Bleacher Report - Articles by David Martin

Colorado Rockies' Jim Tracy as Manager of the Year Was a No-Brainer

David Martin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:02:45 -0500

With all due respect to the Cardinals' Tony La Russa, the National League Manager of the Year award was the easiest in the bunch. On Wednesday, Colorado Rockies Manager Jim Tracy was announced as the winner of the prestigious honor.

A week after walking away being told that their gloves are simply made of leather and not gold, the Colorado Rockies were finally recognized on Wednesday for their spectacular season.

The choice was easy, Tracy took over for the fired Clint Hurdle on May 29. The Rockies were 10 games under .500 and already 15 games out of first place in the National League West race. At that point their 18-28 record was second worst in baseball, only better than the Washington Nationals.

Tracy's impact was felt immediately. The Rockies started playing better, winning 17-out of-21 games to start the climb back to respectability and ultimately, the playoffs. It was evident that much of the Rockies early season failures were due to players pressing on the field, knowing that their manager, and close friend, Clint Hurdle's job was on the line.

Hurdle had done a fine job in his time with the Rockies. Despite an overall losing record, 534-625, Hurdle had been the captain of the ship as the Rockies decided to build from within.

He was the leader who helped young players find their way in the big leagues. His greatest success came in 2007 when he convinced a very young team that they were good enough to ploy their way back into contention in September and steam roll to the franchise's first pennant.

Hurdle's greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. The young athletes eventually matured into veteran baseball players and no longer looked to Hurdle for how to conduct themselves, or what approach to take at the plate. Hurdle's boisterous personality had grown old in the clubhouse.

In stepped Tracy, a castoff from both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2009 he was, in every single way, the opposite of Hurdle.

Tracy rarely is seen in the clubhouse. He gave the reins over to the team veterans and leaders. His attention to detail could not go unnoticed. Where Hurdle would manage with his heart, often playing the hot-hand, Tracy managed by the book. This created stability in the bullpen and allowed relief pitchers to know their role and prepare accordingly.

Hurdle was known for rewarding veterans for what they had done in the past. Quickly Tracy dumped that practice, sitting struggling and out of shape third baseman Garrett Atkins on the bench and planting up-and-coming slugger Ian Stewart in the lineup every day.

Tracy also made an important change with the starting pitchers. No longer was 100 pitches the benchmark. In the Hurdle era it was rare for a pitcher to go more than six innings due to his pitch count.

With Tracy, a starter would often throw 120 or more pitches in a game. This led to the bullpen being more fresh, and also more consistently only having to bridge a one or two inning gap before turning the game over to closer Huston Street.

Under Tracy's guidance, the 2009 Colorado Rockies went 74-42, helping the team win a franchise record 92 games. The Rockies were not eliminated from winning the division until the second to last day of the season, a remarkable statement after being 15 games behind in early June.

While Tony La Russa helped his Cardinals to a division title when everyone picked the Cubs in April, no one did a better job of leading his team than Jim Tracy.

Jim Tracy Wins Manager of the Year Award in No-Brainer Decision

David Martin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:54:00 -0500

With all due respect to the Cardinals' Tony La Russa, the National League Manager of the Year award was the easiest to choose in the bunch. On Wednesday, Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy was announced as the winner of the prestigious honor.

A week after walking away, being told that their gloves are simply made of leather and not gold, the Colorado Rockies were finally recognized on Wednesday for their spectacular season.

The choice was easy. Tracy took over for the fired Clint Hurdle on May 29th, when the Rockies were 10 games under .500 and already 15 games out of first place in the National League West race. At that point their 18-28 record was second worst in baseball, only better than the Washington Nationals.

Tracy's impact was felt immediately. The Rockies started playing better, winning 17-of-21 games to start the climb back to respectability and, ultimately, the playoffs. It was evident that much of the Rockies' early season failures were due to players pressing on the field, knowing that their manager, and close friend, Clint Hurdle's job was on the line.

Hurdle had done a fine job in his time with the Rockies. Despite an overall losing record, 534-625, Hurdle had been the captain of the ship as the Rockies decided to build from within. He was the leader who helped young players find their way in the big leagues.

His greatest success came in 2007 when he convinced a very young team that they were good enough to play their way back into contention in September and steamroll to the franchise's first pennant.

Hurdle's greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. The young athletes eventually matured into veteran baseball players and no longer looked to Hurdle for guidance on how to conduct themselves or what approach to take at the plate. Hurdle's boisterous personality had grown old in the clubhouse.

In stepped Tracy, a cast off from both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2009 he was, in every single way, the opposite of Hurdle.

Tracy is rarely seen in the clubhouse. He gave the reins over to the team veterans and leaders. His attention to detail could not go unnoticed. Where Hurdle would manage with his heart, often playing the hot-hand, Tracy managed by the book. This created stability in the bullpen and allowed relief pitchers to know their role and prepare accordingly.

Hurdle was known for rewarding veterans for what they had done in the past. Quickly, Tracy dumped that practice, sitting struggling and out of shape third baseman Garrett Atkins on the bench and planting up-and-coming slugger Ian Stewart in the lineup every day.

Tracy also made an important change with the starting pitchers. No longer was 100 pitches the benchmark. In the Hurdle era, it was rare for a pitcher to go more than six innings due to his pitch count. With Tracy, a starter would often throw 120 or more pitches in a game. This led to the bullpen being fresher, and also more consistently only having to bridge a one or two inning gap before turning the game over to closer Huston Street.

Under Tracy's guidance, the 2009 Colorado Rockies went 74-42, helping the team win a franchise record 92 games. The Rockies were not eliminated from winning the division until the second-to-last day of the season, a remarkable statement after being 15 games behind in early June.

While Tony La Russa helped his Cardinals to a division title when everyone picked the Cubs in April, no one did a better job of leading his team than Jim Tracy.

Gold Glove Awards Are a Joke that Put a Serious Hurt on Baseball

David Martin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:44:00 -0500

Name the best shortstop to ever wear a Rockies uniform. The names are deep, but the talent is shallow. Anyone who watches baseball and has paid any attention to the Colorado Rockies knows that their is no argument for who has been the best at the shortstop position in the 17 years of Rockies baseball: Troy Tulowitzki.

With all due respect to Walt Weiss, Tulowitzki has redefined what playing the position means. His range helps him field more balls than any other shortstop in the game, yet despite having more chances, he also had just nine errors. So, how will history look back on the first 17 years of Rockies baseball? The only Gold Glove shortstop to don purple pinstripes...none other than Neifi Perez.

Gold Gloves are widely regarded as meaningless around baseball. In fact, Rafael Palmeiro once won the award at first base after being the Rangers designated hitter, playing less than 50 games at the position. Unlike MVP awards and Rookie of the Year awards, Gold Gloves are voted on by the managers and coaches.

Despite getting rave reviews from opposing managers, Tulowitzki failed to make the cut, losing out for the second time in three years to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins.

The problem is not that Tulowitzki is disrespected around the league. It is not that his skills are under appreciated. Anyone in baseball knows that defense at shortstop does not get any better than Tulo's. So if he doesn't win the award, who cares? Everyone knows he is great.

The problem is that despite Tulowitzki being highly regarded around the league as a phenomenal shortstop, time kills all memories. When history looks back on the 25 year old it will not sing praises about his defense. He will be just another also-ran.

No big deal for a player who has no dreams of being enshrined in Cooperstown, or even landing a large free agent contract. But to a player of Tulowitzki's ilk, not winning the Gold Glove has severe ramifications.

Baseball continually fights the famous "east coast bias." Teams from small markets like Kansas City, St. Louis, and Colorado feel that half of the shows that highlight baseball games are devoted to the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox. Good players suddenly become great players when they put on Yankee pinstripes.

For evidence, look no further than Johnny Damon. Make no mistake, Damon is a very good hitter. However, the rest of his game is very lacking. There are little league baseball players who have a better shot at throwing a runner out at the plate than Damon.

Suddenly, however, Damon is signed by the Yankees for $10 million per year, and he is talked about as a great player.

Baseball players are very smart, and their agents are even smarter. When an agent has a player of Tulowitzki or Matt Holliday's caliber they know that they will not only be able to receive larger initial contracts from larger market teams, but they will also be able to get a higher contract the next time around due to the fact that the player is more likely to win awards like the Gold Glove, which is a great term to throw around during contract negotiations.

If Todd Helton would never have signed his long-term deal before the 2000 season, there is no telling how many Gold Gloves the lefty would have on his mantle. Despite statistics showing that number 17 has scooped more balls than any first baseman in baseball, all the while only committing three errors, Helton is five years removed from a Gold Glove.

Parity is a word that baseball is far removed from. Many people scream for a salary cap or for revenue sharing. However, the answer may be more simple than that. Baseball needs to quit worshipping the teams that play out east and acknowledge that there is some pretty good baseball being played west of the Mississippi River.

When that happens players may actually want to stay in towns like Kansas City or Denver rather than seeking acknowledgement for their play and heading to a team that gets recognition.

Tim Lincecum Busted For Marijuana, Reminds Rockies Fans What They Have

David Martin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:04:00 -0500

It is well known around the league and amongst baseball fans that the Colorado Rockies look at more than just talent when they draft, sign, or trade for a player. They are very intent on bringing in players who have a high level of character.

The Rockies often take heat for this practice. Many fans wish that the team would be better on the field if they would sign players with personal lives that sometimes found their way into the tabloids. Even to a smaller degree, fans often complain that the Rockies should not be so concerned with how well a player will add to the chemistry of the clubhouse.

There is no denying that employing only players with high character eliminates a large pool of talent in Major League Baseball. The Rockies have undoubtedly had opportunities to ignore off-the-field issues and simply sign a talented player.

The argument to make the team as good as possible is valid, and to the average fan, the best possible team on the field is all that matters. Rockies fans should appreciate what they have at Coors Field.

On Thursday, Tim Lincecum, the reigning Cy Young winner and San Francisco Giants ace, as reported by the Columbian in Vancouver, Washington, was cited for possession of marijuana after being pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 just north of Portland, Oregon.

The report stated that when the police officer approached Lincecum's Mercedes he instantly smelled the drug. While Lincecum was cooperative with the cop, the crime had already been committed.

Lincecum's crime was nothing that is out of the ordinary. The debate rages on in America that pot should be legalized and the case can be made that alcohol is more dangerous than the drug. The 25-year-old pitcher was doing nothing more than a large percentage of his fellow Americans take part in every day.

Lincecum, however, is not the average American.

The average American cannot throw a fastball in the upper-90s and dominate a Major League lineup every five days. The average American does not have the opportunity to make a phenomenal living playing a game that kids play.

It would be a huge mistake to suggest that Major League Baseball players do not work hard. However, a Major League Baseball player also has the ability to do something that most Americans do not have the option of ever saying, that they love what they do for a living.

The question begs to be asked—when these athletes are going to learn?

Lincecum is on the verge of his first arbitration-eligible offseason. He very well could end up winning his second consecutive Cy Young award, something that will only add more digits to the amount of money that will be awarded to the righty in arbitration.

Lincecum is essentially guaranteed, at 25 years old, that if he manages his money properly, he will have a comfortable living for the rest of his life. Why would someone do anything that would risk an opportunity like Lincecum has at his resting on his right shoulder?

The Giants have been plagued with selfish players. From Jeff Kent to Lincecum, with Barry Bonds in the middle, this team seems to always have players who embarrass the team with their selfish actions.

The Rockies, on the other hand, field a team with players that can be looked up to. Last offseason, reliever Luis Vizcaino was arrested in Tampa, Florida for driving under the influence. He was promptly traded to the Chicago Cubs.

Before Vizcaino, pitcher Denny Neagle was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. He was released from the team less than a week later.

Before that, Rockies pitcher Pedro Astacio was in legal trouble for a dispute with his girlfriend, and that was before Dan O'Dowd took the reins.

Families can go to Rockies games and watch them on TV without parents hoping that their child will not go away from the game with a new hero who does not live up to the moral standard of that family.

While Charles Barkley may not want to admit that professional athletes are role models, the fact of the matter is, kids look up to them and model their lives after the athletes. It is nice to have a team that plays in Denver who has a locker room full of character, rather than selfishness.

TBS Takes Away Postseason Luster For Baseball Fans

David Martin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:09:00 -0400

A Major League Baseball season lasts a long time. Very few fans are able to watch all 162 games that their favorite team plays. With day games and night games, weekend games and weekday games, the thought of watching a team religiously is nearly impossible. Very few find a way to accomplish the task.

For this, and a variety of other reasons, baseball, a game that was once the national pastime in America, has found itself taking a back seat to the NFL. More people are interested in whether or not Brett Favre will unretire for what seems like the millionth time than watch a Rockies vs. Giants battle that pits up-and-coming flamethrower Ubaldo Jimenez, against a Cy Young winning Tim Lincecum, who looks like a 12 year-old, but is nearly impossible for 12-year Major League veterans to hit. Yet, when the playoffs come around, even the most average sports fan is willing to watch a baseball game, but slowly Major League Baseball is disheartening even those fans.

Major League Baseball often wonders why the next generation of kids is not watching what used to be the nation’s favorite sport. Often times the finger is pointed at a lack of offense, or a less action-filled game that can last up to four hours. These are all potential reasons, but Major League Baseball needs to quit wondering what the NFL is doing right, and look at what they are doing wrong.

