Lineup Card: 8-12-11 Rockies @ Cardinals

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 30-60 minutes before first pitch. They should be here waiting for you every night game and some afternoon games. 

Roster Moves

• Jason Giambi activated from the DL.
• Huston Street placed on the DL retroactive to Monday

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Yesterday's Recrap: Chacin in ace form, Rockies lose anyway

Colorado Rockies (55-64) 

1. CF Dexter Fowler
2. 2B Mark Ellis
3. RF Carlos Gonzalez
4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
5. 1B Todd Helton
6. LF Seth Smith
7. 3B Chris Nelson
8. C   Chris Iannetta
9. P    Aaron Cook

St. Louis Cardinals (63-55)

1. SS Rafael Furcal
2. CF Jon Jay
3. 1B Albert Pujols
4. LF Matt Holliday
5. RF Lance Berkman
6. 3B David Freese
7. C   Yadier Molina
8. 2B Skip Schumaker
9. P   Kyle Lohse

Day Game Recrap: Chacin in ace form, Rockies lose anyway

Another day game. 

Another chance to win a series. 

Another predictable result. 

And then I predictably say this: The Colorado Rockies always find a way to offset their positives and minimize their success. That's how this team will be defined in the history books. 

Reds 2, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

At least we saw a return to ace form for Jhoulys Chacin this afternoon. On the heels of Kevin Millwood's more than professional performance on Wednesday, Jhoulys was even better throwing an eight inning complete game where he struck out nine, walked three, allowed six hits and two earned runs.

And took the loss. Just like Millwood.

I really liked what I saw here though. Like both starts against Philadelphia, Chacin took the game over from the mound and pitched determined and focused. When that happens, he's special. Really special. Look around at every ace in the game right now. How many of them could determine to Chacin's level at 23?

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Recrap in a Nutshell: Another one of 'those' losses for Colorado

Isn't there a limit on the number of "season in a nutshell" losses you can have in a season?

And at what point does it go from "season in a nutshell" to "the norm" to "this team is utter fail"?

Those are the questions.

Here are the answers.

Yes, there is a limit.

They reached that limit in May. It became "the norm" by the end of May and we've ventured to "utter fail" every damn Sunday since.

Not that this team hasn't been capable of playing well at times. In fact, the first two games in Cincinnati were quite good. But those games only fuel my frustration, because that's the baseball you expect from this team. I really don't think those are or were unfair expectations either.

Anyway, they play two solid games, and then before you can compliment them for their improved efforts, they give you a presentation like Wednesday's where the ending becomes predictable in the 2nd or 3rd inning and you just coast to the inevitable with the only twists being how will they embarrass themselves tonight.

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Lineup Card: 8-10-11 Rockies @ Reds

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 30-60 minutes before first pitch. They should be here waiting for you every night game and some afternoon games. 

On the day Ian Stewart's major league career in Colorado possibly ends for good, Kevin Millwood's (and Edgar Gonzalez's) begin.

THIS.... is Colorado Rockies baseball.

Link

• Yesterday's Recap: I'm liking this road trip so far
• Blake Street Bulletin: Perspective

Colorado Rockies (55-62)

1. CF Dexter Fowler
2. 2B Chris Nelson
3. RF Carlos Gonzalez
4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
5. 1B Todd Helton
6. LF Seth Smith
7. 3B Ty Wigginton
8. C   Chris Iannetta
9. P    Kevin Millwood

Cincinnati Reds (55-60)

1. LF Dave Sappelt
2. SS Edgar Renteria
3. 1B Joey Votto
4. RF Jay Bruce
5. 3B Todd Frazier
6. CF Drew Stubbs
7. C   Ryan Hannigan
8. 2B Paul Janish
9. P   Mike Leake

Rock Solid Recap: I'm liking this road trip so far

Back-to-back hard fought wins for the Rockies to start this 7-game road trip. Not a darn thing to complain about tonight.

But I shall continue to analyze.

Rockies 3, Reds 2 (boxscore)

Which I will do so now by asking and answering my own questions about this game.

Was Esmil Rogers more efficient?

111 pitches to record 18 outs.

That's not efficient. But make no mistake Rogers battled his tail off to get those outs and left the game in great shape for the bullpen. Credit him for that. Yes, it would be ideal  for Esmil to start racking up quicker outs, but I'll just take the outs for now and hope he continues to move forward and maybe even gains some more confidence in his game.

As a back of the rotation guy, you're not asking him to take a huge step forward. You won't always need him to go 7-8 innings, but it would be nice to know he could on nights the bullpen needs a breather. Honestly though, you can nitpick it, but if you step back and look at it, his last two start have been about the same or better efficiency and productivity wise than what Ubaldo Jimenez was giving you in this spot all season. So hey, that's not bad at all.

Rogers also has the same number of wins this season as Ubaldo: 6.

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