Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies Win Behind Alex White's Bat And Arm

Rockies 6, Giants 5 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Alex White 4 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 76 pitches (47 strikes)

I give White the nod for two reasons.

1) His pitching performance was a big step in the right direction compared to his recent outings. Look no further than the walk column for evidence of that, because it's the first time in 11 starts (June 20) that he's put a zero there.

2) Watch Alex White's first career home run

Overall it was a very productive night for White, but more importantly it felt like a meaningful one. More of these in the future would be welcomed.

Honorable Mentions: Rafael Betancourt (perfect 9th to earn the save, only Rockie pitcher to not allow a run), Tyler Colvin (two hits, one run, one blunder) and Chris Nelson (triple, run, RBI).

Turning Point: Matt Belisle, like the rest of the Rockies bullpen save for Rafael Betancourt, didn't have his best stuff, but he was still able to escape a potentially disasterous situation in the 8th inning.

After allowing a walk, single, and run scoring double to Angel Pagan, Belisle was left to face Marco Scutaro and Pablo Sandoval with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. He would retire Scutaro on a groundball to Jordan Pacheco, which was a very nice play on his part. He then got Sandoval to hit a lazy flyball to left field, ending the inning, and proving once again that despite the enormous workload (over 70 appearance three straight years) he's about as reliable as they come in any bullpen role.


Highlight of the Night: Dan O'Dowd's first trade with Theo Epstein as the Chicago Cubs general manager continues to be a winner.


There's nothing really special or flashy about LeMahieu's game, which explains why Esptein wasn't hesitant to move him, but his work in the field has been a very pleasant surprise and I think there's some decent upside with his bat. Nice guy to have around if the Rockies decide to part with Jonathan Herrera or Chris Nelson.

What's Next: The Giants will stick around on Tuesday for another 6:40 first pitch. The Rockies will go with Jhoulys Chacin (2-5, 4.50) on the mound. San Francisco counters with Madison Bumgarner (14-10, 3.15). Hopefully I'lll have time for a lengthier recap after that one.

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

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