The 2009 Colorado Rockies were an incredibly exciting team to watch on a daily basis. They were the epitome of team. Only one player (Todd Helton) hit above .300 and no one hit the 100 RBI plateau, yet they ranked second in the National League in runs scored. They had young talent that was learning to play the game at the Major League level to go along with seasoned veterans like Helton, looking to have another shot at World Series glory. Some of their players had very little talent, but made up for it with a heart the size of the Rocky Mountains. For example look no further than Yorvit Torrealba or Omar Quintanilla. The Wild Card winning Rockies had players that could hit the ball a mile, and could field a ball hit within a mile of them. They were a team that refused to die after a poor start and made a run at winning their division, despite being 15-1/2 games back at one point.

The ‘09 Rockies should have been Major League Baseball’s dream come true. Americans love to root for the underdog. People relate to teams that come from smaller markets and compete with the bigger market teams, ala David vs. Goliath. Despite being in the playoffs just two years ago, the Rockies represent fresh blood in the Major League playoffs, something different than the standard Yankees, Red Sox and Angels that seem to be playing every October. Major League Baseball should have capitalized on the energetic, never-quit Rockies.

Instead, Major League Baseball allowed TBS, a cable station known for rerun sitcoms and second-rate prime time dramas, to not only broadcast every game, but determine the start time of each game as well.

Because of the fact that the Rockies are rarely seen on ESPN highlights it came as no surprise that the series featuring the defending champion Phillies and the Rockies would kick off the playoffs at 3 pm Eastern Time. Not just the first game, but the second game as well. For two games that would at least draw the average Colorado sports fan and family to tune in at night, the games were simply highlight reels, due to the fact that they took place while potential fans were at work or school. If fans thought it would get better for game three, they were mistaken. On a freezing cold night in Denver, fans had to wait until 8 pm for the first pitch. That meant fans in Philadelphia did not see their team take the field in a pivotal game three until 10 pm on a work or school night.

Why were the first two games played during the day and the third played so late at night? Because TBS insisted on broadcasting every pitch of every game to the entire nation. While the thought sounds like a good one for those who love to watch nine consecutive hours of baseball games, the fact of the matter is, very few baseball fans, let alone average Americans has the ability to tune into every single game in the postseason. Especially considering that the early games are played during the work day. Instead of being interested in the games, American’s simply forget about the playoffs altogether.

The solution seems simple. Broadcast games just like CBS does during the ever popular March Madness. Play two games in each time slot. Broadcast the games that are most important to a particular region in that region and allow a game to switch over when the result of one is in doubt for the national audience, while keeping the local audience on their hometown teams.

This would eliminate weekday games played with fans at work and school, and also take away the late night game where most of the country besides the local markets have gone to bed anyway. It would also presumably boost the ratings because fans would not lose interest if a game became lopsided, they would simply be switched to another more exciting game.

TBS and Major League Baseball could also do fans a favor and eliminate some of the travel days involved in the postseason. Professional baseball players play six months during the regular season and another six weeks in Spring Training with just two or three days off per month. Suddenly it becomes too difficult for them to play more than two days in a row without a day off. With series dragged on, not only does the audience lose its focus, it compromises the integrity of the most important games of the year due to summer turning into fall.

Despite a great effort from both teams, does anyone really want to see championship baseball games played in 25 degree weather? Do players, who travel the country, spend time away from their families and work their whole lives to achieve a goal of winning the World Series want the biggest games of their career determined by terrible weather?

If Major League Baseball wants to do itself some good, they would quit looking at the dollar signs on the TBS paycheck and find a way to make their games played during the most appropriate times, where the average fan can watch and fall in love with a game that they have forgotten about.

Rockies-Phillies: Huston Street's Dead End Sends Colorado Season Wrong Way

David Martin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:00:00 -0400

"Rocktober" wasn’t supposed to be over before the middle of the month. The team that seemed to be carried by destiny for four months was suddenly staring at four months of offseason.

After carrying a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning Monday night, closer Huston Street faltered for the second time in as many days.

In a season full of irony, where twists and turns both in the games and in the standings were commonplace, it may have been fitting that the season finished with one of the most unexpected shifts.

Street, acquired in the deal that sent Matt Holliday to the Oakland A’s 11 months ago to the day, had been the most steady member of the Rockies roster for the entire season.

After struggling early, Street quickly found himself and once again became one of the top closers in baseball, converting 35 of 37 save opportunities. He was so good that the Rockies lost just one game all year in which they led going into the ninth inning.

One night, after failing to nail down the Phillies in the ninth inning, Street once again strolled to the mound, only this time with a two-run lead.

The Rockies had rallied in the bottom half of the eighth inning, capped by yet another heroic hit off the bat of Yorvit Torrealba that plated two runs.

But Street could not finish off the Phillies. After striking out pinch hitter Greg Dobbs, Street had a lengthy at-bat with Jimmy Rollins, who, just like the previous night, hit a ball up the middle for a base hit. After retiring Shane Victorino, Street ran into trouble.

Instead of pounding the strike zone, he began to nibble with Chase Utley at the plate. The problem is that Utley has a Todd Helton-like sense of the strike zone.

After being one strike away from heading back to Philadelphia, Street walked Utley, which brought Ryan Howard to the plate.

Howard stroked a pitch to right field that landed on the warning track, good enough to tie the game and land him on second base.

Jayson Werth, who punched his certified ticket as a Rockie-killer in this series, then blooped a ball in front of Dexter Fowler, scoring Howard and giving the lead back to the Phillies.

Despite a rally in the ninth inning, embattled Phillies closer and Denver native Brad Lidge got Troy Tulowitzki to strike out with the tying run at second base, putting the Phillies back in the NLCS to play the Dodgers for the second consecutive season.

The game was a roller coaster of emotions. After being dominated by Cliff Lee, the Rockies found a way to command the game, then gave it right back and were forced to watch the Phillies celebrate.

While the season ending comes with mixed emotions, it is easy to forget where this team came from. The loss is by no means what any fan was hoping for, but the fact that this Rockies team found its way to the playoffs defied all odds.

On June 3, the Rockies were the second-worst team in the league, sitting just two games ahead of the Washington Nationals. They had just fired their manager and were looking like a team ready to off-load some salaries and cruise into a fourth place finish.

Instead, the Rockies put together an incredible run that included an 18-game stretch in which the Rockies won 17. Their starting pitching found itself and a rebuilt bullpen was learning its role.

What happened was that the Colorado Rockies became a team. They learned to play with each other, fighting to accomplish one team goal.

For two months, they had been playing as if winning the game depended on each individual person. It was fun to watch and it was a lesson for anyone who paid attention.

The run in 2009 was the second history-defying run in team history—the first, of course, coming in 2007.

This time was different, though. This was not a run that came so late that it required winning 14 of 15 just to get in. This was a more sustained run. This run gave the franchise its first taste of a complete season.

It was the first time that the Rockies had ever held a lead in the wild card race after June without it being the last day of the season.

Before Rockies fans' eyes, players like Carlos Gonzalez, Jorge De La Rosa, and Ubaldo Jimenez grew into dominant Major League Baseball players.

Future Hall of Famer Todd Helton reached two more milestones in his incredible career, getting his 2,000th hit and hitting his 500th career double.

It was a season that, despite a stomach-churning loss to close the book, was a good story. It was a season that will have Rockies fans looking forward to what will be an exciting 2010, one in which they have proven they are talented enough to compete for their first ever National League West title.

For now, however, Rockies fans must endure the long, cold offseason that accompanies being a baseball fan.

Spring training does not begin until the middle of February and the first pitch of the season will not be until early April. During that time, Rockies fans will most likely say their goodbyes to Jason Marquis, Ryan Spilborghs, Brad Hawpe, Omar Quintanilla, and possibly Huston Street.

Players that fans have made lasting impacts with are hard to watch leave, but offseasons are consistent reminders of the fact that baseball is a business and emotions must be left at the door.

And when a fan favorite does leave, another piece of the 2009 season will go with that player.

Rockies Lose Pivotal Game Three In NLDS

David Martin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0400

When fans thaw out on Monday morning reality may set in. The Colorado Rockies had several chances to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the best of five division series, but ended up on the wrong end of a 6-5 loss to the Phillies.

The Rockies held a 3-1 lead through three innings and looked as if they were cruising. Jason Hammel had retired nine out of ten Phillies hitters and the offense was doing damage to Phillies starter J.A. Happ.

As dominant as Hammel was through three innings, he looked like a completely different pitcher in the fourth inning. He lost command of his fastball, allowing the Phillies to either sit on the off speed pitches, or wait for a walk. The right hander loaded the bases, then walked in the second run of the game. He never made it out of the fourth inning, giving up three runs in 3-2/3 innings.

After battling back, finding a way to score runs, including a game-tying home run off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies could not find a way to get the lead. Don’t blame Gonzalez for the offensive failures. All the Venezuelan lefty did was go 3-for-4 at the plate with a walk. He had the home run plus a double and a single. The NLDS has been a coming out party for the youngster, who has found his confidence on the Major League level, showing the Rockies and their fans that they are watching a five-tool player develop before their eyes.

After a hard-fought top of the eighth in which Rafael Betancourt allowed a walk and then a bloop double to Pedro Feliz with one out, Betancourt slammed the door, getting a Carlos Ruiz strikeout, followed by a huge Matt Stairs punchout. The problem for the Rockies, however, was that the walk and the double allowed the Phillies to turn their lineup over.

When Huston Street came on in the ninth inning with the score tied, instead of having to face the eight, nine and leadoff hitters, he was forced to face Jimmy Rollins leading off, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley. Rollins led off with a single, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Victorino. As Utley stepped to the plate, the Rockies were forced to deal with another aspect of the game that may haunt Major League Baseball after the 2009 playoffs. The umpires.

With the tying run at second base, Utley hit a pitch that acted like a swinging bunt. Street fielded the ball and threw to first, where Todd Helton caught the ball for the out-or what should have been the out. First base umpire Ron Kulpa ruled that Helton was off the first base bag, awarding Utley the base. Replays not only showed that Helton was indeed on the bag, they also showed that the reason the ball was even in fair territory was because it had grazed off of Utley’s leg while he was in the batter’s box and should have been ruled a foul ball.

Instead, the Rockies were forced to face Ryan Howard with runners on first and third and one out. Howard hit a ball deep enough to score Rollins from third and the Rockies night was essentially over. After mounting a small rally in the ninth, Troy Tulowitzki popped out on a pitch that he could have driven. The Rockies had lost the game, and possibly their season.

One of the Rockies strengths is their depth. It seems as if potent bats pour out of their dugout like clowns pour out of a tiny car at the circus. They have great starting pitching and a phenomenal bullpen. However, the Rockies struggle to put teams away.

Jason Hammel was cruising. He was throwing strikes in the first three innings and had a lead. His offense was hitting behind him and it seemed as if the team was on their way to victory. Then the 27 year old found a way to melt down in the mid-20’s weather. He simply could not find the plate, and was forced to throw off speed pitches. He fell behind hitters in the fourth inning and ended up having to give in. The inability of Hammel to put his foot down and squash the Phillies allowed hope back into the visitors dugout. A dugout that realized their prized rookie pitcher did not have his best, or even his second best stuff on the mound. It gave them hope that they could put a few runs on the board and take back home field advantage.

The results will be tough to swallow for the Rockies. They now face an elimination game against Cliff Lee, the same starter who nearly shut them out in game one of this series.

While some may give up hope, this series is not over. If the Rockies can find a way to get to Lee, even to scratch out a couple of runs, and Ubaldo Jimenez pitches the way that he is capable of, this team could win game four and head back to Philadelphia for the do-or-die game five.

Game five, despite being at Citizen’s Bank Park, would be against Cole Hamels, the lefty that the Rockies bashed around for five runs in five innings in defeating the Phillies in game two of the series.

If there is a team in this league who knows what it is like to have their backs against the wall, it is these Rockies. They came from 12 games under .500 and marched all the way back into contention. They were 15-1/2 games back in the division race on June 3, but made the race go down to the final weekend before settling into the Wild Card spot. If there is a team that can win two elimination games, it is the Colorado Rockies.

NLDS Game Three Postponed Due to Snow

David Martin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:47:00 -0400

Major League Baseball announced early this morning that Saturday night’s game will be postponed. Game three will be played during the scheduled time for game four, Sunday night at 8:07 Mountain Time.

Game time temperatures were supposed to be in the mid-20’s.

Major League Baseball made a good call with this decision. Baseball is not meant to be played in the extreme cold. Especially in such a pivotal game. With snow flying and temperatures below freezing, the integrity of the game is compromised.

While the decision was smart by Major League Baseball, it benefits the Phillies in a big way. Instead of having to pitch Pedro Martinez in game three, the Phillies have the option of going with JA Happ, the likely NL Rookie of the Year winner after going 12-4. Happ shutout the Rockies in August, and is another lefty that the Rockies struggle with. After Happ, Cliff Lee, game one’s starter, will be on normal rest and ready to go for game four.

It allows the Phillies to hide their shaky bullpen for possibly the duration of the series.

