Missing out on Dan Uggla and other Rockies issues

With the Florida Marlins officially trading second baseman Dan Uggla to the Atlanta Braves for what even the most casual baseball fan would recognize as a weak return, Rockies fans are left to wonder how and why their team didn't get involved.

For the price the Atlanta Braves paid, yes, the Rockies could have easily topped that package without losing a truly meaningful piece to their present or future plan, and probably should have. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the Rockies were not in on recent discussions.

I don't know why that is. But one thing we shouldn't discount is that the Florida Marlins are a pathetically run franchise. This isn't all about what the Rockies were willing to part with, it's also about who the Marlins valued in return. As Troy Renck pointed out on Twitter, the Rockies didn't have the pieces that would have satisfied Florida based on what they took.

It's also possible Marlins GM Larry Beinfest's demands during talks last off season led Dan O'Dowd to believe a deal would be impossible then and in the future. That could be BS in itself, but believe me, it's never as easy as we're led to believe by the armchair GMs with blogs and Twitter accounts.

I completely understand the frustration, though. I'm frustrated to see Uggla go elsewhere for such a lousy return, but again, there are a lot of factors involved. Of course you can put money at the top of that list.

Other Issues

I don't like the pattern developing with the Rockies roster. In the past 18 months we have seen once valuable trade pieces like Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Taylor Buchholz and now Manny Corpas unloaded from the squad with absolutely nothing in return.

It's concerning because the model for the franchise to stay competitive is never going to be excessive spending. I don't think it has to be or should be either, but they do need to stay ahead of the competition, evaluate their talent better and trade out pieces before they lose value. That's why I've always been big on the idea of dealing Ryan Spilborghs and Clint Barmes the past two off seasons. Their value will never get that high again.

The Rockies also stand to lose Jeff Francis for nothing in the coming weeks as we're hearing up to five teams have interest. His case is a little different though with the injury bug having bitten him repeatedly.

I've stated many times this is the most important off season for Dan O'Dowd as Rockies GM. It's off to a quiet start. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's understandable that many fans will start getting antsy. Hopefully we'll see something worthwhile develop in the next couple of weeks so he's not left scrambling to fill several roles in February.

Jim Tracy Should Read This

This being the tweet posted directly below. Everything that follows is just me rambling again.

@closernews Mariano Rivera was unavailable after pitching in the last two and in four of the last five. David Robertson gets one out and the save.

Mariano Rivera has yet to throw on three consecutive days this season.

Yes, even the great Mariano Rivera needs days off, and Joe Girardi gives them to him.

I'm sure Joe is reluctant to do so, because that Yankees bullpen is far from deep or stable even Kerry Wood added to the mix.  Yet Girardi always sticks to his guns and leaves Rivera seated on the third day.

Of course that philosophy could change at some point in September if for some reason the Yankees are in a desperate situation (I don't see that happening), but even then, having refrained from doing earlier in the season should have Rivera as close to full strength as a pitcher can be that time of year.

Now...

Who remembers the last time Milwaukee came to town? Remember what happened with Manny Corpas (closer at the time) when Jim Tracy ran him out there four days (not games - days) in a row and all three games in the Milwaukee series?

The first two were scoreless innings. Game 3 was a near disaster. Game 4 was a complete disaster.

Manny went on to be awful for about three weeks straight.

Huston Street was successful over a four day period back in July, allowing only one run while collecting a win and three saves. However, the last time Huston was asked to go three in row, the third day resulted in possibly the most devastating loss of the season... in Pittsburgh.

Just saying.

Also just saying... Last season when Tracy ridiculously used Street four days in a row -- seven of out nine overall -- in late August, Street disappeared for three weeks in September with biceps soreness.

Street would return but struggle mightily in the NLDS. He then started this season with shoulder soreness and missed three months.

The only exception to the rule so far is Matt Belisle. He has been pushed the limit on several occasions this season, but amazingly hasn't lost his effectiveness or feeling in his arm.

Knock on wood.

Bottom line...

To me this is bigger than a win or loss issue (which is big enough on its own), it's really a common sense issue. You can't keep running guys into the ground, even if they say they can handle the load, when the risks and affects -- short-term and long-term -- are plainly obvious.

Rock Solid Recrap: Too Much Stink, Not Enough Sink

And so it should end Aaron Cook's near eight year run in the Rockies rotation.

Say what you will about the Cook we're seeing implode before our very eyes in 2010, an eight year stay in any big league rotation is really damn impressive. Probably even more impressive in the Rockies rotation. It's just time to move on.

Actually, it was time to move on when Jorge De La Rosa was activated from the DL... but now it's REALLY time.

I don't buy that Cook is/was a luck pitcher. Sure he gets the ball put in play on him more than most, but his path to success is no different than any other starting pitcher. If he makes his pitches, he'll succeed. If he doesn't make his pitches, he'll fail. Sinker below the knees, he'll be fine. Sinkers and flat curveballs in the hitting zone, he'll get tattooed.

