Rock Solid Recrap: Which Way To Home Plate?

Phillies 4, Rockies 3

The winning run scores on a wild pitch that gets no more than 10 feet from home plate while Rafael Betancourt stands there pointing.

Welcome to our baseball hell.

Seriously.

Just when you think this team can't possibly look any less focused or fundamentally prepared. Just when you think this team couldn't play with less urgency. Just when you think this team has reached rock bottom.

They find a way to sink a little bit lower.

But wait! There's more!

How about some of those late ABs with RISP?

We have Carlos Gonzalez trying to pull everything 25 rows up the RF bleachers. That's actually a positive, because if you recall in Cincinnati he was trying to pull everything over the Ohio River. So at least he's toned it down a little bit. The results still suck, but the swing is closer to normal.

On the other end of the spectrum... What was Ryan Spilborghs looking for? He's challenging you! Fight back! Swing even.

We have guys overswinging with the bases loaded. We have guys up there taking two pitches right down the middle with the bases loaded. And then we have Ian Stewart coming up with the bases loaded, two outs in the 9th, and he does a liittle bit of both.

What the hell is going on?

How does Don Baylor continue to steal money while our hitters regress or flatline?

Today's Silver Lining

Real nice job by Jeff Francis.

Maybe not the length you'd hope for out of a starting pitcher, but he limited his damage against a very good lineup and obviously kept his team in the game. As always the key was avoiding the extra traffic with walks. The only walk he did issue was intentional, which helped get him through a tough 4th inning jam.

He was aggressive. He pitched inside and without fear of contact. He made the Phillies string enough hits together to score their runs. That's not something we saw during his rough three game stretch prior to the all-star break. This is the type of pitcher Francis needs to be if he hopes to contribute the final two months of the season.

I would give his start a solid B.

Tomorrow

Do we have to?

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Phillies

Rockies Lineup (51-46)

• CF  Fowler
• 2B  Herrera
• LF  Gonzalez
• 1B  Mora
• RF  Spilborghs
• 3B  Stewart
• C    Olivo
• SS  Barmes
• P    Francis

Phillies Lineup (51-46)

• SS  Rollins
• CF Victorino
• 2B  Polanco
• 1B  Howard
• RF  Werth
• LF  Francisco
• 3B  Ransom
• C    Ruiz
• P    Happ

Simulation

Rockies 5, Phillies 4

WP:  Joe Beimel -- 1/3 IP

LP:   Chad Durbin -- 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2  ER

S:     Huston Street -- IP, 1 H, 1 K

Jeff Francis -- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

JA Happ -- 6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 

Home Runs

Col: Ian Stewart, Miguel Olivo

Phil: Ryan Howard

Player of the Game -- Miguel Olivo

Rock Solid Recrap: The Large Pink Elephant

Can we finally acknowledge him?

Can we finally say Ubaldo Jimenez has lost his luster, or at least admit he's been regressing with each start for about six weeks? That his mechanics are getting more and more out of whack. That his confidence is seemingly sinking with each ball put in play.

Wouldn't it be silly and irresponsible to not acknowledge all that?

Ubaldo was historically untouchable for the first 2 1/2 months of this season. Maybe too untouchable. Maybe he was so good short-tern, that'll be bad for him long-term. Because it seems like once a couple teams touched him up for a few runs, he regressed back to the old maddening Ubaldo.

You remember him, don't you? The Ubaldo that doesn't work out of jams. The Ubaldo that compounds jams with furious panic and fear of contact. The Ubaldo that tries to strike every batter out on strike one. The Ubaldo with painfully little composure.

We never wanted to see that Ubaldo again.

A large part of my excitement over his early season dominance was that it appeared he turned the corner in his development. It seemed like we were finally seeing an Ubaldo that was confident enough in himself and his ability that any mark against him wouldn't send him into a downward spiral. That he had gained the mental toughness to fight through a jam to make that one quality pitch needed.

That is all seemingly undone now. In the words of radio man Jack Corrigan... you can kiss it good-bye.

