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.

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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

Rock Solid Recrap: Guthrie Stinks, Kennedy Dominates

Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 0 (boxscore)

What Went Wrong: As the score may indicate, several things were off tonight. I'll get into the Jeremy Guthrie fiasco two segments down. Right here I'll mention the lousy night for the offense against Arizona's ace Ian Kennedy, who shut them out over his six innings and tied a career high with 12 strikeouts.

Five of those strikeouts came with RISP, so just the general inability to get the ball in play tonight was a major problem.

Turning Point: Two of those strikeouts came with the bases loaded in the 2nd. The first was Jeremy Guthrie. The second was Dexter Fowler. A hit there could have easily changed the game's outlook. Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton then struck out looking in the 3rd after Marco Scutaro had led off with a double. That was right after Arizona took a 2-0 lead, and was their last real chance to get in the game.

Jeremy Guthrie's Line: 3 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 90 pitches (51 strikes)

The hits allowed were a career high, edging out the 10 he allowed in his last road start at Cincinnati. The two home runs were absolute no doubters, and give him 12 allowed on the season. That's tied for second worst in the National League behind only Mike Minor of Atlanta. It's safe to say he'd be far ahead of Minor's pace already had he not missed roughly four starts from late April to early May.

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Lineup Card: Rockies @ D-Backs 6-5-12

Links

• May Review and Player Rankings
• Weekend Recap
• Monday's Recap: Rockies Hurl First Shutout Behind Christian Friedrich

Lineups

Colorado Rockies (24-30)

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. Jeremy Guthrie (P)

I'm a little rusty with the Lineup Card because my brain automatically told me to write Troy Tulowitzki in the cleanup spot. At least this time I caught my error before hitting publish. I also continue to struggle with D.J. LeMahieu's name. Too damn many consecutive vowels for my liking.

Arizona Diamondbacks (25-30)

1. Gerardo Parra (RF)
2. Willie Bloomquist (SS)
3. Jason Kubel (LF)
4. Miguel Montero (C)
5. Chris Young (CF)
6. Lyle Overbay (1B)
7. Josh Bell (3B)
8. Aaron Hill (2B)
9. Ian Kennedy (P)

No Justin Upton or Paul Goldschmidt makes life a little easier for Jeremy Guthrie, but he still needs to focus on throwing strikes and keeping the ball down if he wants to give the Rockies a good outing against someone other than Houston. 

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