Rock Solid Recrap: How Not To Manage A Must Win Game

This was awful. The way Jim Tracy handled the game tonight was embarrassing and bordering on asinine. You can't label a game a must win (which it was) and then turn around and manage like it's April 27th.

Why the hell are you saving Betancourt and Street and Belisle and Reynolds?

For what?

For when?

For who?

This was a game you absolutely had to have, and here are the arms our genius manager used.

• Franklin Morales 
• Esmil Rogers (he actually made sense in his role, but was left out there to die. No excuse for that.) 
• Manny Delcarmen 
• Joe Beimel 
• Octavio Dotel

Either that's a manager saying I don't believe my offense has what it takes to turn this game around, or he's just clueless. Either freaking way, he didn't give his team the very best chance to win a must win game tonight.

Inexcusable. Unconscionable. Downright hideous managing.

Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 9

Because guess what? His team had fight in them tonight. His team battled their asses off to turn an 8-2 game into one run, one swing from taking the lead game. Not just one swing, but on two separate occasions they were mere feet or inches from taking the lead.

Yeah, I know Jeff Francis didn't give the team as much as they needed. Yeah Rogers didn't pitch well. The entire team obviously needed to play better tonight, the entire series, and at various points throughout the season, but if Tracy had just used the best arms he had available to keep the game from snowballing in the 6th-8th innings, the results could have been so much different.

He failed at his job. Miserably. No excuse.

He failed his players. He failed the organization. He failed the city of Denver and the state of Colorado. And above all he failed the diehard Rockies fans.

His legacy in Colorado will not be all the "Tracy is My Homeboy" nonsense that followed 2009. He was merely along for that ride just like the rest of us were.

His legacy now is how he unsuccessfully managed arguably the most talented roster in the NL (for sure the division) into a longshot playoff hopeful.  A no doubt 95 win caliber team is very unlikely to even reach 90.

This tweet by Joe Sheehan last night will be forever remembered by me because it tells the story so well.

@joe_sheehan There's an alternate universe in which Jim Tracy retired before the season, the Rockies hired [anyone else] and went 98-64. #rockies

Of course now they will sweep the Giants and the Padres will manage to lose two of three over the weekend to make the final week interesting again. But even then it won't matter because as much heart as this Rockies team has -- and they DO have heart -- they don't have a brain in the dugout.

If they only had a brain.

Rock Solid Recrap: Snakes Make Awful Pets

Because there's always a chance they will jump up and bite you on the ass if you're not paying attention.

D-Backs 3, Rockies 1

For about 7 innings on Tuesday night, the Rockies looked like a team that wasn't paying attention.

It looked like the team we saw far too often during the every month not named September.

The urgency appeared to be missing. The confidence we saw in LA Friday and Saturday was definitely missing. Plate discipline never made an appearance. That surely wasn't aided by an inconsistent strike zone, but that's also a hat tip to Joe Saunders for being around the plate all night.

The only thing that wasn't missing was bad Rockies base running. But that's only because they didn't have actual base runners very often.

So yeah... bad night at the yard. Bad night at the yard in Arizona. Bad results from all over the baseball world unless you're still holding on to Wild Card hopes. Bad Bad Bad.

I did like what I saw from Jorge De La Rosa though. He did his job. He kept a good offense down. He chewed up seven innings. He deserved a much better result in terms of the W, but overall everyone should be thrilled with his performance.

Generally when a pitcher only makes two mistakes in seven innings (like DLR tonight) things will work out, but that's not so much the case when the mistakes come on back-to-back hitters and your offense never shows up to support you.

And that really wraps up tonight's game. I could go in depth on specific ABs and openly ask why Dexter Fowler continues to put bad swings on pitcher's pitches in hitter's counts, but it's late and I don't want to throw another pen behind my desk. I'll just leave it alone and look ahead to...

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Rodrigo Lopez

The term "must win" seems to be fitting in this spot.

Rock Solid Recap: A Good Enough 10

I'm sure you'll read a number of "Perfect 10" headlines tonight and tomorrow. I would rather avoid such a cliched headline in favor of a more honest one.

Perfect? No.

Good enough? Times 10.

As Joey Nowak tweeted...

It’s the September #Rockies version of Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go right, will go right. Ten times in a row.

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2

Jason Giambi (Highlight)

Unreal. He wasn't the most popular Rockie on this blog or anywhere around Denver the first portion of the season, but as we get deeper into this playoff chase, he shows his worth as an aging source of instant power and late inning production.

Whatever you're paying him... it all becomes worth it when he wins you not one, but two baseball games with walk-off home runs.

