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8
Oct/10

Grading the 2010 Colorado Rockies Pitchers

by under MLB

There is no way around it—2010 for the Colorado Rockies did not live up to its expectations.

The year began with expectations of the club’s first ever National League West crown. After another slow start in April and May, the Rockies had to crawl out of a hole; they did that, coming within an error of being tied for first place at the All-Star break.
However, their slow start did not give them the leverage to make it through another tough stretch.
That tough stretch came immediately after the break, as the Rockies embarked on a three-city, 11-game road trip. The well-documented trip included just two Rockies wins and essentially sealed the Rockies fate.
The Rockies go into the 2011 season with plenty to look forward to; however, there is still plenty to look back on before moving forward to setting our sights on spring training.
In a two-part series, Rockies Review will be grading the Rockies players in 2010.
So here are the Rockies Review grades for the 2010 Colorado Rockies pitchers:
Pitchers
Ubaldo Jimenez: A
19 wins, an ERA under 3.00, the club’s first no-hitter. A breakout season is an understatement.
He did only win four games after the break but might have felt the fatigue of eight starts in which his pitch count exceeded 120.
Jhoulys Chacin: A
Throw out the record—despite losing 11 games, this kid impressed everyone.
At just 22 years old, look for Chacin to be no lower than third in the Rockies rotation in 2011.
He still struggles with command but has made huge strides. The Rockies future is bright with Chacin in the rotation.
Matt Belisle: A
Don’t be surprised if news breaks that Belisle’s arm has fallen off this winter; it seemed as if Belisle was on the mound everyday.
His 92 innings was more than any other reliever in the National League. Not only did he eat up innings, but he was also extremely effective in those innings.
His ability to put his foot down kept the Rockies in multiple games.
Matt Reynolds: A
Reynolds didn’t make his Major League debut until August 19th; he made the Rockies wish they would have put him on the roster on Opening Day.
He posted a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings, spanning 21 appearances. His presence allows the Rockies to have leverage in the offseason with Joe Beimel.
Rafael Betancourt: B+
In one of the least documented seasons, Betancourt quietly had a year for the history books.
In 62.1 innings pitched, the Venezuelan struck out 89 batters while walking only eight—that is the best K/BB ratio since Eric Gagne’s 2003 Cy Young season.
He doesn’t get an “A” because he gave up too many home runs—with nine long balls, several of which were in crucial situations.
Jason Hammel: B
Despite his dead arm in September, Hammel proved his worth in June.
He won four games in the month and lowered his ERA by nearly two runs. In his first four starts, he gave up just one earned run in 29.1 innings.
Coming into 2010, he was the No. 5 starter—by then end he was the No. 3. The dead arm kept him from an “A.”
Joe Beimel: B
Overall, Beimel did his job getting lefties out.
A few times, Jim Tracy asked him to do something that Beimel shouldn’t be asked to do: pitch a full inning.
Righties hit over .300 against him, and a few times the lefty specialist was hurt by that decision.
His season ended quite a bit like his team’s season, but to be fair to Beimel, there isn’t enough ice in any clubhouse to take the swelling out of his left arm.
Jorge De La Rosa: B
He did everything that he could after missing two months with a freak finger injury. He has made huge strides to minimize his biggest issue—defeating himself.
However, he still sometimes struggles with his own thoughts.
The lefty has some of the best stuff in the league. If he decides that he is good and becomes a pitcher instead of a thrower, he could be an All-Star.
He will dominate the offseason talk for the Rockies. Re-signing him should be tough, but the Rockies need to find a way to get it done.
Jeff Francis: B-
His career is, for all intents and purposes, done. He will never be the Francis that won 17 games for the Rockies in 2007.
However, before his late season collapse, Rockies fans need to remember that he looked like a pretty good fifth starter. His debut against the Nationals in May was phenomenal, and he was just as good when he picked up his first win in two seasons the following start in Kansas City.
He gave up three or less earned runs in 11 of his first 16 starts. Francis should be back on a smaller, incentive-laden contract.
Esmil Rogers: C+
Rogers showed the talent to be in the big leagues. He struggled as a starter, but the inexperience should be taken into account for those struggles.
He might be best suited out of the bullpen but not as the long reliever, as many have suggested. If Rogers could use his stuff for just one inning, he could be a very valuable 7th inning guy, much like Matt Belisle was used in 2010.
After as many innings as Belisle threw this season, the Rockies certainly need an alternative in the pen.
Huston Street: C-
Street was anything but the 2009 closer for the Rockies. After starting out on the disabled list, Street never was able to get a feel for his pitches.
Even more than not having his best stuff, Street pitched scared; instead of throwing strikes and challenging hitters to swing, the Texan nibbled at the strike zone and found himself in trouble.
It seemed like Street dealt with trying to prove that he was both healthy and good enough for his big three-year contract he signed in the offseason.
Manny Corpas: C
Rockies fans love to hate Corpas—he has struggled since anchoring the bullpen in the club’s 2007 run to the World Series.
While he struggled, he wasn’t as bad as everyone makes him sound; his role changed on what seemed like a weekly basis.
Early on he closed some games, then was asked to be a long reliever, then a situational guy, then back to long relief, then late innings, then long relief again—Corpas never complained.
However, his arm couldn’t handle it; his elbow finally said enough in the end of August.
Tommy John surgery will cost Corpas his 2011 season.
Aaron Cook: D
Cook never had it.
All season long, he struggled to find his sinker. Before getting injured, he gave up 11 leads that the offense had given him.
The only reason that he doesn’t get an “F” is because he pitched well after coming back from injury.
The Rockies would have loved to dump even part of Cook’s salary on any takers; unfortunately, they are on the hook for $10 million in 2011.
Franklin Morales: F
Nothing went right for Morales.
He looked like a little leaguer praying to hit the strike zone—when he did, the ball usually got crushed.
Late innings are not for him; in fact, mentally, the big leagues might not be for him with his mentality right now.
It might be time for the Rockies to take the opportunity to stretch him back out to be a starter. The bullpen is not for him.
Keep an eye out for infield grades over the weekend. Feel free to agree or disagree, just make sure to give a reason.