You don't sink (pun intended) to the level he's at now just because years of good luck are catching to you. You get to this point because you're not making pitches. Simple at that.

Cook In The Bullpen

Not sure this goes well assuming it happens. I guess we shouldn't assume anything with how this season is playing out.

To me it seems like Cook comes out that first inning struggling to find himself, his grip, his location. Sometimes he's too amped up and overthrowing. That doesn't translate to successful reliever -- long or short relief.

Giants 10, Rockies 0

Taylor Buchholz

Speaking of long relief. Not an awful job by Taylor Buchholz. Not a great job by any means, but I think Taylor's role needs to be that of a short reliever. One inning at a time. His starting and long relief days are long behind him -- and probably days he'd like to forget.

Manny Corpas

Bad Manny. He's starting to slip up again. Hard to blame overuse as an excuse now since his innings have been cut down recently, but that's still a TON of innings for a guy not used to the workload.

Offense

All this pitching talk kind of overshadows maybe the biggest problem.

No offense.

Three hits (tied for season low). Twelve strikesouts (par for the course).

Fattening up on the dumpster fire known as the Chicago Cubs bullpen may work for a weekend. It doesn't solve the problem though. At some point (like tomorrow) this team has to consistently hit MAJOR LEAGUE pitching.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez. Madison Bumgarner. Seems winnable to me.

Rock Solid Recrap: Cook & Olivo Go Together Like...

Like...

Fire and Gasoline.

Have you noticed that?

I started to notice it on Sunday when Cook was completely in charge against the best offense in the NL. Chris Iannetta called all those pitches.

Get Miguel Olivo back out there against another good offense -- though one that's been struggling -- annnnd we're back to the Aaron Cook who looks lost on a pitching mound.

I'm not the stat guy around here... but here are those numbers updated after tonight.

• Cook with Iannetta -- 5 starts, 32 IP, 3.09 ERA

• Cook with Olivo -- 13 starts, 74.2 IP, 5.30 ERA

That's a pretty dramatic difference. Dramatic enough that you would think a manager that "pushes all the right buttons" (as Troy Renck likes to remind us only when Tracy's decisions work out), would notice it and maybe adjust his catching rotation to match Cook up with the catcher he's comfortable with.

Anywho...

Phillies 6, Rockies 0

Wouldn't have mattered much tonight anyways. Roy Halladay was in cruise control from pitch #1 to pitch #116.

Not even sure he broke a sweat until he covered first base on Fowler's groundout in the 8th.

The Rockies offense had maybe one almost significant threat that really didn't stand a chance with Miguel "Gun Show" Olivo and Brad Hawpe hitting with RISP.  They are the opposite of locked in right now.

Silver Lining?

Well... again... I like what Manny Corpas is doing.  I don't know what his role is exactly.  As David Martin pointed out on his Twitter tonight, Jim Tracy might not know Manny's role either.

Dear Mr Corpas, You are going to be my mop up guy, my one inning guy, and every now and then a setup guy. At the same time. -Jim Tracy

But I do like that Manny is at least throwing the ball well.  He will continue to do so until Jim Tracy wears his arm again sometime in the second week of August.

Tomorrow

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Kyle Kendrick

Do I even need to tell you how important the game is?  This pitching matchup (on paper) is a huge mismatch in the Rockies favor.  But can they take advantage of that?  Or will Kyle Kendrick just be the latest scuffling pitcher to baffle the Rockies lineup?

Tune in to FOX... yes, FOX... to find out.

Rock Solid Recapping A Nine Run 9th Inning Comeback

Those Colorado Rockies did it again. They made me fall in love with the game of baseball... for about the 813th time.

Rockies 12, Cardinals 9

I'd be lying if I said I saw that 9th inning coming. In fact, I was already in the process of putting my thoughts together on a Rock Solid Recrap. I mean seriously, a 6 run deficit in the 9th inning? A team that's left a total of 33 men on base the last two ball games? There's no way they can come back here, let alone make it interesting.

Hey, if there's ever a good time to be wrong, this would be one of those times.

How does a comeback like this happen? It takes a lot of work, and some of the most important work actually comes well before the decisive moment or string of moments.

Manny Corpas

Jim Tracy threw Manny Corpas out there in the 8th thinking this would a great time to get him some confidence. Corpas responded with an efficient and perfect 8th inning. So efficient, in fact, Tracy stuck him out there again in the 9th. Corpas responded again with a perfect inning.

That was step one in two different comebacks. 1) The Rockies victory. 2) Manny's confidence.

Miguel Olivo

Three hits, including TWO in the 9th inning. Yadier Molina got a good look at what a real all-star is, especially when Olivo crossed home plate as Molina lolligagged after his Passed Ball. What a joke.

Melvin Mora

A professional AB down six runs. Doesn't give away the AB, just puts a ball in play. Gets himself a hit. Extends the rally.

Clint Barmes

Here's an overlooked plate apperance. Clint Barmes drawing a walk is news all by itself. Clint Barmes drawing a walk under these circumstances is momumental. Terrific job by Barmy.