Jonathan Herrera

Alright... so he needed a Kelly Johnson error to reach base in the 9th inning. But the bottom line? He reached base in the 9th inning and ultimately scored the winning run. He's always in the middle of something good. That's what happens when you understand your limitations and just put baseballs in play.

Jhoulys Chacin & Esmil Rogers (Highlight)

Definitely a bump in Chacin's road to pitching stardom. He will get there, but we can clearly see what is holding him back right now. Command and efficiency. But it's nice to have another young, talented arm like Esmil Rogers ready to back him up. His two innings were the key to the Rockies stealing the win.

Rest of the Pen

Joe Beimel, Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street = Splendid!

The Spilly Double (Highlight)

THAT right there is why Coors Field has high scoring games. All of these uninformed and whining writers/fans/players/windbag announcers for other teams need to learn that the humidor does what it's designed to do. It hasn't faltered once since it was put into service. What hasn't changed and what might never change (leaving open the possibility they move the fences in someday) is how large the outfield is.

Baseballs are going to drop in that you won't see at any other stadium. That's what adds up to more runs. Has nothing to do with the baseball itself. Please take the time to learn this!

The Crowd

Awesome.  You folks who were out there today were absolutely awesome.  Love that and I definitely appreciate that!  

Tomorrow

The San Diego Padres visit Coors Field. The same Padres that had about a touchdown lead on the entire NL West two weeks ago come in now tied for first, with another hungry and red hot squad right on their tails.

Wonder who that team is?

Jeff Francis vs Cory Luebke

Rock Solid Recap: That'll Do

This isn't the BCS.

Style points aren't necessary here.

Who you beat, how you beat'em, where you beat'em and why you beat'em don't mean a damn thing.

Win a baseball game.

The Colorado have won nine of them... in a row.

All fun has broken loose in Denver.

Rockies 2, D-Backs 1

Tonight's game was a perfect illustration of just how focused, confident, and red hot the Colorado Rockies are as we head towards September 12th. These are the games the Rockies were allowing to get away for the first five months of the season. The ones we said we'd look back at in frustration if this season didn't improve.

Well, it has improved, but we still run the risk of having those games bite us in the ass. That is why not allowing this one to get away was ultra important. That counts double when it's Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound.

It was an odd night for Ubaldo. He really never seemed to find a comfort level or real rhythm out there. The command was off. The efficiency was less than desirable. But in the end, the results were solid enough to keep his struggling offense in the baseball game.

Yes, I said struggling offense. Yes, Ubaldo was outpitched by Rodrigo Lopez. Yes, it doesn't matter, because the Rockies found a way to win.

It came down to four really productive at-bats in the bottom of the 7th

1. Melvin Mora pulled a single to left on an 0-1 pitch. 
2. Ryan Spilborghs drove a 1-0 pitch to the oppo gap for a double. 2nd and 3rd one out. 
3. Miguel Olivo broke the ice for Colorado with a first pitch RBI single through the left field. 
4. And then the AB of the game from Jonathan Herrera. A sacrifice fly to deep center on a 1-2 pitch.

Again, what Jonathan Herrera gives the Rockies simply can't be measured in stats and charts. I spoke of style points at the top. There are no style points with Johnny. All he does is produce, make his team better, and give them a better chance to win baseball games by simply doing what's asked of him and understanding his role.

Yeah, you need your CarGo's and Tulo's and Helton's to have success. But what separates winning teams from losing teams are guys like Johnny.

Really all four guys involved in that inning (Herrera, Spilborghs, Mora and Olvio) fit the mold of role players who make the team better by understanding their role and excelling at them. Really is a nice mix of guys that all fit together perfectly after the release of Brad Hawpe.

Funny how that works sometimes.

Tomorrow

Jhoulys Chacin vs Ian Kennedy

Time to go 1-0 and see where the chips fall by Sunday night. Gotta like your chances with Mr. Chacin taking the hill.

Rock Solid Recap: Being Better At Baseball

The Colorado Rockies have a job to do. They also currently have an opponent that quite frankly stinks, but for some reasons gives them fits in 2010. 

Best way to remedy that? Show up with some focus and be better at baseball.

It's really that simple.

The talent level between the Rockies and Diamondbacks was pretty much even back in 2007. I expected it to stay that way for at least the next 4-5 years... but it hasn't. The two rosters aren't even close, and tonight, that difference in talent was on full display.

Rockies 13, Diamondbacks 4 

This game was essentially over the moment Todd Helton laced this 2-run single in the first inning (Highlight). For real. The Diamondbacks could have packed their bags and headed back to the hotel right then and there.

One big reason for that? Jorge De La Rosa. Again, not the most efficient work from DLR, but he was inefficiently dominant with 10 Ks over 6 six innings of 2 run ball. Despite the 103 pitches in those 6 innings, he did not walk a batter. Several full counts are what led to an early departure. And he may have left early anyway because of the lopsided score.

