Rockies Winter Meeting Review

The 2011 Winter Meetings are behind us now, and while the Colorado Rockies did not add a large piece to their damaged puzzle, they did subtract two of their least popular players while adding some depth and freeing up enough cash to make themselves a player for Michael Cuddyer or a key starting pitcher.

Here's a quick review.

Monday

-- Claimed Jamie Hoffman off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers

Hoffman is your typical AAAA player. He's a pretty good defender from all accounts, but at age 27 has yet to take a step forward offensively. He'll compete for a bench job in spring training. His odds of making (in the Ryan Spilborghs role) will depend on who else the Rockies add in the coming weeks.

Tuesday

-- Acquired RHP Kevin Slowey from Minnesota Twins for minor league pitcher Daniel Turpen

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Lackluster Recrap: This Pomeranz looks like a nice little lefty

Start No. 1 for Drew Pomeranz was pretty damn impressive.

Start No. 2 fell right in line with the first, which is a very encouraging sign from a young pitcher. A little consistency is always welcomed.

Here's what I like about him: He's in command. He's not intimidated. He remains poised in the face of baserunners and small strike zones. He's always on the attack. His stuff is good. His confidence is better. Without being overly clichey, he just looks the part of a big league pitcher.

We need more guys that look the part of a big league pitcher. Because if they look like it, it means they believe it. When they believe it, everyone who sees them believes it. We need a guy people not only in Colorado, but all around baseball believe in, respect, and hopefully somewhere down the line even begin to fear.

Pomeranz's line: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Giants 6, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

Pomeranz hit his pitch count in the 6th with a runner on first. Tracy made the move to Matt Belisle, who allowed the run to score on a two-out double. I'm 98% certain that run doesn't score in Pomeranz stays in.

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Rock Solid Recap: Fowler, Rockies hand Alex White his 1st NL victory

Alex White's third start with the Colorado Rockies was another rollercoaster, but at the end of the day I felt encouraged by what I saw, and congratulate him on his first victory in a Rockies uniform.

Rockies 5, Padres 4 (boxscore)

Here are the concerns so far:

1. For the second straight ROAD start, White was greeted by a lead-off home run. White's bread and butter is supposed to be his sinking action, so when the ball is leaving the yard you're rightfully alarmed. But, it's not unusual for sinkerballers to come out early in outing with too much energy, which leads to overthrowing, which leads to less sinking action.

The important thing to note is that as he goes along, the ball doesn't continue to fly out of the yard. So far he's done well in that regard. But obviously there's a ways to go in working through and past early mistakes.

2. Poor command has also been a problem. Again, this is unusual for White, because the scouting reports boast of his ability to pound the strike zone. Why that's not happening is a definite concern until it's cleared up, but my guess is it's simply a combination of nerves and possibly him lacking confidence in his stuff after getting roughed up early in games.

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Lackluster Recrap: Street + Phillies = Sadness

This season stinks doesn't it?

Phillies 4, Rockies 3 (10) (boxscore)

One out away from putting away the dreaded Phillies. If It seems like we've been there 100 times before, it's because we've actually been there 5-6 times. And that final out never seems to come. Unfortunately, they are the one team that owns Huston Street. Not that he hasn't had a bad outing here or there against someone else, but that's the team that always gets him.

They tormented him all throughout 2009, with the playoffs being nothing short of disastrous. He didn't face them in any meaningful action in 2010, but did fare well in two appearances. Save opportunity on Monday; two up, two down rather easily, and back to tormenting. Couldn't finish them.

Huston doesn't seem like the type that would let a team get in his head, but if the Phillies aren't in there, I'd be shocked. And if he doesn't have nightmares about that 3-2 pitch to John Mayberry that tied the game, I'd be shocked about that as well.

Steet has now allowed 10 home runs on the season. That's tops in baseball for a reliever and 25% of his total allowed in seven seasons. So yes, a very disturbing number, and looking at the here and now a big concern. But I'd like to think there's a good chance it'll get better if he simply starts locating better and making smarter pitches.

