Not that we needed one to realize how far the Rockies are from being relevant in the National League. The Phillies are definitely the measuring stick right now, and thanks to them we confirmed the Rockies are pretty comfortably stationed between the bottom of that stick and the halfway point.
Not even good enough to be mediocre.
Phillies 8, Rockies 6 (boxscore)
Considering Jason Hammel's ups and downs of late, I'd say Wednesday's start went pretty close to what you'd except. Which is unfortunate, because Halladay's start went nothing like I expected. Something decent from Hammel would have actually positioned the Rockies to win this game. Judging from his postgame comments, he's just as dissatisfied with himself as the rest of us.
Rex Brothers continued his very recent struggles. He's now allowed runs in each of his last three appearances, taking the loss in two. That's after allowing ONE run in the 18 appearances prior. So basically, I think any lashing out in his direction would be short-sighted and unnecessary. Hopefully not too much of that is happening in Denver.
Three positives
1. The offense: I was expecting the worst after Tuesday's dismal performance against Kyle Kendrick. But as our anonymous commenter pointed out last night, the Rockies have done well with aces at times this season. That was the case here as they battled against Roy Halladay, hit some baseballs hard, put pressure on him, and actually plated five runs.
And yes, again, they lost.
It just goes to show why the Phillies are 32 games over .500. When the pitching has a rough day, the offense is more than capable of picking them up. When the offense is struggling, that rotation widens their margin for error. That's what makes an elite team.
Sorry, as for the Rockies, hats off to Todd Helton (two hits, three RBI), Dexter Fowler (hit, walk, three runs), and Eliezer Alfonzo (two hits, RBI). Nice games for all of those guys.
2. Matt Belisle: Tuesday it was Edgmer Escalona pitching three shutout innings of relief, saving the bullpen from crashing and burning. Wednesday, it was Matt Belisle doing that same. 3 IP, 1 H, 2 K. Only needed 36 pitches. Very good work.
3. Got the lawn mowed: Between the heat wave and lack of rain it was almost three weeks since the lawn got mowed. Finally did it today. It looks nice.
Overall
Phillies are gone, Nationals are in for four. We're still four rehab starts away from seeing Alex White. Drew Pomeranz can't even join the Rockies until Aug. 16. That gives me little incentive to be excited about this series. Well, aside from the fact Juan Nicasio and Jhoulys Chacin will pitch in it and Carlos Gonzalez may return. So there's that.
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