Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Swept In De La Rosa's Return

Giants 9, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: We always go into these west coast series (especially in San Francisco) half-jokingly and half-seriously expecting the Rockies to get swept, but this wasn't even close or competitive on any level. What a lousy, embarrassing series that saw the Rockies outscored 24-7 over the four games.

But perhaps the worst thing we saw or heard today were these pregame comments from manager Jim Tracy.

#Rockies Jim Tracy: "Let's be honest, I've been managing a rookie ballclub, a club loaded w/rookies, for the better part of over 3 months."
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) September 20, 2012

I understand the comments likely didn't come in the context of 'can you explain why your team is limping to the finish line again', but come on, I'm tired of the excuse-making and bus-tossing from Mr. Clownshoes. It's old, it's tiresome, and it just shows again that he's not willing to accept responsibility for his own short-comings, of which they are many.

Were the 2010 and 2011 teams loaded with rookies too? Why did those teams completely mail it in in September? The way this team finishes (or doesn't finish) really has little to do with experience, but at some point has to begin reflecting on a manager that can never keep his team focused for 162 games, and also consistently puts his team in a position to fail. That includes over-managing and running his relievers into the ground setting them up for a brutal finish.

I'm so, so, so over this guy as the Rockies manager. Play the hand your dealt and make the team better. But this guy just isn't capable of doing either.

Turning Point: The Giants scored six runs with two outs in the 4th. The first of those runs scored on a wild pitch, which is maddening enough. Then came the walk to Angel Pagan. Then came the RBI single from Marco Scutaro. Then came the Pablo Sandoval three-run homer (off Edgmer Escalona) followed by Buster Posey's home run (off Edgmer Escalona).

What a fitting disaster inning for such a disaster series (season).

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Rock Solid Recrap: Cained Again In San Francisco

Giants 7, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: The Rockies were playing the Giants in San Francisco. The Giants starting pitcher was Matt Cain. The odds of anything going right were slim and none, and slim left the building about three batters into the Giants half of the 1st. Clearly he or she had more important things to do.

Tyler Chatwood's Line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 84 pitches (56 strikes)

Coming into this game Tyler Chatwood's 1st inning ERA was an even 9.00 over his first nine starts. That number actually goes up after Pablo Sandoval's three-run homer. From there Chatwood had to work very hard and deal with constant traffic to limit the overall damage and keep the game close. To his credit, he accomplished that (and didn't walk anyone), but it's clear he has to do a better job coming out of the gate sharper and more focused so the team isn't always in comeback mode immediately and so he can finally start working deeper into games.

Bullpen's Line: 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Rough go again for Adam Ottavino as San Francisco touched him up for three runs in the 5th. That means he's now allowed 10 earned runs over his last 1 2/3 innings, raising his ERA from a very respectable 3.56 to 4.68. It's a damn shame, too, because along with Josh Roenicke and Matt Belisle he's been about as reliable as one can expect for a middle or setup reliever. He's just plain out of gas right now and his numbers are going to suffer for it.

Matt Cain's Line: 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 8 K, 116 pitches (74 strikes)

Even on a night when he doesn't have good command, Cain makes the Rockies lineup like they belong in Modesto. Dominant to the point where it's unfair and slightly embarrassing.

Turning Point: Sandoval's three-run homer was the point of no return, but the Rockies did mount a little rally against Cain in the 5th when they scored the lone run and then loaded the bases with two outs. They even had the ideal man at the plate in the returning Carlos Gonzalez, but after a good battle he rolled over a grounder to second base and then Ottavino's rough 5th finished the game off.

Highlight of the Night: I didn't know what to expect from Carlos Goznalez tonight but he looked pretty healthy while making this fantastic running catch.

Watch CarGo's Catch & Flip

What's Next: Finally a game to look forward to! The return of Jorge De La Rosa will finally happen Thursday afternoon at 1:45 at AT&T Park. According to Troy Renck and others it will be the first of at least two starts for Jorge, which likely depends on how good he looks here. But here's to hoping he just looks healthy. Good pitching results would also be nice, but good health and clear confidence in his stuff outweighs that in my eyes.