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Rock Solid Recap: Hammel punches back against Padres

That was Jim Tracy's headline quote in the postgame describing Jason Hammel's impressive outing and victory over the San Diego Padres.

Rockies 3, Padres 2 (boxscore)

Apparently Hammel had a sitdown talk with some coaches after his last start and the gameplan for Friday night was to pitch inside more. It appeared to work, although I'd be lying if I said I paid real close attention to his location in comparison to previous starts. I just know he was throwing the ball with some zip, and was able to overcome the small doses of traffic he dealt with. I'm encouraged by that even if it was against a sorry offense in a very pitcher-friendly park.

Hammel's line: 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB 5 K

The important thing for Hammel now is to make this start his foundation for rebuilding his season that crumbled around the last month or so. A home date with the Philadelphia Phillies next week will make that a difficult task, though a good start there could go a long towards rehabbing everyone's confidence in him, including his own.

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Rock Solid Recap: Aaron Cook is alive... and the Dodgers stink

That would be the simplest way to recap Wednesday's win, but I'll go a little further.

Rockies 3, Dodgers 1 (boxscore)

I'll never argue with a win under any circumstances,.and I'll give credit to Aaron Cook where it's due. He threw ball well, got about a dozen groundouts and didn't kill himself with the base on balls. That's how the gameplan has always been drawn up for Aaron. When executed (especially against punch less offense) he succeeds and sometimes even dominates like this one.

Breaking: The Rockies have extended pitcher Aaron Cook's contract through the year 2018.

Only kidding. Dan O'Dowd hasn't gone that far off the deep end yet. And if he was really smart, I think about the sixth inning he should have sent out a mass email to every other GM letting them know what was going on and emphasizing his asking price for Aaron was still pay for his airfare and we'll call it even.

Three more positives

1. Troy Tulowitzki: A three hit night for Troy. Two of those with two outs and RISP. Productive at-bats to be sure, but more so encouraging to me because he wasn't afraid to work a count and was actually seemed focused on going back up the middle. Good to see.

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Return of the Rock Solid Recap

Every now and the Rock Solid Recap goes on a vacation. For example, the entire second half of last September, it was all Recrap all the time. But it's always nice when the Recap makes it triumphant return!

Welcome back Recap!

Welcome back Rockies!

Rockies 3, Nationals 2 (boxscore)

Let's get right into the three positives

1. Jason Hammel: A huge, HUGE bounce back effort from Hammel. I admit I was getting a little concerned there might be a lingering back problem or something else that was bothering him. And maybe there was. But this performance helped suppress those worries, and should help to inflate Hammel's confidence. If he'd lost any that is.

Line: 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

2. Jonathan Herrera: The professional pain in the ass is back to being just that. Herrera reached base three times (two hits, one walk) and was the catalyst in Colorado's three-run fourth inning (the only inning they scored in). He also had a solid night in the field.

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Rock Solid Recap: The honeymoon continues for Mark Ellis

We're getting a really good look at how dangerous the Colorado Rockies lineup can be with an effecitve hitter slotted into the #2 spot. Of course it's anything but a guarantee that Mark Ellis will continue being that effective hitter, but his first two games give us a lot of hope that he will be a measurable upgrade over those who played before him.

And I'm not just talking about this season. I'm talking about several seasons.

On Saturday, Ellis collected three more hits -- three more doubles to be exact -- making him 6-for-10 with five extra base hits and five runs knocked in through two games as a Rockie. Something tells me he's not going to miss the Oakland Coliseum. Or anything about Oakland for that matter, but especially that graveyard for hitters.

But I think the most important part here is that twice Carlos Gonzalez has been intentionally walked ahead of him, and twice Ellis made the Royals pay with an extra basehit. If Jim Tracy wants to continue hitting Gonzalez lead-off, which I can live with, he absolutely needs a respectable hitter to protect him. Ellis will start earning that respect with a couple more clutch knocks.