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5
Oct/10

Thoughts on the Colorado Rockies…A Day Later

by under MLB

One day after the Colorado Rockies ended their season by tying the worst 14-game stretch in club history, the only people in the state of Colorado who were happy with the results were the outside sales reps for Tums and Pepto-Bismol.

Sales had to have been up 100 percent for Rockies fans.

The nicest way to put the Rockies’ play was gut-wrenching.
Sure, for the final week of the season the Rockies were out of the race. That fact allows for a certain amount of disinterest in the remaining games.
The only problem was that this club took it to the next level. It might have been slightly less embarrassing had the team simply told the umpire before the game that they forfeit.
Obviously, this is an exaggeration of what actually was going on, but it sure seemed to be the way the Rockies were playing, especially as they scored a whopping two runs over the course of four days, one of which would have simply required them scoring one run to win.
While the Rockies definitely were not trying to lose games, the final two-week stretch did show quite a bit about the team.
Regardless of standings, the message from Jim Tracy is simply not getting through. Think more long-term and the answers might become even more clear.
These Rockies don’t like to be coached. They don’t like to have an authoritative figure telling them what to do and when to do it.
Back in 2007, Clint Hurdle was a popular man in the clubhouse. He was friendly and was “one of the guys.” When things went bad in 2008, Hurdle decided to tighten up the strings and be more of a disciplinarian.
Spring Training in 2009 was more like a boot camp. The players did not react well. After finding themselves 12 games out of first place at the end of May, Tracy was tabbed to take over for Hurdle.
The cycle continued.
Tracy’s style was to stay out of the clubhouse, let the players lead the way, let them discipline each other. It worked beautifully, just like it did in 2007 when the team was young and Hurdle was in charge. Everyone knows the results.
The Rockies stormed from behind and nearly overtook the Dodgers for the National League West crown. Their efforts were good enough for the wild card.
At that point, the cycle for this Rockies team was 180 degrees from where it was in 2008.
The Rockies then went into Spring Training in 2010 with a fresh perspective. The boot camp spring training was gone.
The Rockies were back in Tucson just the way they liked it, in vacation mode. They did what they wanted, and dropped the “stressing fundamental baseball” line that had been at work in the Hurdle days.
The results were very similar to 2008. They played sloppy baseball that included mental errors in the field, bad base running, and worst, horrible at-bats.
The lack of fundamentals finally did the Rockies in, eliminating them from the playoffs. Then, the worst part.
When the team lacked motivation to put their best foot forward when they were out of contention, the Rockies lacked the discipline to listen to their leader.
The fact is, Tracy may have done whatever it took to get his team motivated. The problem, however, was that they weren’t listening.
That is the problem with this Rockies club.
They don’t want to be disciplined, they don’t want to be motivated, they don’t want to have someone tell them what to do.
So instead of being a team that is 25 men all in tune and playing together, they have become 25 men who march to the beats of their own drummers. It makes sense why they never quite hit on all cylinders.
If the Rockies really wanted to win, they would be willing to be coached and disciplined. Instead, they settle for being just better than average.