For Rockies fans it would be easy to complain about the bad break. However, the fact of the matter is, if the Rockies want to be the best team they are going to have to beat the best teams and their best pitchers. They have now had a good look at Lee. He has thrown two games against them dating back to early August. His pitches should not be a surprise to the Rockies anymore.

The Rockies must take advantage of their home park, where they play very well, and get to Happ or Pedro Martinez if Charlie Manual elects to stay with the righty, early in the game. Winning game three would allow the Rockies to play more relaxed, knowing that they only need to win one of the next two games.

Rockies Must Score Early to Have Success in Game 3

David Martin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:57:00 -0400

After much anticipation, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel named future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez the game three starter for Saturday night’s match up at Coors Field.

Manuel came to that decision after using four of his starters in the first two games of the series.

Cliff Lee went all nine innings in the opener, then after Cole Hamels only got through five innings, Manuel went with Joe Blanton and JA Happ, both of whom had been possibilities to start game three.

Now the Phillies are forced to go with Martinez, who has struggled with soreness in his neck and has consistently had arm problems, in a game that is supposed to involve snow and 25 degree weather.

Manuel said that Martinez is expected to throw in the range of 85-100 pitches before his night is over.

With Martinez on the mound it may seem like a tough match up, but the fact of the matter is, Martinez is simply a shell of the pitcher that he once was.

He has dealt with injuries for the past four years and was unsigned until early August, when the Phillies took a chance on him. He was great in his first few starts, but after a 130-pitch outing, he has struggled to get his groove back.

While Manuel threw Blanton and Happ in game two, Blanton threw only 18 pitches, and Happ just four before being hit in the knee by a Seth Smith line drive.

So the strategy for Manuel is easy to figure out. Knowing that the aging Martinez takes longer to warm up, even when the weather is warm, it does not suit him well to come out of the bullpen.

Therefore, Martinez gets as much time to get loose before the game, leaving Blanton to be called upon when necessary. Blanton will still need time to get loose, but should be stretched out and ready to go when called upon.

What that means for the Rockies is that they need to jump on Martinez early and get the lead. If they can drive Martinez’s pitch count up, they will get him out of the game early. If Blanton comes in with the Rockies leading the game, it makes it impossible for his pitching to change the game.

If, however, the Rockies fail to get to Martinez, they could be faced with a bad situation. Instead of getting deep into the bullpen, Colorado could easily see three innings of Martinez followed by six innings of Blanton, leaving them in another situation where they do not get to take their hacks against a very poor Phillies bullpen.

Game three is going to go a long way in determining who will win this series. It is of utmost importance for the Rockies to jump out in front and play with the lead, something that they have done very well in 2009. If they are unable to get the early lead, it may be a long, cold night.

Rockies Even NLDS Series Behind Aaron Cook and Yorvit Torrealba

David Martin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:49:00 -0400

This was nothing new for the 2009 Colorado Rockies. This Rockies team has had more drama than a junior high sleepover. While the drama was another test on Rockies' fans' nerves, the results were worth it.

Aaron Cook was phenomenal against a great Phillies lineup. He went five solid innings before tiring in the sixth. In the sixth, he found himself getting behind hitters. After giving up a double to Ryan Howard and then a run-scoring base hit by Raul Ibanez, Cook’s day was over.

Cook did exactly what the Rockies were looking for. He kept the team in the game long enough for the offense to get a lead and give the Rockies a chance to go home with a 1-1 tie in the series.

The offense got to the scoring early. Carlos Gonzalez, hitting leadoff instead of in the two-hole, led off the game with a single. Phillies starter Cole Hamels threw over to first base to keep Gonzalez close. The speedy outfielder was going on first move and made it to second base before first baseman Ryan Howard could get the ball to Jimmy Rollins who was covering the bag.

Dexter Fowler, hitting in the two-hole, laid down a bunt, moving Gonzalez to third base. Todd Helton then hit a swinging bunt up the first base line. Hamels fielded the ball and tried to get Gonzalez at the plate. Gonzalez’s speed was too much and he was in safe, giving the Rockies a lead that they would not relinquish.

In the fourth inning, with Helton on first, Yorvit Torrealba put his stamp on the game. He launched a hanging breaking ball deep into the left field seats, his first home run since May 6. It gave the Rockies a three run cushion and a chance to breathe.

The Rockies added two more runs off the bat of Fowler, who hit two separate sacrifice flies in a sign of his continued maturity. Those two runs turned out to be huge as the Rockies ended the game with the tying run at second base as Huston Street nailed down the final out.

The win was huge for the Rockies. Instead of coming back to Coors Field with their backs to the wall, needing to win three straight games, they now have the momentum in the series, and home-field advantage in their back pockets.

While Fowler’s two sacrifice flies ended up being the difference in the game, enough cannot be said about the importance of Yorvit Torrealba.

Listen to the average Rockies fan and all that is talked about with Torrealba is negative. He can’t throw, he can’t call a good game, he can’t hit for power, he can’t hit lefties.

Watch Torrealba play and it is quickly clear why he took over once again as the everyday catcher. He is a gamer. He plays the game hard. Every pitch he is finding a way to make an impact.

Watch Torrealba when he is catching one of the Rockies young pitchers. His leadership shines through when he coaches Ubaldo Jimenez to throw strikes, or Franklin Morales to settle down. In the post game press conference Torrealba consistently deferred credit back to the pitching of Aaron Cook.

At the plate, Torrealba consistently does what some of his teammates struggle with. He always knows the situation and knows what he needs to get done. In San Diego, with the Rockies down by a run with two outs in the ninth inning, Torrealba drove a 3-2 fastball into the gap at Petco Park off of All-Star closer Heath Bell, propelling the Rockies to victory.

Against the Cardinals two weekends ago, Torrealba came up in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied and the tying run at third base. The catcher found himself in a 0-2 hole. Instead of trying to do too much, Torrealba simply found a pitch that he could hit deep enough to the outfield to score the run and win the game for the Rockies.

His humble, hard-working approach epitomizes the attitude in the clubhouse that has helped this Rockies franchise to two postseason appearances in three years. While Torrealba’s throwing arm makes it difficult to throw runners out, the benefits that the club gets from the Venezuelan cannot be measured.

When looking for a reason why the Rockies are playing baseball instead of dusting off their golf clubs, look no further than Torrealba. Without him, this team does not make the playoffs.

Colorado Rockies Drop Game One To Phillies 5-1

David Martin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:00:00 -0400

The Colorado Rockies opened their postseason in Philadelphia, the same place that they did in 2007. Both teams are essentially full of the same players. Except for one.

At the trade deadline the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians. Lee won 22 games in 2008 en route to winning the American League Cy Young award. Lee and the Phillies won game one of the best-of-five series 5-1.

Lee showed the Rockies why he won the coveted award in Game One. With the wind blowing nearly 30 mph, Lee kept the Rockies off balance. He mixed in sliders on the outside corner to go with hard fastballs that kept the Rockies guessing all afternoon.

Ubaldo Jimenez matched Lee pitch-for-pitch through the first four innings. His 99 mph fastball was nearly untouchable, and left Phillie hitters flinching on the breaking ball.

Then, the fifth inning came and the Phillies finally got to Jimenez.

Jayson Werth led off the fifth inning with a walk. Jimenez then got down 3-1 in the count to Raul Ibanez. Ibanez then ripped a change up down the right field line, scoring Werth all the way from first on the double. Pedro Feliz then singled to right field, moving Ibanez to third base. Jimenez gave up another hit to Carlos Ruiz. Right fielder Brad Hawpe get caught in-between on a hop. He was trying to catch the ball, but when he realized that he could not catch it, he pulled up, only to see the ball skip past him. With Ruiz at second base after the error, Jimenez worked a ground ball back to him. He turned and fired to second base and was able to get Ruiz into a rundown. That helped Jimenez get out of the inning with only two runs.

The next inning was more of the same as Jimenez gave up three runs.

With Cliff Lee on the mound for the Phillies a five-run lead may as well have been a 50-run lead. The Rockies kept firing early in the count, allowing Lee’s pitch count to remain low. The Rockies finally scored a run off of the lefty after 8-2/3 innings, spoiling Lee’s chance at a complete game shutout in his first ever postseason appearance.

While some Rockies fans may want to panic, and others may want to know why the Rockies did not trade off half of their farm system for Lee in July, it is too early to declare this team dead in the water.

The reality of baseball is that a team needs to win at home and split on the road. If the Rockies win on Thursday afternoon the momentum swings back in their favor before heading back to Coors Field.

Cole Hamels is on the mound for the Phillies in Game Two on Thursday. He was the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP in 2008, but has been a shell of the pitcher that he was in ‘08. He dealt with an early elbow injury and has only been good enough to go 10-11 on the season. He is still a tough lefty to hit, but the Rockies lineup will be hard pressed to be dominated two days in a row.

If the Rockies can go out early and get a couple of runs it should be enough to make a shaky Hamels feel like he does not have his best stuff. If they can get the early lead it will go very far for the club.

The Phillies achilles heel is their bullpen. If the Rockies can get into the Phillies bullpen early they will be in good shape.

Rockies vs. Phillies NLDS Preview

David Martin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:52:00 -0400

The Colorado Rockies enter the postseason against the same team that they started out with in 2007, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rockies would love a repeat of the ‘07 meeting, when the streaking Rox swept the Phillies in three games. While the two teams are essentially the same that they were in the first playoff meeting, some things are different.

The Rockies are without slugger Matt Holliday, their undisputed leader in getting them to the playoffs, and eventually the World Series. He was shipped off to Oakland for three players, two of which have helped the Rockies make it back to postseason play.

Carlos Gonzalez suffered through a rough June after being called up. He struggled to hit the off-speed pitch, and seemed over-matched. Those who watched him in the minor leagues knew that his struggles were growing pains rather than an issue of ability.

The five-tool player indeed figured it out, quickly becoming one of the most potent bats in the Rockies' lineup.

Huston Street has re-established himself as one of the best closers in the game. After struggling through an injury-laden season in Oakland, the righty has found his mechanics, and thanks to a slight move on the rubber, Street’s slider has become dominant again. That, however, is not his only pitch. His changeup is nearly unhitable and his fastball rides in on right-handed hitters.

The rest of the Rockies have gained much-needed experience. Troy Tulowitzki has shed the “future” title on his star of the future label. His steady hand on defense, where he made just nine errors while demonstrating the most range of any shortstop, and his hitting, where he finished with a .297 batting average to go along with 92 RBI and 30 home runs makes him one of the best shortstops in the game.

On the mound, Ubaldo Jimenez has turned into a true ace. His fastball is the hardest in the league and he consistently brings a good outing to the game. He has gone deeper into games than any other pitcher in the game. He set a Rockies record for lowest ERA in a season (3.47) and has drawn comparisons to his boyhood idol, Pedro Martinez.

Jorge De La Rosa has also established himself as a dominant force for the Rockies. While his groin injury leaves his status in doubt, the lefty has a fastball that touches 96 MPH and a change up that keeps hitters off balance. After a rough 0-6 start, De La Rosa found his mental strength and became the first pitcher to win 16 games after June 1st.

The Phillies have improved as well. In the offseason, they picked up Raul Ibanez from the Seattle Mariners. Ibanez did nothing but become a starter in the All-Star game, hit 34 home runs, and drive in 93 runs, after only playing in 134 games after hurting his hamstring in early June.

2008’s American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee also joined the rotation. He was acquired at the trading deadline and has been dominant in the National League. His 7-4 record shows that he has been good, but his 3.39 ERA tells the real story.

With some run support he could easily have won 10 games in the National League. That is pretty good considering he did not throw his first NL pitch until August.

Brad Lidge now anchors the bullpen, although he is shaky at best. A year after leading the Phillies to a World Series crown, not blowing a save in 47 chances, the righty has been horrible at best. He blew a league leading 11 saves and has given the Phils anything but confidence going into the postseason.

There is one area where the Phillies have the advantage. Over the course of the season, the lefty-filled Rockies lineup was just one game north of .500 when facing a lefty on the mound. Philadelphia has the potential to throw three straight lefties in the series. All three have proven themselves to be very good. In order for the Rockies to win this series, they must figure out how to hit the lefties.

The Rockies should bring confidence with them. They were the best team in the National League after Jim Tracy took over and have shown the ability to beat any team. Despite a high-flying Phillies offense, if the Rockies pitch like they know how to they should be able to stay in the game long enough to get into Philadelphia’s weakest spot, their bullpen.

During the ‘07 season the Rockies went just 2-4 against the Phillies. The first three games, however, came in April before the Rockies hit their stride, and when the Rockies were in Philadelphia Aaron Cook was suffering through his toe injury that ultimately caused his shoulder issue due to his compensating mechanics.

Injuries are never an excuse, and the Phillies handed it to the Rockies during the season, but for the most part these two teams are fairly evenly matched up. Rockies fans should not expect a sweep in this series. The goal should be to split the first two games and come home and play like they know how to at home.

If the Rockies can do that, they should be able to win and move on to the NLCS.

Rockies-Dodgers: Jason Marquis Raises Postseason Questions in Loss to LA

David Martin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:54:00 -0400

The Colorado Rockies are used to games at the end of the season that don't matter.

This is the 15th time in 17 seasons that the Rockies' season finale has been a moot point.

This time, however, they are not headed out for vacation.