Watch Ellis come through

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Rock Solid Recap: Pitching holds strong, Tulo steals the W

This is what happens when you put an underachieving team (Rockies) and mediocre team (White Sox) together for a baseball game. A long game full of fans from both sides wondering how their teams is going to blow it, why the other team refuses to win it, and why they're staying up into the late evening hours to witness it.

Rockies fans are glad they did, because it was shown there is one big difference between these teams, and, quite frankly, the two leagues.

The Colorado Rockies have a superstar by the name of Troy Tulowitzki. A superstar who's athletically gifted and can change a game any number of different ways, including with his legs. The Chicago White Sox have no such player. In fact, most American League teams don't.

Watch Troy Tulowitzki steal the baseball game

Now listen to Hawk Harrelson's non-call

And the Jim Tracy drinking game

Rockies 3, White Sox 2 in 13 (boxscore)

That game could have gone on for 20 innings without a resolution if not for Tulowitzki's instincts and hustle, but let's make no mistake about where this game was truly won for the Rockies...

Pitching. Pitching. Pitching.

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Rock Solid Recap: New York is becoming a second home

Alright, I don't mean to get too carried away. I'm just happy to get one win out of this series. If they could find a way to squeeze out another... wow.

Rockies 4, Yankees 2 (boxscore)

Jason Giambi: New York certainly isn't a second home to Jason Giambi. He still has an apartment there. He spent the prime of his career there. It's definitely a special place for him for several personal and professional reasons. And it had to be made even more special by the reception he received tonight.

Hats off to the Yankees fans for showing their love. EVEN after Jason unloaded on an A.J. Burnett cookie for a long home run in the 2nd.

Watch Giambi's mammoth blast

Giambi would add a pair of singles and a walk later, and even scored what ended up being the game-winning run on Ty Wigginton's groundout in the 4th. Great night for the Giambino.

Good enough Ubaldo: He started off very shaky, never really had good command the whole way through, but Ubaldo Jimenez had enough to keep a very talented offense at bay for seven innings.

Watch Chris Nelson come to Ubaldo's aid

The final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB (too many), 7 K (one an inning) and 119 pitches (one more than his previous season high).

Velocity was mid-90s consistently. In fact, pitch 119 hit 95 on the gun. So yes, the velocity is still down. It would be wonderful if he could get it all back because he needs it on nights when his other pitches aren't working. Because of that I can see why a lot of people are concerned about the MPH. I can also see why other's aren't. I guess we'll just have to see where it all leads on Wednesday against the White Sox.

Troy Tulowitzki: I saw someone tweet Tulowitzki can't handle the bright lights or big stage after he grounded out with the bases loaded. I dunno, homering in all five games he's played in New York tells me a different story on that. No doubt his swing has been all over the place lately. No doubt he's blown some opportunities, but he's fine.

Watch Tulo's blast

Chris Iannetta: Three walks and one strikeout looking. That's a very complete Chris Iannetta type game.

Bullpen: Wonderful job by both Matt Reynolds and Huston Street to make the 4-2 lead hold up. Each allowed one baserunner. Each recorded three outs. Each allowed zero to score. I like my bullpen.

Watch Street lock it down

Overall: Good win. Very happy to see them play a complete nine innings of baseball without any silliness. Well, unless you count that rare four strikeout inning as silly. Some would. But still, it's not easy to go into Yankee Stadium and play a team stacked with that much talent backed with that much history. It sounds lame to say, but that can be a source of intimidation. Well handled by the guys.

Rock Solid Recap: Seth Smith plays hero in dramatic road win

One of the early highlights of Tuesday's game was getting to hear Seth Smith's dad in the broadcast booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson talking about his son's terrific accomplishments in sports other than baseball while growing up. 

I've said a time or two I believe Smith is the best pure hitter on this team. Is it possible he's also the best pure athlete? Sounds like he could be.

It was also entertaining hearing Mr. Smith's southern drawl. That was a nice changup from Jeff Huson's robotic tone and use of the same cliches and pieces of analysis over and over. If I had a vote, I'd actually have Mr. Smith replace Huson when George Frazier is off doing whatever things George Frazier does. But of course my first choice would still be Lisa Iannetta.