Another big reason for that? Troy Trevor Tulowitzki. T Times 3, as in 3-for-3 with 2 bombs, 3 runs, 4 RBI and a token BB. That makes 5 HR in 3 games. That's what they call white hot in the baseball broadcasting business.

Ryan Spilborghs (2-for-3,2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Eric Young (2-for-5, RBI, SB), Melvin Mora (2-for-3, 2 R, BB), Todd Helton (2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB) & Miguel Olivo (1-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI) all had big nights for the Rockies as well.

See what I mean? The talent differential is quite staggering.

And how about *cringe* Franklin Morales? Tonight made two excellent outings in a row. This one was actually dominant (1-2-3, 2 Ks).

I was the last one off the Morales bandwagon earlier in the season. I'm very hesitant to be the first one back on, but I do really like what I'm seeing. Granted he's been eased into two very low pressure situations, but I'm still praying to the Baseball Gods that some sort of switch has been flipped here.

All that hope aside, he would have to be absolutely insane for the next three weeks to even be a consideration for a playoff roster should the Rockies become that fortunate. But just having another reliable lefty arm for three weeks would be huge in aiding that process.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Rodrigo Lopez

As pitching matchups go, this one appears slightly advantageous for our favorite baseball team.  Regardless, the Rockies have more work to do. No time to start making any assumptions or losing focus. Just come out and be better at baseball for 9 more innings.

Rock Solid Recap: Meet Your New #2

All due respect to Jason Hammel (whom I've admired and supported since his arrival to Denver last April), the Rockies number two in 2011 will be the young man you saw on the mound yesterday afternoon.

Rockies 1, D-Backs 0

I haven't gone back to watch every pitch that was thrown by Jhoulys Chacin. I don't think I need to (though it might be fun to hear the commentaters describe the brilliance) to understand how good he was. The condensed version tells the story well enough.

The kid was dealing. The kid was missing bats. The kid was in control from pitch #1 to pitch #100. The kid put the baseball team on his back and carried them to victory.

I don't care what the standings say, to come through with that type of dominant outing as his team struggles to piece together anything resembling good baseball, speaks volumes to the ability and the mindset he has. Can't say enough about it.

Between Chacin and Esmil Rogers (very good on Friday), fans suddenly have two new legitimate reasons to watch Rockies games. Not that most of us need a reason to watch, but those who do should definitely be paying attention to these kids.

Huston Street

Sucks!

Oh, right, he's had more 1-2-3 saves in a Rockies uniform than anything close to a disaster. He's still by far the best option for the ninth inning, and I actually applaud and congratulate Jim Tracy for sticking with his guy in this spot. He'll be fine.

Just don't run him into the ground! Make him your main closer, but don't be afraid to go another direction when he's thrown 2-3 days in a row, or thrown a high of pitchers on a single day. Be smart about it.

Dexter Fowler

Is a really good outfielder. Almost too good for his own good.

Careful out there.

The Offense

Still blows. Move along.

Tomorrow

Speaking of Jason Hammel, he'll be taking on Tim Hudson at Coors Field.  Could a 2-game winning streak be on the horizon?  Could the Rockies score more than 0 or 1?  So many questions, with so many likely depressing answers.

Come on back to Coors Field with us.

Rock Solid Recrap: Still Can't Count To 18

Listen, I know 17 is the most recognizable number in Rockies history. In a few years it'll be the first (hopefully only) number retired by the franchise. Still -- can we please do something, anything, to assist Ubaldo Jimenez in reaching his franchise record 18th victory?

Offense?

Bullpen?

Defense?

Anybody?

Oh well, I'm happy Jim Tracy didn't completely overwork Ubaldo tonight. Really no point in wasting his arm on a lost season. I know the 18th win is signifcant, as would be #20, and possibly keeping him in the Cy Young race, but is all that truly worth it in the end?

Not to me.

I want team success over individual success every day of the week, so if the Rockies decided to shutdown Ubaldo tomorrow, or a week from now, mid-September, fine by me. 2011 is where the main focus needs to go.

D-Backs 3, Rockies 1

Really nothing to add or analyze about this one. I hope to avoid repeating myself over and over again, although this team makes that extremely difficult based on them playing the same, tired, boring, lifeless games over and over again.

Well, I'll say this -- I can already see Jim Tracy has fallen in love with Matt Reynolds and will continue running him into the ground over the next 40 games until he's left as a pile of dust..

Jim, please, for the love of God, try to restrain yourself.

Tomorrow

Is my fantasy football draft. That means no Rockies for me. I'm sure I'll watch the condensed game later in the day on MLB.TV.

