Lineup Card: Rockies vs Angels 6-9-12

Friday's Recrap: Meet the newest Rockies killer: Torii Hunter

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-33)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Jason Giambi (1B)
5. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
6. Tyler Colvin (RF)
7. Wil Nieves (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Jeff Francis (P)

Not what you'd call an inspiring lineup today. But hey, since Jeff Francis is essentially filling the spot of Jamie Moyer, we might as well treat him the same way. 

Los Angeles Angels (30-29)

1. Mike Trout (CF)
2. Torii Hunter (RF)
3. Albert Pujols (1B)
4. Mark Trumbo (LF)
5. Howard Kendrick (2B)
6. Alberto Callaspo (3B)
7. Erick Aybar (SS)
8. John Hester (C)
9. Dan Haren (P)

Mhm. That's an all right-handed lineup for Francis to deal with this afternoon. 

Hold me. 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Meet the newest Rockies killer: Torii Hunter

Angels 7, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Somehow, Torii Hunter had never played a game in Coors Field despite a career that has spanned nearly 15 seasons. I hope it's another 15 seasons before he plays another game there after his debut resulted in two home runs (that traveled a total of 874 feet) and six RBIs.

Of course it'll really only be 15 hours between games for Hunter, and one can bet he'll be among the loudest members of the welcoming committee for Jeff Francis.

Also, C.J. Wilson was pretty filthy. The Rockies would have needed 5-6 more innings to figure him out and/or wear him out.

Turning Point: I would say everything Mike Trout (three hits, three runs) did was a turning point, because it led directly to the damage inflicted by Hunter. Trout's a damn good player. The Angels are a damn good team.

Alex White's Line: 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 6 K, 2 HR, 95 pitches (62 strikes)

I feel like White is turning a corner based on his win over the Dodgers on Sunday and this outing against the Angels. Yes, he was unable to keep Mike Trout off the bases. Yes, he made two critical errors to Torii Hunter. But he remained very composed throughout and didn't allow the game to get away from him. It's a good step forward.

The key now, of course, is to plant both of his feet firmly in the ground and not allow the next start to go backwards. Always easier said than done.

Highlight of the Night: Watch Todd Helton get it done with the glove... again

Screengrab of the Game

Eye of the Tulo.

One of those nights.

Where Torii Hunter's second home run landed. 

What's Next: More Mike Trout. More Torii Hunter. At least there won't be more C.J. Wilson at 2:10 on Saturday afternoon. As I've mentioned previously, Jeff Francis will be making his Rockies return in that one. He'll square off against... oh crap... Dan Haren (3-6, 3.52).

Final Thoughts: None. Good night and good morning.

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

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Angels 6-8-12

Wednesday's Recrap: Offense Cools Further, So-Called Starting Pitching Remains Awful

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-32)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (SS)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Alex White (P)

Los Angeles Angels (29-29)

1. Mike Trout (CF)
2. Torii Hunter (RF)
3. Albert Pujols (3B)
4. Kendrys Morales (1B)
5. Mark Trumbo (LF)
6. Howie Kendrick (2B)
7. Erick Aybar (SS)
8. John Hester (C)
9. C.J. Wilson (P)

That's not a typo on Albert Pujols. He's playing third tonight, which is something he actually did a few times last season without incident. Kendrys Morales, on the other hand, is playing first base for the first time since breaking his ankle in May of 2010. That's where the Angels may be handicapped the most these weekend in terms of defense. Then again, Mark Trumbo's in left... at Coors Field. 

That's a lot of 1B/DH types for one lineup. But I guess the good news for the Angels is they can all smack the cover off the ball and should be able to outhit their mistakes against this Colorado pitching staff. 

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

Rock Solid Recrap: Offense Cools Further, So-Called Starting Pitching Remains Awful

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 1 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: Dreadfully boring game. That's the first problem.

Also, the Rockies offense is no longer scorching hot... or even simmering. We can thank Ian Kennedy and now Wade Miley (8 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5 K) for that. For an illustration of how outstanding Arizona's top two pitchers were, the Rockies only had four baserunners tonight after managing seven in their shutout loss on Tuesday.

This is bad news if it's a trend, because as I said several times during the recent hot streak, the Rockies will not be able to overcome rough offensive nights very often. It's sad and it's true. They'll need to come out swinging against the Angels this weekend or it could look an awful lot like the Atlanta series a few weeks back.

Turning Point: Arizona scored five runs in the first three innings against Josh Outman. Three of those runs came on two-out base hits. It's a problem that has plagued this pitching staff all season long, and I can tell you each and every one has stung just as bad as the one before. They're daggers.

Josh Outman's Line: 3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 69 pitches (40 strikes)

I'm not sure how to analyze or evaluate these spring training type Outman outings.

Well, actually, this one I can. He wasn't fooling anybody in Arizona's weakened lineup (no Upton or Kubel), and he couldn't make the pitches he needed to limit the damage. In other words, it was Jeremy Guthrie's last two road outings all over again... without the tape measure homers.

Read more »

Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 6-6-12

Tuesday's Recrap: Guthrie Stinks, Kennedy Dominates

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-31)

1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Marco Scutaro (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
5. Jason Giambi (1B)
6. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
7. Wilin Rosario (C)
8. D.J. LeMahieu (2B)
9. Josh Outman (P)

Arizona Diamondbacks (26-30)

1. A.J. Pollack (LF)
2. Ryan Roberts (3B)
3. Chris Young (CF)
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
5. Miguel Montero (C)
6. Aaron Hill (2B)
7. Gerardo Parra (RF)
8. John McDonald (SS)
9. Wade Miley (P)

I've lost track of how many different lineups Kirk Gibson has used this season, but I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the same one twice in our eight games against them. Of course injuries — a couple serious, most nagging — have played a big role in the constant shifting, but it's also a strategy that worked for Gibson in 2011. 

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