Rockies 4, Indians 3 (boxscore)

The only thing I wish I could change about the game is having Smith's dad in the booth for one or both of Seth's home runs.

Wow, were those two blasts HUGE for the Rockies.

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Rock Solid Recap: It's not a beauty contest. It's American League baseball.

Call it ugly. Call in shaky. Call it whatever you like. That's just American League baseball. Pretty wins are few and far between in that league. So to go on the road and beat a first place team, as unlikely as it is that they'll hold the spot, is a feather in your cap. Especially when you're trotting out the No. 5 in your rotation (who's really a 7 or 8) against their opening day starter.

Know what I mean?

Rockies 8, Indians 7 (boxscore)

5th Inning: This is where the game took a turn for the better. After Ty Wigginton and Charlie Blackmon grounded out harmlessly to start, Chris Iannetta drew a two-out walk. Hey, I told you before the game he was going to turn the lineup over a lot tonight! I just had two no idea a two-out walk would turn into six-run outburst.

• Iannetta walk
• Gonzalez single
• Chris Nelson walk
• Todd Helton walks in one

That set the stage for the Rockies first big break of the game. The Troy Tulowitzki bouncer down the third base line that kicked off the bag and into foul territory for a two-run double.

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Rock Solid Recap: 35 up, 35 down

Back to .500. Good. If they stay at .500 come July 1st I can finally look at the standings with interest.

See, for me there are two rules when it comes to looking at the standings and watching the scoreboard.

1) It has to be July.

Why July? Because it's usually just past the halfway point and the finish line is finally closer than the starting line. To get worked up about it before that point is a waste of energy for me.

2) The Rockies have to be over .500.

Because how many times has a team under .500 realistically contended for anything? Be over .500 and you're almost always in a position to matter.

So that's how that breaks down.

Rockies 5, Tigers 4 (boxscore)

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Rock Solid Recap: That's a winning streak

One is just one without two. Two gives you something to build on. Three is what I call a real winning streak. The Rockies have their first real winning streak since April 15th thanks to eight shutout innings by Jhoulys Chacin and 17 hits on offense.

Rockies 6, Dodgers 5 (boxscore)

And somehow they only won by a single run. Is life ever easy for these guys?

Jhoulys Chacin: Life has been pretty easy for Chacin against LA this year. He's yet to allow a run to the Dodgers in his 15 innings against them. It's pretty special getting to see this kid continually develop his game and elevate his status not only on the Rockies staff, but in the entire National League. Hopefully that continues to the point where he can be considered for a nice honor next month.

Watch Chacin dominate

Chad Billingsley: On the flip side, Billingsley's last two starts against the Rockies have resulted in new career highs in hits allowed. They got him for 11 hits back on May 30. Remember? The game where they had 14 hits overall and one plated run? Well, the Rockies topped that with 13 hits this time, and 17 overall. Six regulars recorded multi-hit games.

Carlos Gonzalez: CarGo led the way with four hits out of the lead-off spot. Yeah, that's not where he's going to stay, but Jim Tracy might have a really difficult time messing with this current formula. It shall be interesting to see when he decides to make the move.

Watch all four of CarGo's hits

Chris Nelson: That talk about Nelson being an AAAA player is dying down a bit. He's not a real polished defender, as we saw in the 9th inning, but he's a solid addition to the lineup to be sure. Where he is a month from now is anybody's guess, but I'm betting he's still hanging around in the two-hole.

Todd Helton: I'm out of adjectives. At 37, he's still the glue that holds it all together. I know, I've said that before. I'm really out of things to say.

Watch Helton be Helton

Troy Tulowitzki: And now the home run swing is coming back. I think we're on the verge of something wonderful with Troy.

Watch Tulo's solo blast

Seth Smith: Only one hit. It was probably the biggest hit of the game. A two-run single in the 5th.

