Rockies bring back Taveras…
Thomas Harding of MLB.com is reporting that the Rockies have signed former outfielder Willy Taveras to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League camp during spring training.
I like the move overall. You can never have too much speed on the bases, assuming there is still something left in the tank with Taveras.
Spencer Fordin also of MLB.com reports that the Rockies and A’s have traded pitching prospects. Rox sent Ethan Hollingsworth to Oakland for Clayton Mortensen.
Rockies(55-47) @ Reds(45-56) Preview…
Playing the Reds is coming at a good point in the roadtrip after almost being swept by the Mets. The Rockies have a better chance to begin to turn this roadtrip around with Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Marquis as the starting rotation the next 3 games. A sweep here and things don’t look so bad before heading into Philadelphia to face the Phillies.
The Rockies tonight will face Justin Lehr, a recent callup from Triple A Louisville where he had a record of 13-3 and a 3.31 ERA. The remainder of the three game series has the Rockies facing Homer Bailey (2-2, 6.87). How can you resist a name like Homer? And in the third game the Rox will face Bronson Arroyo who today in an article in the Boston Herald admitted to taking PEDs, namely Andro plus some amphetamines as well when he played with the Red Sox during the 2003-2005 seasons. Story here. My favorite quote of this story is this one.
“Before 2004, none of us paid any attention to anything we took.” – Bronson Arroyo (from the Boston Herald website).
I admire the fact that he admitted his involvement. I say admit it and let’s move on. Arroyo this season is 10-10 with an ERA of 5.17.
The rockies will face former teammate Willy Taveras who leads the Reds in stolen bases (21). No Jerry Hairston Jr as it looks like he’s been traded to the Yankees. But according to Sports Illustrated, the Reds could be getting Scott Rolen, pending he disallows a no-trade clause.
Falling on deaf ears?..
If I hate listening to Clint Hurdle give the same basic excuse for why this team is not winning then I can imagine the players feel the same having to listen to Hurdle game in and game out. Ultimately the players themselves are to blame for the teams poor and inconsistent performance throughout the season. But one has to wonder if Hurdle has already lost this team and being 12 1/2 games out of first place in the division, one could honestly make that case. If Hurdle has lost this team what does this mean for not only Hurdle, but some of the players as well? When will Hurdle be dismissed from managing the Rockies? Does ownership (who just last week gave him a vote of confidence) allow Hurdle to continue on until the end of the season then let him go and O’ Dowd as well? Do key pieces to the puzzle get traded during the season, like Atkins? Despite his .194 average there are a number of teams I’m sure who would take him immediately. I’m gonna play devil’s advocate in a way and go as far to ask, did Matt Holliday see something like this possibly happening to this team as one reason why he didn’t sign an extension? Sure, money and length of contract were reasons why Holliday didn’t sign? But was Hurdle’s management style one of the reasons or was it the lack of a winning atmosphere in the clubhouse and within the organization, despite a trip to the World Series in 2007? Did Willy Taveras steal 68 bases last season not only to help the Rockies win games and bring excitement to the fans, but also personally audition himself to other teams? Did he breathe a sigh of relief at season’s end, knowing he wouldn’t be coming back to the Rockies and their brand of Hurdle-led baseball? Which players on the team right now are hoping to land elsewhere either during the season on in the upcoming offseason? These are valid questions and to which will may never know the honest answers to.
Last week Rockies ownership mentioned not wanting to make a change just for the sake of doing so. Well if you’re reading between the lines that means we as fans are in for the long haul for the remainder of the season with Hurdle at the helm. But I would advise the Monforts to reconsider that position and make a change soon, so as to give the team as well as us, the fans, a feeling that a new direction is being taken and the chance to relive the feeling we all had back on opening day of this season, a sense of hope and a reason to believe again.
Let’s go Rockies!
Game 18 recap, Padres 7 @ Rockies 12…
Who saw this coming last night? 8 stolen bases on the night, 5 by Dexter Fowler alone? The offense came alive, the Rockies created opportunities and scoring chances and the pitching was….ok at best. Break up the Rockies! Not that the front office hasnt tried that over this past offseason anyway. In what was undoubtedly the most exciting game of the season for the Rockies, they have now won 2 in a row and given the Padres their 3 loss in a row. The only thing last night that maybe overshadowed the game was that numerous or should I say the fewer number of fans I spoke to last night were talking about the score of the Nuggets game, who themselves personally relocated the Hornets with a 58 point beating.
I’m gonna go ahead and put this out there, that at the start of the season one of my predictions for the Rockies was that Dexter Fowler would steal 32 bases and win Rookie of the Year. I would like to change that prediction and say right here and now that Dexter Fowler will break the team record in steals of 68 set by Willy Taveras last season, with 71 steals only helping secure himself as Rookie of the Year. So the count is now on with Fowler now 59 steals to go in tying Taveras’ record. It’s ambitious on my part but you have to admit, it gives Rockies fans something to be excited about in what is going to be a long season of ups and downs.
