Rock Solid Recap: Second In Command

As of this moment, Ubaldo Jimenez is no longer the hottest Rockies starting pitcher.  That title now belongs to Jason Hammel.

I mean, all you have to do is look at the ERA comparison since we restarted the season yesterday to figure that out: Hammel 0.00, Jimenez 4.50.  It's a no contest.

For real though...

Now that he's completely healthy from the groin issue (which is never minor), Hammel has turned the corner.  That's not to say he's going to start rivaling Jimenez in the CY Young race, but I think it's safe to view him as more than a solid bottom of the rotation pitcher.  He's moving up the ladder, and in terms of the Rockies current rotation, he's the deputy to Ubaldo's sheriff.

Now we just need 1 1/2 of Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin to step.  It can a whole Cook and a half a Francis.  A Francis and a half Cook/De La Rosa.  Maybe 1/2 of three.  We just need a little something more from the bottom 3/5ths.  Not a lot more, just a little something.

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Lineup Card: Rockies vs. Blue Jays

Something I totally neglected in my Rock Solid Rain Shortened Recap last night was Ubaldo Jimenez being credited with his 3rd complete game.  Hey, six innings or nine, it still counts because he went the distance.  And regardless of how many innings it was, it still means the Rockies bullpen received a MUCH needed night off.

See, even when Ubaldo isn't his "best" he's still doing everything right for the team.

And we'll call Mother Nature and the umpires even with the Rockies for the botched game vs. Washington a month or so back.  You remember the Cesspool Game?

Here are tonight's starting nine... not starting ten.  We're in a National League park.

Rockies Lineup (1-0)

• 2B Herrera
• 1B Helton
• CF Gonzalez
• RF Hawpe
• LF Spilborghs
• C  Olivo
• 3B Stewart
• SS Barmes
• P   Hammel

Carlos Gonzalez hitting third!  Wow.  I hope this is more than just a temporary thing while Tulo's out of the lineup (groin)!  A few good games and maybe it won't be.  

Blue Jays Lineup (34-28)

• RF Lewis
• 2B Hill
• LF Bautista
• CF Wells
• SS Gonzalez
• 1B Overbay
• 3B Encarnacion
• C  Molina
• P   Morrow

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Rock Solid Rain Shortened Recap: 1-0

Before I get into the unimportant stuff, I want to send along my congratulations to David Martin (Rockies Review) and his wife on the birth of their first child (a boy).  Hopefully David is able to negotiate an Ubaldo or Helton somewhere in his son's name.

Good luck with that.

I was going to suggest that since his son was born on my dad's birthday that maybe his son could be named after my dad.  Then it occurred to me that his son's name would be Russell Martin.  So I'll pull that request off the table.

In all seriousness though, best wishes to the new parents!

Now: Back to Baseball

Earlier today I called for a season restart.  We wouldn't forget the first 60 games (how could we?), but we weren't focusing on those anymore.  It's fresh start.  All that matters is what happens from now on.

Game 1: Rockies 5, Blue Jays 3 (6)

What a weird, messy, disjointed, windy, rainy, icky game.

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Lineup Card: Rockies vs. Blue Jays

We're starting all over (in my mind).  Welcome to Opening Day.

Rockies Lineup (0-0)

• CF Gonzalez
• 1B Helton
• SS Tulowitzki
• RF Hawpe
• 3B Mora
• LF Spilborghs
• C   Olivo
• 2B Barmes
• P   Jimenez

Blue Jays Lineup (34-27)

• LF Lewis (That's Fred, former Giant)
• 2B Hill (8 HR)
• RF Lind (8 HR)
• CF Wells (15 HR)
• 3B Bautista (18 HR)
• SS Gonzalez (13 HR)
• 1B Overbay (8 HR)
• C  Buck (9 HR)
• P  Romero

Bombs away Blue Jays.  This kid Romero is no pushover either.  Bottom line... Blue Jays are a handful!

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Happy Opening Day!

I like the perspective of David Martin in his recap of yesterday's game. He was pointing out the positives that took place in said game (yes, there were a few) and encouraging us all to focus on the positive, rather than beat the negative to death.

Now is a great time for that.

While thinking about it, the most obvious silver lining I could find was this.

There are still 102 baseball games to be played in 2010. That's a lot of damn baseball. A lot of good things can happen in those 102 games. We all know this.

Like I commented to David, most of that will now have to come against good baseball teams, but honestly, if the Rockies can't compete with the Toronto's, Minnesota's and Boston's, then they really had nothing to begin with.   We will just come to grips with that reality.

So my approach to tonight is this. The Rockies are sitting at 30-30 (a nice round .500). Ubaldo Jimenez is on the mound. This can be Opening Day all over again. The season is starting over. 0-0. It's what they do from now on that matters. We won't ignore the first 60 games, but there's nothing we can do to change them either.

Now's the time to rally behind this team, because even though this season has been greatly frustrating, these guys on the field have given us many reasons to celebrate in the past. If we stick behind them, chances are they will again.

PS: I still wouldn't mind a shakeup on the coaching staff somewhere (hitting coach).

PSS: I still wish Jim Tracy had taken a different road in his comments on Jhoulys Chacin yesterday.

PSSS: I could rant again after the game tonight, but it'll take a really lousy effort to get that out of me. Like I said, it's Opening Day again.