The Colorado Rockies are looking to get back on track as they begin a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night at Coors Field. The Rockies faltered in their series with the Astros as they lost three of four against them and looked rather pedestrian throughout the entire series. The Rockies will have a tough time as they are facing the Dodgers three best pitchers in Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Rockies will be countering with Jon Garland, Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa.
Jon Garland will have the task of taking on the Dodgers offense as they play tonight. Garland is 3-6 on the year with a 5.53 ERA. He has been rather unimpressive in the month of May and he will be happy when the calendar flips over to June. Garland has lost four consecutive starts and has allowed at least seven hits and three earned runs in each of those starts. He has failed to go longer than five innings in four of his last five starts. At this point, Garland may be pitching to save his spot in the rotation with the emergence of Tyler Chatwood and the possible call up in the future of Drew Pomeranz who has posted very good numbers at the AAA level. At home this year Garland has a 3-2 record with a 5.40 ERA. He has done very well in his career when he has matched up with the current hitters on the Dodgers team. Dodgers hitters have combined for 192 at bats and managed only 17 extra base hits and 23 RBI. He has held them to a career .229 average. If Garland will be successful tonight he will have to keep the ball on the ground. When he induces ground balls then his potential for victory increases dramatically. If he leaves the ball up in the zone then he will be in for a long night.
Clayton Kershaw is one of the premier pitchers in the entire game of baseball. At just 25, Kershaw has been to two all star games and has a Cy Young award under his belt which he won in 2011. Kershaw has had some tough luck this year and has not gotten the run support that he has needed to get the victories. On the year he is 5-3 with a major league best 1.68 ERA. In seven games started on the road, Kershaw has a 1-1 record with a 2.22 ERA. The Rockies are very familiar with Kershaw as he is a division foe and they have actually hit Kershaw fairly well in his career. Dexter Fowler has had Kershaw's number in career match ups as Fowler is hitting .400 going 12-30 with four walks and seven strikeouts. Kershaw is beatable, but you have to take advantage of the chances that he allows you, because those chances do not come very often.
The Dodgers lineup for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Mark Ellis, 2B
2. Andre Ethier, RF
3. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
4. Ramon Hernandez, C
5. Scott Van Slyke, LF
6. Skip Schumaker, CF
7. Luis Cruz, SS
8. Juan Uribe, 3B
9. Clayton Kershaw, P
The Rockies lineup for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, LF
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
4. Michael Cuddyer, RF
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
9. Jon Garland, P
First pitch for tonight's game is at 6:40 PM Mountain time.
Friday, May 31, 2013
This Day in Baseball History: 5/31
A look at May 31st in the pages of Baseball History
1938- Lou Gehrig plays in his 2000th consecutive game and helps the Yankees defeat the Red Sox 12-5. Gehrig had an RBI single during the game.
(National Baseball Hall of Fame)
1964- The longest game in Major League Baseball history is played between the Giants and the Mets. Gaylord Perry pitches 10 innings in relief and helped the Giants beat the Mets 8-6 in the 22 inning affair. The game lasted 7 hours and 23 minutes.
(Dan Mori)
1997- Ila Borders becomes the first women to play in a minor league baseball game. Borders pitched in relief for the St. Paul Saints and gives up three runs without recording an out. She would redeem herself the next day as she came in and struck out the side.
(Associated Press)
2007- Roy Halladay needs just 1 hour and 50 minutes to beat the White Sox 2-0. The win gave Halladay his 100th career victory and he needed just 200 starts to accomplish the feat.
(Michael Farber)
2008- Manny Ramirez smashes his 500th career home run at Camden Yards in Baltimore. He becomes the 24th player to reach the milestone and the 12th youngest.
(MLBlogs Network)
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Rockies Finish Disappointing Series Against Astros
The Rockies fell apart in the sixth inning on Thursday night and it cost them the game and a chance to split the series with the cellar dwelling Astros. After building a 3-0 lead the Rockies imploded in the sixth inning and could not get anybody out. Juan Nicasio began pitching in the sixth inning but was taken out after facing four batters and not getting any outs. Wilton Lopez came in and relieved Nicasio and gave up two home runs to the first two batters he faced, Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez. The Astros went into the inning trailing by two runs and when all was said and done they had a four run lead. The Rockies were unable to recover and lost by a final score of 7-5.
Juan Nicasio threw good until he reached the sixth inning and his final line was five innings pitched, seven hits, five runs, three walks and three strikeouts. He took the loss and now has a 4-2 record with a 4.79 ERA. Wilton Lopez also gave up two runs in the sixth inning and his ERA on the season is now 4.13. Lucas Harrell for the Astros picked up his first victory in his last six starts even though he did not pitch great on the day. His final line was 5 2/3rd innings pitched allowing eight hits, three runs, four walks and struck out two. The Rockies had their shots to get some more damage in, but the Astros were able to turn four double plays on the night which killed several of the Rockies chances.
The Rockies finished the night with 11 hits and every Rockies position player that started had at least one hit except for Nolan Arenado who went 0-5. Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer each had two hits and an RBI while the offensive star of the night was Yorvit Torrealba who went 3-4 with one RBI and one run.
This is a frustrating conclusion to a series with the Astros. Heading into the series the Rockies were expected to take it to the Astros and perhaps get a four game sweep of the last place club. Instead the Astros turned the table on the Rockies and made them look like they were the team that is in the cellar of their respective divisions. This can be a series that can lead the Rockies in one of two ways. Either they bounce back immediately from the disappointing results and they are able to forget what happened and they can get back to their winning ways. Another possibility is that this series will hang over the Rockies heads and they will go into a bad streak that could be a defining point of the season. Hopefully they will bounce back when it comes time to take on the Dodgers come Friday night.
Juan Nicasio threw good until he reached the sixth inning and his final line was five innings pitched, seven hits, five runs, three walks and three strikeouts. He took the loss and now has a 4-2 record with a 4.79 ERA. Wilton Lopez also gave up two runs in the sixth inning and his ERA on the season is now 4.13. Lucas Harrell for the Astros picked up his first victory in his last six starts even though he did not pitch great on the day. His final line was 5 2/3rd innings pitched allowing eight hits, three runs, four walks and struck out two. The Rockies had their shots to get some more damage in, but the Astros were able to turn four double plays on the night which killed several of the Rockies chances.
The Rockies finished the night with 11 hits and every Rockies position player that started had at least one hit except for Nolan Arenado who went 0-5. Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer each had two hits and an RBI while the offensive star of the night was Yorvit Torrealba who went 3-4 with one RBI and one run.
This is a frustrating conclusion to a series with the Astros. Heading into the series the Rockies were expected to take it to the Astros and perhaps get a four game sweep of the last place club. Instead the Astros turned the table on the Rockies and made them look like they were the team that is in the cellar of their respective divisions. This can be a series that can lead the Rockies in one of two ways. Either they bounce back immediately from the disappointing results and they are able to forget what happened and they can get back to their winning ways. Another possibility is that this series will hang over the Rockies heads and they will go into a bad streak that could be a defining point of the season. Hopefully they will bounce back when it comes time to take on the Dodgers come Friday night.
Rockies Vs. Astros Game Preview: 5/30
The Colorado Rockies will be taking on the Houston Astros in the final game of their four game series on Thursday night. The Astros have surprised the Rockies as they have won two of the three games so far and have limited the Rockies offense to minimal damage throughout the series. Last night the game was close until the ninth inning when the Astros tagged on three runs and ultimately won the game 6-3. Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer have been the only Rockies to get the offense going in this series and last night both Tulo and Cuddy each had three hits and Tulo had two home runs and all three RBI for the Rockies. Tonight's match up pits Juan Nicasio pitching for the Rockies against Lucas Harrell for the Astros.
Juan Nicasio has strung together a couple of good starts and has been able to control his pitch count enough to be able to work into the later innings of the game. Nicasio is 4-1 on the year with a 4.38 ERA. His last time out he threw five innings against the Giants allowing two runs but took a no decision as the Giants came back and defeated the Rockies 6-5 in the game. This year at home, Nicasio has pitched wonderfully as he has a 2-0 record with a 3.54 ERA in four starts. Opponents are batting just .187 against him when he takes the mound at Coors Field. The history between Nicasio and current Astros is very limited but in those match ups he has fared very well against them. In 20 at bats against him he has allowed only two hits and one RBI. He has five strikeouts and has walked two. Nicasio will be looking to keep the ball low in the zone during his start tonight. If he can display good command of all of his pitches then he has a good chance to have a great start and get the momentum going in the right direction for him.
