Rock Solid Recap: New Script In Hollywood

And while the ending was rather anti-climatic, it was met with two thumbs up from Rockies fans.

Rockies 8, Dodgers 0

Headliner/Winning Player: Jhoulys Chacin

The rising star out of Maracaibo, Venezuela was on his game once again. He was staked to a 6-0 lead right off the bat, but didn't relax or get lazy. He attacked and lived in the strike zone from pitch 1 though pitch 117.

He kept the Dodgers off balance all night long by mixing his baseball, changeup and slider -- all three were very effective for him. This led to seven strikeouts and a scattering of six very soft basehits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings.

Seriously... the Dodgers hit nothing hard at all.  And half of their hits came from the red hot Andre Ehtier.  Two of those beat the silly overshift Jim Tracy likes to employ.  Chacin was just flat on it.

The scary/enjoyable thing about this performance is knowing he can actually improve. Confidence or poise don't look like issues, but he can defintely become more efficient with his pitches. He can get quicker outs and maybe even get himself into the 8th and 9th inning. For now, though, we'll just take and enjoy this roll he's currently on. It's quite a story.

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Running Thoughts: Chacin vs. Knuckler

Preview

Lineup Card

1st Inning

• Dexter Fowler, as many switch-hitters do against a right-handed knuckleballer, will hit from the left side.
• Rockies are making Haeger prove he can throw a knuckleball for a strike.  He can't.  Can't throw a fastball for a strike either.  Three walks in a row.  
• CarGo clears the bases!  Sweet piece of hitting.  
• Charlie Haeger out after five batters.  Damn!  Ramon Ortiz in.  
• Ian Stewart:  Two-run bomb to dead central.  
• #8 hitter Paul Phillips is the first out recorded.  
• Rockies 6, Dodgers 0  
• Good start for Jhoulys Chacin.  Only needed 13-14 pitches.  

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Lineup Card: Game 2 @ Los Angeles

Rockies Lineup

• LF Smith
• CF Fowler
• 1B Helton
• SS Tulowitzki
• RF Gonzalez
• 3B Stewart
• 2B Barmes
• C   Phillips
• P   Chacin

Phillips and Chacin have been attached at the hip so far.  That's not a bad thing.  

Dodgers Lineup

• C  Martin
• CF Kemp
• RF Ethier
• LF Manny
• 1B Loney
• 3B Blake
• 2B DeWitt
• SS Furcal Carroll -- sorry, he looked so much like Furcal last night that I got confused.  
• P  Knuckleball Haeger

Well damn... Dodgers are getting to full strength.  

Looking Ahead: Knuckle Up

Jhoulys Chacin vs. Charlie Haeger

It's been a long time since the Rockies have seen a knuckleballer.

I have no idea what to expect.

Haeger's starts have ranged from 6 IP, 3 ER, 12 K to 4 IP, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K. He's been skipped a couple times. Been used in relief a couple times. That's just the unpredictable nature of a knuckleballer.

My suggestion to Rockies hitters would be to take a patient approach first time around to see what kind of read they can get on the pitch.

My suggestion to Jhoulys Chacin would be to do the same thing he did in San Francisco. Pound the zone. Trust the defense to help. I understand that's a bit much to hope for these days, but you just have to have the mentality that they'll make all the plays.

My suggestion to the defense... make the ****ing plays!

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Rock Solid Recrap: Dink & Dunk Dodgers

Dodgers 6, Rockies 5

There's no other way to say this...

The Dodgers are annoying.

Annoying because they ALWAYS play the game the right way against the Rockies. They can look like complete garbage for stretches -- like their series with Milwaukee for example -- and they will always find a way to right the ship against the Rockies.

The Rockies do their part in that as well. When a team has your number like this, you have to tighten up the strings. That didn't happen tonight. The defense let down young Esmil Rogers. The end result was another loss to the Dodgers.

Same script.  Different season.

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