On Sunday, the Rockies lost to the Dodgers 5-3 while most fans turned their attention towards the surprising Broncos.

After Saturday night's loss, there was no chance that the Rockies could catch the Dodgers in the National League West, ensuring that they would be the Wild Card team, and ensuring that they would head off to Philadelphia to start the post-season on Wednesday afternoon.

With the future set in stone, the Rockies could afford to give some of their starting position players a day off. Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Yorvit Torrealba, Clint Barmes, and Carlos Gonzalez did not see the field. It was a day for the younger players to swing the bat a little before the postseason began.

While the game lacked importance as far as the standings were concerned, it had huge meaning for Jason Marquis, the Rockies' starter.

Marquis has struggled in the second half of the season. Marquis represented the Rockies in the All-Star game after leading the National League with 11 wins. Since the break, the righty has won just four games.

Despite Marquis' early success, the second half falloff has led to whispers of Marquis not making the postseason roster. With Aaron Cook proving he is healthy and Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge De La Rosa dominating, along with Jason Hammel, who has been very good of late, the question is legitimate.

On Sunday, Marquis did not help his case. In the first inning, the native New Yorker gave up four runs. His mechanics were noticeably off, to the point where it would not be too far reached to think that he may be injured.

Instead of pitching, Marquis is throwing. His pitches seem aimed. He is not throwing through the ball, but rather simply pushing with his right arm.

The hitters who hurt Marquis were not just the Dodgers' sluggers. He gave up hits to Chin Lung Hu and the first Major League hit to AJ Ellis.

Marquis has been noticeably better when he gets an extra day of rest between starts. That should be to Marquis' benefit, being that if he is to be in the rotation, he will probably not pitch until next Sunday in Game Four at Coors Field.

Regardless, with two days off before the postseason begins, having something to worry about is a very good thing.

If someone would have told the Rockies on June 5 that they would win a club-record 92 baseball games, and finish the season as the Wild Card in the National League there is not a member of the organization that would not have been thrilled with that.

The Rockies will begin the postseason on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch on both Wednesday and Thursday will be at 12:37 Mountain time. Both games will be broadcast on TBS, on the TV side, with the regular radio broadcast on 850 KOA.

Ubaldo Jimenez will start Game One for the Rockies, followed by Aaron Cook. The Phillies have yet to announce their rotation.

Dodgers-Rockies: Los Angeles Wraps Up NL West; Jorge De La Rosa Hurt

David Martin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:48:00 -0400

The Colorado Rockies lost the division on Saturday night, losing 5-0 to the Dodgers, but that may not have been the worst thing about the game.

Two pitches into the fourth inning, Jorge De La Rosa was perfect with his arm, but his groin was not. The lefty grimaced after getting behind Rafael Furcal 2-0.

Trainer Keith Dugger and manager Jim Tracy came to the mound immediately. After a brief conversation, De La Rosa walked gingerly off the field.

Tracy was not willing to take any chances with his 16-game winner. Instead of throwing a few pitches to see if he could continue, Tracy wisely opted on the side of caution.

With the Rockies already in the dance, there was no reason to push the issue. The Rockies initially called the injury “tightness in the groin.”

That would be good news for the Rockies. After an injury like that, there are two words that fans of a team are rooting against, strain and pull. Tightness, however, can be dealt with.

The Rockies can take their time with the lefty. He is currently scheduled to pitch game three of the NLDS at home against the Phillies, but could be pushed back to Sunday if necessary.

The Rockies were hoping that they could win the West, but the fact of the matter is, they are in the playoffs and that is all that matters. Winning on the road is something good teams know how to do. The Rockies are no strangers to winning on the road in 2009, notching a club-record 40 wins away from Coors Field.

There is a silver lining in Sunday’s game being meaningless. With Jason Marquis showing signs of fatigue, the team is not looking for a standout performance from the 15-game winner.

To keep him sharp, he will probably see the mound for five innings, but he should probably throw no more than 80 pitches. Marquis has been remarkably better with an extra day of rest in the second half of the season.

In his career, Marquis is just below .500 on four days of rest at 46-49. On five or more days of rest, however, the All-Star is 45-30.

Presumably Marquis will throw game four, next Sunday. That would give him six days of rest, and with a low-stress game on Sunday, Marquis should be well-rested for the playoff appearance.

The loss should also be beneficial in giving some other starters a much-needed day off. Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Yorvit Torrealba, and Carlos Gonzalez should find themselves in a comfortable seat in the dugout, giving their legs and back in Helton’s case, an extra day’s rest before heading into a stressful post-season.

After Sunday’s matinee the Rockies will head back to Denver before flying to Philadelphia, a familiar spot to open up a post-season.

The Phillies will be looking for payback against a Rockies team that destroyed them in 2007, winning both games in the City of Brotherly Love before finishing off the sweep at Coors Field.

The Rockies were hoping to face the Cardinals in the first round. They have played St. Louis well, going 6-1 against them in ‘09. They were not so good against the Phillies, going 2-4.

The Rockies' problem may be the Phillies' strong left-handed starting pitchers. With Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, the Rockies will need to bring their best bats to the field. The lefty-heavy Rockies lineup has struggled against left-handers, finishing right at .500 against south paws.

For the Rockies, they know that in order to be the best and be the last team standing when all is said and done, they must be able to beat the best teams.

That means that they will need to find a way to hit good starting pitchers, or at least have their starting pitchers keep them in the game long enough to get into the bullpen.

Colorado Rockies Not Content With Wild Card, Aim For Division

David Martin — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:35:00 -0400

Forgive Rockies fans if they are not sure how to act this weekend.

The Colorado Rockies advanced into unfamiliar territory on Friday night and won 4-3.

Never in the 17 year history of the Colorado Rockies, has their been a regular season game that followed the team clinching a playoff spot.

The two previous times the Rockies advanced to the playoffs came on the last day of the season, or in 2007’s case, the day after the season ended.

This franchise has never had to worry about giving starters a rest before the beginning of the postseason. It has never been concerned with setting up a postseason rotation to its liking. It has never looked like the team to beat in the National League.

While most fans and even players were concerned about the Braves and clinching the Wild Card, the Rockies focus has turned to doing something else this franchise has never done, winning the National League West.

After a sharp six inning performance that included the standard one bad inning, Ubaldo Jimenez shut down the Dodgers potent, but limping lineup to pick up his 15th win of the season and claim the best ERA by a Rockies starter over the course of a season.

While sweeping a series on the road is never something that a baseball team can expect, the odds became much higher after the Rockies took it to Dodgers starter Randy Wolf. The righty who is projected to be the Dodgers starter in their first playoff game on Wednesday got roughed up early by the Rockies.

Eight men strolled to the plate in the first inning, the most important being red-hot Yorvit Torrealba, who laced a ball into the right-center gap to plate two runs.

On Saturday the Rockies face another lefty in Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is coming off a freak injury in which he ran into the scoreboard during batting practice. He is 8-8 on the season with a 2.89 ERA. He has the stuff to be an ace, but has not figured out how to be an effective pitcher by throwing strikes consistently. He is normally out of the game after five or six innings due to a high pitch count.

On Sunday the Rockies face Vincente Padilla, a pickup from the Rangers who was released due to his bad attitude. The Rockies should be in a position to win the game Sunday with Jason Marquis on the hill for the Rockies.

What that means is that if the Rockies can find a way to scratch out a game on Saturday, they will be in perfect position to finish off the sweep and come home with their first ever division crown. It would also be the first time that a team as far back as 15-1/2 games ever recovered to win the division.

What is fun for Rockies fans is the freedom of knowing that regardless of what the Rockies do this weekend, they will be suiting up for the playoffs on Wednesday afternoon, whether that is at Coors Field or elsewhere.

Fans no longer have to live and die with every pitch, or every swing of the bat. They can rest assured that no matter what happens this weekend, they will get to watch their team duke it out with the league’s best for at least another week after the regular season is over.

If the Rockies do pull off the sweep they are likely to finish with the best record in the National League, meaning they would have home advantage through the Championship Series. That is a huge advantage because the Rockies are such a good home team.

That would be a huge plus, if there are playing any of the other three teams in the National League, especially Philadelphia or Los Angeles because the Rockies struggled in both of those cities earlier in the year.

If the Rockies do end up winning the West it will be in large part to the excellent work of catcher Yorvit Torrealba. The Venezuelan began the year as a backup to Chris Iannetta. As Iannetta continued to slump, Torrealba started seeing more time.

That is when Torrealba got hot, finding ways to get the bat on the ball and make good things happen. He single handily won a game in San Diego and at home against the Cardinals due to his excellent approach to every single at-bat.

He is a calming influence on the pitching staff and calls a great game behind the plate. He is another example of one of the many contributors to the Colorado Rockies in 2009.

Colorado Rockies Clinch Playoff Berth, Set Sights On NL West Title

David Martin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:13:00 -0400

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Who would have guessed this?

Who would have believed that the Rockies, 12 games under .500 and better than only the Washington Nationals on June 3rd, would be heading to the playoffs. The Rockies defeated the Brewers 9-2 on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field. It was a methodical offensive onslaught and the dominating pitching from resurgent and clearly healthy Aaron Cook.

Cook pitched eight innings, giving up just one run on a Ryan Braun home run. In all, Cook gave up just four hits in eight innings, with one walk and one strike out. He threw just 83 pitches.

The end of the game provided yet another memorable moment for longtime Rockies fans. Todd Helton, normally very emotionally independent, jumped up and down in celebration, hugging teammates while continuing to jump up and down. In 2007 the Helton celebration was one that looked as if he never really expected to get the chance for a champagne shower. On Thursday, Helton’s reaction look as if it was the finish that he had been expecting the whole time.

What Rockies fans might get most excited about was that the celebration seemed somewhat short and to the point. That is exciting for the simple fact that with three regular season games to go, and a two game deficit in the National League West, this Rockies team does not feel like they have completed their goal. They know that a sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles over the weekend would give the club their first ever division title in their 17th year in the league.

While a sweep in L.A. seems improbable due to the fact that the Rockies have just three wins in 15 tries against the Dodgers on the season, it may not be as difficult as it seems. The first nine games against the Dodgers came under the command of Clint Hurdle. Anyone following the Rockies knows that this is not the same team that took the field during the first two months of the season.

Since Jim Tracy took over as manager, the Rockies are just 2-7 against the Dodgers, but four of those losses have been by two or less runs. The losses came at the hands of great pitching performances by the Dodgers starters. That is the difference that may help the Rox attain their goal. The Dodgers starting pitchers have struggled for the last three weeks. Chad Billingsley looks warn out, Clayton Kershaw has been hurt and Jon Garland and Vincente Padilla have only done what their talent allows them to do. The fact is, this Dodger team is very beatable.

The weekend series in L.A. will be unfamiliar territory for the Rockies and their fans. Never in their history has the club guaranteed themselves a spot in the postseason before the final game of the campaign. The three game set in Los Angeles has the potential to mean nothing at all to these Rockies.

Even though the goal is to win all three games, the fact of the matter is that the Rockies have punched their ticket to the postseason and can afford to take a deep breath and relax for at least a day or two.

What the Rockies will do in the postseason remains a mystery, but the fact of the matter is, this Rockies team is 159 games into the season and they have ensured themselves a spot to play in games that really matter. That is a position that no one would have thought possible at the beginning of June. These Rockies have shown a perseverance that few teams have ever exuded. They believe in each other and they believe in themselves.

There is not a day that arrives that this team does not believe that they are going to win. That is what makes them so dangerous in the postseason.

Colorado Rockies Inch Closer to Playoff Berth

David Martin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:20:00 -0400

At Coors Field on Wednesday night fall was in the air. The wind blew trash around the ballpark all night long and the temperatures dipped. It was a feeling that the Rockies are looking forward to getting used to.

Behind the wild, and somewhat effective Jason Hammel, the Rockies picked up their 90th victory of the season, winning 10-6, tying a club record for most wins in a season. When they set the record in 2007, however, it took 163 games to reach the mark.

After a crazy turn of events in the ninth inning in Atlanta, the Braves walked off of their home field losers of their last two games, meaning that a victory for the Rockies would drop their magic number to a lone game, and ensure that even if everything goes wrong for the Rockies and everything goes right for the Braves, Colorado would still have to be beat in a play in game on Monday.

It does not look like that is going to happen. The Rockies are in a position to clinch the National League Wild Card with a victory over the Brewers on Thursday. A win would make the three game series in Los Angeles quite a bit less stressful and would give the club an opportunity to rest some of their starters before the postseason begins.

With Atlanta falling apart, winning on Wednesday night was of utmost importance for the Rockies. It became clear that they had no intention of letting this game fall through the cracks when Todd Helton hit a laser two-run home run to right field in the third inning to give the Rockies a lead that they would not relinquish.

It was clear by the way Helton swung the bat that he would carry this team on his shoulders if he had to. It would be nothing new to the 36-year-old.

Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki later added home runs of their own to make the score double digits and give the Rockies some breathing room. Despite not pitching well, Hammel picked up his 10th victory of the season. While he might not have deserved to win this game, it may have been payback for the previous three outings in which he was dominant, but left the game without picking up the W.

A baseball season is a marathon, there is no denying that. Each team plays 162 games, and while that may seem like overkill, the fact is, very few races are determined before the final week of the season. In the midst of the marathon, it is nearly impossible to reflect on what has been accomplished over the course of the season.