Oh... yeah... he'll be opposed by Barry Zito (12-8, 4.21)

Final Thoughts: It was my duty once again this season to write the Rockies eulogy for Big League Stew. This year our theme was concession speeches, so for the first time ever I dabbled in something political and hopefully came up with something you'll enjoy and maybe even agree with while fitting within the guidelines.

Concession Speech: 2012 Colorado Rockies

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Giants 6, Rockies 3. 15 To Go.

Giants 6, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: If you've seen one Rockies-Giants game from AT&T Park, you've seen them all. Misplayed flyballs into triples, wild pitches, caught stealings, former Rockies that stunk getting big hits and once great baseball players grounding into double plays for the Rockies. It's all there for you, but it's just a small portion of the usual problems.

Turning Point: 7th inning. Giants leading 3-0. Rockies loaded the bases with one out. In comes Jeremy Affeldt from the Giants bullpen. In comes Jason Giambi from the Rockies bench. One pitch. 4-6-3 double play. Rally dead. Baseball game essentially over.

So the question I ask you now is the one I sarcastically (I think) asked on Twitter: How long before the Rockies ink Giambi to that next one-year contract?

Jeff Francis' Line: 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 78 pitches (53 strikes)

Speaking of one-year contracts, I'd give one to Jeff Francis in a heartbeat. Francis has shown he has plenty left in the tank to be an above average bottom of the rotation guy, and as we've seen repeatedly over the years, you can never have enough starting pitching depth in New York, Detroit, Atlanta, anywhere, and that's especially true in Colorado.

Bullpen's Line: 3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Really could have used one of those lights out nights from the bullpen, but instead we got a shaky Carlos Torres (1 ER), a sputtering Josh Roenicke (1 ER) and the usual Josh Outman (2 ER).

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Rock Solid Recrap: Giants 2, Rockies 1. Just Like Always.

Giants 2, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: One day after allowing 12 runs to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park and only losing by one run, the Rockies hold the mighty San Francisco Giants to two runs... and again lose by one run.

Bet nobody saw that coming.

And by nobody I mean everybody.

Turning Points: What makes a loss like this one all the more frustrating though is Madison Bumgarner walking five batters in six innings and the Rockies not making him pay for it.

• Dexter Fowlers starts the game with a walk... and then he's caught stealing. 

• Chris Nelson leads off the 2nd with a walk. Andrew Brown follows with a single. But that rally dies on a D.J. LeMahieu double play. 

• Fowler and Josh Rutledge walk with one out in the 4th. Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario fail to drive them in.

• Andrew Brown walks in the 6th... caught stealing (picked off). 

Turning any single one of those walks into a run would have changed the entire outlook. Instead, Bumgarner gets off the hook repeatedly and the Rockies get absolutely nothing going against San Francisco's tough bullpen. Same result we've seen seemingly 1,000 times over the past few seasons against those guys.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 5 IP, 1 ER. 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 80 pitches (50 strikes)

Solid outing that very likely would have stretched out to an excellent outing with a couple more innings of work. But I'm just happy to see Jhoulys throwing this well and looking healthy because that's all that truly matters right now.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Well, At Least They Outscored The Cowboys & Jets

Padres 12, Rockies 11 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Listen, anytime you score 11 runs and lose, it's obvious what went wrong. However, anytime you score 11 runs and lose at Petco Park, you've taken wrong to a whole new level of rotten. Eesh.

Alex White's Line: 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 81 pitches (41 strikes)

Lather. Rinse. Four innings. Nearly 50-50 strike-ball ratio. Repeat. Nothing to see here that you haven't already seen a dozen times.

Adam Ottavino's Line: 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Ottavino just didn't have it, and when you're married to this piggyback system you're pretty much screwed in this scenario. I mean where do you turn? The other piggybacks can't go today. You can't extend one of your late guys. As @Stars5Steve says on Twitter, you're managing to a system that creates little flexibility, not the game flow.