Watch Smith's two-run single

Chris Iannetta: If Smith's wasn't the biggest hit, Iannetta's two-out RBI single in the 5th was. Either way, it's nice to see this balance. I didn't even mention Ty Wigginton's two hits. Sorry Ty.

Bullpen: Really rough night for Matt Belisle. Sure the Nelson error didn't help, but a six-run lead should never turn into a save situation for your closer. That led to Huston Street having to warm up quick and enter a tough spot. And then Street gets criticized because he gives up a couple soft hits. The Navarro defensive swing was an especially softly hit blooper that found a nice cozy spot just out of Tulo's reach.

I've already said I won't defend Huston Street anymore because it's pointless. If Mariano Rivera was the Rockies closer, people would complain endlessly about that too I'm sure. But it's silly to hold anything against Street in this one.

Winning streak: Let's make it four and get Jason Hammel a damn victory!

Rock Solid Recap: That felt like old times

It's been awhile since we've experienced this feeling. The Colorado Rockies, down by four runs (TWICE), rallied (TWICE) to steal a big win from their rivals from Los Angeles. No, make that a HUGE win. A must have win if you ever plan on putting your foot down and changing the direction your season is going.

Rockies 9, Dodgers 7 (boxscore)

The Rockies offense showed more life in yesterday's 9th inning and today's 6th, 7th and 8th innings than we saw for all of May. It was great, and it's absolutely no coincidence that Troy Tulowitzki has been in the middle of it all. Tonight Tulo was 2-for-5 with a two-run double in the 6th and a two-run single in the 7th. A four RBI night following a three RBI afternoon. Please God let this continue!

Watch Tulo's double

Watch Tulo's single

1-2-3: And it helps when your top three hitters are getting on base. Carlos Gonzalez (3-for-5, RBI, two runs, double), Chris Nelson (2-for-4, RBI, run, sac fly) and Todd Helton (1-for-2, RBI, two runs, three walks) were all fantastic.

Obviously it's encouraging to see Gonzalez put together a series of at-bats. I'm a really big fan of the way the ball jumps off Chris Nelson's bat. I think he might end up being a really nice fit in the two-spot as we look for a more high octane offense as opposed to the small ball qualities Jonathan Herrera brings. Todd Helton is just Todd Helton. Duh.

Others: Jose Morales, Charlie Blackmon, Eric Young and Seth Smith each scored a run. Nice to get contributions up and down the lineup and from the bench. Well done by all.

Juan Nicasio: Here's the thing about leaving Nicasio in the big leagues right now. Teams are going to figure out real fast that he's a one and a half pitch pitcher. The fastball is darn sure electric, and he's going to be terrific when/if those secondary pitches develop, but there will be lumps at this level if you're hoping he develops here. I don't think I'm saying anything you couldn't figure out yourself by watching. I like the kid. I like his control, but that can also be detriment with his limited pitch selection.

How did Betancourt get the win?  Rule 10.17: If a relief pitcher is ineffective but would qualify for the W, scorer can credit another (effective) pitcher with W instead.

Thanks to Alison Miyasaki for posting that on Twitter so I didn't have to look the exact ruling up.

Rex Brothers: Studly.

Huston Street: Pretty good right about now.

Overall thoughts: Awesome win. Hopefully it's the one we look back at as the moment the season was corrected for good!

And finally: Here I thought the Rockies would have an impossible time replacing Summer Barmes with the grab bag promos. Nope. They've upgraded nicely to Lisa Iannetta. Probably the best upgrade they've made all season.

LOL - Look at Huson would ya? If only he could convey 1/100th of that anger and intensity into what he's saying during the broadcast.

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies 3-4 finally provides some punch

An ideal lineup features your most productive hitters batting third and fourth. On this Wednesday afternoon, the Rockies had the right two guys holding down those positions.

Rockies 5, Padres 3 (boxscore)

Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki combined to go 7-for-8 with a home run (Todd), three doubles (2 Todd), four RBI (3 Troy) and four runs scored (3 Todd).