What went right? Everything offensively, 8 steals, 17 hits, 12 runs, and even 7 walks. The Rockies were patient at the plate, they were aggressive on the basepaths and took chances that paid off. Though Hammel had a rough first start with his new team, I saw some good things from him on the mound that could make him a bright spot as the season moves along.
What went wrong? The injury to Brad Hawpe who was left off on a stretcher, more as a precaution was hit in the neck on a throw by Padres catcher Nick Hundley. Also in what I choose to call more of a boneheaded decision by Hurdle, in having the Rockies best pitcher Jason Marquis come in as a pinch runner for Hawpe. Why do you take the chance of possibly your best pitcher getting hurt when you have other bench players like Quintanilla, Tulo or Smith to pinch run instead. I understand the possibility of needing a position player later in the game and therefore you would maybe go with a pitcher to pinch run, but I think it was a bad call. And what it also says is that Hurdle doesnt have total faith in his team, (so why should we as fans) to maintain a 4 run lead after the 6th inning.
So what to do about right field. Does Ian Stewart move into right and Seth Smith to left or do the Rockies call up Matt Murton?
How the West will be won…
OK here it is, my prediction on how I think the NL West will shape up in 2009. The thought of a wildcard team coming from the NL West is seriously a pipedream if nothing else. The division just isn’t good enough from top to bottom to be a threat to likely contenders, the Cardinals, Cubs, Mets or Phillies.
Power hitter Manny Ramirez, a speedy and healthy Rafael Furcal, former Rockie speedster if not soon to be traded Juan Pierre with Delwyn Young riding on his heels, versatile catcher and infielder Russell Martin, and throw in one of the top 3 managers in baseball in Joe Torre and the Dodgers barring any major injuries should be the lone representative of the NL West in the playoffs. Their biggest loss of the offseason was Andruw Jones which was not much to lose in his first and only season with the Dodgers. Dodgers win the division by 6 games.
As much as I hate or want to admit it, the D’backs will probably finish 2nd in the West. Brandon Webb is the best pitcher in the division, sorry Barry Zito, Tim Lincecum and Randy Johnson. The D’backs are going to need a healthy and less cocky Eric Byrnes this season. More time will be given to Justin Upton this season as it should. And Chad Tracy will need to remain healthy and put up numbers like he did in 2006 with 20 homeruns and 80 RBIs. Oh and did I mention Tony Clark? There’s a reason why I didn’t.
I had a hard time deciding on whether the Giants or the Rockies were going to finish third, but I think Barry Zito rebounds this season as his first two seasons in the Bay area haven’t been anything to write home about. The addition of the ageless wonder Randy Johnson gives the Giants a chance and not to mention the Giants best pitcher in 2008, Tim Lincecum who went 18-5. The problem here is the Giants dont have any offense. Other than Bengie Molina and Aaron Rowand, scoring runs will come at a premium, but pitching may be able to keep them close in some games. If Zito implodes again this season, the Giants will fall to 4th.
Holliday, Fuentes, Taveras, all gone to greener pastures. Francis, gone for the season due to injury. In come Don Baylor, Jim Tracy and others to fix what was wrong last season according to manager Clint Hurdle, the basics. Funny how Apodaca managed to keep his job if we’re talking basics. If Helton continues to swing a hot bat during the season as he has during spring training, and the Rockies are more aggressive on the bases eventhough they lack the speed. Then factor in a solid season by Tulo, Atkins, and Hawpe, the team could be really fun to watch, maybe even competitive for most of the season. But with Jimenez and Cook as your only solid starters in the rotation, the 3-5 spots in the rotation are gonna give up some runs and give away some games. If the Rox are out of contention by June, look for Hurdle to be cleaning out his desk by the all-star break if not at the end of the season. Or the Rockies front office to find an excuse why the season went so wrong and Hurdle to be retained.
Losing Trevor Hoffman does alot for the number of games the Padres will not win this season. Outfielder Jody Gerut has the potential to hit 25 homeruns in his 2nd season in he majors. Cliff Floyd if healthy for most of the season can add another 20 homeruns. The problem here will be just like the Rockies, pitching. But beyond Jake Peavy who do the Padres have to rely on? Chris Young may be their next best with 3 straight winning seasons in San Diego. Dont look for alot of good to come from the Padres. See the stadium, visit the zoo, but dont even think about ordering playoff tickets for another couple of seasons.
All’s quiet…
I hope everyone had wonderful Christmas and Hanukkah holidays. There really hasn’t been a whole lot to coming out of 20th & Blake since the winter meetings ended a few weeks ago. Last week the Rockies announced their minor league coaching staffs for 2009, to which there are a few changes.
Colorado Springs – no changes.
Tulsa – Bryan Harvey replaces Bo McLaughlin as the pitching coach. Bo McLaughlin moves into the Rockies minor league pitching coordinator.