Lucas Harrell has struggled in the month of May for the Astros. He has failed to pick up a victory in the month and has seen his ERA shoot up from 3.60 on April 29th, to 5.43. He should be well rested coming into the game today as he only lasted 1 2/3rd innings in his last start against the A's giving up six runs and walking three. On the year Harrell is 3-6 on the year with his ERA at 5.43. He has been much better away from Minute Maid Park as he has a 1-2 record with a 3.00 ERA in four games started. Every Rockies player who has faced Harrell for more than one at bat has at least one hit. Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .500 against Harrell in six at bats with one double and one home run. He may not find Coors Field to be as friendly as the other road parks he has been in, and the Rockies will be looking to make a statement against him in the game tonight.
The Astros lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Brandon Barnes, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Jason Castro, C
4. JD Martinez, RF
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Chris Carter, LF
7. Matt Dominguez, 3B
8. Ronny Cedeno, SS
9. Lucas Harrell, P
The Rockies lineup for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Juan Nicasio, P
First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 6:40 PM Mountain time.
Juan Nicasio has strung together a couple of good starts and has been able to control his pitch count enough to be able to work into the later innings of the game. Nicasio is 4-1 on the year with a 4.38 ERA. His last time out he threw five innings against the Giants allowing two runs but took a no decision as the Giants came back and defeated the Rockies 6-5 in the game. This year at home, Nicasio has pitched wonderfully as he has a 2-0 record with a 3.54 ERA in four starts. Opponents are batting just .187 against him when he takes the mound at Coors Field. The history between Nicasio and current Astros is very limited but in those match ups he has fared very well against them. In 20 at bats against him he has allowed only two hits and one RBI. He has five strikeouts and has walked two. Nicasio will be looking to keep the ball low in the zone during his start tonight. If he can display good command of all of his pitches then he has a good chance to have a great start and get the momentum going in the right direction for him.
Lucas Harrell has struggled in the month of May for the Astros. He has failed to pick up a victory in the month and has seen his ERA shoot up from 3.60 on April 29th, to 5.43. He should be well rested coming into the game today as he only lasted 1 2/3rd innings in his last start against the A's giving up six runs and walking three. On the year Harrell is 3-6 on the year with his ERA at 5.43. He has been much better away from Minute Maid Park as he has a 1-2 record with a 3.00 ERA in four games started. Every Rockies player who has faced Harrell for more than one at bat has at least one hit. Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .500 against Harrell in six at bats with one double and one home run. He may not find Coors Field to be as friendly as the other road parks he has been in, and the Rockies will be looking to make a statement against him in the game tonight.
The Astros lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Brandon Barnes, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Jason Castro, C
4. JD Martinez, RF
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Chris Carter, LF
7. Matt Dominguez, 3B
8. Ronny Cedeno, SS
9. Lucas Harrell, P
The Rockies lineup for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Juan Nicasio, P
First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 6:40 PM Mountain time.
This Day in Baseball History: 5/30
A Look at May 30th in the Pages of Baseball History
1894- Bob Lowe becomes the first player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game. His offensive night helps Boston beat Cincinnati 20-11 in the second game of a double header.
(Michael Nargi)
1935- Babe Ruth plays his final Major League game going hit less against a game with the Phillies. He would officially announce his retirement from the game of baseball on June 2nd.
1982- Cal Ripken Jr. begins his consecutive games played streak which would ultimately lead to a 17 year streak and 2,632 consecutive games played by him when all was said and done and the streak ended in 1998.
(Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
1986- Barry Bonds makes his Major League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The future home run king goes 0-5 in the game with three strikeouts in a 6-4 loss for against the Dodgers.
(Gene Puskar/AP)
1998- Mark McGwire hits his 27th home run of the season which sets the all-time record for most home runs hit before the month of June. McGwire would finish the year breaking Roger Maris's previous record of 61 home runs in a year by hitting 70 on the season.
(Tim Parker/Reuters)
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Rockies Fall to Astros
The Colorado Rockies fell to the Houston Astros tonight by a final score of 6-3. It was a close game throughout as the score was tied 2-2 after seven innings but the Astros were able to push a run across in the eighth and three in the ninth inning to secure the victory. Colorado attempted a comeback in the ninth inning, but they fell short and lost the game. Both starting pitchers fared well on the day as Erik Bedard threw six innings allowing seven hits and two runs while walking three and striking out four for the Astros. Tyler Chatwood had another quality start for the Rockies as he finished the night going six innings allowing four hits and two runs and walked one hitter while striking out a season high 10 batters. Unfortunately the Rockies were unable to sustain any momentum on offense and once again failed to score more than two runs in a game for the third consecutive game. Paul Clemens was the winning pitcher on the night and improved his season record to 3-2 on the year. Edgmer Escalona took the loss for the Rockies and his record is now 1-2 on the year.
The Rockies were led offensively again by Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer. Tulowitzki went 3-4 on the day with two home runs and all three of the RBI for the Rockies. Cuddyer also had three hits on the day and added a stolen base. Other than those two the Rockies offense was rather dormant on the night as they could only muster three other singles from the rest of the roster.
This has been a disappointing series for the Rockies as the Astros have been one of the worst teams in baseball during the year. They were hoping to take at least three games from them and be able to get back to the top of the division. The offense has been non existent during the series and they will need to come back with a statement victory in the series finale on Thursday in order to build some momentum heading into the weekend series against the Dodgers.
The Rockies were led offensively again by Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer. Tulowitzki went 3-4 on the day with two home runs and all three of the RBI for the Rockies. Cuddyer also had three hits on the day and added a stolen base. Other than those two the Rockies offense was rather dormant on the night as they could only muster three other singles from the rest of the roster.
This has been a disappointing series for the Rockies as the Astros have been one of the worst teams in baseball during the year. They were hoping to take at least three games from them and be able to get back to the top of the division. The offense has been non existent during the series and they will need to come back with a statement victory in the series finale on Thursday in order to build some momentum heading into the weekend series against the Dodgers.
Rockies Game Preview: 5/29/2013
The Colorado Rockies are coming back home to take on the Houston Astros for two games starting tonight after they took one of two from Houston in Houston on Monday and Tuesday. The Rockies beat the Astros yesterday on a fine pitching performance from Jorge De La Rosa and they were carried offensively by Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer.
The Rockies will be sending Tyler Chatwood to the mound tonight to face the Astros offense. Chatwood is 3-0 on the year with a stellar 1.90 ERA in four starts. He shut out the Giants in his last start going six innings allowing four hits and no runs while walking one and striking out four. He has worked himself into the conversation for staying with the big club when it comes time for Jeff Francis to come off of the disabled list. Chatwood is 1-0 in starts at Coors Field with a 3.86 ERA. There are only three Astros that have ever faced Chatwood before and JD Martinez is the only one who has ever got a hit off of him when he had an RBI single. Chatwood will be looking to keep the ball low in the zone tonight and make sure that he does not come into the power zones for the Astros hitters. He can have a great night if he works around the zone as the Astros hitters are not very patient which they have shown as they have the most strikeouts as a team in the entire Major Leagues.
The Astros will be countering Chatwood with veteran left hander Erik Bedard. Bedard has a good two pitch mix with a fastball in the low 90's and a big breaking curve ball that comes in around the upper 70's. He has battled injuries throughout his career and has also not had the command that he needs in order to warrant much consistent success. On the year Bedard has a 0-2 record with a 5.68 ERA. He has struggled away from Minute Maid Park as he has an 0-2 record with a 8.83 ERA in five games started, an ERA that has a danger to get even higher if he leaves any balls up in the zone to the talented Rockies hitters. Michael Cuddyer has the most at bats against Bedard with 24 and despite spending much of his time in the American League he has faced a good majority of the Rockies team. Combined the Rockies are hitting .246 against Bedard with one home run and 8 RBI in 65 at bats. Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, and Todd Helton each have two hits in three at bats against the 34 year old.
The Houston Astros lineup for today's game against the Rockies is as follows:
1. Brandon Barnes, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Jason Castro, C
4. JD Martinez, RF
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Chris Carter, LF
7. Matt Dominguez, 3B
8. Ronny Cedeno, SS
9. Erik Bedard, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Wilin Rosario, C
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
9. Tyler Chatwood, P
First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 6:40 PM Mountain time weather permitting.
