Dodgers 7, Rockies 3 (boxscore)
What Went Wrong: It's Dodger Stadium. When was the last time something went right for the Rockies at Dodger Stadium?
Exactly.
And while I understand Chris Capuano has been effective so far this season, he's still Chris Capuano. One run on four hits in seven innings against him simply will not cut it for a Major League offense.
Turning Point: I would say this game turned the second Colorado let Mark Ellis walk over the winter, because just like his namesake A.J. Ellis, Mark has quickly turned into a certified Rockies Killer (Hairston Brother Level).
So there you go.
Tonight, Ellis blasted a 1st inning solo home run (1st of the season), added a flyball that Dexter Fowler misread into a two-out, two-run double in the 5th that pushed their lead to 4-0, and walked in his final plate appearance. Expect more of the same annoying production all weekend.
Jamie Moyer's Line: 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 95 pitches (60 strikes)
The line would look better if Fowler catches the Ellis double rather than leaps to rob a non-home run. But honestly, every Moyer start is beginning to look the same. The first time through the order, he's fine. Second time through, the opponents get their timing down and begin doing damage. Third time through, they finish him off.
Sadly, but not unexpectedly, Moyer's not long for the rotation with Jeremy Guthrie healthy, Jorge De La Rsa getting healthy, and the Rockies wanting to get good looks at some young arms.
Highlight of the Night: Todd Helton is underrated by baseball fans and media in general. But I've always said the thing people simply do not understand or care to learn about Helton is that he not only makes unbelievable plays with the leather, he also creates outs with his instincts, fearlessness, and an accurate QB like arm that would make Tim Tebow extremely jealous.
That's a damn good play and an important out to steal for Moyer with the game still in question. In fact, it could have been a turning point had the Ellis double not followed soon after. Simply put, Helton is still an above Gold Glove caliber defender, because as we know, the standards have been lowered and that award is now useless.
Screengrabs of the Game
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| Focus and intensity. |
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| "You're gonna have to speak up, blue." |
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| So many great faces tonight... to make up for the lousy baseball. |
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| And then Dexter Fowler... misreading flyballs since forever. |
Final Thoughts: Drew Pomeranz was optioned to Triple A prior to the game to make room for left-handed reliever Josh Outman.
Says Troy Renck of the move...
"Wrote today that #Rockies' Pomeranz was pitching for spot on Sunday. So it came a start early. This comes down to simple issue: #Rockies can't afford 3 and 4-inning starts. Pomeranz needs consistency. And he will get it soon."
I think it's important to point out that Pomeranz has twice left his outings early as precaution — forearm strain and bruised quad — so it's not like the short outings have been entirely performance related. That said, there are clearly things for Pomeranz to work on. Mechanics was cited as the #1 reason by Thomas Harding and Patrick Saunders in their initial reports. Renck says consistency, which goes along with mechanics.
I'd personally like to see an emphasis put on holding baserunners. With the bumps and bruises, it obviously limited what he could work on between starts. It also felt like they didn't want to overload him mentally with too much detail on the little things. Now that's be back in a more relaxed environment, this would be the time to attack that problem and hopefully improve it enough that not every runner is a threat to move on him once they reach.
More Rockies thoughts await you if you follow me on Twitter: @Townie813 & @HeavenHelton
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