Modesto – Doug Linton replaces Butch Hughes as the pitching coach.
Asheville – Dave Schuler replaces Doug Linton as pitching coach.
Tri City – Darryl Scott replaces Dave Schuler as pitching coach.
Casper – Craig Bjornson replaces Eduardo Villacis as pitching coach.
The Rockies Winter Development Program takes place at Coors Field just after the start of the New Year, which is of course not open to the public.
Willy Taveras signs a 2 year deal with the Reds just on Saturday. From the looks of some of the comments on the Cincinnati Enquirer website, it seems fans are in favor of the acquisition. Read here.
And still no news on Brian Fuentes’ venture into free agency.
Rumors fuel Winter Meetings…
As we all know nothing fuels the Winter Meetings and fans juices as much as trade rumors. Who’s being traded, who’s not. How many teams are involved. What a team is or isnt looking for, etc. And nothing is for sure during these meetings until a trade is finalized over the next 4 days with so many options that are to be explored. We know the Rox are looking for left handed pitching and maybe a center fielder. Garrett Atkins may or may not remain in a Rockies uniform. Fuentes has rejected the Rockies offer for arbitration. This leads me to believe that he and his agent have recently received something definite going into Vegas this week or he wants to gamble on any possible deal coming his way, as the Mets still remain to be the front runners for Fuentes. Fuentes is scheduled to meet with Mets GM Omar Minaya this week in Las Vegas. There’s still talk of moving either Taveras or Torrealba. Huston Street could also be moved, possibly to Minnesota for Delmon Young. I dont know if I like that scenario, it creates another logjam in the outfield and at the same time losing a pitcher.
As fans we have no idea of what can and will transpire at these meetings and in reality neither do the GMs, players and agents. It’s really a large crapshoot. So for us fans it’s really a game of wait and see. Dont expect anything of blockbuster proportion to happen with the Rox, but again anything is possible, but highly unlikely. So like many of you I too will keep constant check on the internet to see what moves have been made. Let’s hope the Rockies do something to visibly improve this team, instead of just giving away the farm and coming back to Denver with nothing in return to show for it.
Baylor Returns to Coors…
Rockies first baseman Todd Helton can feel happy about his first Rockies manager Don Baylor rejoining the staff as the Rockies hitting instructor. Fans can be just as happy about this as well as there is now a chance that Helton can regain a similance of a potent bat though he will still receive more than his fair share of free trips to first base. We can only hope that Baylor makes Helton into a more productive and agressive hitter. The return of Baylor should also be a help to Tulowitzki the most, as well as Willy Taveras should the Rockies decide not to move him in a trade, though it highly unlikely he wont be moved.
I’m sure some fans are looking at the return of Baylor as Hurdle’s immediate successor should the Rockies get off to a bad start in the first half. That could be the case, but to make such assumptions now isn’t fair to Hurdle or to the team. Welcome back Don, now it’s time to get to work.
Baylor
A Disbanded Band of Brothers and Fans…
I’ve been thinking of what or how I wanted to write about what has been in the newspapers all week long here in Denver about the Rockies and Dan O’Dowd and the potential trades of Holliday, Atkins and others. If you’re following this closely, meaning no more than reading the paper, or online, then you already know what to expect next season as a Rockies fan. And that is a season of rebuilding. Two seasons removed from the World Series and these bozos at 20th and Blake cant seem to get it in their heads that you cant continue to scream and rant about being a small market team and thus believe this is a reason to not sign players developed in your farm system that have brought great results and fans out to watch this talented team, soon to be disbanded.
I will give the Rockies this and that is they have had a top rated farm system over the last decade according to Baseball America, and we’ve seen this come to fruition over the years. So to get inside the heads of the braintrust, more specifically the brain of O’Dowd. He and others believe that he can somehow sell off his best players for pitching and still put a productive team on the field through the farm system that is so highly rated. Based on rankings of the farm system, I dont blame them for having this idea, but either you want to win now or you want to win every 3-4 years, if not longer. You either want to keep the fans you currently have built up over the last 5 or so years when season tickets sales were at their worst or you want to act as if nothing else matters to the organization than your already fat wallets.
It’s apparent to myself and others that the Rockies are destined to be nothing more than the Los Angeles Clippers of Major League Baseball. Not going more agressively after Matt Holliday is unforgivable and inexcusable, even if Scott Boras is his agent. So you’re telling the fans that a 6 or 7 year deal for how ever many millions of dollars for Matt Holliday is not worth as much as an aging, declining and injured first baseman in Todd Helton and the millions of dollars and years left on his contract? Sure you more than likely are not going to be able to move Helton now and he’ll have to spend the remainder of his career swinging a bat that seems to be made more of balsa wood than maple. What if Ian Stewart has a horrific second season in the majors? (See Troy Tulowitzki and Franklin Morales 2008 season) Who gonna back him up at 3rd? Are we still believing and hoping that Manny Corpas is gonna be the reliver that he was in 2007? What if it doesnt happen again, then what? Another year of reliver by committee? We all know how well that worked out, until Hurdle settled on Fuentes to do most of the heavy lifting. And now he is gone due to free agency. O’Dowd you messed up when you gave Corpas and Tulo contracts that are not deserving of a first year player after a World Series run. The contracts were way too much and some of that money could’ve gone to signing Matt Holliday, so that we wouldnt have to hear every day how much he being currently shopped. How funny it is that both of Tulo and Corpas had more than subpar seasons in 2008.