Chris Iannetta

That HR was a freaking clothesline.

It's so nice to see Chris hitting the ball well. I always predict good things for him, he always seems to leave us wanting more, but he's getting his house in order at a perfect time. His value is on the rise not only to the Rockies, but possibly other teams as well.  And he played third base for a couple innings!

Dexter Fowler

Understands the importance of just getting on base now. His basehit was important because often times a HR signifies a rally killer. Dexter assured us that wouldn't happen.

Carlos Gonzalez

Where the hell was Randy Winn playing? Under normal circumstances CarGo's well hit liner would have found the RF's glove and left us all deflated. With Winn playing practically in the Rockies bullpen, the ball dropped just shy of Winn and extended the inning a little more.

Thanks for that Randy Winn.

Highlight: CarGo's 2-run HR

Jason Giambi

Think he's not loving his playing time? He's a closer killer. Like CarGo's ball, Giambi's may have been playable for a nomrally positioned RF, but Winn again was back and a little more towards the line. The ball dropped, Winn bobbled, Winn dropped, Winn threw in weakly. CarGo scores from first.

Aaron Cook

Always ready to contribute on his non-pitching days. His 1st-to-3rd on Olivo's 2nd hit didn't up factoring in in any way, but just getting to third there gave the Rockies 30 different ways they could have won. Thank you for that effort Aaron.

Seth Smith

Mr. Late Night is quickly becoming one of my favorite Rockies of all-time. We're talking Dante Bichette/Todd Helton/Vinny Castilla levels here. You hate to ever expect a guy to hit a HR or double off the wall when the situation warrants it, but my God, Smith comes through every time.

And that swing? That swing is Helton-esque in his prime years. Seth Smith, my friends, is the best pure hitter on the team.

Highlight: Smith's Walk-off

I think I'm going to wear that highlight out a ton the next 24 hours.

Whew. I'm exhausted. I don't think anything I could write could do this game justice. I I'm incredibly proud of those 25 men wearing Rockies uniforms tonight. That's as good as a feeling as one can get watching a Major League Baseball game.

Yes, even Jeff Francis, who struggled again, but whose comeback shows he's no quitter either.

We'll delve more into that tomorrow.

Tonight, we enjoy our stay on cloud 9.

Go Rockies.

And maybe vote CarGo too if you get a few minutes.

Mixing & Matching Is For Losers

According to Rockies commentators, Jim Tracy is the master of mixing, matching, and setting his team and bullpen up to win.

He's always "one step ahead" as they like to remind all the freaking time.

Really? Then why do a high percentage of his moves backfire?

And beyond that, why do Rockies fans see the backfires coming when Jim Tracy doesn't?

No, it really has little to do with Rockies fans having a negative attitude about the team, it's just easy to see moves like repeatedly sticking a struggling Franklin Morales or fatiguing Manny Corpas into tight situations not working. Yet Jim Tracy continued going to those wells until they past dried up, and the number of games it's cost his team can't be counted on one hand.

Morales is now in AAA, so Tracy doesn't have that option anymore. Corpas is still around, but he's been running on fumes for the past two weeks or so. Tracy recognized that yesterday by refusing to use him in a 15-inning game.

Corpas started the year as a long reliever -- a role he was used in a ton when Aaron Cook and Jason Hammel struggled through rough stretches. He then spent a month or so in the closer role, which added some high stress innings to his arm. Now he's in limbo as a Rockies middle reliever which, with Jim Tracy in charge, means you could pitch 3-4 days in a row routinely.

That's clearly not what Manny needs. It's not what Matt Belisle needs either, but so far he's managing to hold up. We've already seen Matt Daley succumb to the workload. To me this says we need a little less mixing and matching from Tracy going forward.

Yesterday was a perfect example of what bothers me and what is wrong with Jim Tracy.

He allows Jason Hammel to start the 8th inning wiith 105 pitches. That move was debatable on its own, but here's what happens next.

Matt Belise 1/3 IP
Joe Beimel 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 1 ER
Rafael Betancourt 1/3 IP, 2 H

Three different pitchers to get three outs. Granted, it was a one run game at the time, but the three relievers combined to allow that run. All it amounted to was losing the lead and losing your top three setup men in one failed swoop.

Betancourt had to rush his warmups to be ready to face his hitters. I think the fact he allowed two very well hit basehits to start his appearance indicated he may not have been warmed up. Besides that, relievers who are used to starting an inning often struggle when asked to clean up another's mess. Especially a guy like Betancourt who is used to the 8th being his and his only.

Without his three setup men available, and without Corpas available, Tracy had to use the freshly off the DL Street to throw two innings. I can tell you right now I had an uneasy feeling all night and almost expected to wake up hearing about soreness or fatigue from Street.

Whew.

Jim Tracy should never find himself in a position like that again. In order to avoid that, he needs to make an honest effort to organize his bullpen. He may thing his mixing and matching is organized, and maybe it would be in the playoffs, but you can't manage this like the playoffs. It's too soon. Arms will be dragging.