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3
Oct/10

Is It Over Yet? Colorado Rockies Misery Continues

by under MLB

It’s as if the Colorado Rockies enjoy losing.

Obviously that isn’t the case, but one thing is certain, they don’t like winning enough to work hard for it.
One thing is clear after 161 baseball games: The Rockies are looking forward to not playing baseball for a while. That became quite obvious when they quit playing baseball after 154 games.
To be fair, the Rockies quit once they were out of the race. However, the losses, now at 12 of their last 13 games, are very telling of the team’s character. It proves that when nothing is on the line, they simply do not care.
Regardless of the fact that the each game literally means nothing in terms of the postseason, at some point it would seem that winning meaningless games would still be more fun than losing them. For these Rockies, however, it is clear that’s asking them to work too hard.
The victim of the Rockies lackadaisical attitude on Saturday was Ubaldo Jimenez. He did everything in his power to pick up his 20th win of the season. He pitched eight shutout innings, giving up just three hits while striking out 10 and walking just two. If nothing else, it showed that after 211 innings, Jimenez still has the same stuff.
At this point, it is a wonder why Jim Tracy hasn’t simply been filling out the lineup card with 40-man September call-ups. Why has Chris Nelson been given more of a shot? Why hasn’t Mike McKenry been given a shot to lose the deer-in-the-headlights look and get four or five starts under his belt?
It would make sense if the everyday starters actually cared about what their final record was, but with this group of guys, there is no reason to think that the young players shouldn’t get a shot.
Regardless, the misery continues for one more day. It would be nice to see the Rockies show some heart and actually try for one more day…that, however, might be asking these Rockies for too much.

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1
Oct/10

Colorado Rockies Go Through the Motions, Lose in St. Louis

by under MLB

When the 2010 season began, very few people thought that the Rockies would be looking forward to the 2011 season by the end of September. However, they find themselves in that position in their final series of the season in St. Louis.

Fan talk has already turned to the 2011 campaign and who the Rockies will get, or keep in the offseason. The current Rockies have given the fans nothing to continue talking about with their current play. On Thursday night in St. Louis, the Rockies looked like they were in spring training mode against Chris Carpenter, who pitched a complete game in the Cardinals 6-1 victory.
The Rockies marched Jason Hammel out to the mound, and he continued his struggles. He made it through only three innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. He had no walks and only one strikeout.
The question for the Rockies is simple. Why would Hammel be on the mound when he made it very clear that he was suffering from a dead arm and he has been struggling throughout the month of September?
Were the Rockies hoping that Hammel could string together a few decent starts down the stretch? Even if they thought he would could patch together a decent start last Saturday against the Giants, why would the Rockies still have him pitch in a completely meaningless game against the Cardinals?
The Rockies easily could have simply gone to Samuel Deduno, a September call up, to get his first Major League start. Very similarly to what the club did by giving Ubaldo Jimenez a start in late September of 2006.
Why not kill two birds with one stone? It would give the Rockies a long look at a guy who has shown promise—Deduno was named the Texas League pitcher of the year in 2009. The other thing it would do is allow Hammel to be shut down and get an early start at some offseason rest.
Regardless, the Rockies are out of the race and the mood seems to be more about playing the regular season out and looking forward to spending time doing something else.
It would be nice, however, if the Rockies would find a way to bring their “A” game to the field on Saturday when Ubaldo Jimenez goes for win No. 20.
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28
Sep/10

Colorado Rockies Remove All Doubt

by under MLB

The Colorado Rockies easily could have spent this whole week making up scenarios that most likely weren’t going to happen.