I couldn't think a dumber way to approach baseball than what the Rockies have been doing this season, and will do in an updated form next spring.

Turning Point: This one took some really wild turns: The Rockies scored five straight early to take a 5-1 lead. Then San Diego scored ten straight, including the eight-run 5th against Adam Ottavino and Matt Reynolds. And then in the 8th Colorado rallied for six thanks largely to Josh Rutledge's first career grand slam.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rough First Inning Too Much To Overcome

Giants 8, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: We can pretty much narrow this down to San Francisco's five-run 1st inning against Jeff Francis. Though the 11 strikeouts from the offense and Dexter Fowler and Josh Rutledge combining to go 1-for-9 out of the top two spots in the order could also qualify as parts of the problem, especially considering Carlos Gonzalez and Wilin Rosario each reached three times behind them, including Rosario's 24th homer.

Turning Point: Gregor Blanco started the game with a triple. Marco Scutaro singled him home. The Giants rolled for four more runs, including three with two outs, and never looked back.

Jeff Francis' Line: 3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 78 pitches (51 strikes)

The rough 1st inning put the Rockies behind the eight-ball and guaranteed a short evening for Francis. Pitching for a normal team, he may have been able to squeeze out two or three more innings based on how strongly he recovered in the 2nd and 3rd. The Rockies, however, are not normal, so it just goes down as an awful outing and another taxing night on the bullpen.

Bullpen's Line: 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 7 K

Adam Ottavino was solid, striking over four and allowing one run over three innings. It was Josh Roenicke who struggled the most, allowing two earned runs in the 9th. His ERA finally creeped over 3.00 after staying in the 2's basically all season.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Start And Finish Strong, Still Lose

Giants 9, Rockies 8 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Basically everything from the 4th to 7th innings. Details to follow.

Jhoulys Chacin's Line: 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 71 pitches (46 strikes)

Chacin had it for three scoreless innings and then completely lost it in a four-run 4th, which included a TWO-out, THREE-run homer by Giants' starter Madison Bumgarner. That was brutal and unfortunately highlights the lack of focus we sometimes see from Chacin at inopportune times. You have to finish the pitcher off there and finish that inning, because not doing so absolutely changed the game.

Carlos Torres' Line: 2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Torres has now allowed a run in seven of his last eleven appearances, but nine of those have multi-inning appearances and they've come just about every third day on average. I'm sure he's on fumes at this point.

Turning Point: Bumgarner's home run really was a game-changer, but the Rockies still had plenty of chances to recover. Unfortunately, Torres made that it more difficult with his poor outing, but Jim Tracy really deserves the majority of the blame for allowing Torres to hit for himself and strikeout in the 5th (he allowed two runs in the top half) when the Rockies had two runners on with two outs.

And that would really pay off so well for Colorado because Torres allowed those two extra runs in the 6th. If the Rockies get a hit there, they could have tied the game or even taken the lead. Instead, they find themselves down 8-5 and end up falling ONE run short.

Embarrassing management of the roster. It's September. The rosters are expanded, yet the Rockies still don't have enough flexibility to pull a reliever or pinch-hit in the middle innings when there's a chance to turn a game around with one freakin' hit? Can you imagine being the Dodgers seeing that? Not that I care about the Dodgers one way or the other, but they're fighting for a division and the team they're fighting with essentially has a win handed to them because another major league team is pushing a flawed system over trying to win games.

I say it again. Embarrassing.

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

Rockies 6, Giants 5 (boxscore)

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

I give White the nod for two reasons.

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

2) Watch Alex White's first career home run

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

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

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

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

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Rock Solid Recrap: Tired Bullpen Falters In San Francisco

Giants 9, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Not really a big fan of making excuses for failed performance on the baseball field, but it's hard to get around them when looking at the Colorado Rockies bullpen situation. Most of the guys out there are toast, and the ones who aren't toast are seemingly working on fumes.