I will look forward to spring training and the start of the season with much lesser excitement than I have recently. I will welcome the new players with open arms and hope that they will eventually see what they’ve gotten themselves into here at 20th and Blake.
I will say my goodbyes to Fuentes, Holliday, Atkins, Taveras as it looks more likely every day that they will not return next season wearing Rockies uniforms. I will greet you with cheers when you return to Coors Field with your respective teams. I applaud you for no longer having to put up with an organization that after 15 seasons still cant seem to get it right. Best wishes.
Counting Down the Days…
Let’s be real for a minute can we? Last night’s game was as boring of a game as I have seen in a while. Greg Reynolds who has good stuff, was predictable to say the least on the mound. He likes to keep the ball down low in the strike zone and rarely does he mix things up by going up unless it’s a mistake in his pitching. We all know that at Coors Field ground ball pitchers are what you want in order to keep the ball in play and not soaring out over the fences and into the bullpen. He lack of mixing it up last night was not in order. Taylor Buchholz who made his second appearance of the season due to injury, did ok until the 2 run shot he gave up. All and all the pitching made it into a really long night at Coors Field. Tulo’s grandslam made the game more interesting, but the game did seem to go on forever.
Watching this game made me start to count down the days left in the season, although I’ve been counting down now for a little over 2 weeks. The Rockies are done this year and 2007 World Series seems like a distant memory though not yet faded. There is still some hustle going on on the field, Taveras, Holliday, Hawpe and others. The Rockies want to show the fans that though they’re not making it to the playoffs this year that they are still a team to be proud of and will fight til the bitter end. That’s good, but I also hope to see promises of whats to come positively next season. And surely as the season closes Hurdle will pepper the lineup with the youngsters of the organization, thats to be expected. I am excited about the future of the Rockies, but for me the possibilities of next season are what I care about most. But until then I will be counting down the days until the final game of the season at Coors Field, 5 more to go.
A "Giant" Loss…
After last night’s 12 inning game it wold really be hard to expect the Rockies to follow up and be ready to play an afternoon game. But they are professionals and they should be ready every game and this afternoon that didnt happen as the Rox failed to sweep the Giants losing 9-2. Again the Rockies are 6 games back of Arizona. With the day off on Thursday, they should be well rested for their 3 game series with the Houston Astros this weekend. This series will be the litmus test to see whether the Rockies will make the playoffs or not. The Astros have been hot as of late, though the playoffs for them are a stretch. Astros second baseman and former Rockie Kaz Matsui returns to Coors Field for the first time this season to be presented his NL Championship ring. The Rockies will need to take at the least 2 of 3 from the Astros and hope that some help comes their way in losses for the Dodgers and D’Backs.
If you haven’t heard already Clint Hurdle is no fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers as reported in the Denver Post. Foxsports.com readers have a few interesting comments on Hurdle’s dislike of the Dodgers, here.
Rockies phenom and Olympian Dexter Fowler made his major league debut Tuesday night as a pinch runner, only to be thrown out trying to steal second. It just boils down to him not yet adjusted to being in the big leagues and also maybe some nervousness. We’ll see plenty of Dexter as the season winds down especially if the Rockies are out of playoff contention. But I dont believe he will be in a Rockies uniform at the start of the season in 2009. But that will depend alot on what happens in spring training and whether the Rockies will hold on to Willy Taveras in the off season. If I were a betting man, I would say that the Rockies will trade Taveras for prospects and Cory Sullivan will move to center. The Rockies will lose too much in the way of team speed in trading Taveras, who at times though not often can be a liability in the outfield, but is a serious threat when at the plate and on the basepaths. Trading him would be a mistake. Taveras currently sits at 66 stolen bases on the season, 4 away from his own personal goal of 70 set at the beginning of the season.
The minor leagues wrap up their seasons this week, with the Rockies single A teams, Asheville Tourists and Modesto Nuts both making playoff appearances beginning tonight. Asheville losing tonight 1-0 to Augusta. As of this post time Modesto versus Stockton have not started.
Our final “Chad Report” of the season on Rockies prospect Chad Jacobsen will be this weekend as the Casper Ghosts finish their season this Friday.
Enjoy the day off tomorrow and get ready for the Houston Astros on Friday.