I want to start seeing roles be definied and pitchers be trusted to handle their assigned roles. Mixing and matching just creates chaos, and it's usually reserved for team's with awful bullpens. This is not an awful bullpen. This is a damn good bullpen that is being fatigued and minimized by an overactive manager. The chaos is completely unnecessary.

Huston Street is the closer. That's settled. Absolutely limit him to one inning for the forseeable future.

Now... settle on a freaking setup man. Mixing and matching is doing nothing but adding apperances and pitches (warmup pitches) to these guys totals. Every time they simply warm up you're adding wear to their arm, so pick a guy. Pick Betancourt or pick Belisle. Pick one. The 8th is theirs and theirs only.

Whoever isn't your 8th inning guy, becomes your primary 7th inning guy. Beimel and Flores can be used in situations here or even to handle the 7th. Esmil Rogers is your long man. Then all you need to do is figure out who your 7th reliever is between Corpas, Buchholz, possibly Chacin.

An off day like today is a good time to think about this. It wouldn't take long to figure it out. Hell, it only took me 10 minutes to jot these thoughts down.

Get on it, Jim Tracy, Get your house in order!

Rock Solid Recrap: Meet The New Lightning Rod

Exit: Franklin Morakes.  Enter: Manuel Corpas.  

Giants 11, Rockies 8

Manny Corpas

It pains me that Manny is receving and will continue to receive the boos that were recently reserved for Franklin Morales.  There's a really big difference between the two pitchers and their situations.

Morales' struggles were and are a product of his own mental toughness... or lack there of.  Even though I'm not a big fan of booing a guy with that fragile a mental state, at least you can point to his failures being a product of his own weakness/ability.  It's somewhat justifiable.

Manny Corpas is a different story.  His problems really have little to do with anything he's done, unless you consider him not telling Jim Tracy he needs a day off every now and then to be a crime.

Corpas has nothing left in the tank.  No short reliever could withstand the workoad Jim Tracy piled up on his arm in April and May.  Corpas had no experience as a long man, didn't really prepare for that role in ST, yet Jim Tracy kept using him for 2-3 innings at a time.  Burning precious bullets in non-pressure situations.

Manny had a lot of success in that role early, despite his lack of experience there.  Hell, I even said Manny was the second most valuable player on the team in April.  He was.  The work he did was fabulous.  So good, in fact, that Jim Tracy decided to shift him to the closer role.

There you have another type of workload. It's still physically demanding, of course, but here we're talking a 100% jump in mental demands   Manny did fine there for awhile, but everything finally caught up to him in that Milwaukee series when Tracy tried squeezing four days in a row out of him.  That idea was designed to fail from the get go, and boy did it fail miserably.

Sadly, Manny hasn't been the same guy since.  He's just a shell of the pitcher we saw in April.  His pitches are flat, and his confidence is shot.  That's all on Jim Tracy, because his job is to maximize a player's usefulness, not run him into the ground physically and drain him mentally.

Matt Belisle is in a similar spot, but has held up a little better than Manny because he has a history as a starter.  His arm is used to the workload.  That said, he will remain on implosion and fatigue watch, because you can only push these guys so far, and Jim Tracy seems far too willing to test those limits.

This is what has gotten Jim fired from his two previous managerial gigs.  He doesn't learn.  Never will.

Joe Beimel

As David Martin pointed out earlier, what makes the situation ten times more frustrating and baffling is San Francisco had three left-handed hitters due up that 7th inning, and Tracy had a fresh Joe Beimel at his disposal.

He goes to Corpas.  Why?  To keep Pat Burrell on the bench?

Idiot.

Just go with your BEST guys or your FRESH guys.  When your best guy and your fresh guy are one in the same, then the decision should be a no-brainer.

Not in the world of Jim Tracy.

Sad.

Ubaldo Jimenez 

This might sound weird.  It's almost as if Ubaldo and Jason Hammel have changed uniforms. The one bad inning bug that bit Hammel for so long is now latched on to Ubaldo's right arm.

Of course it goes deeper than that.  Ubaldo is likely fatiguing just as the guys above are.  That's to be expected though from a starter.  They go through periods of poor mechanics and other such ups and downs.

Tired arms.  Poor command.  Bad luck.  Lack of run support.  Lots of run support.  Poor defense.

I'm not worried about him.  It's just the natural flow of the season.

Besides that, If Fowler gets to that ball in the 3rd, it's a different scenario.  That ball dropping led to six runs that would not have scored.

That doesn't serve as an excuse for Jimenez, but it does emphasize the fine line every pitcher walks in a given game.  And to me it just emphasizes even more how special he was to avoid those situations entirely for two months.

Tomorrow

Jason Hammel vs. Matt Cain

Hammel needs to be good here.  The Rockies absolutety can't afford to give this series away and give the Giants any more momentum.  BIG game.