Watch Todd Helton's home run

The biggest of the seven hits was Tulo's two-run double in the ninth that broke the tie and served as the game-winner. A big, big moment for Tulo, especially considering Heath Bell intentionally passed on Helton to get to him.

Watch Tulo's double

Sometimes a good slap in the face in the best kind of wakeup call.

Once Carlos Gonzalez gets his act together, I would strongly suggest to Jim Tracy that he hit fifth and Helton stays third. I really would. Helton gives you your best at-bats on a nightly basis, and Tulowitzki desperately needs someone dynamic like Gonzalez behind him for protection. That's just me though. Gonzalez still has a ways to go before we can think about that.

Charlie Blackmon: Congratulations on the first ML hit! it was a Todd Helton special on a hard groundball through the right side. And then he barely missed on a three-run homer his second at-bat that probably would have been out in Denver. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he can do on this ten-game homestand.

Watch Blackmon's first hit... and his diving grab

Aaron Cook: I'm sure there was some rust involved, but this looked a lot like most of Cook's outings last season. Didn't get real deep. A lot of traffic. Was always one hit away from disaster. I won't judge him too harshly, but I'll hope for better when Cook faces the same Padres next week in Denver.

Huston Street: Wow. That's all. Wow.

Now let's watch Eric Patterson get picked off... and caught stealing. Thanks for the help!

That concludes a 4-5 road trip through California that could have absolutely buried the Rockies if things went poorly. I feel like they kept their heads safely above water. Granted things could have gone a lot better with a couple hits here and there, and it's nine games off the schedule with no forward progress, but the important thing with how poorly they've been playing is to survive as long as you can and hope things turn around.

Hopefully that starts tomorrow as they host the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. Yeah, that doesn't look too promising on paper. Now let's see them finally come out, rip up the paper and make an ace look like a #5 for a change.

Rock Solid Recap: Shutouts guarantee success

If you don't allow the opposing team to score, you will win. It's a proven strategy. For most, it's the surest way there is to win. For the Rockies, it's the only way to win.

Rockies 3, Padres 0 (boxscore)

Clayton Mortensen: This is interesting. Mortensen was very effective tonight (6 IP, 5 H, 2 BB and 3 K), but apparently did not receive a whole lot of praise from Bob Apodaca in the postgame. I understand what they're thinking here. Keep Juan Nicasio in the rotation, bump Mortensen to long relief. I have no issue with that at all, but there has to be a better way than suggesting a pitcher wasn't good enough after six shutout innings.

What if Nicasio takes steps back in his next couple outings? What if Aaron Cook is no good? What if you're needing to go right back to Mortensen in the next couple weeks? I would have just said Mortensen was really good, but we feel he's best here (in the bullpen). No need to shoot holes in an excellent outing.

Offense in two words: Just enough.

Chris Nelson: Nelson had a really strong game at the plate. His first inning triple led to the Rockies first run. He later ripped a double to the left field gap, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch it. Replays showed he was probably in there, but that's a poor decision leading off an inning. Maybe he'll actually learn from it? That would be something!

Nelson was also really good defensively at second base. It would be nice if he was allowed to stick there tomorrow, but I won't hold my breath with the ever changing lineup cards.

Seth Smith: His ninth inning RBI triple was definitely the biggest (most relaxing) hit of the night. Going from 1-0 to 2-0 and eventually 3-0 felt like 13-0.

Chris Iannetta: Quietly the player of the game. On base three times. Called a solid game. Defense behind the plate was sound. Nothing exciting to point at, but high grades in every facet of his game.

Carlos Gonzalez: Nothing at the plate. Very frustrating, but the nice thing about CarGo is his defense is still Gold Glove caliber. And his arm is a freakin' cannon... right Jorge Cantu?

Rex Brothers: Congratulations on a solid ML debut. Tracy brought him into a one-run game and he did not look overwhelmed by any means. Nor did I expect him to. He was hitting the high 90's with his fastball. His command was excellent. It was very good. If all you see are the two hits, you're missing everything. One was a cheapie anyway.