The Rockies will be sending Tyler Chatwood to the mound tonight to face the Astros offense. Chatwood is 3-0 on the year with a stellar 1.90 ERA in four starts. He shut out the Giants in his last start going six innings allowing four hits and no runs while walking one and striking out four. He has worked himself into the conversation for staying with the big club when it comes time for Jeff Francis to come off of the disabled list. Chatwood is 1-0 in starts at Coors Field with a 3.86 ERA. There are only three Astros that have ever faced Chatwood before and JD Martinez is the only one who has ever got a hit off of him when he had an RBI single. Chatwood will be looking to keep the ball low in the zone tonight and make sure that he does not come into the power zones for the Astros hitters. He can have a great night if he works around the zone as the Astros hitters are not very patient which they have shown as they have the most strikeouts as a team in the entire Major Leagues.
The Astros will be countering Chatwood with veteran left hander Erik Bedard. Bedard has a good two pitch mix with a fastball in the low 90's and a big breaking curve ball that comes in around the upper 70's. He has battled injuries throughout his career and has also not had the command that he needs in order to warrant much consistent success. On the year Bedard has a 0-2 record with a 5.68 ERA. He has struggled away from Minute Maid Park as he has an 0-2 record with a 8.83 ERA in five games started, an ERA that has a danger to get even higher if he leaves any balls up in the zone to the talented Rockies hitters. Michael Cuddyer has the most at bats against Bedard with 24 and despite spending much of his time in the American League he has faced a good majority of the Rockies team. Combined the Rockies are hitting .246 against Bedard with one home run and 8 RBI in 65 at bats. Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, and Todd Helton each have two hits in three at bats against the 34 year old.
The Houston Astros lineup for today's game against the Rockies is as follows:
1. Brandon Barnes, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Jason Castro, C
4. JD Martinez, RF
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Chris Carter, LF
7. Matt Dominguez, 3B
8. Ronny Cedeno, SS
9. Erik Bedard, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Wilin Rosario, C
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
9. Tyler Chatwood, P
First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 6:40 PM Mountain time weather permitting.
This Day in Baseball History: 5/29
A look at May 29th in the pages of Baseball History
1946- Edward Klep becomes the first white player to play in a Negro Leagues game. Klep tossed seven innings for the Cleveland Buckeyes against the American Giants.
(Vince Guerrieri)
1976- Joe and Phil Niekro face off against one another. Joe as a member of the Astros defeats his older brother Phil and the Braves 4-1. Joe also hit his first and only home run off of his brother in the game.
(Cardboard Memories)
(Michael Zagaris/Getty Images)
(Eric Risberg)
2010- Angels first basemen Kendrys Morales breaks his left ankle as he jumps into home plate to meet his teammates after he had just hit a walk off grand slam to beat the Mariners 9-7. This injury cost Morales more than a year of playing time and eventually he was dealt to Seattle prior to the 2013 season.
(Josh Pacheco)
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Rockies Win and Even up Series against the Astros
The Colorado Rockies defeated the Houston Astros 2-1 on Tuesday afternoon and evened up the series at one as they are now heading home to Coors Field to face the Astros for the final two games of the series. It was a good pitching effort from both sides today but the Rockies were able to come out on top with the help of a timely hit from Michael Cuddyer.
Jorge De La Rosa looked very good on the day and finished going seven innings allowing five hits, one run, two walks and struck out four hitters. He now has a season ERA of 3.16. Matt Belisle worked a perfect eighth inning and was awarded the victory as the Rockies scored the go ahead run in the top of the ninth. Rafael Betancourt nailed down his 11th save of the season as he did not allow a base runner and struck out two. Belisle is 2-2 on the year with a 3.18 ERA and Betancourt lowered his season ERA to 2.41. The Houston Astros had a good start from Jordan Lyles who also went seven innings allowing six hits, one run, three walks and struck out three. Jose Veras took the loss for the Astros as he came in to work the ninth inning and gave up one run on two hits.
Offensively the Rockies were led on the day by Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer. The Rockies had only eight hits on the day and five of them were by Tulowitzki and Cuddyer. Tulo finished the day 2-4 with a double and an RBI and also scored the game winning run in the ninth inning. Cuddyer went 3-4 with a double and the game winning RBI single in the ninth. This was a game that the Rockies needed to win and they got a big performance from both Tulo and Cuddy to ensure that they got the victory.
The Rockies will be finishing their four game series with two against the Astros and will then be taking on the Dodgers at home in a three game series starting on Friday.
Jorge De La Rosa looked very good on the day and finished going seven innings allowing five hits, one run, two walks and struck out four hitters. He now has a season ERA of 3.16. Matt Belisle worked a perfect eighth inning and was awarded the victory as the Rockies scored the go ahead run in the top of the ninth. Rafael Betancourt nailed down his 11th save of the season as he did not allow a base runner and struck out two. Belisle is 2-2 on the year with a 3.18 ERA and Betancourt lowered his season ERA to 2.41. The Houston Astros had a good start from Jordan Lyles who also went seven innings allowing six hits, one run, three walks and struck out three. Jose Veras took the loss for the Astros as he came in to work the ninth inning and gave up one run on two hits.
Offensively the Rockies were led on the day by Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer. The Rockies had only eight hits on the day and five of them were by Tulowitzki and Cuddyer. Tulo finished the day 2-4 with a double and an RBI and also scored the game winning run in the ninth inning. Cuddyer went 3-4 with a double and the game winning RBI single in the ninth. This was a game that the Rockies needed to win and they got a big performance from both Tulo and Cuddy to ensure that they got the victory.
The Rockies will be finishing their four game series with two against the Astros and will then be taking on the Dodgers at home in a three game series starting on Friday.
This Day in Baseball History: 5/28
A look at May 28th in the pages of Major League Baseball history
1941- The First night game in Major League Baseball history is played between the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees. The Yankees won the game 6-5.
1951- After starting his career 0-12, rookie center fielder Willie Mays finally gets his first hit which happens to be a 450 foot home run off of future hall of famer Warren Spahn
1979- George Brett hits for the cycle and caps off the night with his second home run of the game in the 16th inning which gives the Royals a 5-4 walk off victory against the Baltimore Orioles.
2004- Mariano Rivera records his 300th career save as he shuts the door on the Devil Rays and secures the win for the Yankees.
2006- Barry Bonds hits his 715th career home run and passes Babe Ruth for second on the all time home run list.
Rockies Vs. Astros Game Preview 5/28/2013
The Colorado Rockies will be looking to get back to their winning ways on Tuesday afternoon in Houston as they will be taking on the Astros in game two of their series. The Astros got the better of the Rockies in the first game but it took them 12 innings and they did not look like the better team on the day, but the Rockies missed several opportunities to score the go ahead runs and that caused them to lose the game.
The Rockies will be sending Jorge De La Rosa to the mound Tuesday. De La Rosa has a 6-3 record on the year with a 3.40 ERA. He will be looking to cap off a perfect May going 5-5 in the month. De La Rosa has not lost a game since April 30th when he took the loss against the Dodgers. He has not bought into the idea that a pitcher can't pitch at Coors Field and his home/road splits prove that thought process. De La Rosa is 4-0 at home with a 2.42 ERA in four starts. On the Road he is 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA. There is very little history between De La Rosa and the current Astros players as only Ronny Cedeno, Justin Maxwell and Carlos Pena have seen De La Rosa on the mound. Combined they are hitting .250 with no home runs and no RBI in 16 at bats against him. De La Rosa will be looking for his fifth straight win on the year as he continues to regain his form that he had prior to the surgery that cost him a year and a half of his career.
Jordan Lyles will have the job of trying to tame the Rockies bats on Tuesday afternoon. On the year Lyles has a 2-1 record with a 5.40 ERA. He is only 22 years old but he is already in his third year with the Astros after he broke in with the big club in 2011 as a 20 year old. Lyles has struggled at home on the year as he is 2-1 with a 6.30 ERA in four games started at Minute Maid Ballpark. He only has one start away from home but was good going five innings and allowing only one. As you would expect the history of Rockies players facing Lyles is very limited but the hitters who have faced him have fared well against him. In 28 at bats against him the Rockies have a .321 average with one home run and five RBI.