Now you have to wonder if you're back to square one with him mentally. You know physically his stuff is off the charts crazy good, but how far gone is he mentally? And how do you reel him back in?

By the way, I know Troy Renck likes to argue this is mostly a physical issue. I don't think so. To me it's a clear mental issue, leading to poor mechanics, which is a physical issue, which leads to less confidence, which is another mental issue, and it just keeps compounding itself and getting uglier.

Ultimately it's a mental issue. Anything physical is born directly out of that fact.

This is truly a messy situation for the Rockies. This is their ace and their guy they rely on (too much) to carry the load and keep them afloat. He seriously did it all by himself for 10 weeks. Now that he can't do it anymore, what becomes of this team?

I don't think we're going to like the answer to that question.

Phillies 10, Rockies 2

I don't want to hear about heat and humidity either. If the Rockies can't play through that, then what the hell are we doing considering them contenders? Man up.

If these guys can't play without their leaders (Tulo & Helton) in the dugout, then what the hell are we doing considering them contenders?

If the Jim Tracy, Don Baylor and Bob Apodaca can't start finding solutions to problems that have been apparent all season, what the hell are we doing considering them contenders?

Tomorrow

Jeff Francis vs JA Happ

Hey Jeff. Guess what? Pressure's all on you again.  Lots of luck.

Lineup Card: Rockies @ Phillies

Rockies Lineup (51-45)

• RF  Spilborghs
• 2B  Herrera
• CF  Gonzalez
• LF  Smith
• 3B  Stewart
• C    Iannetta
• 1B  Hawpe
• SS  Barmes
• P    Jimenez

Day 2 of the Brad Hawpe at 1B experiment comes exactly a week later.  Probably not enough time gone by for him to forget anything important.  

Phillies Lineup (50-46)

• SS  Rollins
• 2B  Polanco
• LF  Ibanez
• 1B  Howard
• RF  Werth
• CF  Victorino
• 3B   Dobbs
• C    Schneider
• P     Kendrick

Read more »

Rock Solid Recrap: Cook & Olivo Go Together Like...

Like...

Fire and Gasoline.

Have you noticed that?

I started to notice it on Sunday when Cook was completely in charge against the best offense in the NL. Chris Iannetta called all those pitches.

Get Miguel Olivo back out there against another good offense -- though one that's been struggling -- annnnd we're back to the Aaron Cook who looks lost on a pitching mound.

I'm not the stat guy around here... but here are those numbers updated after tonight.

• Cook with Iannetta -- 5 starts, 32 IP, 3.09 ERA

• Cook with Olivo -- 13 starts, 74.2 IP, 5.30 ERA

That's a pretty dramatic difference. Dramatic enough that you would think a manager that "pushes all the right buttons" (as Troy Renck likes to remind us only when Tracy's decisions work out), would notice it and maybe adjust his catching rotation to match Cook up with the catcher he's comfortable with.

Anywho...

Phillies 6, Rockies 0

Wouldn't have mattered much tonight anyways. Roy Halladay was in cruise control from pitch #1 to pitch #116.

Not even sure he broke a sweat until he covered first base on Fowler's groundout in the 8th.

The Rockies offense had maybe one almost significant threat that really didn't stand a chance with Miguel "Gun Show" Olivo and Brad Hawpe hitting with RISP.  They are the opposite of locked in right now.

Silver Lining?

Well... again... I like what Manny Corpas is doing.  I don't know what his role is exactly.  As David Martin pointed out on his Twitter tonight, Jim Tracy might not know Manny's role either.

Dear Mr Corpas, You are going to be my mop up guy, my one inning guy, and every now and then a setup guy. At the same time. -Jim Tracy

But I do like that Manny is at least throwing the ball well.  He will continue to do so until Jim Tracy wears his arm again sometime in the second week of August.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Kyle Kendrick

Do I even need to tell you how important the game is?  This pitching matchup (on paper) is a huge mismatch in the Rockies favor.  But can they take advantage of that?  Or will Kyle Kendrick just be the latest scuffling pitcher to baffle the Rockies lineup?

Tune in to FOX... yes, FOX... to find out.