Lineup Card: 5-4-11 Rockies @ Diamondbacks (and Links)

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. They should be here waiting for you.

Links

• Yesterday's Recrap: A reminder from Jim Tracy
• According to Ubaldo Jimenez, his recent struggles are mechanical, not physical. (Denver Post)
• Guess who was voted baseball's best reliever for the month of April? You got it! Huston Street! 

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (17-10)

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 Ian Stewart
8. C   Chris Iannetta
9. P   Jhoulys Chacin

Isn't it nice to see that lineup all put back together? It's almost like Opening Day all over again. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (13-15)

1. CF Chris Young
2. 2B Kelly Johnson
3. RF Justin Upton
4. C   Miguel Montero
5. 2B Ryan Roberts
6. 1B Juan Miranda
7. LF Gerardo Parra
8. SS Josh Wilson
9. P   Barry Enright

Stephen Drew was scratched from the original lineup with tightness in his groin.

Rock Solid Recrap: A reminder from Jim Tracy

It's a reminder we didn't need, but it goes like this:

There are going to be 8-10 games this season where Jim Tracy is going to make every nonsensical decision possible, and either the team overcomes it, or we're all left pulling our hair out wondering if the right captain is steering our ship.

The latter is where we are after Tuesday's difficult loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

D-Backs 4, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

If I had the opportunity to interview Jim Tracy after Tuesday's game, I bet the conversation would have gone something like this.

Me: Why?

Jim Tracy: Why what?

Me: Everything.

Jim: *Removes cap, scratches head*

And then I would have asked why his gameplan involved using Matt Lindstrom for two innings with a fresh bullpen. When Lindstrom said he couldn't go because his arm was sore, his next option was Felipe Paulino. That makes no sense on any level. Tie game and a fresh bullpen means your top guys are in play.

After Lindstrom in the 7th it's either Betancourt pitching his customary 8th or even Matt Belisle. It absolutely under no circumstances can be Felipe Paulino, who has proven to be your least reliable reliever. Guess what? He was again - and you lost.

I have no idea why he didn't pinch-hit for Jose Lopez or Ryan Spilborghs in the 8th with two runners on. That was your chance to win it! And guess what again, they didn't win. Seth Smith and Jason Giambi eventually got their calls, but they came against closer J.J. Putz and the situation was less favorable.

Tracy actually had Giambi pinch-hit for Jonathan Herrera, which I didn't really disagree with the strategy, but seriously, it's bordering on asinine to pinch-hit for Herrera when you refused to pinch-hit for Lopez in a better situation. That tells me either the manager has no instincts, which is how I will lean here, or a manager has his hands tied by a higher up. I don't believe that to be the case.

Or I pray it's not.

But this isn't to say 100% of this loss is Jim Tracy's fault, or 50% or even 25%. It's not. The Rockies just didn't play well enough. They could have and should have taken the game right out of his hands at a couple different points, but he also failed them by not putting the best pieces in the right place.

And that's frustrating.

I could on some more about this but it's been a long night and I need to try to catch a little shuteye. Hopefully we'll have something to better to write about later tonight.

Lineup Card: 5-3-11 Rockies @ Diamondbacks

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. They should be here waiting for you.

Sunday's Recrap: Ubaldo?

Not so breaking news: Ian Stewart is back! That's the good news (I think). The bad news is Ty Wigginton will hit the DL with his strained oblique. So the Alfredo Amazega era (Part 2) will live on for at least another week.

Colorado Rockies (17-9)

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

Arizona Diamondbacks (12-15)

1. CF Chris Young
2. 2B Ryan Roberts 
3. RF Justin Upton
4. SS Stephen Drew
5. 1B Xavier Nady
6. 3B Melvin Mora
7. LF Gerardo Parra
8. C  Henry Blanco
9. P  Joe Saunders

Rock Solid Recrap: Ubaldo?

Well, there's no way to dance around the issue at hand with Ubaldo Jimenez. His struggles right now are shocking on some levels and very frightening on many others. Mostly because nobody seems to know what, if anything, is wrong with him.

(If the Rockies have any suspicions they surely aren't saying anything.)

I hate to speculate in any direction, but I can't help but wonder if the cuticle is still weighing heavily on his mind. Like he's afraid to really dig in for fear of ripping the thumb open again. If so, that would help explain the lack of command, because it's extremely difficult to command the baseball when you're not gripping it properly.

It would make sense given the reoccurring nature of the injury. But the next issue would be if he's not using the right grip, is he leaving himself open to injury another way? The Rockies need to keep a close eye on all these factors.

But the most important thing is Ubaldo has to be honest with the Rockies. If there is something bothering him, whether it be mental or physical, he needs to tell them. They can't keep running a guy out there who's incapable of helping the team. I don't care what success a pitcher has attained in the past, they have to make decisions with their short-term and his long-term future in mind.

By the way, this is why you don't see teams handing out big contracts to pitchers after one good season. Not that we Rockies fans needed the reminder.

Pirates 8, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

-- Esmil Rogers had another awful first inning (4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB). Unfortunately his first inning today was the fifth inning, and it pretty much sealed the Rockies fate.

-- But good innings were turned in by Franklin Morales, Matt Lindstrom, Matt Reynolds and Felipe Paulino. So all was not a loss with the pitching staff.

-- Time for the obligatory Todd Helton can still hit comment. Because guess what, Todd Helton can still hit.

-- More good at-bats from Dexter Fowler. Excellent at-bats. Two hits, two RBI, a walk and a run. Where would the offense be without him? Seriously?

-- And I think that covers today. Rockies get yet another off day tomorrow before opening up in Arizona on Tuesday. Hopefully the start of a third straight winning road trip to open the season.

Lineup Card: 5-1-11 Rockies vs 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. They should be here waiting for you.

Yesterday's Recap: One great outing and one big swing

Colorado Rockies (17-8)

1. CF Dexter Fowler
2. 2B Alfredo Amezaga
3. 1B Todd Helton
4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
5. LF Carlos Gonzalez
6. RF Seth Smith
7. 3B Jose Lopez
8. C   Chris Iannetta
9. P   Ubaldo Jimenez 

The Alfredo Amezaga Era (Part 2) is underway. Good day off for Jonathan Herrera though. Even with the two day break you could see he was a little behind on some pitches and not completely the guy we saw earlier. That's the concern with a guy his size. Wouldn't surprise me if they're aggressive in getting him more days off going forward.

Pittsburgh Pirates (12-15)

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

Don't underestimate Charlie Morton. He seems to have turned a corner this season and is pitching up to the potential Pittsburgh traded for and has been waiting for a couple years to see.