This past weekend for Rockies fans included biting nails, completing win-loss scenarios, rooting for the Nationals, and fighting off pessimistic thoughts of collapse. With just a two game lead heading into Sunday, there was reason for this concern. However, as the Rockies have all but clinched a playoff berth, it may be time to realize what this 2009 season has held.

On May 29, if someone would have told the average Rockies fan that their team would be two games up in the Wild Card race with seven games to play, there would not have been a fan on this earth that would have turned that down. When Clint Hurdle was fired as manager the Rockies were 10 games under .500 and 15 games out of first place in the National League West.

Even more, they had the second worst record in the entire league and were just a half game better than the Nationals, a team that has lost 103 games with four more to play.

The Rockies were under performing, both on the mound and at the plate. They could not hit in key situations and their pitching was suspect at best. Jorge De La Rosa, the lefty with all the potential in the world was 0-6. Ubaldo Jimenez, touted as the next Pedro Martinez, had not figured it out yet, and was 1-3 with an ERA in the fives.

The only positive going for the Rockies at the end of May was that the guy who they got in case of emergency with Jeff Francis, was on a tear. Jason Marquis quickly was looking like the real deal. However, Marquis was not supposed to be the lone positive on a team with this much talent.

The Rockies figured out how to play as a team again. That was something that they were so good at in the 2007 season that was capped with the magical run to the World Series. All through 2008 and early 2009 it seemed like the Rockies forgot that magical formula. Then suddenly, with one managerial switch, the Rockies played as a team once again.

Who would have thought that Carlos Gonzalez would emerge into an impact player after struggling through his June call up? Who would have thought that Seth Smith would make such a huge impact on the lineup, and who would have thought that the Rockies would be so deep into the playoff hunt that they would go out and sign slugger Jason Giambi in order to have one more impact bat off of the bench?

2007 gave the Rockies and their fans a great taste of what postseason baseball is all about, it almost seemed fictional, as if the team had matured too quickly and was not ready to be playing at that level. Sure, it was fun and no fan would trade those memories, but 21-out of-22 was something so surreal that it almost seemed fake.

This 2009 team has been fighting since early June. They are showing that their talent was no one month fluke and that they are good baseball players. This run is fun because it has lasted so much longer, and has been more sustained.

This run has shown the Rockies and their fans that they belong with the best teams in baseball, and that they are not just on an incredible hot streak, but that they are a very good team, one that is solid throughout all the way through.

Rockies Win Another Thriller On Iannetta's Walk Off Homer

David Martin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:56:00 -0400

Good teams find ways to win close games.

The Colorado Rockies found a way to win a game in a huge situation on Tuesday night at Coors Field. Leading 5-2 going to the top of the ninth inning, Huston Street, the most dependable closer in Rockies history, gave up a three-run home run to the least likely hitter in Jason Kendall.

It was only Kendall's second home run of the season, and at one point in his career he had gone over 900 consecutive at-bats without a home run. It was not a good feeling for the Rockies, who seemed to be cruising, and with the Braves loss earlier in the night, the burden was lifting off the team's back.

Instead of being shell shocked and losing the game, the Rockies fought back and unlikely hero Chris Iannetta blasted a two-run home run into the bullpen to secure the 7-5 victory in 11 innings.

Iannetta was pinch hitting in the pitchers spot in the lineup and seemed like a long shot to contribute for the Rockies. During the current homestand Iannetta had a total of three plate appearances before the 11th inning blast. He has suffered through a tough season, with the low point coming when manager Jim Tracy officially named Yorvit Torrealba as the starting catcher.

Iannetta has long been seen as the catcher of the future. He is extremely strong and has the perfect body for a catcher. He is very analytical, which goes a long way for calling pitches. His strong throwing arm and quick mechanics make him a complete package. Before the season, ESPN's baseball expert and Hall of Famer Peter Gammons made the prediction that Iannetta would be an All-Star.

The problem for Iannetta in 2009 has been the strikeouts. Iannetta has long been known for his patience at the plate. Even his rookie season on '07, Iannetta had to be told to be more aggressive at the plate instead of walking so often. With just a .225 batting average, Iannetta has walked just 41 times to 72 strikeouts.

Chris Iannetta's season turned the corner with one swing of the bat on Tuesday night.

On a game that the Rockies needed to win, Iannetta came through in a big way.

While Iannetta being the hero came as a surprise, in this season, it really should have been expected.

This Colorado Rockies team is the definition of team. It seems like they take turns playing the hero role from night to night. Sometimes it is the usual suspects, such as Todd Helton or Troy Tulowitzki, but in this season of dramatic victories and incredible rallies, the purple pinstripes have a plethora of heroes in their arsenal.

Another Rockie working his way through a tough season has been Ryan Spilborghs. He had his chance to play hero on Aug. 24 as the Rockies went into the 14th inning tied with the Giants at one run apiece.

After Rockies pitcher Adam Eaton gave up two runs in the top of the inning, and while it looked like the Giants had the game wrapped up, Spilborghs made his mark, pounding the game winning home run to right field and sprinting around the bases to a cheerful mob of teammates waiting at the plate.

While Seth Smith has had a breakthrough year with the Rockies it is easy to forget that he really hasn't been an everyday starter all year long. In fact, he has been used primarily off the bench for all but about three weeks of the season. His role off the bench was not what he anticipated coming into 2009.

After Matt Holliday was traded, Smith was ordained as the starting left fielder. That all changed when Dexter Fowler made the team out of camp and Spilborghs took over in left field.

Smith, however, has had his fair share of heroic moments. He came through twice in one home stand, the first time against the Diamondbacks, sparking a comeback from a 4-1 deficit, then coming through with a walk off single against the Reds.

Despite Clint Barmes' struggles at the plate, his over the shoulder catch on Sunday that started a game ending double play was a huge contribution to a team looking for every single win down the stretch.

Another unlikely hero has been Yorvit Torrealba. In San Diego, with the Rockies down to their last strike, Torrealba helped Padres closer Heath Bell to his first blown save at Petco Park on the season. He laced a fastball into the gap, scoring three runs and helping the Rockies to victory.

On Friday night against the Cardinals Torrealba did it again, taking an excellent approach at the plate, Torrealba turned an 0-2 count into a fly ball to right field, deep enough to score Tulowitzki from third base and giving the Rockies a huge win.

This Rockies team is well known for having a tight knit clubhouse. They are all very good friends and are very comfortable around each other. When Iannetta's ball landed over the fence in right field, the first teammate to hop the railing to meet Iannetta was Torrealba.

This team is full of players who care about each other and want each other to succeed, regardless of how that affects the playing time of the individual. They all want to win and they are going to find a way to win at all costs.

Their relationships make it where despite a season full of struggles, a player can step to the plate in a big situation and know that their teammates are not just hoping that they can get the job done, they truly believe that they will get it done.

When a player at the plate in a big situation knows that his teammates believe in him it goes a long way for the confidence. These Rockies have become a very good team because they believe in each other.

Clint Barmes Provides Heroics With His Glove

David Martin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:30:00 -0400

Clint Barmes is a hard worker. He does not possess the natural talents to be in a big league uniform. In order for him to keep his job he must constantly work on his game, finding ways to get better. Through hard work, his defense has become better than almost anyone's in baseball.

The Colorado Rockies needed his defense in the worst way on Sunday against the Cardinals. With runners on first and third and one out and the Cardinals down a run, Ryan Ludwick looked as if he had at least tied the game with a flair into shallow right field. The ball was far enough over Barmes' head at second base that both runners took off, sure that the ball would drop.

As the ball flew through the air 42,032 fans held their breath for what felt like an eternity. Then Barmes seemingly defied physics and found a way to catch the ball over his shoulder as he dove to the ground. As he got up, right fielder Ryan Spilborghs alertly pointed to first base, telling him to throw to the bag to complete the double play.

It was the most intense finish of the 2009 season for the Rockies. That is saying something in this drama filled year. The Rockies have had their share of walk off wins. They have come from behind and basically found every single way to win a baseball game. While all of the previous wins have been great, none have matched the importance of this one for the Rockies.

The Braves had already completed the sweep of the Nationals, meaning that the Rockies had to win to keep their 2-1/2 game lead in the Wild Card race. A loss meant that the Braves were within a 1-1/2 games with seven more for them to play.

Barmes has had an interesting year. He could not seem to hit anything in the first two months. When Clint Hurdle was fired as manager, Jim Tracy moved him to the two-hole in the lineup. He thrived there, going on a complete tear. He raised his average all the way to .295 and was hitting balls in the gap and out of the park.

Then came July. The book was out on Barmes and the league figured out that he could not hit the low and away slider, but he also could not lay off of it. The second baseman found himself flailing at pitches, trying to pull everything instead of hitting it the other way.

Critics of Barmes complain that he takes a horrible approach to the plate with him. Unlike his good friend Todd Helton, Barmes is clueless when it comes to fouling off pitches. Instead of taking the outside pitch to right field, Barmes is constantly looking for a way to hook everything to left field. While he has found his power stroke, hitting 23 home runs on the season, he has also found a knack for striking out and popping up to the second baseman.

There is no doubt about it, when Barmes steps to the plate in a key situation for the Rockies, a betting man could become rich by placing money on an infield pop up or a strike out. Barmes has undoubtedly made many Rockies fans just as bald as he is after pulling their hair out watching him hit. The idea of fouling a pitch off until the pitcher gives in and throws a hittable pitch is nowhere in Barmes weaponry. The fact of the matter is, Barmes is not a very good hitter.

What keeps Barmes in the league, however, is not his offense it is his defense.

In the midst of Barmes struggles, Jim Tracy was asked time and time again if he was going to bench Barmes in favor of someone who might be able to get the bat on the ball a little better. Tracy, however, exuded extreme patience with Barmes, constantly saying that there is no one with a better glove in the league. Tracy's favorite thing to say is that if a ball is hit his way, it gets caught.

When Barmes makes a play like he did against the Cardinals on Sunday, it is easy to forget his shortcomings at the plate. The look on his face shows how much he cares about getting to the playoffs and contributing in some way. On Sunday, after going 0-for-4 at the plate, Barmes contributed in the biggest way possible, making the game saving catch, allowing the Rockies to stay 2-1/2 games up in the Wild Card race.

Clint Barmes' catch may go down in Rockies history as one of their greatest plays.

For at least one day, Clint Barmes is the Rockies hero.

Time For Colorado Rockies Fans To Step It Up

David Martin — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:41:00 -0400

The Rockies entered Saturday night’s game with the Cardinals with a three game lead over the Braves in the National League Wild Card race. Atlanta had already won big over the Nationals earlier in the day, so the Rockies would need a win to keep the lead at three and a half games.

The Rockies mounted rallies, but ultimately fell short, losing 6-3.

Colorado have never been in this position before. Both times they have been to the playoffs they came from behind and clinched on the final day of the season. These are exciting times for the Rockies and their fans. The problem is, sitting in the stands, the excitement is nowhere to be found.

For years Rockies fans ripped on the Rockies ownership group.

They accused them of being cheap, and not really wanting to put a winner on the field. Fans whined about never seeing meaningful games in September. They labeled the Rockies as a farm team for the rest of the league.

They complained that Todd Helton’s contract was ridiculous and that he should be traded. They said that the reason that Coors Field went from being sold out every night in the early years, to whole sections being empty in the early 2000’s was because the team wasn’t a winner.

To be fair, Rockies fans had a point. The Rockies burst onto the scene with a playoff appearance in just their third season in the league. They wowed fans with long home runs and big scores in the mile high air of Denver. The pitching was bad, but no lead was safe, so a game at Coors Field in the early days was a guaranteed good time.

Then came the Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle era. That changed everything for the Rockies. They tied up way too much money in two players who ended up being huge busts. That changed the Rockies mentality, and many fans were not willing to accept the shift.

Dick and Charlie Monfort begged for Rockies fans to have patience as they grew their players in the farm. Most fans said that they would care again when the team was competitive.

With seven games to go in the 2009 regular season, Rockies fans have everything that they could have ever asked for. Their team is in its second postseason run in the past three years. They have a lineup that is solid from top to bottom, with a pitching staff that is capable of carrying a team to the World Series.

The only problem, the fans haven’t held up their end of the bargain.

Sure, Coors Field was overflowing with fans on Friday and Saturday night. The only problem? They were wearing Cardinal red, cheering for Albert Pujols and pleading for the Cardinals to clinch the Central division.

Sure, all of the fans were not Cardinals fans, there were plenty of Rockies fans.

The only problem? The Rockies fans in attendance could care less about the game.

With the score tied at three in the fifth inning, Ubaldo Jimenez gave up a double to opposing pitcher Adam Wainwright with two outs. After working a full count to Cards leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker, Jimenez walked him, leaving two men on base for Colby Rasmus. The at-bat was the biggest of the night. Jimenez would have to give Rasmus good pitches to hit, walking him was not an option with Albert Pujols on deck.

As Jimenez embarked on the biggest at-bat of the game the crowd got loud. The cheering started all the way out in the Rockpile.

The only problem?

They weren’t cheering for Jimenez or for the Rockies. They were desperately trying to start the wave. Their attempts failed on three different occasions, but these Rockies fans are persistent. They eventually got the right field seats to comply and the wave, in all its sold out beauty, was off, heading around the seats at Coors Field.