The Houston Astros lineup for the game today is as follows:
1. Brandon Barnes, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Carlos Corporan, C
4. JD Martinez, LF
5. Chris Carter, 1B
6. Carlos Pena, DH
7. Jimmy Paredes, RF
8. Matt Dominguez, 3B
9. Ronny Cedeno, SS
The Colorado Rockies lineup for the game today is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Nolan Arenado, 3B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Wilin Rosario, DH
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
First pitch for the game today is at 12:10 PM Mountain Time.
The Rockies will be sending Jorge De La Rosa to the mound Tuesday. De La Rosa has a 6-3 record on the year with a 3.40 ERA. He will be looking to cap off a perfect May going 5-5 in the month. De La Rosa has not lost a game since April 30th when he took the loss against the Dodgers. He has not bought into the idea that a pitcher can't pitch at Coors Field and his home/road splits prove that thought process. De La Rosa is 4-0 at home with a 2.42 ERA in four starts. On the Road he is 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA. There is very little history between De La Rosa and the current Astros players as only Ronny Cedeno, Justin Maxwell and Carlos Pena have seen De La Rosa on the mound. Combined they are hitting .250 with no home runs and no RBI in 16 at bats against him. De La Rosa will be looking for his fifth straight win on the year as he continues to regain his form that he had prior to the surgery that cost him a year and a half of his career.
Jordan Lyles will have the job of trying to tame the Rockies bats on Tuesday afternoon. On the year Lyles has a 2-1 record with a 5.40 ERA. He is only 22 years old but he is already in his third year with the Astros after he broke in with the big club in 2011 as a 20 year old. Lyles has struggled at home on the year as he is 2-1 with a 6.30 ERA in four games started at Minute Maid Ballpark. He only has one start away from home but was good going five innings and allowing only one. As you would expect the history of Rockies players facing Lyles is very limited but the hitters who have faced him have fared well against him. In 28 at bats against him the Rockies have a .321 average with one home run and five RBI.
The Houston Astros lineup for the game today is as follows:
1. Brandon Barnes, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Carlos Corporan, C
4. JD Martinez, LF
5. Chris Carter, 1B
6. Carlos Pena, DH
7. Jimmy Paredes, RF
8. Matt Dominguez, 3B
9. Ronny Cedeno, SS
The Colorado Rockies lineup for the game today is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Nolan Arenado, 3B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Wilin Rosario, DH
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
First pitch for the game today is at 12:10 PM Mountain Time.
Monday, May 27, 2013
This Day in Baseball History: 5/27
A look at May 27th in the pages of Baseball History
1941- Play is stopped in the seventh inning of a game between the Braves and Giants so that everyone who is in attendance at the famous Polo Grounds can listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt radio address of the Proclamation of an Unlimited National Emergency. Play resumed after a 45 minute delay.
(Photo by Wikipedia)
1968- Major League Baseball announces that they are expanding outside of the United States and will be awarding Montreal an expansion team. They also announce that San Diego will also be granted an expansion team.
(Logo by MLB)
1993- After hitting for a measly average of just .143 in 26 games for the Rockies, superstar Dale Murphy decided it is time to hang up his spikes for good and announces his retirement from the game of baseball. He finishes his career just two home runs shy of hitting 400
(Photo by Fleer Ultra)
2006- Derek Jeter collects his 2000th hit with an RBI single off of Kansas City pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and becomes just the 8th Yankee to reach the milestone joining, Yogi Berra, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, Babe Ruth and Bernie Williams.
(Photo by New York Daily News)
2006- Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox defeats the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-4 and becomes the 104th pitcher to hit the 200 victory mark.
(Photo by Charles Krupa/Associated Press)
Rockies Begin Home & Home Series with Houston Astros
The Colorado Rockies are beginning a home and home series against the Houston Astros on Monday afternoon in Houston. In a unique setup of a four game series, the Rockies will play the first two game of the series in Houston before playing the second two games back at home at Coors Field. Both games on Houston are afternoon affairs affairs, while both games at home are of the night variety. After losing two of three games in San Francisco, the Rockies are looking to have a bounce back series against the Astros and get right back into the running for first place in the National league West division. The Astros are currently in a rebuilding process as a team and they are also transitioning into their first year as a member of the American League West division, but they are still a Major League Baseball team and are capable of stringing together some victories.
The first game of the series on Monday afternoon, will see the Colorado Rockies facing off against veteran right handed pitcher Bud Norris for the Houston Astros. Norris used to be exclusively a strikeout pitcher who was rarely seen past the sixth inning of a ball game because of a higher pitch count, has definitely learned how to manage a game more effectively. The 28 year old has dialed down the pitch count and can now allow his defense to make some plays around him in order for him to be in the game longer. He can still dial it up and get the strikeout when he needs to, but he has developed into a well rounded all around pitcher and the ace of the Astros staff. On the year, Norris has compiled a 4-4 record with a 3.86 ERA in 10 games started for the team. In a limited number of times faced against current Rockies Norris has boasted a .261 average against him. Wilin Rosario, Jordan Pacheco and Michael Cuddyer each have two hits in five at bats against Norris and Carlos Gonzalez is 2-6 lifetime against him. Norris has a scary home/road split so far this year and is happy to be taking on the Rockies at Minute Maid Park in Houston for that reason. At home in 2013, Norris has a 3-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in six starts. This compared to a 1-3 record and a 7.71 ERA in starts made away from Houston. The Rockies will be looking to add some crooked numbers to his home record and even those stats out just a bit.
The Colorado Rockies will be sending Jhoulys Chacin to the hill to face off against the Houston Astros in the first game of the series on Monday afternoon. Chacin was having a wonderful start to the season but during his last four starts he has shown some cracks in the armor and is 0-3 with a 6.85 ERA during that span. His last time out was a good example of it as he cruised through the first six innings of the game allowing only one hit against the Diamondbacks, then in the seventh inning he gave it all back and four runs later he was left with a no decision. He will be looking to get back on track Monday as he faces off against the weaker Houston offense. Only six players in the Astros organization have ever faced Chacin, with Carlos Pena having the most at bats against him with six. In those six at bats he has three hits and two of those hits have left the ballpark. Chacin is looking to improve his numbers away from Coors Field as he has a 2.70 ERA in three starts away from home this year and is 1-1. At home he is 2-2 with a 4.83 ERA. He will be looking to avoid a big inning that costs him a quality start, something that he has not been able to do early on this season.
The Houston Astros lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Robbie Grossman, LF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Jason Castro, C
4. JD Martinez, DH
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Trevor Crowe, CF
7. Jimmy Paredes, RF
8. Matt Dominguez, 3B
9. Marwin Gonzalez, SS
The Colorado Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, DH
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Charlie Blackmon, RF
9. Jonathan Herrera, 2B
First pitch for today's game is at 12:10 PM Mountain time and they will be one of the first games to get going as all of the teams around Major League Baseball are in action today in celebration of the Memorial Day. A special thank you goes out to all of the veterans that have served our great country in order to preserve our freedom!
The first game of the series on Monday afternoon, will see the Colorado Rockies facing off against veteran right handed pitcher Bud Norris for the Houston Astros. Norris used to be exclusively a strikeout pitcher who was rarely seen past the sixth inning of a ball game because of a higher pitch count, has definitely learned how to manage a game more effectively. The 28 year old has dialed down the pitch count and can now allow his defense to make some plays around him in order for him to be in the game longer. He can still dial it up and get the strikeout when he needs to, but he has developed into a well rounded all around pitcher and the ace of the Astros staff. On the year, Norris has compiled a 4-4 record with a 3.86 ERA in 10 games started for the team. In a limited number of times faced against current Rockies Norris has boasted a .261 average against him. Wilin Rosario, Jordan Pacheco and Michael Cuddyer each have two hits in five at bats against Norris and Carlos Gonzalez is 2-6 lifetime against him. Norris has a scary home/road split so far this year and is happy to be taking on the Rockies at Minute Maid Park in Houston for that reason. At home in 2013, Norris has a 3-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in six starts. This compared to a 1-3 record and a 7.71 ERA in starts made away from Houston. The Rockies will be looking to add some crooked numbers to his home record and even those stats out just a bit.
