Lineup Card: 4-8-11 Rockies @ Pirates

If you're looking for Rockies game lineups and you don't feel like searching all over Twitter or waiting for MLB.com to post them, check back to Heaven & Helton about 60-90 minutes before first pitch and they should be here waiting for you.

Weather appears to be an issue in Pittsburgh this evening. If there is baseball, here are the lineups we'll be seeing.

Colorado Rockies (4-1)

1. CF Dexter Fowler
2. 2B Jonathan Herrera
3. LF Carlos Gonzalez
4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
5. 1B Todd Helton
6. RF Seth Smith
7. 3B Ty Wigginton
8. C   Chris Iannetta
9. P   Jorge De La Rosa

Still no day off for Helton. Alright then. So all that talk about being more aggressive resting him seems out the window already. And Ian Stewart gets bumped from the lineup against a right-hander tonight. If you want to keep Wigginton in the lineup, which makes very good sense, why not get Helton that first day off?

Update (3:04): Ian Stewart out of the lineup tonight due to the flu-like symptoms. My criticism of today's lineup were unwarranted. 

Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3)

1. LF Jose Tabata
2. 2B Neil Walker
3. CF Andrew McCutchen
4. 1B Lyle Overbay
5. RF Matt Diaz
6. 3B Pedro Alvarez
7. C   Jason Jaramillo
8. SS Ronny Cedeno
9. Ross Ohlendorf

Rock Solid Recap: Mr. Rogers spoils Pirates home opener

Rockies 7, Pirates 1 (boxscore)

After a sloppy opener that saw the Colorado Rockies hand a game to the Arizona Diamondbacks in extra innings, the team has rebounded to play 36 consecutive innings of really sound, thorough, and sometimes dominant baseball.

Today's nine innings fall under the dominant umbrella... thanks largely to the right arm of young Esmil Rogers.

-- Rogers line: 7 1/3, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB 7 K

At one point Rogers retired 18 Pirates in a row. All four of the hits allowed -- first two batters and last two batters he faced -- were well placed groundballs that squeaked through a hole. He hit pretty much every spot he wanted to with all of his pitches. Everything was working, and because of that he was aggressive and very efficient.

It was as good an outing as you could realistically hope for from Rogers in his season debut. It really was. The pitches he made to get through the first inning jam were big time. Pittsburgh was one hit away there from changing the entire outlook of the game, but Rogers collected himself and put his foot down.

Impressive poise.

Oh, and he added a basehit and scored an insurance run in the 7th inning. That's my type of pitcher right there.

-- On the rare on occasions Rogers needed help from his defense... he got it.

Watch Ty Wigginton rob the speedy Andrew McCutchen

Watch Carlos Gonzalez secure his second Gold Glove

-- The Rockies offense took some pressure off Rogers by taking advantage of a Neil Walker error in the first.

After Dexter Fowler singled on the first pitch of the game, Ryan Spilborghs flew out to the track in RF. Carlos Gonzalez followed with an unlikely double play ball to second, Walker seemed to rush a little, his throw to get the lead runner sailing into LF. Fowler scored easily. Gonzalez made it all the way around to third. Tulowitzki delivered the sac fly.

Watch Walker's error

A really good way to start the road opener, maximizing their first scoring opportunity. It gave them confidence and took the crowd right out of the game. And that theme of maximizing opportunities would continue all afternoon.

-- Troy Tulowitzki: Some kind of strong.

Watch his third HR and his RBI double

-- Tomorrow: Jorge De La Rosa vs Ross Ohlendorf

I like our odds there.

Lineup Card: 4-7-11 Rockies @ Pirates

If you're looking for Rockies game lineups and you don't feel like searching all over Twitter or waiting for MLB.com to post them, check back to Heaven & Helton about 60-90 minutes before first pitch and they should be here waiting for you.  

I'm sure there will be as much or more energy in PNC Park today as you'll see as season, but I wouldn't be surprised if both teams look a little lethargic. Pittsburgh had a shorter flight and earlier start time yesterday at St. Louis. If they're going to have an advantage at any point during the series, today would be the day.

