to the only run of the game as Valdespin misplayed Tyler Colvin's flyball leading off the 8th into a triple. One batter later, Chris Nelson rolled one through the infield for the game winner.

Watch Tyler Colvin's Triple

Watch Chris Nelson's RBI single

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Rock Solid Recap: A Sweep! A Sweep!

Sad but true, there have been more perfect games than Rockies sweeps this season, but it was still pretty cool to see both go down this afternoon. 

Congratulations to 'The King' Felix Hernandez for his DOMINANT 27 up, 27 down performance in Seattle against the Tampa Bay Rays. And congratulations to the Rockies for earning only their second sweep (first three-gamer) with an exciting 9th inning rally and a walkoff.

Those never get old regardless of the circumstances or placement in the standings.

Rockies 7, Brewers 6 (boxscore)

Winning Players: Eric Young Jr. & Tyler Colvin

EY2 was without question the best player on the field this entire series, which is saying quite a bit when you're sharing it with Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Braun, among others. Two more hits for him today, including his third home run in the past week and a critical single in the 9th inning that set up...

Watch Tyler Colvin's walk-off two-run double

How freaking fast is Young to score from first base on that ball? He was about halfway to second when the ball rolled past the base, yet still managed to score fairly easily without the ball getting to the corner. That's crazy speed. It's also another big hit and big game in a Rockies uniform for Colvin. What an addition he continues to be.

Turning Point: Will Harris had a rough Rockies debut on Monday night, allowing a three-run homer to Rickie Weeks in the 9th. He bounced back nicely in his second outing on Wednesday, retiring all six Brewers he faced in the 8th and 9th innings, which allowed the Rockies offense to rally and ultimately secure the first career win for Harris.

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Rock Solid Recap: D.J. LeMahieu's Career Night Paces Rockies Attack

Rockies 9, Brewers 6 (boxscore)

All I wanted for my birthday was some cake, ice cream, and a lot of Rockies runs (enough to win at least). Low and behold, I got all three!

Winning Player: D.J. LeMahieu

I singled out LeMahieu on Sunday for his excellent play on the entire road trip and he follows that up with a career-high four hits on Monday. Granted, all four were singles, but singles can be very effective when everybody in the lineup is contributing. Monday was one of those nights for the Rockies, as all eight position players had at least one hit (Eric Young Jr., Dexter Fowler, Tyler Colvin and Chris Nelson each had two) and all eight position players had at least one run scored or one RBI.

Those nights are the best.

Turning Point: It was nice to see the offense come out swinging against Mike Fiers, who had an incredible 1.02 ERA over his last 10 appearances (9 starts). He's a good — potentially great — young pitcher that I figured this Rockies lineup would struggle against. They didn't struggle at all, and I credit EY and Jonathan Herrera for getting that started in the 1st, as well as Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez and Wilin Rosario for not letting the inning go to waste (Rockies jumped up 3-0).

Jeff Francis's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 77 pitches (44 strikes)

How nice of Francis to allow a two-run homer to Carlos Gomez on his 77th pitch. That made life easy on old Jim Tracy, who immediately brought the hook.

Of course what else would you expect to happen when a starting pitcher has become conditioned to throwing 75-85 pitches, but all of that just plays right into the hands of Rockies management. They can continue selling the 75 pitch thing by pointing at a result like this. Unfortunately for them, though, we're not idiots.

Unfortunately for us, they just might be.

By the way, overall it was a very nice outing for Francis. Happy for him to get a win out of it.

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