Rock Solid Recrap: We Miss Cook

You don't have to like saying or hearing that, but it's true. The Rockies miss Aaron Cook.

And sadly, they will continue missing him for as long as they are fortunate enough to be playing in 2010.

That's not to say he was going to be a dominating pitcher down the stretch, but you can bet he was going to give you innings. Solid innings. Keeps you in the game innings. Doesn't look like we'll be able to count on that from Jeff Francis.

Now the question is: How do the Rockies piece together their #5 spot in the rotation?

I mean I'm sure Francis will get another start, and I'm sure his pitch count will be higher, but what if he can't be effective? What kind of plan will the Rockies have in place to combat that? They almost have to plan ahead, because you can't afford something like tonight where you're forcing Esmil Rogers to throw multiple innings on consecutive days.

That's just a brutal, bad, uncomfortable position to be in, so I'll be curious to see how things unfold over the weekend.

Padres 6, Rockies 4 

This one is very simple to break down.

The San Diego Padres played nine innings of really good defense. They combined that with just enough timely hitting. Their manager had a solid game using his bullpen, pinch-hitters and defensive replacements. They played as close to a perfect game as their capability allows.

The Rockies didn't.

The first 4 1/2 innings for the Rockies were brutal. It started with Francis not being efficient or effective. The offense was sleep-walking. Defensively there was sloppiness all over the field. It dug them a hole they just couldn't climb out of in this particular game.

It was bound to happen eventually. Unfortunate it had to come against the Pads, but all you can do it show up again tomorrow and make San Diego be the better team.  I don't think they are if the Rockies play even a little better than the average baseball we saw tonight.

Tomorrow

Jason Hammel vs Jon Garland

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Padres

And so we begin another large Rockies/Padres series in the month of September.

Rockies Lineup (79-64)

1. 2B  Young
2. CF  Fowler
3. LF  Gonzalez
4. SS  Tulowitzki
5. 3B  Mora
6. 1B  Helton
7. RF  Spilborghs
8. C    Olivo
9. P     Francis

That would be the Rockies "A" lineup against a left-handed pitcher.  No problems there.  Just have to hope Francis can be efficient with the 70 pitches he will be limited to this evening.  

Padres Lineup (80-62)

1. 2B  J. Hairston
2. CF  Cunningham
3. SS  Tejada
4. 1B  Gonzalez
5. RF  Ludwick
6. 3B  Headley
7. LF  S. Hairston
8. C    Torrealba
9. P    Luebke

I suppose this qualifies are the Padres "A" lineup against a left-handed starter.  I'll take ours over theirs.  

Rock Solid Recap: A Good Enough 10

I'm sure you'll read a number of "Perfect 10" headlines tonight and tomorrow. I would rather avoid such a cliched headline in favor of a more honest one.

Perfect? No.

Good enough? Times 10.

As Joey Nowak tweeted...

It’s the September #Rockies version of Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go right, will go right. Ten times in a row.

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2

Jason Giambi (Highlight)

Unreal. He wasn't the most popular Rockie on this blog or anywhere around Denver the first portion of the season, but as we get deeper into this playoff chase, he shows his worth as an aging source of instant power and late inning production.

Whatever you're paying him... it all becomes worth it when he wins you not one, but two baseball games with walk-off home runs.

Jonathan Herrera

Alright... so he needed a Kelly Johnson error to reach base in the 9th inning. But the bottom line? He reached base in the 9th inning and ultimately scored the winning run. He's always in the middle of something good. That's what happens when you understand your limitations and just put baseballs in play.

Jhoulys Chacin & Esmil Rogers (Highlight)

Definitely a bump in Chacin's road to pitching stardom. He will get there, but we can clearly see what is holding him back right now. Command and efficiency. But it's nice to have another young, talented arm like Esmil Rogers ready to back him up. His two innings were the key to the Rockies stealing the win.

Rest of the Pen

Joe Beimel, Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street = Splendid!