As for the at-bat? Jimenez got Rasmus to ground out, getting out of the jam and keeping the Rockies tied.

The fact is, Rockies fans are have never been real fans. They are converted football fans. They love their Broncos and everything else comes after that. If the Rockies win, great, if they lose, oh well, no big deal. The Rockies hold all sorts of attendance records, but people were going to the games because it was something new in town, and it was fun to watch Andres Galarraga and Vinny Castilla hit a fastball 480 feet.

When the home runs became fewer and further between, Rockies fans said that they would be back when there was a winner on the field. Well, Denver, this is the second playoff race in the last three years.

It’s time to step it up.

Jim Tracy Redeems Himself as Colorado Rockies Win Thriller

David Martin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:14:00 -0400

Talk to anyone about baseball in Colorado and inevitably what will come up is how different the game is at altitude and how many runs are scored at Coors Field. In fact, most believe that it is nearly impossible to pitch at 20th and Blake.

The people who continue to refer to Coors Field as the best-hitters park in the league have not been paying attention lately. In the latest example, the Colorado Rockies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a classic pitchers duel, 2-1. It was as exciting as it gets as the crisp September air provided the feel of playoff baseball.

The Rockies are fighting for a spot in the playoffs, while the Cardinals are looking to lock up the best record in the National League, giving them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Ironically, if the Rockies can hold onto their three-and-a-half game lead over the Braves in the Wild Card race, the Rockies will most likely start the playoffs against these Cardinals.

Facing the three toughest Cardinal pitchers in the series, the Rockies took on the ace first, Chris Carpenter. Carpenter is not only the leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year; he is also a favorite for a more coveted title, Cy Young.

Carpenter entered the game with a 16-4 record and an ERA sitting at a tiny 2.34, best in the National League. To say that he has been good would be a huge understatement.

Carpenter is having a great year, no doubt about it, but, apparently, someone forgot to tell Carlos Gonzalez, who laced a double to lead the game off for the Rockies, after a sacrifice bunt by Dexter Fowler and a sacrifice fly ball by Todd Helton, the Rockies were up 1-0.

The score stayed that way until the seventh inning, when Ryan Ludwick made Jose Contreras, relieving Aaron Cook, pay for a hanging breaking ball. Suddenly, the game was tied at one and the Rockies had to be wondering if they were going to drop another game at Coors Field.

In the eighth inning Rafael Betancourt got himself into a jam, but proceeded to work out of it. Betancourt gave up a hit to Skip Shumaker, then crawled all the way back from a 3-0 count to strike out Brendan Ryan—a huge moment in the game because the last thing the Rockies wanted was runners on first and second with no outs and Albert Pujols at the plate.

Pujols came up and hit a good pitch into left field for a single, moving Shumaker to third. With all of the drama anticipating the moment, Matt Holliday strolled to the plate, looking to put the Cardinals ahead.

All he needed to do was hit the ball in the air and the go ahead run would have scored from third. Instead, Betancourt got Holliday to hit a hard grounder to second base, where Clint Barmes flipped the ball to Troy Tulowitzki, who displayed his incredible arm by gunning down Holliday at first to complete the double play.

Huston Street worked a perfect ninth to set the table for more late night heroics. Todd Helton led off with a walk, then Tulowitzki nearly erased him with what should have been a double play. The ball was mishandled however, and only the lead runner was out, leaving Tulo at first base.

That is where the game got crazy.

With Brad Hawpe due up, manager Jim Tracy elected to go to his bench in favor of Jason Giambi. Giambi calmly stepped to the plate and delivered a single to center field, moving Tulowitzki to third with one out.

Next up was Yorvit Torrealba.

After going down in the count 0-2, the catcher who has been a huge part of the Rockies latest success, knew what he needed to do. He lifted a pitch to right field, deep enough to score Tulowitzki and get the Rockies one game closer to a playoff berth.

After taking criticism a night ago for his micromanaging, Jim Tracy showed why he is a good manager. Baseball is a game of respect.

If a player is an All-Star, he will forever be thought of as an All-Star, regardless of his diminishing skills. Brad Hawpe was an All-Star just two months ago. Hawpe, however, has not been playing like an All-Star for quite some time now, dropping his batting average to .283, down from nearly .320 at the break. He has just three RBI’s in September.

Despite Hawpe’s struggles, tradition in baseball says that a guy with a resume like Hawpe’s does not get pinch hit for late in the game with the result in doubt. Tracy, however, was not afraid to call Hawpe back and send Giambi to the plate.

What would have been the typical managerial move would be to bat Giambi in place of Torrealba, or someone else down the line in the order, but not for a guy who carried the team in the first half of the season.

The move paid off, as Giambi set the table for Mr. Clutch, Yorvit Torrealba to deliver the game winning sacrifice fly. The win, combined with the Giants loss, has essentially eliminated San Francisco. They trail the Rockies by five games with eight to play. The team the Rockies are now watching closely is the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are winners of eight of their last 10 games and face the Nationals seven times in their final 10 games.

The win for the Rockies reduced their magic number to six, basically meaning that if the Rockies can win four of their final eight games they should be able to wrap up the Wild Card. That means taking at least one more game in this series against the Cardinals, the last thing the Rockies want is to have to win a series in Los Angeles to end the season.

Jim Tracy Blows It for the Colorado Rockies

David Martin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:24:00 -0400

Ouch. This one hurts.

The Colorado Rockies blew a 3-0 lead over the Padres, losing 5-4. It was just the sixth time in 2009 that the Rockies lost a game at Coors Field in which they scored first.

After a three-run home run in the first inning off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki, the bats went silent, but that by no means was the reason that the Rockies ended up on the short end of the stick.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Rockies had two runners in scoring position with two outs. Jason Hammel, who was dominating on the mound, stepped to the plate and grounded out to second base to end the inning. While leaving two runners in scoring position hurt, Hammel was pitching so well it seemed like the lead would hold up.

Then came the head scratcher.

In the top of the seventh Hammel gave up a base hit to Oscar Salazar. After Chase Headley hit a liner that was snagged by Tulowitzki. At this point, manager Jim Tracy jumped from his perch in the dugout and headed to the mound. Without thinking twice he motioned with his left hand to the bullpen for lefty Franklin Morales.

Hammel, despite throwing just 87 pitches to that point and only giving up one hard hit, was done for the night.

As Tracy was standing on the mound waiting for Morales, some fans were left rubbing their eyes, for a brief moment the slender Tracy looked an awful lot like Clint Hurdle. Hurdle was well known for his propensity to go with his gut and take a starting pitcher out if he felt that he needed a matchup with the opposition.

Moves like that are why Hurdle is watching Rockies games on television. One of the biggest changes that Tracy made when he took over was that he trusted his starting pitchers more, allowing them to win or lose their own ball game.

That is why it was so difficult to understand why Tracy was getting Hammel. After all, the right-hander had been doing a great job holding the Padres at bay and Morales had struggled his last four times out.

The move was clearly not part of the game plan for Tracy, since he let Hammel hit for himself the previous inning with two men in scoring position. If Tracy was going to go to the bullpen, it would have made perfect sense for him to go to his bench, perhaps to Matt Murton or another right handed hitter, in the bottom half of the sixth. A base hit in that situation would have made the score 5-1 in favor of the Rockies.

Instead, Tracy elected to have Hammel hit for himself, then pull him from the game after giving up just one base hit in the top half of the seventh inning.

While pulling Hammel was a mistake in and of itself, who Tracy went to may have been the biggest mistake. Morales has been struggling since the beginning of the previous road trip, when he walked in the winning run in San Diego in the 10th inning. After that outing he proceeded to get shelled in San Francisco, giving up three runs in the ninth that almost turned into a nightmare for the Rockies, before Rafael Betancourt slammed the door.

Morales proceeded to walk two men, including one with the bases loaded, pushing the Padres second run across. That is when Tracy strolled back to the mound and went to Matt Daley. Daley got an out, but it came via a sacrifice fly, which plated the tying run for the Padres. Joe Beimel then came on to get Adrian Gonzalez to end the inning.

From there, Tracy made his next mistake. Beimel is a specialist. He is tough for lefties to hit. He has an awkward delivery that seems to come from first base. He is tough to hit home runs off of. He is perfect for situations against a dangerous hitter like Gonzalez. Apparently that was not what Tracy thought, as he let Beimel go out for the eighth inning.

Chase Headley led off the eighth inning with a single, and Will Venable sacrificed him to second base. With one out, Beimel gave way to Betancourt, who could not work any San Francisco magic. He got a strike out, but then gave up a base hit, scoring the go ahead run. After another base hit, the Rockies found themselves down 5-3.

In the bottom of the eighth the Rockies climbed back into it, getting a home run from Ian Stewart, and a base hit from Clint Barmes with one out. Jason Giambi came to the plate with one thing in mind, giving the Rockies a lead.

Unfortunately for him and the Rockies, Giambi was rung up on a pitch that replays showed was off the plate and home plate umpire Jerry Meals had consistently been calling a ball all night long. Carlos Gonzalez then pinch hit and after a 10 pitch at-bat struck out on a pitch in the dirt.

The Rockies mounted another threat in the ninth, getting Dexter Fowler on base with one out. Todd Helton flied out, and Tulowitzki hit a weak pop up to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and the Rockies took the loss.

With Atlanta having the day off, the loss put them within three-and-a-half games of the Rockies. Fortunately, the Giants were unable to hold a late lead against the Cubs and fell 3-2, meaning that the Rockies remain four games ahead of San Francisco with nine games to play.

The Braves have quickly made themselves the Rockies greatest fear. They have 10 games remaining, seven of which are against the 100-loss Washington Nationals. The other three fortunately come against the Marlins, who still believe that they are in the Wild Card race.

Off the Marquis: Colorado Rockies Ace Jason Marquis Looks Terrible vs. San Diego

David Martin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:32:00 -0400

When the Colorado Rockies stumbled out of the gate, winning less baseball games than any team in the league besides the Washington Nationals, Jason Marquis was the silver lining. In the first two-and-a-half months, Marquis won eight games after a Rockies loss. His sinker was nearly unhittable. When he took the mound a Rockies win seemed nearly automatic.

The right-hander earned his first all-star berth, tied for the league lead in wins with 11 at the break.

Marquis looked nothing like an All-Star in the Rockies 6-3 loss to the Padres at Coors Field.

No one in the league questioned Marquis as a good pitcher in the first half of the season. What all of the critics talked about was the consistent second-half falloff that Marquis has experienced throughout his career.

The 2009 campaign has been no different for the native New Yorker. Marquis has gone just 4-6. Coming into Wednesday night’s game with the Padres, his ERA in the second half is a half run higher per nine innings.

Marquis’ line was another night he would like to forget. Manager Jim Tracy gave Marquis the hook after pitching just four-and-two-thirds innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits. He struck out six, but once again created worry by walking five, three of which ended up coming around to score.

What the numbers show is what is incredibly evident on the mound for Marquis. What made Marquis so tough in the first half of the season was his bulldog attitude. Make no mistake, no one confused Marquis’ stuff with that of Ubaldo Jimenez. He has always had to work to get outs. That was why it was so much fun to watch Marquis take the hill in the early half of the season.

The former Cub was phenomenal at pounding the bottom half of the strike zone. Walks were a rarity, and Marquis allowed his defense to play behind him. His sinker was tough to get underneath, causing the opposition to pound the ball into the ground.

To the casual observer, Marquis is simply missing the strike zone too much, forcing him to give in too much, leading to balls being hit harder. That is part of the problem, but it is more the result of the bigger issue.

The bigger issue for Marquis and the Rockies is his mentality. In the first half of the season, Marquis would bear down when he got in trouble. He knew how to make a pitch that would get a big out or a double play. If he needed a strikeout he would get a strikeout. If he needed a double play, he would get the ground ball that he needed.

Marquis’ confidence was so high that it never seemed that he was in trouble. He would just find a way to battle out of it. In the second half, that confidence is nowhere to be found.

When Marquis gives up a base hit or a walk, instead of feeling like he is going to get a big out, it seems like he feels defeated. He ends up giving in to the hitters, which causes more pitches over the heart of the plate. The home run hit by Will Venable was possibly the worst pitch of the season for Marquis. The hanging slider was not finished by Marquis and was drilled to the second deck in right field.

The Rockies, still having a tough schedule ahead of them, needed to win on Wednesday. All of the teams chasing them found ways to win, leaving the Rockies with a four game lead with just 10 games to play. The lead is still comfortable, and the Rockies are still the favorites, but with six of the final 10 games against the Cardinals and Dodgers, the Rockies need to pick up as many wins as possible against teams like the Padres.

The worst thing that the Rockies could have happen is for one of the three teams trailing them to go on a run. If the Giants or Braves finish their season 8-2 and the Rockies flounder in their final 10, going just 4-6, their will be a tie for the wild card lead. That is not something that the Rockies want to see happen.

It may be easy to write the Braves and Giants off, but the reality is, San Francisco has a very favorable schedule down the stretch. They play seven straight games at home against the Cubs and the Diamondbacks before finishing the season with three against the Padres in San Diego.

The Giants are the best home team in the National League, and the idea of them going 6-1 in that homestand is not unreasonable. Then all they would have to do is win the series against a Padres team looking forward to vacation.