Sweeping Victory…
DAMN! I Just watched the Dodgers beat the Brewers in the bottom of the 9th on a walkoff homerun by Andre Ethier. The Rockies did gain some ground today by sweeping the Nationals along with Arizona’s loss in Houston. The Good news is that the Rockies cant lose any ground tomorrow as they are off along with the Dodgers and D’Backs. It was good to see Aaron Cook get back in the win column, getting his 15th of the season. Willy Taveras is literally running away with the team record in stolen bases, swiping his 58th of the season today.
Rockies prospect, Dexter Fowler went 0 for 4 with a run scored in Team USA’s victory over Canada on Friday. Team USA faces China on Monday.
Rockies…Down But Not Out…
It’s not often that you can say the Rockies had better roadtrip than homestand. Well it happened. Rockies were 6-4 on their previous roadtrip and finished this 10 game homestand 3-7 and are now 9 games out of first place in the NL West as they begin a 6 game roadtrip in Washington against the Nationals. With a little more than 6 weeks left in the regular season the Rockies still have a chance, albeit a slim one at the moment if the current lack of production continues to become more of a trend.
Willy Taveras is now tied with former Rockie, Eric Young for the team record in stolen bases in a season with 53. Taveras has said that his goal at the start of the season was 70. Congrats to Taveras on reaching it and let’s hope he gets 70 bases along with some Rockies wins.
Team USA loses to Cuba in extra innings and is now also a man down. Rockies prospect Jayson Nix is out after he suffered a laceration above his eye after trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Nix will miss the remainder of games played by Team USA.
There’s no predicting what this series will be like against the Nationals. On paper the Rockies should win all three, but pitching is suspect, hitting and run production are sparse and both teams are playing relatively bad baseball. So instead I’m going to go right into Following the Leaders for what should be a more entertaining matchup in LA…
Brewers @ Dodgers
D’Backs @ Astros
The Rox need to win in Washington and Los Angeles and can use some help from both Houston and Milwaukee. Who knows? By this time next week the Rockies could be in a better position than they currently are…or not.
Winners…
Team USA routs Nederlands 7-0 in a rain shortened game and the Rockies get back in the win column beating the D’Backs 6-5. Team USA stats were not available online at post time this morning.
Just when you think the Rockies were going to put away Arizona in a decent fashion, Brian Fuentes adds some drama in the 9th inning with the bases loaded before finishing off the D’Backs for the win. Jeff Francis had a good outing overall, definitely his best since returning to the rotation. The notion that switching Barmes and Taveras in the lineup helped in the win is ridiculous. Simply put the reason the switch looked good last night was that they actually had Taveras do what he’s best at, laying down the bunt and using his speed to get on base, something the Rockies failed to do with Taveras the game before, going 0-4.
Willy Taveras’ steal of 2nd base last night puts him 1 away from tying the team record (53) in steals. If Taveras gets on base this afternoon, expect him to tie that record today, if not break it.
Following the Leaders…
Dodgers beat the Phillies 7-6
Dodgers and D’Backs are tied for first in the NL West.
D’Backs @ Rockies 1:05pm(MT)
Phillies @ Dodgers 8:10pm(MT)
Casper Ghosts first baseman, Chad Jacobsen (.270, 3, 23) went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in last night’s win over Billings. Ghosts host Billings beginning Thursday through this weekend for 4 games.
Zoned Out….
Let’s start here, 7th inning, you’re down 4-2, runners on first and third, 1 out and your leadoff hitter and fastest man on the team is at the plate in Willy Taveras who is 0 for 3 on the night and not much better in the homestand. He hits into a double play to end the inning. Are you kidding me?! Whose idea was it for Taveras to hit and not instead lay down a bunt towards third to advance the runner from first to second and possibly get himself on as well? Thus giving Tulowitzki a shot to drive in a run or two with a base hit. These are the kinds of decisions that make nights at Coors Field at times frustrating and leave one to wonder if the team is expecting to run off another 21 out of 22 like they did last season. Even if Taveras doesnt make it to first safely, you would now have two runners in scoring position with the better chance of tying the game.
It looks to me that the Rockies aren’t playing using basic fundamentals of the game. There doesnt seem to be that killer instinct. Consistency is key here and when you look at the lineup that Hurdle puts on the field, you dont see any. One day Tulo is batting in the 8th spot, the next he’s batting in the two spot. Put the best players on the field and stop managing the game from what at times feels like a spring training standpoint. This isn’t little league so stop managing the team like it. These guys are old enough to not be upset if they aren’t in the game every day and Hurdle, you sure aren’t going to have to answer to any upset parents if their kid doesnt play.
I mentioned that the Rockies look like they aren’t playing with a killer instinct, well emotion seems to be another thing lacking as well. I dont want 21 out of 22, I’ll be happy with winning 5 out of 6. This town really wants to get behind this team and if you look at the attendance, you will see that it has. But the reality is this, the wildcard is not going to get the Rockies into the playoffs. The Rockies are too far below .500 for that to happen. Once they realize that winning the NL West is the only way to get in, maybe we’ll see more of a fight to make the playoffs, but at the moment, I don’t see that happening. There’s still time left to make a run and plenty of games against NL West teams to end up on top, but today it has to start with a win. Francis makes his second start since his return from Doulble A Tulsa.