Matt Reynolds, Matt Belisle and Huston Street: Lord were those three filthy tonight. This bullpen is not a problem right now with how nicely it's set up. They aren't perfect, which they essentially need to be with the current offense, but you won't find many better, especially when Street is on his game.

Winning streak: Two in a row does not a winning streak make, but you can't win three in a row without the two. So let's make it two.

Rock Solid Recap: Rockies win a one-run game!

Had a nice time visiting family and celebrating my cousin's college graduation yesterday. I mentioned my travels took me to St. Charles, IL, where Matt Reynolds played his high school ball. Well, while I was there I was updated on another young left-handed pitcher from St. Charles by the name of Wes Benjamin. 

I remember meeting his parents in a previous visit when they were optimistic about his future in baseball. This time around it sounds like he's developed into a legit prospect. He's committed to the University of Kansas, but over the past year he's been contacted by 22 MLB teams. So it wouldn't surprise anyone if his name gets called during the MLB draft this week.

Hey, the Rockies had good success the first time they went to that well. Maybe they'll take another chance on a kid out of St. Charles. Who knows? But whatever happens, I wish him well on his journey.

You can read more about him in this Chicago Tribune piece from Wednesday. Just remember when his day comes: You heard his name there first. You heard it here second.

Rockies 2, Giants 1 (boxscore) 

Looked like the Rockies had a nice time as well on Saturday. I only watched MLB.com's condensed version of the game and looked over the boxscore, so I'll just say a couple things here.

-- A one-run victory! Wooo!

-- It was great to see Troy Tulowitzki take over a game with his bat. Granted it didn't lead to a lot of offense overall, but he made the most of his opportunities, which is a positive sign. Now you want others to start feeding off him.

-- Hard to comment on Jhoulys Chacin without seeing the whole body of work. Results, though, were excellent. Glad he was rewarded with a victory.

-- Matt Lindstrom. Rafael Betancourt. Huston Street. No hits. No nothing. I was beside myself with excitement when I saw that. Especially since it was a one-run game the entire time.

-- Thrilled to hear Rex Brothers finally got the call he and Rockies fans have been waiting for. Jim Tracy says he'll be eased in to duty, but I'll believe that when I see it. He really doesn't need it. He's too talented. Besides that, baseball situations don't often dictate you can ease a pitcher in. Sometimes it'll work, but I say treat him like you would any other reliever and let's see what we have here.

-- Matt Daley hits the DL to open up the spot for Brothers. Daley looked good initially in his callup, but faltered recently when the shoulder soreness flared up. Hopefully there's nothing too serious going on there.

-- Lineup card returns tomorrow.

Rock Solid Recrap: The slide continues

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

Here's what we had tonight.

-- 2nd inning: Chris Young on second with one out. Miguel Montero bounces back to Clayton Mortensen. Mortensen catches Young off second base. Rundown. Couple throws. Ty Wigginton's throw hits Young in the hand and everyone is safe.

These guys are fighting themselves so much that they can't even execute simple rundowns.

-- Clayton Mortensen ran into that issue that continues to cost Ubaldo Jimenez. He walked Stephen Drew and Young to start the 4th. Boom. Miguel Montero three-run homer. Just that fast. You lose for it three batters, you're down 3-0. Mortensen seems to be a guy with good control, but it just shows how costly those walks can be, even when they're few and far between.

He allowed one more run the 6th aided by Chris Iannetta's first throwing error of the season. Indeed every little mistake the Rockies make is crippling.

-- As for Mortensen, I like him. Why I like him so much I don't know. I guess because he's usually throwing strikes and hitting spots. He makes a lot of big pitches with his back against the wall. He's far from special -- mind you, but he seems to find a way to keep the offense within striking distance. As a #5 starter you'll definitely take that. This offense just isn't capable of striking right now.

-- Troy Tulowitzki bunting for a hit down three with two outs in the 6th. Took a great play by Montero (he was awesome tonight) to get Tulo, but seriously, why?