For the Rockies to win four more games they need to win the finale against the Padres, then take one over the weekend against the Cardinals three top pitchers, then defeat the Brewers at least once and head to L.A. and win at least one game in a place where they have struggled all season long. And all that does is get them to a playoff.

The fact is, these Rockies have to decide that they are a good enough team to play in the postseason and then bury the teams behind them. That is why winning games like Wednesday night’s are so imperative. It takes pressure off of the team and allows them to go into the final 10 games of the season with a five game lead.

Instead, they are in desperate need of defeating the Padres in the finale so that they are not in a situation where they need a sweep to clinch their spot.

A win on Thursday night, with Jason Hammel on the mound, will go a long way for the Rockies.

Rockies Win Another Drama-Filled Game, Extend Wild Card Lead

David Martin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:41:00 -0400

A win is a win. Every win counts the same, but some are larger than others. This one was as big as it gets.

The Colorado Rockies picked up their 86th win of the season, defeating the Padres 11-10 at Coors Field. The win, coupled with the Giants' loss in Arizona, gives the Rockies a five game lead in the National League Wild Card race.

With 11 games to go, the Rockies should be able to smell the postseason. The Rockies' magic number now sits at seven, which could allow them to celebrate a postseason berth before the end of the home stand.

The win, in typical Rockies fashion, did not come without drama. Entering the ninth inning with the lead at 11-6 Juan Rincon was unable to get his fastball across the plate, walking three batters. After getting only one out Franklin Morales was summonsed from the bullpen in the most stressful non-save situation of the 2009 season.

Morales gave up two hits, allowing two of Rincon’s runs to score and a run of his own. Suddenly the Rockies were staring at the tying run at the plate with two outs. Pinch hitter Nick Hundley, the batter at the plate when Morales walked in the game winning run less than two weeks ago in San Diego, tattooed a ball that looked like it was going to tie the game up.

Fortunately, the ball was hit right at left fielder Seth Smith, who looked like he had trouble reading it but was able to make the play.

There is no doubt that Rockies fans have the greatest capacity of any fans in the league to hold their breath for long periods of time. Colorado seemingly have a nail biter twice a week.

The bottom line, however, is that the game goes into the win column and the Rockies gain another game in the standings.

A huge highlight of the game came in the seventh inning for the Rockies. Huston Street, out since Sept. 3 with tendinitis in his right elbow. Manager Jim Tracy made it clear that his first action would not come in a save situation. Street strolled to the mound with a two run lead.

He left after throwing just eight pitches, six for strikes, with a strikeout. There was not a spot of rust to be seen on the closer’s golden arm.

While injuries are never a good thing (just ask the New York Mets), the Rockies may have received a blessing in disguise. On Aug. 28 against the Giants, Rockies starter Aaron Cook came out of the game with a shoulder strain. He had been battling a sprained big toe, and throwing through that caused him to overcompensate and strain the shoulder.

Cook has worked his way back and the Rockies announced on Tuesday that Cook will start the opener of the Cardinals series on Friday night at Coors Field.

Cook, along with Street, are now healthy and ready to contribute to the playoff run.

Why were the injuries a blessing in disguise?

Cook has a history of tiring out at the end of the season. In 2007, Cook strained his oblique in early August, holding him out until game four of the World Series. In 2008, Cook’s first All-Star season, the red head faded in August and later admitted that he was dealing with a dead arm along with a sore back.

The time off should have been long enough to give Cook’s arm a chance to get fresh again. He will have a chance to start two games before the postseason, allowing him to get sharp just in time for when it will really count.

The same goes for Street. While other relievers have been pitching in high stress situations, pitching on back-to-back days, Street has been resting his arm. The three weeks that Street had off has saved his arm at least 10 innings.

While other contenders bullpens are wearing down and having to dig deeper for arm strength, the Rockies have a fresh arm to anchor their bullpen.

If Cook is indeed healthy, as Street proved he is on Tuesday, the Rockies essentially have two additional weapons that they can use down the stretch and into the postseason. That gives them a distinct advantage over teams like the Dodgers, who have had pitchers like Jonathan Broxton pitching almost on what seems like a daily basis. Broxton has thrown 71-2/3 innings so far this season, compared to Street’s 55-1/3 innings.

While looking ahead may be fun for Rockies fans, the focus must remain on beating the teams that they are playing on a daily basis. Being realistic, they need to win five more games on this home stand so that they do not have to worry about trying to clinch the Wild Card in Los Angeles.

Colorado Rockies' Ride to the Playoffs Not Solidified Yet

David Martin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:37:00 -0400

The Colorado Rockies will go into Tuesday's game with the San Diego Padres with a four-game lead in the Wild Card race with just 12 games to play.

The sheer numbers say that the Rockies have nearly secured their position in the playoffs. That thought is hard to comprehend for anyone who was following the Rockies in April and May.

The Rockies fought their way back from 12 games under .500 to sitting at 20 games over .500. That accomplishment was nothing short of impossible. It has never been done by a team in modern Major League history.

But then again, rewriting the history books is nothing new to this franchise, who two years ago destroyed the record books in their once-in-a-lifetime run to the World Series.

Despite the success, however, the race for the National League Wild Card is anything but over.

On paper, everything looks good for the Rockies. They are playing nine of their final 12 games at Coors Field, a place where they have once again learned to dominate since Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle.

They have the second-best home record in the National League. The Giants play seven games at home and five on the road.

Four games back with 12 to go means that if the Rockies go 8-4 the best the Giants can do is tie. But that would mean that San Francisco would run the table to finish out the season. If the Rockies go 7-5, the Giants must go 11-1, Rockies 6-6, Giants 10-2, and so on.

To be realistic, the Giants are in need of a 2007 Colorado Rockies-like run. That is, if the Rockies win half of their games.

It would be easy to assume that the Rockies will go at least .500 down the stretch. That may be a more difficult proposition than might be first suggested simply by looking at the number of home dates down the stretch.

When looking through a magnifying glass, the idea of the Rockies limping their way to 6-6 in the final 12 games almost seems like a difficult task.

First, the Rockies play a hot Padres team. This is the same team that was one strike away from sweeping the Rockies two weekends ago.

It is the same team that did not simply beat the Rockies, but fought hard to come back late in games, and found ways to out-pitch the Rockies.

It was a team that struck out 33 Rockies in the three games. Add in the intangible factor of the weather, which should not get above 55 degrees throughout the series, with snow in the Tuesday forecast, and what comes out is a difficult series.

Then, after the Padres the Cardinals and Matt Holliday come into town. The Cardinals have the most balanced attack in the league. They pitch well and hit well. Speaking of pitching well, the Rockies have drawn the top three Cardinals pitchers in the series.

They face Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro, and Chris Carpenter. The three have combined to win 47 baseball games this season and they round out the top five in wins in the National League.

Throw in the fact that the Rockies swept them in a four-game series at home in June and the series may be a recipe for disaster.

After a grueling series with the Cards, the Brewers come to Coors Field. This is a team that sits right around .500 but has vastly underperformed.

Their talent suggests that they should have been at least in the hunt for the Wild Card, but their pitching just did not get the job done for them.

The Brewers present a problem for the Rockies because their lineup can hit. That means that no matter how much of a lead the Rockies get, cruise control is not an option.

Also in the Brewers' favor is the fact that their closer has more saves than anyone who has ever played the game. Trevor Hoffman has once again reinvented himself and is having a great year in Milwaukee.

Those three teams figure to make for a difficult nine-game homestand.

If the Rockies have not wrapped up the Wild Card by then, they may be in trouble. Colorado heads west one more time for a three-game set in Los Angeles.

The Rockies are 3-12 against the Dodgers this season and have never seemed to be able to find a way to get past their loaded lineup.

On the flip side, the Giants have a fairly easy schedule, facing Arizona five more times, facing Dan Haren only once.

They face the Padres three times and the Cubs go to San Francisco for four games. With that schedule, it is not inconceivable for San Francisco to go 9-3 down the stretch.

If the Giants end up 9-3 down the stretch, the Rockies would need to go 6-6 to ensure their spot.

That would mean winning both series against the Padres and Brewers respectively, and avoiding a sweep in both series against the Cards and the Dodgers. That is easier said than done.

If the Rockies get swept by St. Louis, it puts an enormous amount of pressure on the club to win the Brewers series and win in L.A., something they have not shown the ability to do.

So don't quite dust off the champagne bottles at home, these Rockies still have more work ahead of them and they still have quite a bit to prove.

Colorado Rockies Win, Increase Wild Card Lead

David Martin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:27:00 -0400

Finally, a well played baseball game.

The Colorado Rockies, struggling on a very important road trip, played a complete ball game. The bats finally broke out as the team beat the Diamondbacks 10-4 at Chase Field on Saturday night.

The Rockies took the early lead on a Carlos Gonzalez home run to lead off the game, then added another run on Troy Tulowitzki's 29th home run of the season in the same inning. Everything looked like it was going to be a good night for the Rockies until starting pitcher Jason Hammel made his one mistake. On a 3-2 pitch with two outs and two on in the bottom of the third inning, Hammel gave up a no-doubter home run to Justin Upton, giving the Diamondbacks a 3-2 advantage.

For the past week and a half this would be the point where the Rockies would quit. They would figure that their starting pitcher does not have his stuff and that there was no way to score more runs off the oppositions starter and plus-side bullpen.

Instead the Colorado Rockies took a page from themselves in June and found a way to crawl back into the game. The offense put up two runs in the top of the fourth, courtesy of a terrible throw from left fielder Manny Parra on an Ian Stewart sacrifice fly. From there Hammel made the Diamondbacks look silly.

With his curveball working well, Hammel has shown his maturity. He has turned the corner in the second half of the season, and despite not getting a win in his last five starts, he has pitched extremely well. Besides the pitch to Upton that was hit for a home run, Hammel really was on his game. He pitched seven innings, giving up the three runs on the home run, on four hits. He struck out five and walked two. It was Hammel's ninth victory of the season.

Hammel has turned out to be another example of the genius of general manager Dan O'Dowd. Hammel was on the trading block late in Spring Training due to the fact that he had lost the fifth starter battle in Tampa. The Rockies acquired him for Double-A reliever Anury Rodriguez.

While Hammel has had his struggles at Coors Field he has been able to do good things of late, giving up only one hit going into the seventh inning against the Reds his last time at home.

On the road however, he has been phenomenal. He has drawn some of the most difficult pitching matchups in baseball. On Monday he went head-to-head with Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and held his own. Unfortunately the Rockies offense was not good enough to keep the team in the game.

Hammel's hammer, his curve ball with a huge 12-6 break on it, has become one of his best pitches. He can throw it on any count and it is has such an enormous break on it that hitters have a difficult time hitting it even if they picked it up.

A fifth starter's job is to do exactly what Hammel has been very good at doing this season, keep the team in the game long enough for the offense to strike. The 27-year-old does a great job at showing confidence in himself. Often times when a pitcher gives up a couple of base hits, or walks a batter it is evident that they are wondering how they are going to get a single person out. That is when the big inning happens and it seems like the inning will never end.

Hammel is nothing like that. Even when he gives up a hit or two, or like Saturday's game, when he gives up a home run, the inning does not snow ball. Hammel regains his composure and finds a way to get out of the inning so that his offense can go get the runs back.

That kind of maturity will help the Rockies make the best run at the postseason that they possibly can.

Are the Colorado Rockies Falling Apart?

David Martin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:50:00 -0400

September...It's the month when memories are made.

Two years ago the memories that were made for the Colorado Rockies and their fans was the famous run to the National League pennant, it was of erasing a six game deficit and finding themselves playing the Padres at Coors Field in a winner-take-all one game playoff. It was Matt Holliday sliding somewhere near the plate and being called safe.

All the September memories smell like roses to Rockies fans.

What the Rockies have yet to experience is the opposite side of those memories. They are the memories the New York Mets are all too familiar with. They are the memories that include the words "choke" and "collapse". These are the September memories that the Rockies know nothing of.

The fact of the matter is, the Rockies memories of September have only been good because for the most part, no-one in Denver was worried about the Rockies this late in the year. The attention had turned to the Broncos, or to the Buffs. The Rockies have historically been so far out of the race in September that the only word used to describe the September Rockies has been “done.”

After a 7-5 loss on Friday night to the Diamondbacks, coupled with a Giants win in Los Angeles, these Rockies are getting closer and closer to hearing the negative side of those September descriptions.

The Colorado Rockies are still two-and-a-half games up on the Giants in the Wild Card race, and there is little doubt that the Dodgers will most likely find a way to take at least one game from San Francisco over the weekend. Regardless, this Rockies team is on the verge of falling apart.

On a crucial road trip for the team, the Rockies have scored no more than five runs in a game, and that came in Friday night’s loss. They are 2-5 overall on the trip, and the reality is, the two wins that they got were no beat downs. Both wins were not decided until the final pitch was thrown.

In San Diego the Rockies were down to their final strike against one of the best closers in the game. In San Francisco the Rockies were one sacrifice fly away from heading to extra innings to avoid a sweep. The point is that in the biggest stretch of the season for the Rockies, they could easily be 0-7.