Rock Solid Recrap: Nibbling Leads To Crumbling

Padres 13, Rockies 3

I'll attempt to not overreact to one really horrfying loss.

I think I'm going to fail miserably at this.

Jeff Francis

If Jeff Francis is going to come out nibbling, while also completely wearing down 80-90 pitches in to his outings, then he should be considered for removal from the rotation when Jorge De La Rosa returns.

That will never happen, of course, but it could be a consideration.

His command needs to improve. His confidence isn't where it needs to be. His arm strength should be progressing by now. It's just not happening. He's not going to be anything more than a 5-6 inning pitcher unless he sees significantly improvement in each of those categories.

Honestly, I'd much rather live through the growing pains of Jhoulys Chacin and the inconsistencies of Aaron Cook than sit through anything like today again. Seriously, did you not want to jump through your TV, computer screen, IPhone or radio today and scream at Jeff Francis?

THROW STRIKES.

Make them earn it. Quit pitching like you're afraid of challenging the likes of Jerry Hairston and Chris Denorfia. He set an awful tone for himself in that first inning -- and then he got drilled in the arm by a comebacker. That surely didn't help him find his comfort zone.

It's weird, but aside from that particular hit, Francis was not hit hard in the game. He just constantly put himself in trouble with the walks, a HBP, several three ball counts. Then he naturally wore down, starting leaving pitches up, and the the Padres pecked away at him with bloops and well placed bleeders.

Franklin Morales

Of course the lightning rod Franklin Morales came out there and poured gasoline on the fire. He was his usual erractic self, while also getting hit hard. We already know what we're getting with Franklin, though. It's asinine to continue using him in a relief role when the trend shows he can't retire the first couple batters he faces. I don't even need to see a stat to understand that one.

Manny Corpas

Has a dead arm I'm sure.

The Offense

Clayton Richard's career high coming in was 8 strikeouts.  Today he set a new mark with 10 strikeouts.

Just fire Don Baylor already and give this team a fresh voice. Whatever he's saying, if he's even saying anything, isn't resonating.

Overall

It was just another one of those Rockies mail it in type of games we too often see when a W could really cement something positive.  Oh well. It is what it is with this team. They're still hanging tough in the standings, but something is going to break one way or the other very soon.

We're turning the page to July. This is where the contenders start stepping up and the pretenders start stepping aside.

Rock Solid Recap: Herrera is my Hero

These games are taking years off our lives.

And it's only June!

Rockies 4, Angels 3 (11)

Of all the wonderful stories the game of baseball can tell, the one that I enjoy the most involves a guy like Jonathan Herrerea. A guy with no hype, no fanfare, and few expectiations, that just possesses a determination and that one ingredient that pushes a team to another level.

Let's face it, the Rockies have had good players batting at the top of their order -- Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith have a spent a lot of time there -- but they haven't had a legit pain in the ass there in far too long. By that I mean, a that gives good ABs, reaches base, possesses enough speed to be dangerous, and above all, understands his role.

Herrera, to this point, has shown those qualities. All he needed was the opportunity to play every day. Now we're seeing the results.

It just sets the lineup up so beautifully. Now you can let Carlos Gonzalez do what he was born to you... drive in runs. Helton can be that perfect #2 hitter that gets on base. Then you slot your lineup the rest of the way accordingly.

The whole lineup gains a new dynamic and a fresh confidence that is slowly trickling its way down to the Ian Stewarts and the Chris Iannettas.

It's funny I'm saying all these nice things about a kid that struck out his first three plate appearances in this game. But the great thing about Herrera is that each AB wasn't wasted. He was fooled very badly a couple times, but he filed away the approach the Angels pitching were using on him. That allowed him to fight off a tough pitch inside to bloop a single in the 8th. The same pitch that had frozen him twice already.

I noted this as I was watching but didn't tweet it.

Did you see that other #Rockies hitters? Angels had a plan to get Herrera out, it worked a couple times, but he adjusted to get a single.

Dexter Fowler should also take note of that.

Herrera added two more singles after that. The one in the 11th inning proved to be the game winner.

It's just a fantastic story that seems to get better everyday. And as I've said many times, his defense isn't a downgrade at all. He can play the infield. He's quick. He can make the throws.

I don't know yet that he could sustain a whole season, but I feel the Rockies have uncovered something here that will benefit them more than a trade for Dan Uggla or anyone would.

On a side note tonight... Chris Iannetta had his best game of the season. A two-run HR in the 5th on a hanging curve got Colorado on the board. His two out double in the 11th started that rally from scratch. The Rockies will need to lean on him a little more going forward as I believe the workload on Olivo is unsustainable.

That is much like the workload on Manny Corpas. He got the outs he needed tonight, but Jim Tracy has to realize 41 innings in 73 games is going to kill a reliever. At some point he'll have to back off on Manny, let him catch his breath, and then slot in him in the 6th-7th.

