Saturday, April 28, 2012

Rock Solid Recrap: Elusive Third Outs Haunt Rockies In Loss

Mets 7, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Pretty simple. Guillmero Moscoro and Edgmer Escalona failed to finish off their innings strongly. On three separate occasions (twice against Moscoso, one against Escalona), the Mets were able to make something out of nothing with a two-out rallies/cheap runs.

In the third vs. Moscoso: New York used back-to-back singles from Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy and a David Wright double to create a two out run that gave them a 3-1 lead.

In the fifth vs. Moscoso: After the first two Mets were retired quietly, that same trio along with Lucas Duda singled consecutively to create three runs this time. Three runs that immediately answered Colorado's three run fourth, and gave New York a 6-4 lead.

In the ninth vs. Escalona: Mike Baxter started the inning with a double and was standing on third after two outs had been recorded. That's when Escalona uncorked a wild pitch (some confusion with the scoring on this... I'm going wild pitch) giving New York what proved to be a cheap yet valuable insurance run (7-4). 

Now, a portion of that credit goes to the middle of New York's order for their refusal to give away at-bats or go out quietly, but just as much discredit goes to the Moscoso and Escalona for simply not the big pitch to shut down an inning when they had the opportunity to do so. And for two guys looking to make a positive impression and stick around for awhile, this wasn't a strong statement game.

Turning Point(s): Hat tip to Ruben Tejada, who was the pivotal hitter in two of those innings and now has seven hits through two games in this series. Needless to say he has been a professional pain in the Rockies this weekend, so if he could just please go back to being Ruben Tejada tomorrow instead of Jose Reyes, it would be greatly appreciated.

Guillermo Moscoso's Line: 5 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 100 pitches (60 strikes)

I will say Moscoso had a little bit better stuff tonight than I was anticipating (which isn't saying much). Worked ahead in the count pretty frequently. Unfortunately, like Drew Pomeranz last night, he didn't have the ability to put enough hitters away or put those innings I've mentioned to bed without coughing up a few tallies. And as I've already established, that ultimately cost Rockies a win, and perhaps himself an opportunity to make a lasting impact this season.

It sounds like he'll only have one more start to change that opinion.

Screengrab of the Game
Looks like the hitting coach is getting a few pointers (Root Sports)
Highlight of the Night: Michael Cuddyer can flat out hit. And as we witnessed tonight, he can also flash a little leather. 


What's Next: The Rockies and Mets wrap up this weekend series on Sunday afternoon at 1:10. A pair of left-handers who missed 2011 with injury but have looked impressive in 2012 are the scheduled starters. That's Jamie Moyer for Colorado and Johan Santana for New York. Should be a good one.

Final Thoughts: Well, hey, I guess they can't all be nonstop thrill rides. But at least the Rockies put together their own mini two out rally in the ninth — which included a Dexter Fowler home run — and made New York earn the 27th out. That's all I can ask for in that spot. Now let's go finish these guys off on Sunday and get a series win.

More Rockies thoughts await you if you follow me on Twitter: @Townie813 & @HeavenHelton

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