So many unnecessary innings, not only for the piggyback guys, but that next layer as well that includes Matt Belisle, Rex Brothers and Matt Reynolds. Unfortunately. I think Belisle may have finally crossed the line to toast in his 56th appearance on Sunday afternoon after wobbling in the 7th inning and falling completely apart in the 8th inning.

Matt Belisle's Line: 1 1/3 IP,  4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 35 pitches (21 strikes)

Jim Tracy rode Belisle until he had nothing left (and then continued riding him for another 10 pitches or so). He then turned to Rafael Betancourt for a five-out save opportunity. Three batters later — sacrifice fly, three-run homer and a double — Betancourt was out, and the Rockies 6-4 lead entering the inning was now a 9-6 deficit.

Such a disappointing result after the offense battled back from an early deficit to take control in the middle innings. And, as usual, there's no reason to not draw a straight line right to the paired pitching system. It continues to cause more chaos and harm than good.

Alex White's Line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 82 pitches (48 strikes)

Like Jeff Francis on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the damage against White all came within the first few hitters. A lot of his own doing (wild pitch included), but the botched rundown (somebody please work with Wilin Rosario on the basics of defense) certainly helped little. From there White wouldn't really find a good groove until the 4th inning, and of course that was his final inning. Who knows, he may have been good for at least one more inning, even two, which would be so huge to the bullpen's cause. It just isn't an option with our mess of a system in place.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Rockies Unable To Overcome Cain... Or Themselves

Giants 9, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Well, for starters, Matt Cain is pretty good at pitching. Once the Rockies got behind 4-0, this one was pretty much in the books. However, Drew Pomeranz didn't have his best stuff today and the bullpen was unable to keep things relatively close, so chalk this one up as another one-sided thrashing.

Drew Pomeranz's Line: 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K, 1 HR, 73 pitches (45 strikes)

Buster Posey was out of the Giants lineup on Friday, but he's the guy who really got to Pomeranz on Saturday. His single leading off the 2nd set up that mini-rally which was capped by two-out RBI singles from Joaquin Arias and Matt Cain (the 8-9 hitters). Posey then hit a two-run homer in the 3rd to cap the scoring against Pomeranz. Just kind of a blah outing that could have gone either way had he been allowed to go beyond 73 pitches.

Afterwards, Pomeranz was rightfully displeased with his fastball command. As we know, that's pretty much where his success begins and ends.

Josh Roenicke's Line: 2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 43 pitches (23 strikes)

This pushed Roenicke's ERA from 2.21 to 2.65. That says a lot about how well he's pitched in 71 1/3 innings.

By the way, Rex Brothers would allowed the ninth and final run in the 8th. His up and down, mostly disappointing season continues.

Highlight of the Afternoon: Another first career home run for a Rockie. This time it's D.J. LeMahieu. Congrats to him!

Watch D.J. LeMahieu's first home run

With Dexter Fowler telling the Michael Phelps story (AGAIN) over the entire highlight. I think I've heard the story 12 times over the past two weeks.

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Rock Solid Recap: Encouraging Roadie Continues With Second Shutout

Rockies 3, Giants 0 (boxscore)

The Good News: The Rockies won another division road game with excellent pitching.

The Bad News: The Rockies won another division road game with excellent pitching, likely giving the brain surgeons in charge more motivation to keep the paired pitching system in place.

We can't win for losing around here... or something to that effect.

Winning players: Wilin Rosario, Tyler Colvin and Tyler Chatwood

It was difficult to pick one above the others, so we'll go with three tonight.

First of all, Wilin Rosario doubled twice off Tim Lincecum and had really strong at-bats all night long. But just as important to his cause were the two base runners he threw out at critical times in the game. The first came in the 1st inning after Tyler Chatwood walked Angel Pagan leading off, which really seemed to help Chatwood calm down and settle in. A big time throw and an odd decision by San Francisco.