Winning Player: Matt Belisle

The same could probably be said about Belisle, but hats off to him for gutting this out and coming through again. Herrera's three hits were all huge, but Matt Belisle's work not only won the Rockies this game, but it could possibly win them tomorrow's as well. He's a horse and is becoming one of my favorite guys on the team.

Whew. Another late night. Time for some rest. Let's hope tomorrow is a much quicker, easier on the liver and heart type of victory.

Rock Solid Recap: Take A Walk, Pap

As excited as Drew Goodman was on the Rockies broadcast, I'm glad I was listening to Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy on the Boston call for NESN. Hearing opposing announcers attempt to talk over the roar of the crowd in a somber/stunned tone is like music to my ears.


Tonight... the music came via the longball, and the music makers were two of the Rockies strongest, but most frustrated left-handed bombers.


Video: Ian Stewart's Game-Tying Bomb


Video: Jason Giambi Walk-Off


That never gets old.


And as good as it feels every damn time it happens, how much better does it feel coming against the Boston Red Sox, knowing Red Sox Nation was silenced and sent back to their hotels or whatever hole they crawl out of during the day.


On top of THAT, it feels great that the Rockies were able to bail out Ubaldo Jimenez for a change. He was been single-handedly keeping the team above water for two months. For the offense to come to his rescue tonight will just give Jimenez even more motivation to bounce back.


Which he will. No excuses!


Forget the flu talk. Forget fatigue. Forget any excuse you've heard.


Let's give Boston credit for being a good offensive team. Good teams hit your mistakes. Good teams lay off your best swing-and-miss pitches. Good teams work the pitch count. Boston did all those things in the middle innings.


Its not like Ubaldo was completely awful. He cruised through four of the six innings. It's just when he didn't make his pitches, Boston got him. It's as simple as that. It doesn't mean anything other than that, and it doesn't change anything he's accomplished so far.


Also, let's tip our caps in the direction of Jhoulys Chacin again. He deserves a lot more credit for how good he was last night.


And now... the real key to tonight's victory.


The Bullpen.


Criticized for recent struggles (not by me), the bullpen (Huston Street, Franklin Morales, Matt Belisle and Manny Corpas) quietly shut the Red Sox out the last three innings. This win is not possible without ALL four of them getting outs.


Yes, even Morales. They all played a role. They all contributed to the win in a big way. It's as good a team win as you'll see all season.


Enough said. Let's get'em again tomorrow.

Rock Solid Recrap: Don't Blame Manny

I came into today's game never once expecting to hear Manny Corpas' name. Manny had pitched the previous three days, earning saves in the first two, and then laboring badly through the third appearance. No way he could be counted on to pitch a 4th straight day unless the most extreme circumstances arose was my thinking.

Apparently 1-1 in the 9th inning qualifies as extreme circumstances.

Brewers 6, Rockies 1

Not surprisingly, Corpas had nothing in the tank. He faced five hitters. All five hitters reached. All five hitters scored. And Corpas was booed off the mound by a large number of fans that probably didn't realize the circumstances or aren't baseball educated.

It wasn't Manny's fault.

There was a lot wrong in this one, just as their usually is when the Rockies drop games to bad teams.

The offense is this team's achilles heel. Has been all season. They sucked again today. In fact, I think the season's low point came in the 8th inning today. They went down 1-2-3 to Trevor Hoffman in that 8th inning. No one goes down 1-2-3 to Trevor Hoffman in 2010.

Hell, the Rockies never used to go down 1-2-3 to Trevor Hoffman even when he was still at his peak Hall of Fame level.

The offensive fails didn't surprise this fan a whole lot, though, when he saw a lineup not including Miguel Olivo, Todd Helton or Seth Smith, in addition to CarGo still nursing the sore knee.

However, the ultimate bottom line today is Jim Tracy was going to use Corpas again if the game was close, and Corpas was still going to have nothing on the mound. To me it boils down to a manager looking at the game at hand, and making a decision that gives his team the best chance to win that game.

Jim Tracy failed. Jim Tracy failed miserably. Jim Tracy let his team down. Jim Tracy also let his pitcher down.

Go to Juan Rincon. Go to Rafael Betancourt. Go to somebody that isn't running on fumes. Someone that gives your team a chance to get a zero on the board, and then give your offense a chance to get one run.

There's no guarantee that works either, but it's the common sense factor. It's not even baseball logic, it's the logic of physics. Manny Corpas clearly needed a night off last night. He was gassed. You can't use him again today after seeing that. You can't, that is, unless your name Jim Tracy.

I'm glad that's not my name.

But hey, the Rockies do win a series this weekend. That's a positive.

Aaron Cook pitched a GREAT game today. He deserved a better result than a no decision.

Jonathan Herrera has shown to be a little more than servicable.

Meanwhile, Dexter Fowler hit for the cycle today at Colorado Springs... by the 5th inning. He might be nearing a return.

Can't let the one bad inning damper a good weekend of baseball. And above all that, can't let anything related to baseball put a damper on Father's Day. Hope you all have or had a good one.

Be on the look for updated Rockies player rankings sometime tomorrow.