After a day off on Thursday to regroup and get some rest for the stretch run, the Rockies came back to the field to face a team they swept two weekends ago in Denver and they had Jason Marquis on the mound. It would seem that this should have been a game that a team hungry for the playoffs would find a way to win. After the Rockies went up 4-1 it seemed like it was in the bag and that possibly the Rockies were figuring it out.

Instead Jason Marquis, owner of a 4-6 record since his first All-Star appearance, pitched his way out of a win. Instead of being the first half pitcher who dominated games by attacking the bottom half of the strike zone, Marquis struggled to throw the ball over the plate, and when he did the ball seemed to find either the top of the wall or one of the gaps. The biggest blow came in the fourth when Marquis was able to get a double play to get himself out of a jam, only before giving up a run scoring base hit and a two run home run to knot the game at four apiece.

Marquis was visibly angry with home plate umpire Lance Barksdale, who by all accounts had a postage stamp strike zone. Yet Marquis was never backed up by his manager or his pitching coach. Not once did Jim Tracy or Bob Apodaca ruffle any feathers by letting Barksdale have it for the close calls not going Marquis way. This kept the pressure on Marquis, who was unable to battle both the umpire and the batters.

Before it was all said and done, Marquis had taken his fourth bad outing in his last five times out, giving up at least four runs in each of those bad trips to the mound. In his last two times out he gave up a lead of at least two runs.

These are the losses that are debilitating to a baseball team. The Rockies have been in a prime position to bury the Giants in the National League Wild Card race for two weeks. While they played well at home, they have failed to be able to shut down their NL West opponents on the road.

The Rockies are not playing with a sense of urgency, they are playing as if they just need to finish the regular season with as few losses as possible. They are not taking the field in an effort to win every night, but in an effort to not lose.

This is not the kind of team that will have success in the postseason.

They need to get back to the killer mindset where no lead is good enough and where if the other team strikes, they had better watch out. Those Rockies are not coming to the ballpark these days, however. Instead, the Rockies who are trying to lose as few games as possible before coming home are taking the field.

If the Rockies want to avoid words like "choke" and "collapse", they must find a way to get the swagger back that they played with for the majority of the middle of the season. If they cannot find it they may be in trouble.

Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa Puts on Clinic, Rockies Doctoring Small NL West Lead

David Martin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:46:00 -0400

Was that fun?

There are Rockies fans everywhere with purple faces, and it has nothing to do with face paint and team spirit. It has everything to do with them not breathing for a full half inning. Eight innings of excitement for Rockies fans were followed by one inning of hair pulling, heart racing gut wrenching baseball that ended up in the Rockies favor–barely. The Rockies held on for a 4-3 victory over the Giants, giving them a more comfortable 3-1/2 game lead in the NL Wild Card race.

For eight innings Jorge De La Rosa put on an absolute clinic. In his eight innings the lefty gave up just three hits, he walked two, and struck out nine. His biggest inning came in the sixth when De La Rosa gave up a four pitch walk to Nate Schierholtz before giving up a bloop base hit on an 0-2 pitch to pinch hitter Rich Aurilia. Both runners advanced a base after a wild pitch, putting two Giants in scoring position with no one out and the top of the San Francisco lineup ready to step to the plate.

Three months ago, De La Rosa would have collapsed. The only thing unpredictable about the result would be how the Giants would deliver, it seemed as if De La Rosa could find a new way to blow up every single game.

That Jorge De La Rosa, however, is nowhere to be found.

The hard-throwing lefty was able to strike out Andres Torres, then past batting champion Freddy Sanchez, and with two outs after eight pitches, he was able to strike out the most potent member of the Giants lineup in Pablo Sandoval. It was the biggest moment of De La Rosa’s career, and the biggest example of how far De La Rosa has come in just a few short months.

The ninth is when it got really interesting. With the Rockies up 4-0 Jim Tracy elected to go to interim closer Franklin Morales. Morales gave up three straight hits and a run before Tracy had seen enough. With runners on first and second base and no one out Rafael Betancourt stepped onto the mound in the toughest save situation in his career.

The Rockies were looking for a double play to get them closer to the win. That is exactly what happened when Juan Uribe hit a tailor-made ground ball to Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo rushed the ball to second baseman Clint Barmes who watched the ball hit his glove and trickle into the outfield. Just as the Rockies breathed a sigh of relief, the defense made it even more stressful.

With the tying run at third base, and still no one out, Betancourt did a masterful job.

He got Edgar Renteria, who had hit a grand slam off of him last time in San Francisco, to hit a lazy pop fly to Barmes at second base. Then he got Aaron Rowand to ground out to Todd Helton, allowing the third run of the inning to score. With the tying run in scoring position, Betancourt dug deep and got Schierholz to strike out on a 2-2 pitch, allowing the Rockies, along with the state of Colorado to let out quite possibly the largest sigh of relief in the Rockies 17 year history. As ugly as the ninth inning was for the Rockies, the win gives them a commanding three-and-a-half game lead in the Wild Card race with just 15 more games on the schedule.

The game will be remembered for the last inning, as it should be. However, ask any member of the Rockies organization why this team won the ball game and there will be no answer besides Jorge De La Rosa.

His value to this team cannot be understated. In April he found himself in danger of losing his spot in the rotation after starting the year 0-6. With the win on Wednesday night he finds himself with a 15-9 record. He is tied with Jason Marquis for the most wins on the ball club after not recording his first win until June.

The lefty has figured out what was holding his career back after three organizations gave up on him, despite his ace-like repertoire. His lack of success had nothing to do with him not being able to throw a good slider, or throw a fastball for a strike, but rather his problem was in his lack of confidence.

When bad luck seemed to strike De La Rosa, instead of battling through it and finding a way to minimize the damage, he would get down on himself. His body language would turn to a mope and those watching him on the mound could tell that he was wondering whether he was good enough to be pitching at that level.

After working hard, and even sitting down with the team councilor on a regular basis, De La Rosa has been able to forget everything that happened in the past and focus on what he can do at that exact moment. It has turned his career around, and on a must-win game in San Francisco, gave the Rockies a little more breathing room in their hunt for the playoffs.

Mile-High Meltdown: Colorado's Pressure Mounting After Rocky Start with Rival

David Martin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:33:00 -0400

So much for burying the Giants.

After a second straight lackluster night in San Francisco, the Rockies found themselves up just 2.5 games in the National League Wild Card race.

With a 4.5-game lead coming into the series, it was well reported that if the Rockies won just one game in the series, they would be just fine.

That is still possible, but after the way the Rockies played on Monday and Tuesday night, winning a game on Wednesday night against Matt Cain seems as close to impossible as it gets.

However, the fact remains that while the Rockies were shooting for a good series in San Francisco, they knew that if they were able to take one out of the three games, they would be just fine.

It is a tall order, but stranger things have happened. The Rockies can go to their hotel rooms tonight knowing that if they can shower off the previous two nights, they have a one-game opportunity to stick it to the Giants and go into the final 15 ball games with a 3.5-game lead, a very difficult number of games to make up in just over two weeks.

While the Rockies were blown out on Tuesday, the game hinged on one play.

In the bottom of the first inning, Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez got into trouble. He gave up a walk, a base hit, and a walk to the Giants to load the bases with no one out. Jimenez reached deep and struck out Pablo Sandoval.

He was not out of trouble but had a perfect opportunity to work his way out of the jam facing Bengie Molina, the slowest runner in baseball. Jimenez delivered, getting a tailor-made double play ground ball to third baseman Garrett Atkins.

Atkins, however, botched the ground ball, allowing a run to score and keeping the bases loaded with just one out. The Giants scored three runs in the inning, and the game was over.

Atkins was in the lineup because the Giants had lefty Barry Zito on the mound, and Jim Tracy wanted to stack the lineup with right-handed hitters to improve his odds at the plate after four straight pathetic offensive performances.

The only problem with that thought is the amount of defense given up at third base. It would be different if Atkins provided a solid bat. That would be worth the loss of defense, but Atkins has been anything but an offensive lift with his .223 batting average.

Atkins also made another error on the night and bobbled all four balls that were hit to him. His defense made any hope the Rockies had of being in the game float away in the breeze off the Bay.

Despite the loss, and the four-game losing streak, the Rockies have a golden opportunity to regain a cushion in the wild card race.

If they are able to string together a few good at-bats and get on the board against Matt Cain, they may be able to salvage the final game of the series, which would put the Giants against the wall and give the Rockies an excellent opportunity to slam the door shut on them in the next week.

Between a Rock and Second Place: Too Friendly Colorado Needs to Get Feisty

David Martin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:43:00 -0400

The Colorado Rockies have stormed back from a 15.5-game deficit. They were fighting with the Nationals as late as the first week in June for the worst record in baseball. They lost their manager, who was fired for losing the team.

They stormed all the way back in just over two months to find themselves leading the wild card race and nearing the division lead. They have stormed from behind to win games in dramatic fashion several times.

For all of the heroics and late night drama, the Rockies lack a killer instinct.

When Clint Hurdle was fired as manager, the club was 12 games under .500 and not even close to being considered a contender. The pressure was off, and they started to win. In fact, they won 11 straight games and 17 out of 18 overall. They found themselves back within striking distance at the end of June.

Even still, they sat four games out of the wild card and several games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Then came July, where the Rockies played themselves into the wild card lead. They got to two games up in the race, at that point over the Braves and Giants.

Being that it was July, however, it seemed irrelevant. There was too much baseball left to be played to worry about who was leading which race and how many games behind they were.

To end the month, the Rockies hosted the Giants for four games and the Dodgers for three at Coors Field. After dropping the opener of the four-game set with San Francisco, the Rockies stuck it to them, taking the final three games and giving themselves a comfortable four-game cushion in the wild card race.

At that point, the wild card was no longer the goal. A three-game sweep of the Dodgers would put the Rockies in a tie for the division lead with just a month left on the schedule.

Then reality set in.

The loose Rockies, the ones who seemed to be playing with such ease, the Rockies who were managed by a new face who could not push the wrong buttons, the ones who came from behind late in games, suddenly went away. The Rockies of April and May quickly returned.

The team that could not catch a break and could not find a way to hit with runners on base was back. The team that was largely responsible for Clint Hurdle getting fired was taking the field every day at 20th & Blake.

The Rockies dropped two of three to the Dodgers and proceeded to head west to face a vengeance-minded San Francisco club for three games in their park. The story is well-known: The Rockies flailed and found ways to lose all three games.

Forget the division—this Rockies team was scrambling to stay above water in the wild card race. Their lead was gone.

Then came a 10-game home stand in which the Rockies went 9-1 to regain their wild card lead and once again set their eyes on the division. They hit the road to play San Diego, and after the first game in which the late game magic reappeared, the Rockies proceeded to lose the next two, both in ugly fashion.

The main culprit? The bats were silent, and when runners were on base it seemed as if the hitter's bat weighed 35 pounds instead of 35 ounces. Everything that manager Jim Tracy tried to do failed. In fact, on Saturday night he used 10 additional position players, taking advantage of the expanded roster. That did not help, and the Rockies lost Saturday and Sunday.

Oh well, the Rockies still carried a four-and-a-half-game wild card lead into San Francisco, where they had a chance to bury the Giants once and for all. The only problem? The Rockies were set to face the same three pitchers who swept them out of the park just two weeks previous.

The Rockies went out on Monday night and looked flat. They looked like they had no intention of hitting Tim Lincecum and that really, if they just were able to steal one game from the Giants, they would be in good shape.

That is the problem with the 2009 Rockies. That is why if they are not careful they may find themselves making other plans in October.

Great teams do not simply feast on weaker opponents; they rise to the occasion when they are facing equal or even greater talent.

On Monday, the Rockies rolled over for Lincecum and the Giants. Instead of looking at this series as a chance to take two of three or even sweep, the Rockies looked at the pitching matchups and figured that if they take one game, everything will be all right.

That kind of attitude is exactly what will run the Rockies right out of contention.

This Rockies team is extremely close-knit. Everyone who walks into the clubhouse says that they have never been a part of a team that is so close. Jason Giambi instantly noticed the difference.

It is mentioned on nearly every single telecast and radio broadcast. It is seen in the dugout, with players hugging on coaches, coaches hugging on trainers, and smiles all around. There is no doubt that this club is close-knit.

While that close-knit, family atmosphere got the Rockies back in the race, it may be what takes them out of the race as well.

These players are so close to each other that friendship is more important than winning. They are more concerned with how much fun they are having before the game that they do not focus on the game.

Make no mistake, these are professionals, and they all have a deep desire to win. The only problem is that with friendship comes forgiveness.

What that can lead to is a lack of accountability.

On a club that is not so close-knit, a leader on the team can make a statement to a struggling team member without having to worry about what that will do to the friendship. Instead of simply hoping for the best for a fellow player, there can be some confrontation and directness that could otherwise be held back due to not wanting to rock the boat in a great clubhouse with great chemistry.

When there is no confrontation, players do not make adjustments. Players continue to take the same approach to the plate, to the mound, or out in the field. There is no worrying about a player feeling heat from a teammate for failing to get a bunt down, or for consistently trying to pull the ball, or for swinging freely at sliders in the dirt.

That behavior becomes tolerated because the friendship means more than winning.

If the Rockies want to win and go to the playoffs, they need to hold each other accountable and make no bones about the fact that they need each other playing smart baseball to make it happen.