The second came in the fifth with runners on first and third. Bruce Bochy again made an odd decision here, putting the runner in motion with Tim Lincecum at the plate. Lincecum swung-and-missed. Rosario made the strong throw to retire Brandon Crawford, ending the threat. We'll go ahead and call that the turning point as well, even with the Rockies holding a 2-0 lead, because they seemed destined to be San Francisco's inning.

Watch the big strike'em out throw'em out double play

Tyler Colvin had a two-hit night at the plate as well. The first was an 0-2, two-out hit that plated Wilin Rosario in the 4th. After the second hit, Colvin stole second and eventually scored on Chris Nelson's sacrifice fly. Another productive game for Mr. Colvin.

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Rock Solid Recrap: How About That For A 1-8 Homestand?

We knew it could ugly. Some even predicted an 0-for-the homestand before it began. 

It certainly lived up to the hype, didn't it?

Swept by Cincinnati.

Steal one from St. Louis.

Swept and completely embarrassed by San Francisco.

1-8.

Giants 8, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

Turning Point: Jordan Pacheco made a 1st inning error that got the ball rolling for San Francisco. However, it was Wilin Rosario's passed ball with the bases loaded that killed Tyler Chatwood and the Rockies. Not only did the game's first run score on the whiffed catch, one pitch later Hunter Pence grounded one to second for what could have been an inning double play, but instead was an RBI groundout.

Obviously that outcome wouldn't be guaranteed had Rosario handled the pitch, but the simple fact he couldn't handle it is a problem. That it resulted in a run is a bigger problem. That it took the double play out of order is the biggest problem yet.

Rosario had two chances to make up for the miscue at the plate. Both times he made the final out of inning and left the bases loaded. Rough, rough game for the rookie, but hopefully one that continues driving him to improve, while also reeling in those who have been pining for his Rookie of the Year candidacy. I'd love to see a Rockie win it. Don't me wrong. But they have to earn it.

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Rock Solid Recrap: Another Rockies Rerun

Giants 11, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

If you've seen this game once, you've seen it 67 times this season. Lousy starting pitching. Lousy relief pitching. Lousy defense. Decent enough offense, but too little and too late to make a difference.

More of the same. No end in sight.

Jeff Francis' Line: 3 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 66 pitches (41 strikes)

If it wasn't official after his last start, it's official now: Jeff Francis has hit the four-man rotation wall, and he's impacted it pretty violently. No surprise there. But he should be given credit for holding up as well as he did for as long as he did. He was asked to put a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on his arm for a team that's going nowhere. I realize he had to do to stay in the big leagues, but I still respect him for doing it and having success with it for six weeks.

Edgmer Escalona's Return Line: 1 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB

He's not a major league pitcher. Cut him. Immediately.

Highlight of the Night: Like I said, I'll keep showing them if Josh Rutledge keeps hitting home runs. He did it again on Saturday night, this time against Madison Bumgarner.

Watch Josh Rutledge's 6th home run

Of course it doesn't hurt that his home runs are often the only highlight of the game for Colorado fans. Pickins' are slim.

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Lineup Card: Rockies vs Giants 8-4-12

Friday's Recrap: Giants 16, Rockies 4. It May Only Get Worse. 

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (38-66)

1. Eric Young Jr. (RF)
2. Josh Rutledge (SS)
3. Dexter Fowler (CF)
4. Carlos Goznalez (LF)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Ramon Hernandez (C)
7. Matt McBride (1B)
8. Jonathan Herrera (2B)
9. Jeff Francis (P)

Come on down, Matt McBride and Edgmer Escalona. You're the latest callups thanks to Michael Cuddyer and Christian Friedrich going on the DL. That list seems to add a new name (sometimes two) every single day, and soon will have more names on it than Jim Tracy's lineup card.  

San Francisco Giants (57-49)

1. Angel Pagan (CF)
2. Ryan Theriot (2B)
3. Melky Cabrera (LF)
4. Buster Posey (C)
5. Hunter Pence (RF)
6. Marco Scutaro (3B)
7. Brett Pill (1B)
8. Joaquin Arias (SS)
9. Madison Bumgarner

Same Giants lineup as last night. Go get'em, Jeff Francis! 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Giants 16, Rockies 4. It May Only Get Worse.