The Colorado Rockies will be sending Jhoulys Chacin to the hill to face off against the Houston Astros in the first game of the series on Monday afternoon. Chacin was having a wonderful start to the season but during his last four starts he has shown some cracks in the armor and is 0-3 with a 6.85 ERA during that span. His last time out was a good example of it as he cruised through the first six innings of the game allowing only one hit against the Diamondbacks, then in the seventh inning he gave it all back and four runs later he was left with a no decision. He will be looking to get back on track Monday as he faces off against the weaker Houston offense. Only six players in the Astros organization have ever faced Chacin, with Carlos Pena having the most at bats against him with six. In those six at bats he has three hits and two of those hits have left the ballpark. Chacin is looking to improve his numbers away from Coors Field as he has a 2.70 ERA in three starts away from home this year and is 1-1. At home he is 2-2 with a 4.83 ERA. He will be looking to avoid a big inning that costs him a quality start, something that he has not been able to do early on this season.
The Houston Astros lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Robbie Grossman, LF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Jason Castro, C
4. JD Martinez, DH
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Trevor Crowe, CF
7. Jimmy Paredes, RF
8. Matt Dominguez, 3B
9. Marwin Gonzalez, SS
The Colorado Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, DH
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Charlie Blackmon, RF
9. Jonathan Herrera, 2B
First pitch for today's game is at 12:10 PM Mountain time and they will be one of the first games to get going as all of the teams around Major League Baseball are in action today in celebration of the Memorial Day. A special thank you goes out to all of the veterans that have served our great country in order to preserve our freedom!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Rockies Fall Out of First Place and Lose Series against the Giants
The Colorado Rockies lost the series finale on Sunday afternoon to the Giants by a final score of 7-3. The Rockies had their chances early on in the game against Giants starter Matt Cain but unfortunately they were not able to capitalize on them. Cain was wild an inefficient on the day but was able to limit the damage that he sustained by getting some timely outs.
Jon Garland had another sub par outing and has left his future with the Colorado Rockies up in the air. The Rockies have other options especially when Jeff Francis comes off of the disabled list. Tyler Chatwood or Drew Pomeranz would be the likely two candidates to replace Garland in the rotation when the decision is made to cut ties with the veteran right hander. Garland finished the day going five innings allowing seven hits, five runs (two earned runs), four walks and struck out two batters. This is another start that he failed to limit the damage against him and could not keep the opponent off of the base paths. Garland has now lost four straight games and his record is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA. His counter part Matt Cain did not have a good game either, but the difference was the ability that he showed to get out of trouble and limit the damage. Cain also went five innings in the game allowing two hits and two runs and was wild on the day as he issued five walks and struck out six. All five of his walks were in the first two innings and at one point in the game he went into the windup even with runners on base. Even though he was less than spectacular , he was still able to pick up the victory and push his record to 4-2 with a 5.00 ERA.
Dexter Fowler and DJ LeMahieu were the only Rockies who managed to get anything going on the offensive side as they both were able to connect for two hits on the day. Other than that the Rockies struggled. They struck out 10 times on the day and failed to capitalize on any opportunities that they had. The Giants were led offensively by Marco Scutaro, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Andres Torres. Each player had two hits during the game. Pence had two doubles and Torres had one and Buster Posey got the Giants on the board in the second inning with a solo home run off of Jon Garland.
The Rockies are heading to Houston to play two games in Houston before returning to Denver to play another two against the Astros. Both Monday and Tuesday's games are afternoon games with first pitch at 12:10 PM Mountain time each day.
Jon Garland had another sub par outing and has left his future with the Colorado Rockies up in the air. The Rockies have other options especially when Jeff Francis comes off of the disabled list. Tyler Chatwood or Drew Pomeranz would be the likely two candidates to replace Garland in the rotation when the decision is made to cut ties with the veteran right hander. Garland finished the day going five innings allowing seven hits, five runs (two earned runs), four walks and struck out two batters. This is another start that he failed to limit the damage against him and could not keep the opponent off of the base paths. Garland has now lost four straight games and his record is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA. His counter part Matt Cain did not have a good game either, but the difference was the ability that he showed to get out of trouble and limit the damage. Cain also went five innings in the game allowing two hits and two runs and was wild on the day as he issued five walks and struck out six. All five of his walks were in the first two innings and at one point in the game he went into the windup even with runners on base. Even though he was less than spectacular , he was still able to pick up the victory and push his record to 4-2 with a 5.00 ERA.
Dexter Fowler and DJ LeMahieu were the only Rockies who managed to get anything going on the offensive side as they both were able to connect for two hits on the day. Other than that the Rockies struggled. They struck out 10 times on the day and failed to capitalize on any opportunities that they had. The Giants were led offensively by Marco Scutaro, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Andres Torres. Each player had two hits during the game. Pence had two doubles and Torres had one and Buster Posey got the Giants on the board in the second inning with a solo home run off of Jon Garland.
The Rockies are heading to Houston to play two games in Houston before returning to Denver to play another two against the Astros. Both Monday and Tuesday's games are afternoon games with first pitch at 12:10 PM Mountain time each day.
Rockies Take on Giants with First Place on the Line
The Colorado Rockies will be taking on the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon in San Francisco. Even though the game is still relatively early on in the season, it is an important game in that the winner will at the very least remain in a tie for first place in the division with the Diamondbacks. The Rockies are looking to not let yesterday's tough loss linger around and effect the performance on the field today. Taking the mound for the Rockies in today's game will be veteran Jon Garland who has a 3-5 record with a 5.19 ERA on the season. The Giants will be countering with Matt Cain who is 3-2 on the year with a 5.12 ERA.
Jon Garland is looking to get back on track as he has lost his last three starts and has looked rather ineffective on the mound for nearly a month. His last outing against the Diamondbacks was one of his worst starts on the year as he went six innings while allowing a season high 11 hits, five runs and was unable to strike anyone out on the day. Garland has allowed at least three runs in a game in seven of his nine starts on the year and he has gone more than six innings only one time. Giants hitters have owned Garland in previous meetings with him as members of the Giants who have faced him are hitting for a combined .444 average in 63 at bats. Marco Scutaro, who has faced Garland the most, is hitting .480 with 12 hits in 25 at bats. Gregor Blanco is a perfect 3-3 against Garland with three RBI.
Time may be limited for Jon Garland as a member of the Rockies as he has failed to be consistent this year and with the success that some of the younger arms are having at the minor league level, then it may be time to go with one of them.
Matt Cain has struggled this year and it all begins with the locations of his pitches. The former all star has failed to keep the ball down in the zone and the result has been a spike in the home run totals that he has allowed. Cain currently has a winning record at 3-2 but he is also sporting an ERA that is nearly two points higher than his career ERA. He still has great stuff, but has failed to hit his spots in some games which has caused him to get off to such a bad start on the year. Pitching in the NL West, Cain has had the chance to face the Rockies several times and has put up very good numbers as he has held current Rockies to a .228 combined average against him. Carlos Gonzalez has failed to get anything going against Cain in his career as he has just four hits in 35 at bats with 11 strikeouts. It is a similar story with Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton. Fowler has a career .174 average and Helton has just a .214 average. The one Rockies player that has had Matt Cain's number is Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo has faced Cain 56 times and has 19 hits including five doubles, one triple, four home runs and six RBI.
This will be a good match up as both pitchers are looking to have a start that they can build some momentum on moving forward with the season.
The San Francisco Giants lineup for the series finale today is as follows:
1. Gregor Blanco, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Andres Torres, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Matt Cain, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Nolan Arenado, 3B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Wilin Rosario, C
8. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
9. Jon Garland, P
First pitch for the game today is at 2:05 PM Mountain time.
Jon Garland is looking to get back on track as he has lost his last three starts and has looked rather ineffective on the mound for nearly a month. His last outing against the Diamondbacks was one of his worst starts on the year as he went six innings while allowing a season high 11 hits, five runs and was unable to strike anyone out on the day. Garland has allowed at least three runs in a game in seven of his nine starts on the year and he has gone more than six innings only one time. Giants hitters have owned Garland in previous meetings with him as members of the Giants who have faced him are hitting for a combined .444 average in 63 at bats. Marco Scutaro, who has faced Garland the most, is hitting .480 with 12 hits in 25 at bats. Gregor Blanco is a perfect 3-3 against Garland with three RBI.
Jon Garland (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Time may be limited for Jon Garland as a member of the Rockies as he has failed to be consistent this year and with the success that some of the younger arms are having at the minor league level, then it may be time to go with one of them.
