Rockies 8, Cardinals 2 (boxscore)
Winning Player: Jordan Pacheco
Paycheck keeps on hitting and producing in the Rockies lineup, going 3-for-3 with a sac fly, two RBI and a run scored on the evening. His average sits at a pretty .307, and he also continues to show steady improvement defensively. He's a real nice guy to have around regardless of where you sit in the standings.
Tyler Colvin (two doubles, RBI), Josh Rutledge (another home run), Carlos Gonzalez (two hits, one run) and Todd Helton (three walks) also had some nights at the plate. It was honestly a good solid game all the way around for Colorado, so we'll definitely enjoy the treat.
Alex White's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 84 pitches (50 strikes)
White looked better than ever (which might not be saying much during his Rockies tenure) through five innings, but then impacted a wall head-on in the 6th. Jim Tracy gave him a chance to work out of it (going beyond the 75-pitch something or other) but White couldn't pull it off, leaving with two runs in and the bases loaded. However, Rex Brothers did get through the inning without further damage with a double play, keeping White's line very respectable and more importantly keeping the Rockies in the game.
Overall I'd call it an encouraging outing (especially considering the opponent), but we still need to see some consistency from White before getting too exciting. Unfortunately, though, I'm not sure the paired pitching system allows for said consistency.
Turning Point: Again, it's Rex Brothers coming in and forcing that double play. That kept the score at 2-1 St. Louis. Brothers then pitched a scoreless 7th and that's when the Rockies offense exploded, putting Brothers in the win column. Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt pitched clean innings after, squashing any potential drama from developing, so much deserved mentions for them as well.
Highlight of the Night: As long as Josh Rutledge keeps hitting home runs, I'll keep putting them on here. Make that four straight games with a long ball for the Rockies dynamic rookie.
What's Next: For some reason I was thinking the Rockies homestand ended tonight. Shows how much I've been paying to the schedule or the broadcasts. Anyway, the San Francisco Giants and Marco Scutaro will be in Denver on Friday night for a 6:40 start. The pitching matchup with feature former Giant Jonathan Sanchez (1-8, 8.32) against the man who took his job, Ryan Vogelsong (8-5, 2.22). Should be ugly.
That's So Rockies: One day after Andrew Brown hit cleanup in the Rockies lineup, he was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Alex White.
Final Thoughts: Dave Krieger got a few quotes from Dan O'Dowd following yesterday's front office announcements and blogged them this afternoon. (Hat tip @druidlove)
Dave Krieger: Dick Monfort Rejected Dan O'Dowd's Proposal To Fire Dan O'Dowd
You can tell immediately by the title it's a must read piece. In it O'Dowd reveals how he suggested to Dick Monfort that it would be better and easier for everybody involved to throw O'Dowd under the bus and get rid of him. Monfort refused (not surprisingly given his comments all season), and O'Dowd didn't have the onions to resign, so here we are.
O'Dowd also makes several good points about Coors Field being a different animal and a difficult place to contend. Anyone who doesn't think the Coors Field factor complicates the process quite a bit isn't dealing in reality. That said, O'Dowd overplays the Coors Field card to nauseating levels, and regardless of how difficult it might be to figure out, it doesn't change the fact that O'Dowd is completely out of ideas and the organization needs an infusion of fresh perspective.
More Rockies thoughts await you if you follow me on Twitter: @Townie813 & @HeavenHelton
2 comments:
Always looking for the silver lining: I liked that White was given the opportunity to work out of trouble. In a lost season, why not see what happens to this staff in hot water?
Definitely agree. That needs to happen more often.
Post a Comment