Giants 16, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Click the boxscore or keep reading, but just know if I listed everything we'd be here until September.

Jonathan Sanchez's Line: 3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 67 pitches (33 strikes)

That ball-strike ratio would get you cut from your high school baseball team. But you just watch, Sanchez will get at least one more start with the Rockies or become a piggyback reliever. I'd almost bet your money on it.

Bullpen's Line:  6 IP, 13 R (12 ER), 13 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 HR

The most overworked of the Rockies relievers, Adam Ottavino, actually pitched well (3 IP, 1 ER). Mike Ekstrom (1 IP, 4 ER), Matt Reynolds (1 IP, 5 ER) and Carlos Torres (1 IP, 3 ER), not so much. It's only a matter of time before any number of these guys end up on the DL with the countless other Rockies currently out of service.

That's So Rockies: An MRI revealed that Christian Friedrich's lower back problem is actually a stress fracture that will end his season. It never ends.

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Rock Solid Recap: Nine Innings. No Complaints.

Rockies 6, Diamondbacks 1 (boxscore)

A Rockies baseball game took place tonight and I have nothing to complain about.

Not a managerial decision. Not a mental lapse on the bases. Not a lack of hustle (though I could reach for a couple if I wanted). Not even a blown call by an umpire.

Nothing.

The Rockies brought it in every phase of the game for nine complete innings. They never once made life easy for Arizona. Not even for one pitch or one batter, and they were rewarded with an easy 6-1 victory.

It's all sounds so basic. Like something silly to get excited about. But the Rockies just don't play enough games like this. It's almost stunning when they do. They've been on the losing end of them repeatedly, but unless they're in the middle of some unconscious month long run to October, these only pop up occasionally.

I'll certainly take it, though, and pull for many more just like it.

Winning Player: Jamie Moyer

I stated going in that it felt like Moyer needed a solid outing tonight to reestablish himself in the rotation. He responded like a guy that's been in this spot a time or ten in his 26-year career. He responded like a guy that really wants to stay where he is. He responded with a beauty.

Jamie Moyer's Line: 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 98 pitches (56 strikes)

I think the line speaks for itself. But not only did Moyer need this, I think Jim Tracy really needed it. After last night's debacle, a night away from making stressful decisions was surely welcomed.

The bullpen also obviously needed this with only Josh Roenicke (1 2/3 scoreless) and Esmil Rogers (perfect 9th) used to close it out. Credit to those guys because now the Rockies core relievers will be fresh for Thursday afternoon.

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Rock Solid Recap: Marco Scutaro Helps Rockies Escape San Francisco With Unexpected Split

Rockies 5, Giants 4 (boxscore)

Winning Player: Marco Scutaro

Scutaro was out of the starting lineup tonight and didn't enter the game until an 8th inning double switch. That still left him plenty of time to play hero as his lead-off home run (first as a Rockie) in the 9th provided the difference in the game.

Highlight of the Night: Watch Marco Scutaro's home run through a flock of seagulls

Turning Point: Of course it wasn't an easy path to get to that moment. The Rockies led 4-1 in the 7th before Josh Outman and Matt Belisle worked together to allow San Francisco to tie the game. More on that debacle and where the blame ultimately lies a little later.

When the bottom of the 8th rolled around, Jim Tracy continued to show confidence in Rex Brothers by throwing him into the fire. Naturally, four batters into the inning, the Giants had the bases loaded on three walks (one intentional). Everybody had a pretty good idea on how this would end, but Brothers actually flipped the script this time by overpowering and striking out both Brandon Belt and Melky Cabrera to escape the jam.

If I'm Bob Apodaca, I'm calling Brothers into the video room first thing tomorrow to make him watch that entire inning pitch-for-pitch, and then repeatedly tell him how damn good he can be and how much easier his life will be if he attacks hitters and trusts himself. That message needs to become lodged in his head.