Colorado Rockies (3-1)

1. CF Dexter Fowler
2. RF Ryan Spilborghs
3. LF Carlos Gonzalez
4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
5. 2B Jose Lopez
6. 1B Todd Helton
7. 3B Ty Wigginton
8. C   Chris Iannetta
9. P    Esmil Rogers

Given the travels I figured today would be the day Todd Helton gets his first breather. I know Jim Tracy vowed, promised and guaranteed he'd use Helton smarter this season, but seeing him penciled in the lineup today already makes me question that. 

Pittsburgh Pirates (4-2)

1. LF Jose Tabata
2. 2B Neil Walker
3. CF Andrew McCutchen
4. 1B Lyle Overbay
5. 3B Pedro Alvarez
6. C   Ryan Doumit
7. RF Garrett Jones
8. SS Ronny Cedeno
9. P   Paul Maholm

Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez are the guys you can't let beat you. Plain and simple. 

Rock Solid Recap: Dodgers 1-2 Punch Knocked Out at Coors

Rockies 7, Dodgers 5

Last night: The Rockies defeated Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers with excellent pitching and brilliant defense.

This afternoon: The Rockies defeated Chad Billingsly and the Dodgers with their bats... and with more brilliant defense.

-- The big blow of the afternoon came off the bat of Todd Helton. His three-run homer in the third answered LA's three runs scored in the top of the inning. That's what we call a huge shift in momentum (if you believe in momentum).

Helton just missed a second HR his next time, flying out to deep CF. He pulled one really hard foul down the RF line, and put a good swing on a ball to LF for an out. So it's clear he's feeling healthy right now.

Watch Helton's three-run blast

-- Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki combined for four hits, one walk and five runs scored. Meanwhile, the top of the order (Dexter Fowler and Seth Smith) only totaled one hit in nine at-bats. In other words, the Rockies had 10-12 run potential with a couple more baserunners at the top.

Watch Tulo's second HR of 2011... and then flash some leather.

-- Jason Hammel wasn't very good today. His command was way off. His location was off. But the thing is, when Hammel doesn't have those working in his favor, it usually gets UGLY. Today didn't really get UGLY. It wasn't pretty, but he made three big pitches to escape his final three innings and not only kept the Rockies in the game, but kept them in lead.

The offense picked him, no question about it, and the defense helped, but let's give Hammel credit for picking himself up and outpitching Mr. Billingsly by just enough. The Rockies #4 starter got a win over a really really good #2 starter. That's huge.

Watch Seth Smith's UZR soar

-- Franklin Morales was awesome.

-- Anyone that thought timing wouldn't be an issue for Ian Stewart -- Stewart himself, Jim Tracy & Troy Renck among those -- was kidding themselves. You can't play in only a handful of spring games, get choppy playing time early in the season, and expect his at-bats to look good.

It stinks for Stewart, because Ty Wigginton will likely start stealing more playing time. It stinks for the Rockies in the long run, because Ian Stewart gives them their best chance to win on a daily basis.

-- Ubaldo Jimenez was placed on the DL this morning. Read my quick thoughts on that here.

-- What are we going to do about Huston Street?

Just embrace him. I like to think of his ninth innings as good conditioning for our hearts. Instead of taking that half hour jog in the morning, allow Huston to get your blood pumping whenever he takes the baseball. It's healthy.

Watch CarGo save Street's ass

It didn't hurt that Don Mattingly failed to pinch-run for Rod Barajas in the ninth. Had he done so, we might still be playing.

Ubaldo hits the DL

The Colorado Rockies placed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez on the 15-day DL this morning.

Smartest thing they could. Eliminate any pressure Jimenez might feel to rush to his recovery to make a start Friday, Sunday, whenever. Get this thing healed.

"It's never good to go on the DL," Jimenez said. "But I need to be able to help the team. It's getting better, but I still feel pain when I grip the ball."

"If (Jimenez) is not ready, then what can that lead to?" manager Jim Tracy said this morning as the Rockies prepared to play the Dodgers this afternoon. "I don't want to be involved in something like that. We need to make sure he is right."

Yes, it's scary to think Jimenez had these issues last season, rested for six months and now they have returned. That concerns me, but obviously this is the worst case he's dealt with. That means the Rockies and Jimenez both need to focus on finding a better solution to the problem. Hopefully that's what this time is used to do.

As far as Greg Reynolds getting the callup. He'll get a couple starts at most (we hope, being optomistic). If I'm the Rockies I make sure both of those come in the upcoming roadtrip against Pittsburgh and New York.