Following the Leaders…
Dodgers win over the Phils, 4-3.
Dodgers host Phillies @ 7:10pm
Rockies host D’Backs @ 7:05pm
Like a Fish Outta Water…
OK, who unplugged the humidor before the game Friday night?
8 homeruns between both teams, 6 for the Rox and 2 for the Fish.
Something smells really bad in here? Oh yea, found it! It’s the pitching. The Florida Marlins pitching staff was dead, there’s no other way I can put it. Though at times the Rockies pitching staff didnt seem to fare much better. The bats were alive and certainly helped provide a major spark and a win. Last night’s game was memorable to what the playoff games were like at Coors Field in the 2007 season, the excitement, the anticipation, the celebrations.
I cant tell you how many people became restless and left their seats to walk around the ballpark after the Rockies were down 13-4 after the fourth inning. Ye of so little faith. Ok I’ll admit I didnt have a whole lot of faith either, except that the game was here at Coors and anything is possible.
Spilborghs is on fire right now and Willy Taveras (day to day) will more than likely have to wait for him to cool off or either be penciled into the starting lineup to give Spilly a rest before seeing time back at centerfield. But that’s not such a bad thing, his quad will heal and he can resume his quest for the teams stolen base record of 53, with only 15 more to go. I dont think the Rox can afford to trade Taveras though the rumors are out there, simply because there is no other speed guy on this team except Podsednik, who has shown flashes at times when he’s played.
Take a good look at this team over the next couple of weeks, because what you are looking at is a glimpse into the future, a team with life after Todd Helton. It’s looks like the future will be ok after Todd is done playing. I cant help but think that the game would’ve had a different ending last night had Helton been in the lineup. Clearly the back injury (that no one knew about) has made him look bad at the plate and at times a slow in the field and it hurt the team during their last road trip where they were winless. I’m not blaming all of those losses on Todd, that’s not what I’m saying at all. Get some rest Todd and some treatment for that back and get ready for the second half of the season.
Mentally last night’s game has to really weigh heavy on the Marlins, at least on the pitching staff and the same can be said about the Rockies, but there were bad plays in the field by the Marlins that unless they can quickly erase it from their minds, I think they lose again tonight and the Rox complete the sweep on Sunday. See ya at the ballpark!
Another Series Win, Shirts vs Skins, etc…
Though not as exciting as Tuesday night’s game, it was a win and that’s what mattered most. Last night’s win gave the Rockies their 5th series win in a row and puts them 3.5 games behind the second place Dodgers in the NL West and above .500 at home this season at 18-17. Willy Taveras stole his 31st base of the season last night and is now 22 behind the Rockies team record set by Eric Young in 1996.
Indians fans looked very dejected for the second straight night as the Indians have been outscored so far in the series 14-4. Indians pitching has not been up to par, though last night they were able to keep the Rockies from exploding for another set of double digit runs. This game was closer, and there were numerous wasted opportunities by both teams, but by the Indians especially. The Rockies go for the sweep tonight with De La Rosa (1-3) on the hill.
We’ve all seen them everywhere, the guys usually with the beer bellies wearing no shirt at football, baseball games and most any other outdoor sporting event, just enjoying nice weather (even at Lambeau Field in the winter) and a nice time. I dont know if you saw it or not, but in yesterdays Washington Post there was an article about the Washington Nationals not allowing fans to go shirtless at Nationals Park. If I can find the link I will post it here. I looked on the Nationals website and in their guest conduct policy page there is no specific reference to fans not being able to sit and enjoy the game shirtless. It does state that “Tops, bottoms and footwear are required for admission”.
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ballpark/guest_conduct.jsp
So it got me wondering as to what exactly the policy is at Coors Field, though I already feel like I know the answer. So I asked an usher what the policy was for fans who want to go shirtless at the ballpark. And the answer I received, that going shirtless is fine anywhere in the stadium except for up on the Club Level. As for the Rockies website there is reference that states, “Obscene clothing or indecent clothing with not detract from the Guest experience.” But that statement you’ll find is on every teams website.
Fighting Mad…All-Star game, and more…
Ever since Yorvit Torrealba’s fight with Matt Kemp on Tuesday night, the Rockies have now won 3 straight, including last night’s 6-4 win over the Brewers. I’m going to keep saying it, the current win streak is great, but this team cannot get down on itself should it end tonight or anytime in the near future. Their concentration should be on winning each upcoming series and things will take care of themselves in the standings. If win streaks are a part of that then that’s the icing on the cake.