-- I defend Huston Street. I defend Huston Street. I defend Huston Street some more. With each defense, the next home run he allows goes about ten feet farther. You're on your own now, Huston. In fact, all Rockies are on their own now. I'll praise you when warranted, but I'm not going to bat for anyone.

Save Todd Helton. But I should never have to go to bat for Helton.

-- After the game the Rockies designated Jose Lopez for assignment and recalled Eric Young Jr. It's the right move to make. Lopez has done nothing to justify sticking around, despite being given ample opportunity to beat out Jonathan Herrera at second and play third base in wake of Ian Stewart's struggles. I may have DFAed Alfredo Amezaga first, just because his ceiling isn't as high as Lopez's, but either/or are expendable.

Young coming up gives Jim Tracy something he's desperately searching for right now -- a lead-off hitter than can put pressure on the defense. Whether or not he can consistently get on base at the ML level is the question with EY. I'm not counting on or asking for anything spectacular here, just a spark, or a pulse, or some form of consistency.

Where he plays in the field will be another interesting question. I could see him flipping back and forth between 2B and CF. Flip Herrera to third when he's at second. Give Fowler days off in CF. Ultimately I think this spells less playing for Ty Wigginton and Jason Giambi in the field.

-- Weekend series with the Cardinals. Difficult to envision this ending well right now. Someone surprise me.

Rock Solid Recrap: Reoccurring nightmare strikes again

I'm not talking about the nightmare on Huston Street, although his recent string of home runs allowed is a growing concern to be sure. And I'm not talking about the scary thoughts that go through my mind between every Rafael Betancourt pitch. Believe me there's time for a lot of them.

(Both of those pitchers played their part in Friday's gut-wrenching and infuriating loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. There's no denying if they do their jobs, there's a much happier ending. But.)

I'm talking about Felipe Paulino. Very possibly the worst pitcher to wear a Rockies uniform in ten years. And here some people thought we traded that guy on Thursday. Nope. Paulino makes Franklin Morales look like Billy Wagner by comparison. Morales has major league stuff. Paulino has a straight fastball that begs to be hit 450 feet.

That's exactly what Prince Fielder did in the 14th inning. It was a moment everybody predicted would happen the second Paulino began warming up. It was his first official blown save of the season, and his fourth loss in the past three weeks. All of them have looked the same. He looked like a guy that couldn't get major league hitters out, and he didn't.

But as awful as he's been, you can't really get mad at the man himself. He's shown us who he is. We obviously don't like what we see because he's terrible and we want the Rockies to win every day. But for some reason, what we've seen for six weeks still hasn't sunk in with Jim Tracy and Dan O'Dowd. They're the ones who keep stubbornly sending a person to the mound who's not equipped to handle the job. They're the ones who come under fire for this.

Paulino = bad. O'Dowd & Tracy = clueless.

We're ****ed meter: Clueless management > Bad pitcher

And I'm putting that as kindly as I can.

If Felipe Paulino is still on this roster when I post the Lineup Card later today. So help me. I don't know what I'll write, but it probably won't be as kind as what I wrote here.

Brewers 7, Rockies 6 in 14 (boxscore)

-- Jason Hammel pitched a really nice game. He left in the 7th inning with a lead over Zack Greinke. What more can you honestly ask for? A home run? That's not really fair, but he hit one of those, too. Great game.

But it was pissed away. You have an improbable win handed to you on a silver platter and it's gone. Those are the losses that haunt you for weeks and months. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants continue winning one-run games like it's the easiest task in the world.

-- Jason Giambi hit another home run. It's an awesome stretch for him. Hope it continues.

-- Troy Tulowitzki lost his composure on a night when this team NEEDED his presence in the field and in the lineup. No Helton. No Cargo. Tulowitzki has to be the leader in that scenario. He can't lead from the clubhouse because he had to settle a pissing match with the home plate umpire. I'm deeply troubled by what happened here. He's supposed to set the tone and lead by example. If that's his leadership, it's no wonder this team gets frazzled so easily.