Rock Solid Recrap: Stuck In Traffic

D-Backs 4, Rockies 3

I assume everyone reading has a pretty firm handle on what happened.

The spotlight shines brightly on Huston Street, as it has far too many times in the last month. He's struggling, badly, not going to deny that one, folks, but it would be silly to sit here and write an entire column on that, when the problems run much deeper than that.

You may think the Rockies made strides offensively last night, but the fact is they still managed to make a pitcher look a lot better than he really is.

Ian Kennedy is not a #1 or #2 in any rotiation around the league. Maybe not even a #3 or #4. He only remains in that role because Brandon Webb is hurt, Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson were traded to shed salary, and Max Scherzer was traded because Josh Byrnes is an idiot.

Basically they have no choice but to label him ace...err workhorse... err whatever they really label him.

Kennedy did not bring an A game last night, even by his standards. A good offense puts an easy 7 or 8 on the board against him and puts him in the shower by the third inning. The opportunites were endless. The all important "traffic" was jammed inning after inning, yet the Rockies only scratched out three runs.

And then when the worst bullpen in baseball came in?  Nothing improved.  It actually regressed.

I know there are some people out there trying to reinvent baseball with overthought stats. Most of those people would like to completely ignore the RBI stat flat out. Fine, whatever, an RBI doesn't truly define a player's skill level. blah blah.

Duh.

But it defines wins and losses.

Team wins and losses are the only stats that really matter. If not, then what the hell is anyone playing for?

People who find ways to drive in runs -- whether they be with home runs, singles, sac flys, walks, whatever -- make the money because scoring runs is what wins baseball games.

Does traffic increases your chance to score runs?

Again.. Duh.

But 100% of base runners (I don't count a HR as a base runner) have to be driven in. It's a part of the game. It will continue to a be part of the game. Attempt to devalue it all you want, but anyone who watches this baseball team day in and day out should know better than anyone that driving in a key run is often the difference between a win and a loss.

It freaking matters.

Tonight

Ubaldo Jimenez 

Rock Solid Recrap: Ugh

This is why I cringe anytime I read a comment saying this series or that series is a cakewalk. There are no cakewalks in baseball. There are series that appear more winnable than others, but there are no cakewalks.

Jim Tracy assured us before Friday's game that he wouldn't allow his team to overlook Arizona. I'm not saying they have, but they're damn sure learning the lesson of why you can't fail to respect every team in MLB.

Now the D-Backs head in to Sunday looking to sweep the Rockies.

Those who are thinking that's not possible with Ubaldo Jimenez pitching should reread the first two paragraphs again several times.

D-Backs 4, Rockies 3

Losing Player: Aaron Cook

But you're saying Aaron Cook didn't pitch tonight. That's correct.

He also didn't pitch well enough or long enough last night. His early exit led to Jim Tracy wearing out his bullpen, which led to Jim Tracy sticking with Jhoulys Chacin about 30 pitches too long tonight.

Read more »

Rock Solid Recap: I Like Ubaldo Jimenez

Because he's adding years to my life and keeping my hair from graying in my late 20s.

Rockies 7, Diamondbacks 3

Don't be fooled by the three... that came AJ (After Jimenez).

Winning Player: Ubaldo Jimenez

There was a challenge tonight from Seth Smith (two home runs), but duh, that's not enough to wrestle WP away from The Chief.

He was fantastic, as usual, but also allow me to say this about Arizona: They swung the bats very well tonight. Seriously. They squared up more pitches than anyone has in a single game against U.

And you know what that amounted to?

0 runs, 4 singles, 2 doubles in 8 innings.

Read more »

Hits & Misses: Spring Training Games 5 & 6

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 1 (Boxscore)
Diamondbacks 9, Rockies 3 (Boxscore)

One town. Two different games. Two separate stadiums. Both shortened by rain.

Hits

Huston Street

Huston Street stated he felt better than expected during his touch-and-feel bullpen today . I assure you that's bigger news than anything that happened on the field.

Aaron Cook

Very Cookmanlike efficiency in three scoreless innings. I still haven't seen the haircut though. From what I understand that may go down as a miss at some point this spring.

Read more »

Other Notable NL West Non-Roster Invitees

Arizona 

• RHP Rodrigo Lopez

Los Angeles

• RHP Scott Dohmann
• RHP Ramon Ortiz
• RHP Russ Ortiz
• RHP Josh Towers
• RHP Jeff Weaver
• C JD Closser
• IF Angel Berroa
• IF Nick Green
• IF Doug Mientkiewicz
• IF Alfredo Amezaga
• OF Brian Giles
• OF Michael Restovich
  

Read more »