Matt Cain has struggled this year and it all begins with the locations of his pitches. The former all star has failed to keep the ball down in the zone and the result has been a spike in the home run totals that he has allowed. Cain currently has a winning record at 3-2 but he is also sporting an ERA that is nearly two points higher than his career ERA. He still has great stuff, but has failed to hit his spots in some games which has caused him to get off to such a bad start on the year. Pitching in the NL West, Cain has had the chance to face the Rockies several times and has put up very good numbers as he has held current Rockies to a .228 combined average against him. Carlos Gonzalez has failed to get anything going against Cain in his career as he has just four hits in 35 at bats with 11 strikeouts. It is a similar story with Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton. Fowler has a career .174 average and Helton has just a .214 average. The one Rockies player that has had Matt Cain's number is Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo has faced Cain 56 times and has 19 hits including five doubles, one triple, four home runs and six RBI.
Matt Cain (Photo by Getty Images)
This will be a good match up as both pitchers are looking to have a start that they can build some momentum on moving forward with the season.
The San Francisco Giants lineup for the series finale today is as follows:
1. Gregor Blanco, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Andres Torres, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Matt Cain, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Nolan Arenado, 3B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Wilin Rosario, C
8. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
9. Jon Garland, P
First pitch for the game today is at 2:05 PM Mountain time.
Rockies Lose a Heart Breaker in San Fran
The Colorado Rockies looked like they had the game in hand as Troy Tulowitzki belted a go ahead home run in the 10th inning on Saturday, that was before a rarity happened in the bottom half of that inning. With the Rockies up by one Angel Pagan stepped up to the plate with a runner on second and one out. Pagan drove the ball to deep right center field and it bounced away from right fielder Michael Cuddyer. Pagan was running hard out of the box and was sent home by the third base coach and beat the relay throw to the plate. The Rockies lost 6-5 on a walk-off inside the park home run by Angel Pagan. This was the first time that a inside the park home run ended a game since 2004 when Rey Sanchez accomplished the feat for Tampa Bay on June 11th, 2004. Coincidentally that game was also a 10th inning walk off against the Rockies. According to Baseball Reference, there have been only 14 walk off inside the park home runs before Angel Pagan hit number 15 on Saturday afternoon.
The game looked promising from the start for the Rockies as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Giants with a home run by Carlos Gonzalez that splashed into McCovey Cove. They built their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning when Michael Cuddyer and Jordan Pacheco both had RBI hits. The Giants came roaring back as they scored three in the 6th and one in the seventh to tie the game up 4-4. The score remained that way until Tulowitzki hit a solo home run off of Sergio Romo in the 10th inning. After that Angel Pagan worked his magic in the bottom half of the tenth and the Giants walked off as winners and back into a three way tie for first place in the National League West division.
Rockies starter Juan Nicasio cruised through the first five innings of the game without allowing any runs but hit a road block in the sixth and gave up a couple of runs and was removed before recording an out. His line for the game was five innings with seven hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts. His counterpart Barry Zito did the best that he could with mediocre stuff on the day and fought his way through six innings giving up seven hits, four runs, one walk and struck out three. Sergio Romo worked the tenth inning for the Giants and despite giving up the solo home run to Tulowitzki was able to secure the victory and improve his record to 3-2 on the year with a 3.00 ERA. Rafael Betancourt took the loss on Saturday as he gave up two runs on one hit and one walk and was only able to record one out. His record is now 1-2 with a 2.55 ERA. Betancourt did not have his best stuff on the day and issued a rare lead off walk to Brandon Crawford which got the momentum going in the right direction for the Giants. This was the first blown save of the year for Rafael as he was a perfect 10-10 prior to today. He came out of the game earlier in the week with a tight right groin and his poor performance on Saturday leads some to believe that it may have played a part in the outcome of the game and perhaps was not right coming into the game.
The Rockies will be taking on the Giants in the rubber match of the series on Sunday afternoon. The starters for the game are Jon Garland (3-5, 5.19 ERA) for the Rockies against, Matt Cain (3-2, 5.12 ERA) for the Giants. First pitch for the series finale will be at 2:05 PM Mountain time.
The game looked promising from the start for the Rockies as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Giants with a home run by Carlos Gonzalez that splashed into McCovey Cove. They built their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning when Michael Cuddyer and Jordan Pacheco both had RBI hits. The Giants came roaring back as they scored three in the 6th and one in the seventh to tie the game up 4-4. The score remained that way until Tulowitzki hit a solo home run off of Sergio Romo in the 10th inning. After that Angel Pagan worked his magic in the bottom half of the tenth and the Giants walked off as winners and back into a three way tie for first place in the National League West division.
Rockies starter Juan Nicasio cruised through the first five innings of the game without allowing any runs but hit a road block in the sixth and gave up a couple of runs and was removed before recording an out. His line for the game was five innings with seven hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts. His counterpart Barry Zito did the best that he could with mediocre stuff on the day and fought his way through six innings giving up seven hits, four runs, one walk and struck out three. Sergio Romo worked the tenth inning for the Giants and despite giving up the solo home run to Tulowitzki was able to secure the victory and improve his record to 3-2 on the year with a 3.00 ERA. Rafael Betancourt took the loss on Saturday as he gave up two runs on one hit and one walk and was only able to record one out. His record is now 1-2 with a 2.55 ERA. Betancourt did not have his best stuff on the day and issued a rare lead off walk to Brandon Crawford which got the momentum going in the right direction for the Giants. This was the first blown save of the year for Rafael as he was a perfect 10-10 prior to today. He came out of the game earlier in the week with a tight right groin and his poor performance on Saturday leads some to believe that it may have played a part in the outcome of the game and perhaps was not right coming into the game.
The Rockies will be taking on the Giants in the rubber match of the series on Sunday afternoon. The starters for the game are Jon Garland (3-5, 5.19 ERA) for the Rockies against, Matt Cain (3-2, 5.12 ERA) for the Giants. First pitch for the series finale will be at 2:05 PM Mountain time.
Angel Pagan walk off inside the park home run against the Rockies 5/25/2013
(Video by Comcast Sports Net San Francisco)
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Rockies Vs Giants Game Preview: 5/25/2013
The Colorado Rockies are taking on the San Francisco Giants this afternoon in game two of their three game series in San Francisco. The Rockies took the opener against the Giants on Friday night 5-0 and will be looking to make it five straight wins against the Giants if they can secure a victory in the game today. Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton each had two hits last night, and the pitching staff shut out the Giants and limited them to only four hits total.
The match-up today features Juan Nicasio against Barry Zito. Nicasio is 4-1 with a 4.47 ERA. Zito is 3-3 with a 3.91 ERA. Nicasio is coming off of his best start on the year as the last time out he faced off with the Giants and went six innings allowing only three hits and no runs, while issuing only one walk and striking out five. Zito was the same pitcher on that day and was roughed up in 5 and 2/3rd innings. He gave up 11 hits and five runs while walking two and striking out four. Nicasio will be looking to build off of his strong start last time and make sure that he continues to show improvement to ensure that he has no chance that he is sent down when Jeff Francis is eligible to come off of the disabled list.
The Rockies hitters have hit Barry Zito fairly well throughout their match ups and combined as a team they are hitting .251 off of him. Both Wilin Rosario and Jonathan Herrera are batting a career .500 against Zito as they each are 4-8 against him. Carlos Gonzalez has 10 hits in 31 career (.323 average) at bats against Zito with one home run, one triple and seven RBI. Dexter Fowler has a career .296 average against Zito in 27 at bats. Two Rockies players who have struggled against Zito in their match ups have been Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton. Tulowitzki is 7-47 (.149 average) and has struck out 10 times against the crafty lefty. Helton is 5-27 (.185 average) with eight strikeouts. The Rockies will be looking to improve some of their numbers against Zito on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park.
The lineup for the Giants for today's game is as follows:
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Gregor Blanco, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Barry Zito, P
The Rockies will counter with the following lineup for the game today:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Nolan Arenado, 3B
7. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Juan Nicasio, P
First pitch for the game today is at 2:05 PM Mountain time.
The match-up today features Juan Nicasio against Barry Zito. Nicasio is 4-1 with a 4.47 ERA. Zito is 3-3 with a 3.91 ERA. Nicasio is coming off of his best start on the year as the last time out he faced off with the Giants and went six innings allowing only three hits and no runs, while issuing only one walk and striking out five. Zito was the same pitcher on that day and was roughed up in 5 and 2/3rd innings. He gave up 11 hits and five runs while walking two and striking out four. Nicasio will be looking to build off of his strong start last time and make sure that he continues to show improvement to ensure that he has no chance that he is sent down when Jeff Francis is eligible to come off of the disabled list.