They could have talked about how if only the Padres, Giants, and Braves would go on to lose all of their games, and the Rockies won all of theirs, then…well, of course, the Rockies are still alive.
On Monday night at Coors Field, with their ace Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound looking for his 20th win of the season, the Rockies removed all doubt, losing to the lowly Dodgers 3-1.
Jimenez looked to be back on track, save a bad first inning that he nearly got out of. He went seven innings, giving up just the two first inning runs. He struck out six and walked four. He has one more chance to pick up his 20th win, on Saturday in St. Louis.

The Rockies were owned by Ted Lilly, for the third time in 2010. Whether he is a Cub or a Dodger, one thing never seems to change, he owns the Rockies. Besides a Carlos Gonzalez monster home run to deep center field, Lilly was nearly untouchable.
For the Rockies, the offseason is essentially here. They are already making decisions that are leading into the winter. Jason Giambi has been shutdown with sore biceps from his swing on Sunday. If the Rockies were actually still in the playoff race, he most likely would be available.
Is it a disappointment that the Rockies did not make the playoffs in 2010? Of course. Dan O’Dowd and the front office put together a team that was more talented than any team in the history of the franchise. The Rockies looked stacked from top to bottom. The talent was there, but the results took too long to come around.
Despite the season being a disappointment, there are several reasons why Rockies fans should not be completely upset with their team. Despite Troy Tulowitzki missing 33 games with a broken wrist in the middle of the season, the Rockies were still in the race in the middle of September.
Despite losing their top left-handed pitcher in Jorge De La Rosa for nearly one-third of the season, the Rockies were able to hang around late into the race.
The progression of Jhoulys Chacin has been more than encouraging. Ubaldo Jimenez, despite regressing in the second half, showed how good he can be. For the first time in their history, the Rockies have a starter who is one of the best in the league.
The Rockies may not be in the playoffs, but the franchise and their fans still have quite a bit to be encouraged about. This team was not thrown together to give them one chance at winning a championship. This team has been built to compete for the long term. They may have fallen short in 2010, but all signs are pointing to this team being very competitive for many years to come.
Five years ago, the rallying cry for Rockies fans was not for a World Series title, it wasn’t even for the playoffs, it was for meaningful games in September. Well, Rockies fans got what they wished for. This team is that and much, much more.

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27
Sep/10

Matt Cain Ends Colorado Rockies’ Playoff Chances

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The lesson was nothing new for the Rockies. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are very tough to hit. They are huge reasons why the Giants are leading the National League West despite having nothing more than an average Major League lineup.

The Rockies were reminded of how good Cain actually is on Sunday, as they dropped the rubber match of a three-game set, 4-2, which was essentially a must-win game.

In true Colorado Rockies fashion, the club made a late-game run, despite being dominated by the Giants righty all day long. Melvin Mora blasted a two-run homer two batters after Jay Payton broke up Cain’s no-hit bid with one out in the eighth inning. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Rockies couldn’t beat Cain again in the ninth.

It was not an example of how losing in September can be costly, but rather how playing from behind in the standings late in the year is a risky proposition.

Count on the fact that everyone in the Rockies clubhouse knows that the idea of winning out in September is not the best strategy to get into the playoffs. However, after late season runs in both 2007 and 2009, there clearly is a mentality in the clubhouse that it is never too late to come from behind.

That is a good mentality for a club to have because it proves that they will never quit. They could be 11 games out of the race, as they were in late August, and still believe that they have a chance to go to the playoffs.

The other side of that coin, however, is a dark one. It also makes the club lose their sense of urgency. Instead of feeling like they needed to win very important games way back in July and August, the Rockies played as if they had all the time in the world to make a run.

That mentality contributes to a lackluster demeanor and a feeling on the road of simply getting through road trips instead of winning as many games as they can.

The Rockies are, for all intents and purposes, out of the race. They could win all of their games and still fall well short of the playoffs. They need two teams to essentially run out of gas to have any chance at the postseason.

It is always a difficult thing to realize when a team that is as talented as these Rockies are to fall short and see the final seven games of the year be completely meaningless.