Taking a look at the NL West and how poor as it has been so far this season, the Rockies though currently in last place are only 6 games out of 2nd place in the division. So by no means is this season done and things can change rapidly if the Rockies play within themselves and win series after series, especially against their division opponents, starting with the Giants at Coors Field beginning on Tuesday.
In what is a critical election year for the Oval Office, it is also critical that you vote your Rockies players into the 2008 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Currently no Rockies leads at any position in voting and Matt Holliday so far has the best shot and as of Tuesday is 4th in votes for the outfield position behind Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Ken Griffey Jr. Matt Holliday trails Ken Griffey Jr by 120,000 votes. So make your votes count and get Holliday into the all-star game.
NEWS & NOTES – Great to see Brad Hawpe back in the lineup last evening, whose 2 run homer in the 8th helped lift the Rockies over the brewers.
Yorvit Torrealba is currently appealing his 3 game suspension handed down by Major League baseball.
Other than 2 back to back homeruns given up by Ubaldo Jimenez, he had good command of his pitches, striking out 6 through six innings of work, four of those strikeouts were Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder (2) and Ryan Braun (2).
Willy Taveras stole his 21st base last night and is 32 away from tying the Rockies team record. Though he’s still a ways off, it’s something to keep your eye on as the season progresses.
Great gesture by the Rockies manager Clint Hurdle by naming former Rockies manager Don Baylor to his all-star staff.
Rockies draft LHP, Christian Friedrich, 25th overall out of Eastern Kentucky University. According to scouting reports is the 2nd best left-handed pitcher in the draft.
Last but not least, I’ll be taking the Humidor on the road in 2 weeks to Kansas City to watch the Rockies take on the Royals in Interleague play at the newly and currently renovated Kauffman Stadium. If you’re going to be in KC that week also let me know. Look for lots of photos to be posted from the road.
Bring on the Mets!…
The Rockies with thier play, have a chance to get a manager fired after this weekend. No not Clint Hurdle, though some would like to see him fired because of the Rockies bad start in the first two months of the season. But who I mean to say instead is Mets manager Willie Randolph. The Mets have been in the news alot this week and not for anything good. They were just swept by the Braves in 4 games and are currently 3-7 in their last 10 games. Randolph has been criticized about his Tony Dungy-like demeanor as manager of the Mets and of course is still blamed for the Mets collapse at the end of the 2007 season. Change is coming soon, Mets fans. I dont know if you should wish for the Mets to be swept by the Rockies or hope for a turnaround to what happened in Atlanta? As a fan of NBC’s The Apprentice, I’m sure that if Trump were head of the Mets organization that Randolph would certainly have been fired by now, twice.
As for the Rockies they really need to turn things around with this series and bounce back from losing 2 straight against the Giants. 2 out of 3 against the Mets would be good, but a sweep would be even better.
The GOOD, The BAD and the UGLY…
The GOOD – The Rockies will not have to face Pedro Martinez who is home with his father who is ill. Also not having to face Johan Santana, who pitched Thursday in Atlanta. Moises Alou going on the DL. The Rockies are on national TV Saturday on FOX. Willy Taveras will test Mets catcher Brain Schneider on the basepaths.
The BAD – The Rockies pitching staff having to face David Wright, Carlos Beltran, and Ryan Church. The arm strength of catchers Yorvit Torrealba and Chris Iannetta will be no match for the Mets speedy Jose Reyes.
The UGLY – We could be in for a really long weekend of bad baseball. And the Mets could have a new manager by next week.
The failed Philadelphia Experiment…
Who do you blame? Bullpen? Francis? No, this loss falls on the shoulders of Willy Taveras late in the game last night. His throw to third base to try and get lead runner So Taguchi was a bad idea, cause it allowed Chase Utley to advance to second, instead of holding both runners on the corners with a throw to second base. Then again in the 9th, with the great speed that Taveras has he wasnt able to catch up to long shot by Pat Burrell that went just out of his diving reach in the 9th inning.
Did anyone notice the starting lineup for yesterday’s game? Barmes was at shortstop and not Tulowitzki. I will give credit to Hurdle for giving Tulo the night off, though he did come in later in the game.
The Rockies will need Taveras’ speed on the basepaths against the Cubs, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Podsednik starting in centerfield tonight. The Cubs (14-6, 1st NL Central) who are currently on a 5 game winning streak, look to also become the second team to win 10000 games in history. The way things are going right now with the Rockies it looks like it just may come tonight.
Player to watch in this series, Cubs rookie outfielder, Kosuke Fukudome who has reached base in his last 7 plate appearances. Expectations this series, an increase in Japanese media and more Cubs fans at Coors Field than Rockies fans.