The Rockies hitters have hit Barry Zito fairly well throughout their match ups and combined as a team they are hitting .251 off of him. Both Wilin Rosario and Jonathan Herrera are batting a career .500 against Zito as they each are 4-8 against him. Carlos Gonzalez has 10 hits in 31 career (.323 average) at bats against Zito with one home run, one triple and seven RBI. Dexter Fowler has a career .296 average against Zito in 27 at bats. Two Rockies players who have struggled against Zito in their match ups have been Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton. Tulowitzki is 7-47 (.149 average) and has struck out 10 times against the crafty lefty. Helton is 5-27 (.185 average) with eight strikeouts. The Rockies will be looking to improve some of their numbers against Zito on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park.
The lineup for the Giants for today's game is as follows:
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Gregor Blanco, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Barry Zito, P
The Rockies will counter with the following lineup for the game today:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Nolan Arenado, 3B
7. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Juan Nicasio, P
First pitch for the game today is at 2:05 PM Mountain time.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Rockies Win Opener Against Giants
The Colorado Rockies marched into AT&T Park in San Francisco on Friday night and were not very kind to their hosts in the opening game of the series on Friday night. Tyler Chatwood continued his dominance at the Major League level as he shut the Giants offense down all night and the Rockies secured the victory 5-0. On the night Tyler Chatwood threw six innings allowing just four hits and no runs while walking one batter and striking out four. He threw only 88 pitches on the night but that was all that the Rockies needed out of him on the evening. Chatwood improved to 3-0 on the season and lowered his season ERA to 1.90. Tim Lincecum took the loss on the night and dropped to 3-4 on the season with a 4.75 ERA. Lincecum is 0-2 in his last two starts and has allowed 10 earned runs in 12 innings pitched, both starts were against the Rockies.
Offensively the Rockies were led by Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer did not waste any time getting back into the swing of things as he was activated from the disabled list on Friday before the game. He finished the night 2-4 with a home run and a double and had three RBI. Todd Helton and Carlos Gonzalez also had two hits each and Cargo put an exclamation point on the scoring efforts by the Rockies when he smashed a home run in the eighth inning off of Sandy Rosario.
It was a strong effort by the Rockies throughout the game as they desperately wanted to end their nine game losing streak at AT&T Park. They ended that streak in fashion as they shut out the Giants and remained in a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the division as they also won on Friday night. Game two of the series in San Francisco will be an afternoon affair, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 PM Mountain time. The starting pitchers for game two are Juan Nicasio (4-1, 4.47 ERA) for the Rockies against Barry Zito (3-3, 3.91 ERA) for the Giants. The Rockies have now won four straight games against the Giants after they ended their 10 game losing streak against them a week ago at Coors Field.
Tyler Chatwood pitching against the Giants 5/24/2013 (Photo by: Getty Images)
Offensively the Rockies were led by Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer did not waste any time getting back into the swing of things as he was activated from the disabled list on Friday before the game. He finished the night 2-4 with a home run and a double and had three RBI. Todd Helton and Carlos Gonzalez also had two hits each and Cargo put an exclamation point on the scoring efforts by the Rockies when he smashed a home run in the eighth inning off of Sandy Rosario.
Michael Cuddyer congratulated by Stu Cole after home run in the sixth inning 5/24/2013
(Photo by:Getty Images)
It was a strong effort by the Rockies throughout the game as they desperately wanted to end their nine game losing streak at AT&T Park. They ended that streak in fashion as they shut out the Giants and remained in a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the division as they also won on Friday night. Game two of the series in San Francisco will be an afternoon affair, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 PM Mountain time. The starting pitchers for game two are Juan Nicasio (4-1, 4.47 ERA) for the Rockies against Barry Zito (3-3, 3.91 ERA) for the Giants. The Rockies have now won four straight games against the Giants after they ended their 10 game losing streak against them a week ago at Coors Field.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Rockies Win Game, and Series against Diamondbacks
The Colorado Rockies took the series finale against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday by the score of 4-1. Jorge De La Rosa picked up the victory to improve to 6-3 on the season with a 3.40 ERA. He finished the day going 5 1/3rd innings allowing six hits and one run, while walking two and striking out five. De La Rosa struggled with his command a bit and had a few long at bats that drove his pitch count above 100 by the time that he exited the game. His counterpart Trevor Cahill struggled in the first couple of innings especially against the heart of the Rockies order. Cahill finished the day after six innings and he allowed seven hits and four runs, while walking none and striking out only one. The scoring on the day was finished after a Wil Nieves double in the fourth inning for the D-Backs but by that time the Rockies had put four on the board and that is where the final score would stand. Rex Brothers secured his first save of the season and his second career save as normal closer Rafael Betancourt was sidelined due to a sore groin which caused him to exit last night's game early. Betancourt is currently being evaluated but the club hopes that he will avoid a stint on the disabled list, but time will tell as this type of injury can linger if not properly healed before testing it out again.
Carlos Gonzales hit his 11th home run in the first inning which was a solo shot and was followed by back to back doubles by Dexter Fowler and Nolan Arenado which pushed the lead to 2-0 after one inning of play. Gonzales came up for his next plate appearance in the third inning and ripped a triple down the right field line that scored DJ LeMahieu. Later in the inning Cargo scored on a wild pitch by Trevor Cahill. On the day the Rockies finished with four runs on seven hits and did not commit any errors defensively. They held the Diamondbacks to one run while scattering eight hits.
The Rockies have an off day on Thursday before traveling to San Francisco to take on the Giants in a three game series starting on Friday. The Rockies have not had much luck in San Francisco in the last couple of years but after taking three out of four games from the Giants at Coors Field less than a week ago they feel that they have momentum on their side. At the end of the day today the Rockies, Giants and Diamondbacks are all tied for first place in the National League West. It should be a fun ride for the rest of the season.
Carlos Gonzales hit his 11th home run in the first inning which was a solo shot and was followed by back to back doubles by Dexter Fowler and Nolan Arenado which pushed the lead to 2-0 after one inning of play. Gonzales came up for his next plate appearance in the third inning and ripped a triple down the right field line that scored DJ LeMahieu. Later in the inning Cargo scored on a wild pitch by Trevor Cahill. On the day the Rockies finished with four runs on seven hits and did not commit any errors defensively. They held the Diamondbacks to one run while scattering eight hits.
The Rockies have an off day on Thursday before traveling to San Francisco to take on the Giants in a three game series starting on Friday. The Rockies have not had much luck in San Francisco in the last couple of years but after taking three out of four games from the Giants at Coors Field less than a week ago they feel that they have momentum on their side. At the end of the day today the Rockies, Giants and Diamondbacks are all tied for first place in the National League West. It should be a fun ride for the rest of the season.
Game Preview: Rockies Vs. Diamondbacks 5/22/2013
The Colorado Rockies will be facing off with the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon in the rubber match of their three game series. After losing the first game of the series 5-1, the Rockies defeated the D-Backs yesterday by the score of 5-4 in 10 innings. Wilin Rosario played hero last night as he drove in the game winning run on a single that was laced down the right field line. Wilton Lopez picked up his first win of the season in relief and Former Rockies pitcher Matt Reynolds took his second loss of the season.
The match up for today's game pits Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 3.58 ERA) for the Rockies against, Trevor Cahill (2.48 ERA) for the Diamondbacks. De La Rosa will be looking to secure his sixth win on the year and his fourth consecutive victory. His last start was sub par as he went five innings allowing nine hits and five runs, but was still able to get the victory as the Rockies offense put up 10 runs against the Giants and were able to hold on for a 10-9 victory. Cahill should not be judged just based on his below .500 record. He has been a great option for the D-Backs this year and has a better than average ERA at 2.48. He had a stellar start last time out against the Marlins as he went eight innings allowing five hits and one run en route to his third victory on the year. He has gone at least seven innings in five of his last seven starts.
The lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks for the season finale is as follows:
1. AJ Pollock, CF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Cody Ross, LF
5. Gerardo Parra, RF
6. Martin Prado, 3B
7. Wil Nieves, C
8. Josh Wilson, 2B
9. Trevor Cahill
The Colorado Rockies lineup for the Wednesday matinee is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, RF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Dexter Fowler, CF
5. Nolan Arenado, 3B
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Yorvit Torrealba, C
8. Jonathan Herrera, SS
9. Jorge De La Rosa, P
First pitch for the game today is at 1:10 PM Mountain time.