The Spilly Double (Highlight)

THAT right there is why Coors Field has high scoring games. All of these uninformed and whining writers/fans/players/windbag announcers for other teams need to learn that the humidor does what it's designed to do. It hasn't faltered once since it was put into service. What hasn't changed and what might never change (leaving open the possibility they move the fences in someday) is how large the outfield is.

Baseballs are going to drop in that you won't see at any other stadium. That's what adds up to more runs. Has nothing to do with the baseball itself. Please take the time to learn this!

The Crowd

Awesome.  You folks who were out there today were absolutely awesome.  Love that and I definitely appreciate that!  

Tomorrow

The San Diego Padres visit Coors Field. The same Padres that had about a touchdown lead on the entire NL West two weeks ago come in now tied for first, with another hungry and red hot squad right on their tails.

Wonder who that team is?

Jeff Francis vs Cory Luebke

Lineup Card: Rockies vs Diamondbacks

Finish off the snakes!

Rockies Lineup (78-64)

1. 2B  Young
2. CF  Fowler
3. LF  Gonzalez
4. SS  Tulowitzki
5. 1B  Helton
6. 3B  Mora
7. RF  Smith
8. C    Iannetta
9. P    Chacin

Nice to see Gonzalez is feeling better.  

Diamondbacks Lineup (57-85)

1. SS  Drew
2. CF  Young
3. 2B  Johnson
4. 1B  LaRoche
5. C   Montero
6. 3B  Reynolds
7. LF  Allen
8. RF  Parra
9. P    Kennedy

Rock Solid Recap: That'll Do

This isn't the BCS.

Style points aren't necessary here.

Who you beat, how you beat'em, where you beat'em and why you beat'em don't mean a damn thing.

Win a baseball game.

The Colorado have won nine of them... in a row.

All fun has broken loose in Denver.

Rockies 2, D-Backs 1

Tonight's game was a perfect illustration of just how focused, confident, and red hot the Colorado Rockies are as we head towards September 12th. These are the games the Rockies were allowing to get away for the first five months of the season. The ones we said we'd look back at in frustration if this season didn't improve.

Well, it has improved, but we still run the risk of having those games bite us in the ass. That is why not allowing this one to get away was ultra important. That counts double when it's Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound.

It was an odd night for Ubaldo. He really never seemed to find a comfort level or real rhythm out there. The command was off. The efficiency was less than desirable. But in the end, the results were solid enough to keep his struggling offense in the baseball game.

Yes, I said struggling offense. Yes, Ubaldo was outpitched by Rodrigo Lopez. Yes, it doesn't matter, because the Rockies found a way to win.

It came down to four really productive at-bats in the bottom of the 7th

1. Melvin Mora pulled a single to left on an 0-1 pitch. 
2. Ryan Spilborghs drove a 1-0 pitch to the oppo gap for a double. 2nd and 3rd one out. 
3. Miguel Olivo broke the ice for Colorado with a first pitch RBI single through the left field. 
4. And then the AB of the game from Jonathan Herrera. A sacrifice fly to deep center on a 1-2 pitch.

Again, what Jonathan Herrera gives the Rockies simply can't be measured in stats and charts. I spoke of style points at the top. There are no style points with Johnny. All he does is produce, make his team better, and give them a better chance to win baseball games by simply doing what's asked of him and understanding his role.

Yeah, you need your CarGo's and Tulo's and Helton's to have success. But what separates winning teams from losing teams are guys like Johnny.

Really all four guys involved in that inning (Herrera, Spilborghs, Mora and Olvio) fit the mold of role players who make the team better by understanding their role and excelling at them. Really is a nice mix of guys that all fit together perfectly after the release of Brad Hawpe.

Funny how that works sometimes.

Tomorrow

Jhoulys Chacin vs Ian Kennedy

Time to go 1-0 and see where the chips fall by Sunday night. Gotta like your chances with Mr. Chacin taking the hill.