If the Rockies played to their potential, they would have won the West by four games. Instead, they are making plans for October vacations.

The Rockies still have quite a bit to look forward to. A new spring training home in the Phoenix metro area should go a long way for the Rockies having a better start to their season. Instead of seeing Triple-A pitchers and having starters like Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton rarely making long bus rides to play in games, the club should have their full squad available most of the spring.

The core of the Rockies will still be playing at Coors Field in 2011. Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki will be back to lead the charge and there will only be a few free agent decisions that have to be made.

The Rockies have a bright future. While 2010 was not as bright as the franchise was hoping for, it was a year full of lessons learned and maturing.

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26
Sep/10

Tulo-git To Quit: Colorado Rockies Win a Wild One Behind Tulowitzki

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If the Colorado Rockies are out of the race, someone forgot to tell the players.

On Saturday, Troy Tulowitzki gave the Rockies the victory on a double to left-center field that scored Carlos Gonzalez all the way from first base in the 10th inning. The Rockies won 10-9.
Tulowitzki’s hit came after he tied the game up with a double in the eighth inning off Giants closer Brian Wilson. That hit came after Tulo gave the Rockies a 6-4 lead in the fifth inning with a two-run home run to left field.
The five-RBI night for Tulowitzki gives him 40 for the month of September. That is three shy of a Major League record set by some guy named Babe Ruth in 1927.
He also now has 15 home runs in the month, which is also a Rockies record and ties him for the most in September. The most ever hit in a single month came in 1998 when Sammy Sosa clubbed 20.
While it may have seemed like Tulowitzki did it all by himself on Saturday, the truth is, he had quite a bit of help from Gonzalez. The outfielder was nothing short of phenomenal.
He went 3-for-6 with a triple and a RBI to set the table for Tulowitzki. He also showed why he is the definition of a five-tool player when he laid out to catch a Buster Posey line drive destined for the gap in the sixth inning.
The catch was nothing short of incredible, as Gonzalez caught the ball fully extended and three feet off the grass. Just to get to the ball was impressive enough, but the catch caused the outfield stands to erupt in cheers.
The Rockies find themselves four games out of the National League West race, which is led once again by the Padres after the Giants loss at Coors Field. They also trail the Giants and the Braves by 3.5 games in the wild card race.
Even if the Rockies win the rest of their eight games, there is a good chance that they still won’t make it into the playoffs. However, it doesn’t seem like that fact is keeping them from trying their best to make a run for it.
The win comes on the heels of a controversy that has been brewing since just before the All-Star break, when Giants radio broadcaster and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball play-by-play man Jon Miller questioned whether the Rockies cheat at Coors Field by having opposing pitchers throw balls that were left out of the humidor.
The controversy came full swing when Tim Lincecum was caught on camera throwing a ball back and using an expletive to go along with the term “juiced ball.”
At first it seemed to be a fire that was simply brewing among fans, until it came out that the Giants had actually filed a complaint with the league.
The complaint came the day after the Rockies and Giants had set a Coors Field record for least combined hits, with five, and a day after the only home run that was hit came off of the bat of a Giants hitter.
The Rockies insist that they have nothing to hide and that they play the game with integrity. However, the fact that the Giants would even question the integrity of the Rockies staff is a slap in the face to everyone within the Rockies organization.
It takes quite the intestinal fortitude to file a complaint in the middle of a series in which the executives for both teams will have to look each other in the eye.
If nothing else, the claims seemed to light a fire under the Rockies, which may have helped propel them to victory on Saturday night.
The Rockies may need some help down the stretch to get into the playoffs, but the fun thing for Rockies fans is that they have clearly shown that they have no intention of packing it in.
They are going to fight until they can’t fight anymore. That is all a fan can ask for.

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25
Sep/10

Colorado Rockies’ Playoff Hopes All But Over

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Let’s face it. They did this to themselves.