Rock Solid Life-Shortening Recap

How did we live through 10 years of games like that night after night?

Rockies 8, Brewers 7

That one has to rank at or near the top of the wackiest, weirdest, craziest games played in Denver.

Oddly enough, it may not have been the craziest in baseball today. Rays/Marlins and Phillies/Twins make a strong case for that title.

What made this particular game a little extra crazier was the incredible struggles of the Rockies offense coming in. No one would blame you if you sensed the game was at 4-1. Even when they scored the three to tie in the 7th, I wouldn't have blamed you for feeling like they were going to find a way to fall short. The Rockies just don't win games like this in 2010.

On the other side, when the Rockies put four more on the board in the 8th, no one would have blamed you for feeling like the Rockies were secure with a four run lead. We should know better than that by now, but you just can't help but feel that way.

Then Manny Corpas comes in. I don't know what it is about closers in non-save situations, but once a closer is in that role for awhile, they simply can't succeed in non-save apeearances. That is among the biggest anomalies in baseball since the save stat came into play. No one can explain it or understand it.

Another anomaly (Denver only) is Jim Tracy going to Franklin Morales with the game on the line. Was Tracy afraid to use Joe Beimel because Prince Fielder doubled against him last night? If so, Tracy is a moron. Have your best guys ready regardless. Morales is not your best guy.

In fact, Morales should never touch a baseball in a 9th inning again this season. He just can't handle the pressure. It's even past the point where it's fair to question why he's even on the 25 man roster. He doesn't offer anything. I still think he could somewhere down the line, but that time is not now or anytime soon.

Co-Winning Players: Seth Smith and Jonathan Herrera

There's a reason Smith was given the nickname "Mr. Late Night". He's earned it in the past and he put a trademark on it tonight. Obviously his HR that tied the game was important, but the 2-out hit in the 8th was even more so. If that rally had died with only one run scored, chances are pretty good this game ended a lot differently.

That leads into the other Winning Player.

Jonathan Herrera's hit right after that ended up being the difference in the game. It's amazing how important those two out hits can be, even when they don't seem to be. Herrera's excellence wasn't just limited to one AB, he was fantastic all evening, collecting four hits, and playing a level of defense that is consistent with Tulowitzki and Barmes up the middle.

I was excited by the possibility of seeing Chris Nelson (don't overlook his bunt in that 8th inning) start tonight, but credit Jim Tracy for not only sticking with Herrera, but batting him leadoff. That made a big difference.

I still want to see Chris Nelson play, but I also don't see how you can sit Herrera after tonight. How about Herrera at third tomorrow, Nelson at short, Barmes at second, and Ian Stewart riding pine against a lefty? Write that one down, Jim.

One last thing...

The offense still needs to do a better job of putting the ball in play.  I think tonight was a good example of the many good things that can happen when you simply put wood on baseball.  That said, the strikeouts against Gallardo weren't great, but the overall patience and extending of the pitch count won this game for Colorado. If Gallardo goes one more inning, again, chances are this ends differently.  So credit there.

I'm exhausted again just thinking about the game. Be back with you again tomorrow. Let's pull for back-to-back weekend sweeps and the Rockies going five games over for the first time in 2010.

Rockies Player Rankings

Wondering how I'm feeling about certain Rockies players?  Refer back to this list.

I'm not sure how often I'll be updating the rankings -- could be weekly, could be monthly, could be after every inning.  We'll just see how it goes.  But this is how I would rank the players currently.

Everything is taken into consideration -- offense, defense, pitching, clutchness, baserunning, consistency, awareness, intelligence. You know, all the things the Rockies don't do well as a team.

1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Miguel Olivo
3. Troy Tulowitzki
4. Manny Corpas
5. Joe Beimel
6. Matt Belisle
7. Carlos Gonzalez
8. Jeff Francis
9. Jason Hammel
10. Seth Smith
11. Jhoulys Chacin
12. Melvin Mora
13. Clint Barmes
14. Brad Hawpe
15. Rafael Betancourt
16. Ian Stewart
17. Todd Helton
18. Ryan Spilborghs
19. Aaron Cook
20. Matt Daley
21. Randy Flores
22. Jonathan Herrera
23. Franklin Morales
24. Jason Giambi
25. Chris Iannetta 

Top 5 Rockies not currently on the roster.

1. Huston Street
2. Jorge De La Rosa
3. Dexter Fowler
4. Paul Phillips
5. Eric Young

Rock Solid Recap: I Prefer That Jason Hammel

Rockies 5, Astros 1

No mystery tonight...

Winning Player: Jason Hammel

I said something to this effect recently.

When Jason Hammel starts avoiding the disaster inning, he'll turn into one damn solid starter in a big league rotation.  

Seems Hammel has gotten, or is in the process of getting over that hump. A good indication of that was tonight's second inning.  The first two batters reached on infield singles. If anything is a recipe for disaster, it's making two solid pitches, forcing two weak swings, and getting no outs to show for it.