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 5 1/3 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K (season high), 90 pitches (50 strikes)

Was hoping Guthrie would be more efficient and work a little deeper in his return, but looking back at how the outing unfolded, I'll certainly take this line. The Giants had plenty of opportunities to make it an even shorter outing, but Guthrie survived it by making a quality pitch every time he needed one. He even racked up a couple strikeouts in those spots and doubled his season high overall.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Giants 5-15-12

Monday's Recrap: Lather. Rinse. Recrap.

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (13-21)

1. Tyler Colvin (CF)
2. Jonathan Herrera (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
9. Jeremy Guthrie (P)

Colvin and Herrera hitting 1 & 2? Oh. Man. Jim Tracy is going to draw the ire of the statheads with that move. I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.

Also, Carlos Torres is headed to Triple A to make room for Jeremy Guthrie. I'm sure just about every Rockies fan was waiting, hoping, praying, that name would be Esmil Rogers with the words "Designated for Assignment" directly following, but this move allows Torres to get back in the Colorado Springs rotation where he needs to be in case the Rockies need more rotation insurance down the road. 

San Francisco Giants (18-17)

1. Gregor Blanco (RF)
2. Brandon Belt (1B)
3. Melky Cabrera (LF)
4. Buster Posey (C)
5. Angel Pagan (CF)
6. Joaquin Arias (3B)
7. Brandon Crawford (SS)
8. Emmanuel Burriss (2B)
9. Tim Lincecum (P)

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

Lather. Rinse. Recrap.

Giants 3, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: See, Saturday Recrap: Nicasio's Dominance Not Enough To Overcome Rockies Offensive Woes

Same exact script with a different starting pitcher and different final score.

That, or click on the left where it says 2010 and 2011 Rock Solid Recaps and then click on any Rockies game in San Francisco. Seriously, we're 34 games into the season and we're already airing reruns from 2010 and 2011. Ugh.

Turning Point: Again, like Saturday, the Rockies had opportunities to put crooked numbers on the board in the early innings because Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong was struggling mightily with his command (walked five in the first three innings). Unfortunately, Marco Scutaro was caught stealing and then Todd Helton struck out to end their 1st inning threat. Then in the 3rd, Michael Cuddyer flew out to the warning track with the bases loaded.

3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 5 walks, 6 LOB.

So maddening.

Christian Friedrich's Line: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 10 K (team high in 2012), 93 pitches (69 strikes)

We were all interested to see how Christian Friedrich would follow up his outstanding big league debut in San Diego, but I don't honestly think too many anticipated him actually top that outing. But that's exactly what young Mr. Friedrich did on Monday night.

Here's how it breaks down each time through the order.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ Giants 5-14-12

Sunday's Recrap: Well That Weekend Sucked

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (13-20)

1. Marco Scutaro (2B)
2. Tyler Colvin (CF)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. Jonathan Herrera (3B)
9. Christian Friedrich (P)

So Tyler Colvin has taken hold of the second spot in the order (for now). Jonathan Herrera, who had been hitting second in his starts, drops to eighth (for now). And it might be safe to say Wilin Rosario and Ramon Hernandez are in a 50/50 timeshare behind the plate (for now). 

San Francisco Giants (17-17)

1. Gregor Blanco (RF)
2. Joaquin Arias (3B)
3. Melky Cabrera (LF)
4. Buster Posey (C)
5. Angel Pagan (CF)
6. Brett Pill (1B)
7. Charlie Culberson (2B)
8. Brandon Crawford (SS)
9. Ryan Vogelsong (P)

Nooooot exactly the Giants we're used to seeing over the past three seasons. No Pablo Sandoval (DL). No Freddy Sanchez (DL). No Aubrey Huff. No Brandon Belt. And maybe most importantly, no Nate Schierholtz.

Will all of those absences be enough to give Colorado a rare win in San Francisco? Does it even matter? We'll let you know in a few hours.

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