One swing from Pat Burrell’s bat essentially ensured that the Rockies will finish no better than third place in the National League West. His blast to left field gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning that would hold up as Tim Lincecum dominated the Rockies.
Jhoulys Chacin was phenomenal. He didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning. The 22 year old looked better than any Rockies starter in the last week and showed how far he has come in just over a year of Major League experience. With the exception of the Burrell home run, Chacin essentially went pitch-for-pitch with a guy who has two Cy Young awards on his mantle at home.
The home run came in the seventh inning when Chacin was already well over 100 pitches. Much like Jim Tracy likes to do, he allowed Chacin to hit in the bottom of the sixth, with Seth Smith on second base representing the go-ahead run for the Rockies.
Was it a bad move by Tracy? Probably. With the pitch count being near 100, it may have been a good time to take a shot at having a big inning. If the pitch count is lower, there is no real problem with letting the righty continue on.
Did that lose the game for the Rockies? In hindsight, maybe. However, the move probably wasn’t the worst one that Tracy has made. The run did end up scoring, so essentially all that was lost was an out in the sixth inning. However, if Tracy would have gone to someone else there, more than one run could have been scored that inning.
That is an easy move to scrutinize after the fact. However, letting a kid who is throwing the game of his life continue on did not seem like such a horrible decision then.
Many people will point to the Arizona series as the point where the Rockies season was lost. Many will point to them scoring one run at home against the Giants on Friday. Both of those theories are wrong. Most teams lose when Lincecum is on the hill against them. Most teams are swept at some point by an inferior team.
The difference between the Rockies and most teams, however, is that the Rockies got themselves in a position where they couldn’t afford to be swept by an inferior team, or dominated by one of the best pitchers in the game.
If the Rockies don’t come out of the gate and falter, if they don’t let pitchers like James McDonald and Vicente Padilla have their way with them early in the season, the situation is much different.
If the Rockies take care of business early on, they can afford to lose games against the Lincecum’s of the world. However, the Rockies are now in a position where they can’t afford to lose to anyone, because they spent those losses on pitchers they should have crushed.
That is where the problem lies with these Rockies. It’s not a problem of losing five in a row down the stretch, but it’s a problem of not winning more than four in a row for the first four months of the season. It is pretty tough to pack a full season of winning into a month and a half, and the Rockies are coming to that harsh reality right now.
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24
Sep/10

Jim Tracy Costs the Colorado Rockies When It Matters Most

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Take off the purple-colored glasses for a minute. Forget about the magic of 2009. Forget about the past for a moment.

The Rockies had climbed back into the game on Carlos Gonzalez’s first career grand slam. With the score 8-6, Joe Beimel allowed Stephen Drew, a guy who seems to only hit against the Rockies, to hit a solo home run to right field to expand the lead to 9-6.

Anyone who follows baseball knows that if there ever was a must-win for the Colorado Rockies, Thursday was it.

Apparently Jim Tracy didn’t get that memo.

All of the talk recently has been about the Rockies’ burned-out bullpen. Well, don’t ask Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt if they are out of gas—they haven’t pitched since Sunday.

With the closer and setup man comfortably resting in the bullpens, newly acquired Octavio Dotel promptly served up a solo home run to Chris Young to open the bottom of the eighth, giving Arizona a comfortable four-run lead.

Hindsight is 20/20, but after the Rockies climbed back to within a run of the Diamondbacks in the top of the ninth, those tack-on runs that Arizona added in the seventh and eighth innings sure seemed important.

Shining brightly on the scoreboard for Tracy to see was the score of the Giants-Cubs game. It was clear that a loss would move the Rockies 3.5 games out of first place with 10 games to go. That means that even a sweep of the Giants wouldn’t even put the Rockies in front of them. That means that the Rockies effectively moved themselves from a contender into an extreme long shot in just four days.

When a game means as much as Thursday’s did for the Rockies, it must be treated like Game 7 of the World Series. Instead, Tracy treated it as just a regular season game in May. There is absolutely no sense of urgency from the man calling the shots for the Rockies.

Make no mistake—the bad calls didn’t start in the eighth inning for Tracy. Manny Delcarmen was summoned to pitch the sixth inning for the Rockies after Esmil Rogers had let things get out of hand. Since coming over from the Red Sox, there has been one thing that the right-hander has let everyone know: The trade did not affect his ability to miss the strike zone. He does that very well.

Delcarmen walked a man and gave up two hits and a run…a run that ended up being extremely crucial. He did this with Matt Reynolds, the reliever who has been extremely effective for the Rockies since they called him up in August, comfortably resting in the bullpen.