That didn't happen tonight.  Hammel got the 6-3 double play off the bat of Tommy Manzella, then struck out the pitcher to end the threat.  Hammel did a pretty good job of limiting his traffic from that point on, but the real key to his success was that great pitch when the situation called for a great pitch.  A hit allowed there and who knows which direction this game goes in.

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Rock Solid Recap: Exhale

Rockies 3, Diamondbacks 2

I didn't go in to today with the usual good feeling I have on Ubaldo days. That feeling certainly wasn't due to a lack of belief in the Chief, it was more a feeling of anxiety over the way Arizona had battled the first two games.

If you haven't noticed, I have a ton of respect for the position players on their roster. Just three years ago a lot of these same players were battling Colorado in the NLCS. In 2008, these same players finished two games back of LA in the NL West.

They can play. They can hit. They can run. They can field.

They just can't pitch.

That's the only thing keeping them from making the West a five team race. But they have been pitching better recently (that continued today with Rodrigo Lopez), so knowing that, and knowing what their offense is capable of -- yes, I was quite nervous about today's result.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Role Reversal

Wasn't the Arizona bullpen supposed to be the implosion waiting to happen?

Wasn't the Colorado bullpen supposed to come right in and lock things down for Aaron Cook when he exited with a three run lead?

That's not how things played out tonight, and for second time this season, Arizona steals a win from the Rockies they had no business stealing.

Diamondbacks 7, Rockies 6

Arizona Bullpen -- 3 IP, 1 BB, 6 K

Colorado Bullpen -- 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

That's a hideous breakdown if you're a Rockies supporter.. or their pitching coach.

The only guy who came in and did his job was Rafael Betancourt. Daley, Beimel, Belisle, Flores,and Corpas all struggled to varying degrees, with Corpas ultimately blowing the save and taking the loss.

Not. Pretty.

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Rock Solid Recap: Stress Free Francis

Rockies 3, Royals 0

Winning Player: Jeff Francis

He looks good doesn't he? I'm always a little cautious to say a guy's back to top form so soon after 21 months on the shelf... but damn, he's in really, really good form.

Everything is so smooth and effortless out there. He's locating precisely, he's setting hitters up 2-3 pitches ahead, and then he's attacking and finishing them off. That's the new wrinkle in Ubaldo's game that has put him over the top. For Francis, it's an old wrinkle that he has to live and survive by because he's not overpowering.

So far, so good.

I understand he came in to the game dealing with strep throat, so that just makes his endurance and performance.out there even more amazing.

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Rock Solid Recap: All That's Old Is New Again

Check the calendar. Make sure it doesn't read October 3rd, 2007.

On that day, the Rockies defeated the Philadelphia Philkes 4-2 in Game 1 of the NLDS. (boxscore)

The Winning Pitcher: Jeff Francis

The Save: Mamy Corpas

Today looked an awful lot like that day.

Rockies 2, Nationals 1

Winning Player: Jeff Francis

Jeff Francis didn't get the real win, but he did more than any Rockies fan, player, coach, or Francis himself could have imagined. He was flat brilliant. Actually, he was better than brilliant. He was on whatever level Ubaldo Jimenez has lived on all season. Yes, that's how good he was.

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Rock Solid Recap: Let's Take Two

Did you know doubleheaders are split 74.8% of the time?

Those odds, the Rockies inability to win two games in a row in what seems like years, and the return of a previously struggling Jason Hammel from the DL, would seem to add up in favor of the Washington Nationals.

But that's why odds, stats and momentum mean little in terms of an individual baseball game.

Rockies 4, Nationals 3

Winning Player: Jason Hammel 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.

That's the very definition of rock solid.

I'm sure Jim Tracy would have been satisfied with five good innings from Jason. He must be overjoyed that he got seven.

You may have noticed I emphasized and highlighted the zero walks. Man, that's so important for Jason. Limiting that extra traffic and keeping his pitch count down are two KEY contributors to his success. If we could get this we saw guy tonight about 66-75% of the time, the Rockies rotation becomes very strong, because you're not counting on him as more than a 4th or 5th starter.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Several Bullets Lodged Firmly In Foot

Phillies 9, Rockies 5

The Rockies hung around and hung around. It even looked promising a couple different times. But the reality is that the Phillies never lost control of the baseball game, and the Rockies never were in a realistic position to win it.

That's because the Phillies were never going to shoot themselves in the foot. They were just waiting for the Rockies to shoot themselves in the foot, and then they jump all over them for their mistake.

In the 5th, Melvin Mora couldn't turn a double play (again) which led directly to a run on that play. This allowed the inning to contunue, and then another run scored one hitter later as Seth Smith booted one in LF.

In the 6th, a two out, two strike wild pitch by Matt Daley gave Philly another gfit.

In the 8th, Brad Hawpe drops a flyball that should have ended the inning. That did NOT lead to a run, but folks, it was costly. That meant Randy Flores had to come in to face one batter (Chase Utley), whom he retired.

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