A few days rest, now back to the diamond…
Well let’s see the last time we were here the Rockies had taken 2 from the Phillies in Philly, and came home to finish the job by sweeping the Phils in three games to move on to the NLCS. A quick recap of what’s been happening since then. The Broncos forgot how to play football last Sunday as they got pummeled by the Chargers 41-3 at home in front of an estimated 15000 fans by the start of the 4th quarter. The Avs have been hot to start the season and Paul Stastny is showing no signs of slowing down in his second season with 4 goals and 8 points in 3 games so far. Denver police yesterday arrested a man for scalping NLCS tickets (58 total) for three times the cost right outside of the Coors Field ticket office, with hopes of making 14000 in profit according to a spreadsheet the suspect had on him. Talk about dumb. Willy Taveras has been added to the NLCS roster for the Rockies. Marion Jones admitted to using steroids. What did you expect, she is a Tarheel graduate. Lindsay Lohan refers to her recent stint in rehab as “sobering”. Here’s a newsflash for ya Lindsay, “That’s why they call it rehab”. Alex, I’ll take “Overpaid Young Hollywood Stars with No Brains or Common Sense for $400.” And somewhere in North Carolina there’s been a Vinny Testaverde sighting as he will start this Sunday for the Carolina Panthers in his 45th season in the NFL. It’s great to see that we’ve had plenty to keep us busy before tonight’s game in Arizona.
Speaking of tonight’s game both the Rox and D’Backs have had some days off to rest and should be more than ready to get the series started in the best of 7. Francis vs Webb on the hill tonight and this game early on may be one where the pitching dominates. Webb was the last pitcher to beat the Rox in the last 18 games.
As of last evening, it was reported that tonights game still had around 4000 tickets available and Friday’s game about 2500. What not anymore room to fit any extra walkers for retirees at Chase Field? Maybe it’s not as important this time around to D’Backs fans since they already have a World Series title, while the Rockies are trying to get to their first World Series. It will be fun to watch. Keep your fingers crossed that the Rockies will break the curse of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/2007/1015.html
Another item that happened earlier this week while the Rockies were home resting before today’s game, was Monday night at 9:28pm at the Jenny’s Market Conoco station on Park Ave West, I witnessed a certain homeless man who frequents this location often, was standing a few feet from behind a black Cadillac Escalade waiting to ask the driver for some spare change, as this is his usual routine. As I made my way through the parking lot I noticed the driver to be Matt Holliday. Holliday reached into his vehicle and proceeded to give the man a bill of some denomination and the man went on his way. I dont know if the homeless man knew who he was approaching or not. Maybe he did. Holliday could’ve told him no or been a jerk like so many of today’s athletes do like it’s second nature. Whether it was a one dollar bill or a twenty dollar bill, or even a hundred dollar bill, to me having been a witness to this transaction that clearly Matt Holliday is more than just an MVP candidate, and a 2 time NL all-star, he is what most of us always forget when it comes to our star athletes, he is human.
Rockies take game 1 tonight 4-3
Putting It Back Together Again…
It’s just too bad this sort of play didnt happen earlier in the homestand against the Pirates. The Rox swept the Nationals no problem in games two and three of the series and in a heart pounding, “Rocky Balboa” comeback type of fashion on Friday night. It’s what we’ve expected to see out of the Rockies against Pittsburgh as we have seen it most of the season this year. Solid pitching, both starting and the bullpen and timely hits along with few mistakes on the basepaths by the Rockies. Defensively they were good overall but there were a couple of errors during the first series that were costly, but still finishing out the homestand, 4-3 after starting it out 1-3 against Pittsburgh. Now we wait to see if the Dodgers lose tonight against the Mets, as the Padres have already lost earlier today against the Phillies 14-2.
We saw solid pitching performances from the starters Francis, Jimenez, and Dessens in all three games against the Nationals and hopefully that will continue tomorrow on the road as the Rox face the Giants with Josh Fogg (7-9, 5.27) facing Barry “It’s not about the money” Zito (9-11, 4.74). Right now that investment in Zito by the Giants hasn’t been getting the best returns all season. Kinda the same return on the investment the Dodgers got in Kevin Brown a number of years ago.
The Rockies need to continue their current run as they hit the road for six against their division foes, San Francisco and division leader, Arizona. Boy how things could really change for the Rockies in the division if they can continue playing well.
There was a Chris Iannetta sighting today at 20th and Blake. Iannetta gave Yorvit Torrealba a rest today and started his first game since being sent back down to the Springs to retool his swing. Ianetta did go 2 for 5 today with 2 RBI’s and a run scored. We’ll wait to hold judgement on whether or not the time in triple A did him some good, but today was a good start for him at the plate. We dont see there being a whle lot of changes in the lineup, except maybe when Willy Taveras returns from the DL later during the roadtrip. Speaking of the DL, Aaron Cook should be back in the rotation soon, which will mean Morales will probably be sent down to the Springs. Brian Fuentes who we saw Friday night looked good in his first appearance, getting the win in result since coming of the DL. As some of the key pieces are coming back in place will this team continue their exceptional play and move up within the division and the wildcard race as well? With 30 plus games to go, it’s sure to be exciting all the way to the end, and when was the last time we’ve been able to say that about the Rockies?
Inside the Humidor 