Someone needs to tell Tracy that the Rockies are 3.5 games behind in the NL West race. The way he is calling the shots, it looks as if he is nursing a four- or five-game lead.

Case in point is September call-up Paul Phillips making the start behind the plate on Sunday with a chance to sweep the Dodgers. Phillips is a good player; he has Major League experience and is not going to be in awe of where he is. That said, he spent nearly the entire season in Triple-A for a reason. He is the perfect example of a journeyman catcher.

Maybe it was coincidence, but in that game Rockies pitchers were charged with four wild pitches. One of those wild pitches allowed the leadoff hitter to get on base in an inning in which the Dodgers scored three runs with two outs.

There is no doubt that players have to rest. Miguel Olivo simply cannot catch every single game. Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt cannot pitch in every game. Todd Helton is another guy who cannot play every day.

However, with Jason Giambi going 1-for-8 since launching a walk-off home run against the Diamondbacks on September 12th, a game in which the Rockies were in a must-win situation was not the time to put him in the lineup.

The Rockies felt the effects of his poor defense when Jonathan Herrera made an errant throw in the fifth inning when the Diamondbacks put four runs on the board. It was a bad throw, without a doubt. However, Helton most likely at least catches the ball and keeps an additional run from coming across.

There simply is no sense of urgency with Tracy. It was not simply one situation where he could be second-guessed on Thursday; it was multiple times.

Mistakes happen. Every manager makes them over the course of 162 games. However, mistakes like Tracy continues to make are mind-boggling. Rockies fans are quickly understanding why Tracy was shown the door in both Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. He makes the same mistakes over and over and never takes responsibility for them.

For the most part, the Rockies’ postseason hopes are over. They essentially need to sweep the Giants in the weekend series at Coors Field and then lose only one of the remaining seven games. It can happen, but the odds of that are highly unlikely.

In fact, if the Rockies fail to sweep the Giants, they may as well pack it in. They need to gain three games in the standings, not one. Losing a single game to the Giants and their three best pitchers simply is not an option.

For more on the Rockies visit RockiesReview.com.

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21
Sep/10

Colorado Rockies’ Playoff Hopes Come Down to One Ting: Beat the Giants

by under MLB

The Colorado Rockies are in the middle of what seems to be their annual September march to the playoffs.

Once again, the national media is turning its attention towards the team that plays at Coors Field. The team that has been phenomenal at home and less than impressive on the road is suddenly on fire. On August 22, the Rockies were 11 games out of first place and eyeing the Wild Card as the only way to get into the postseason.
Even the Wild Card was a long shot at that point. The Rockies were just 4.5 games behind but had four teams that they would have to jump in order to overtake the Phillies, who were leading at the time.
After all hope seemed lost on September 2nd, when the Rockies gave up nine runs in the seventh inning to allow the Phillies to win a crucial makeup game 12-11 at Coors Field.
Just as the local media (myself included) wrote the club’s obituary, the Rockies showed why they can never be counted out. After struggling on the road all season long, the Rockies went into San Diego and swept the first place Padres, who were at the tail end of a free fall. The Rockies didn’t stop there, they returned home and swept the first place Reds and the Diamondbacks to extend their winning streak to 10 games.
Suddenly, the Rockies were right in the thick of things again, looking to make yet another September run for the playoffs.
The run, however, will only be a good month if the Rockies cannot overcome the 1.5 game deficit and capture their first ever National League West title.
With work to be done, the Rockies head into Arizona for three games and then they face the Giants in a three game set.
With all due respect to the Diamondbacks, the Rockies season hinges on the three game set with the Giants. The Rockies have had success so far with the Giants at Coors Field in 2010, going 4-2 in their six matchups so far. Winning those three games will not be easy. San Francisco is heading into the series with Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and Matt Cain on the mound. The Rockies will not counter with their best. Instead of going with Jimenez, Chacin, and Hammel, Colorado’s rotation falls on Hammel, Jorge De La Rosa, and Jeff Francis in the finale.
The Rockies, as long as they can take care of business in the desert, will be looking to the weekend to make their move. If they can find a way to win the series, they will be in a good position to win their first ever National League West crown. If they lose that series, they may not have enough games left to make up the ground.

For more on the Rockies visit RockiesReview.com
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