The match up for today's game pits Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 3.58 ERA) for the Rockies against, Trevor Cahill (2.48 ERA) for the Diamondbacks. De La Rosa will be looking to secure his sixth win on the year and his fourth consecutive victory. His last start was sub par as he went five innings allowing nine hits and five runs, but was still able to get the victory as the Rockies offense put up 10 runs against the Giants and were able to hold on for a 10-9 victory. Cahill should not be judged just based on his below .500 record. He has been a great option for the D-Backs this year and has a better than average ERA at 2.48. He had a stellar start last time out against the Marlins as he went eight innings allowing five hits and one run en route to his third victory on the year. He has gone at least seven innings in five of his last seven starts.
The lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks for the season finale is as follows:
1. AJ Pollock, CF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Cody Ross, LF
5. Gerardo Parra, RF
6. Martin Prado, 3B
7. Wil Nieves, C
8. Josh Wilson, 2B
9. Trevor Cahill
The Colorado Rockies lineup for the Wednesday matinee is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, RF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Dexter Fowler, CF
5. Nolan Arenado, 3B
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Yorvit Torrealba, C
8. Jonathan Herrera, SS
9. Jorge De La Rosa, P
First pitch for the game today is at 1:10 PM Mountain time.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Rockies Win in Extra Innings against Diamondbacks
The Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in dramatic fashion tonight and drew one game closer to the lead for the NL West division. It took extra innings to finish off the D-Backs but a win is a win no matter when you get it. Jhoulys Chacin pitched great for six innings and then the wheels fell off in the 7th for him. After six innings he had allowed only one hit and was cruising along through the Diamondbacks order, but in the seventh inning a couple of walks and a couple of hits had the game tied and Chacin heading for the showers after seeing his victory slip through his fingers. The Rockies bullpen stopped the bleeding and was able to hold the Diamondbacks for the rest of the game. Wilton Lopez picked up the win for the Rockies while former Rockies pitcher Matt Reynolds took the loss.
Troy Tulowitzki went 2-4 with a solo home run in the third inning, his ninth on the year. Wilin Rosario also had two hits and came up with the walk off RBI single in the 10th inning. All in all the Rockies ended the game with five runs on ten hits and they held the Diamondbacks to four runs on five hits.
The Rockies will finish their home stand tomorrow afternoon against the Diamondbacks with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM Mountain time. The starting pitchers for tomorrow's game are Jorge De La Rosa for the Rockies and Trevor Cahill for the D-Backs.
Troy Tulowitzki went 2-4 with a solo home run in the third inning, his ninth on the year. Wilin Rosario also had two hits and came up with the walk off RBI single in the 10th inning. All in all the Rockies ended the game with five runs on ten hits and they held the Diamondbacks to four runs on five hits.
The Rockies will finish their home stand tomorrow afternoon against the Diamondbacks with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM Mountain time. The starting pitchers for tomorrow's game are Jorge De La Rosa for the Rockies and Trevor Cahill for the D-Backs.
Rockies Vs. Diamondbacks Game Preview 5/21/2013
The Colorado Rockies will be taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks for game two of the series on Tuesday night. The D-Backs took care of business Monday night as Patrick Corbin threw a complete game three hitter en route to a 5-1 victory. Jhoulys Chacin will look to harness the D-Backs offense on Tuesday night as he will be facing Ian Kennedy. Chacin (3-3, 4.07 ERA) will be looking to shake off his last start against San Francisco in which he went 5 1/3rd innings allowing eight runs on nine hits. He will be looking to keep his cool tonight, and make sure that he gives his team a chance for the victory. Kennedy (2-3, 4.88 ERA) is coming off of a victory in his last start after going five innings allowing three runs against the Braves.
The lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks for tonight's game against the Rockies is as follows:
1. Gerardo Parra, CF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul GoldSchmidt, 1B
4. Eric Chavez, 3B
5. Cody Ross, RF
6. Jason Kubel, LF
7. Martin Prado, 2B
8. Miguel Montero, C
9. Ian Kennedy, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Charlie Blackmon, RF
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. DJ LeMahieu
9. Jhoulys Chacin
First pitch for the game tonight is at 6:40 PM Mountain time.
The lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks for tonight's game against the Rockies is as follows:
1. Gerardo Parra, CF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul GoldSchmidt, 1B
4. Eric Chavez, 3B
5. Cody Ross, RF
6. Jason Kubel, LF
7. Martin Prado, 2B
8. Miguel Montero, C
9. Ian Kennedy, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Charlie Blackmon, RF
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. DJ LeMahieu
9. Jhoulys Chacin
First pitch for the game tonight is at 6:40 PM Mountain time.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Rockies Drop Game to D-Backs on Monday Night
The Colorado Rockies ran into a buzz saw that goes by the name of Patrick Corbin on Monday night at Coors Field. Corbin was fantastic on the night limiting the potent Rockies offense to just three hits and one run in a complete game effort which the Diamondbacks won 5-1. He struck out a season high 10 batters on the night and looked nearly untouchable from the beginning of the game. Easily the best start of the young career of Patrick Corbin. He is now 7-0 on the year with a 1.44 ERA.
The Diamondbacks also had a stellar offensive night as they pounded out 16 hits. Every Diamondback starter except Patrick Corbin had at least one hit on the night. Didi Gregorius, Eric Chvez and AJ Pollick each had three hits on the night while Jason Kubel and Miguel Montero both added two hits. The Rockies were outplayed both offensively and defensively on the night which is the reason that the game ended the way that it did.
The Rockies will look to get it going again on Tuesday night as they will be sending Jhoulys Chacin (3-3, 4.07 ERA) to the mound to face off against Ian Kennedy (2-3, 4.88 ERA). First pitch tomorrow night is at 6:40 PM mountain time.
Patrick Corbin throwing against the Rockies (Photo by: AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey)
The Diamondbacks also had a stellar offensive night as they pounded out 16 hits. Every Diamondback starter except Patrick Corbin had at least one hit on the night. Didi Gregorius, Eric Chvez and AJ Pollick each had three hits on the night while Jason Kubel and Miguel Montero both added two hits. The Rockies were outplayed both offensively and defensively on the night which is the reason that the game ended the way that it did.
The Rockies will look to get it going again on Tuesday night as they will be sending Jhoulys Chacin (3-3, 4.07 ERA) to the mound to face off against Ian Kennedy (2-3, 4.88 ERA). First pitch tomorrow night is at 6:40 PM mountain time.
Rockies Vs. Diamondbacks Game Preview 5/20/2013
The Colorado Rockies will be putting their three game winning streak on the line Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks are heading into the game in first place in the National League West division with a record of 25-19. The Rockies are right on their heels with a 24-20 record and with a series win against the D-Backs then they will overtake them for first place. The Diamondbacks are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Rockies are 5-5 but they have won the last three games they have played.
The Diamondbacks are being led offensively by Paul Goldschmidt. The 25 year old leads the D-Backs in every major offensive category and has been extremely hot as of late. He has a .333 average with 12 home runs and 35 RBI. He is having a career year and is one of the main reasons that the Diamondbacks have been able to make some noise around the game. Eric Chavez has had a resurgence as the third baseman for the D-Backs and is hitting .330 on the year with five home runs. The D-Backs also have a young phenom at shortstop in Didi Gregorius. Gregorius has done nothing but hit since he was called up to the Major Leagues and has an average right now of .354 with three home runs. He is an intriguing player both offensively and defensively. Everyone knew that he could play great defense and he has a rocket arm, but people are surprised that he is hitting as well as he is. In five plus minor league seasons his career average is only .267 with only 23 home runs. Everyone is waiting for him to cool off but he continues to rake at the plate and his stock is quickly rising.
The Diamondbacks also have a surprise on the mound. Patrick Corbin was not supposed to be in the starting rotation but Kirk Gibson surprised everyone when Corbin was named the fifth starter coming out of Spring Training. Gibson must have known something because Corbin has been lights out on the mound. He has compiled a 6-0 record with a 1.52 ERA and a very impressive 1.07 WHIP. He has been the most consistent starter for the Diamondbacks and the 23 year old is quickly becoming a household name around the league. Tevor Cahill has also been very good for the D-backs but has not received much run support on the year which would explain his record. Cahill is 3-4 with a 2.48 ERA on the season. Former San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell has taken the reigns for the D-backs and is in charge of shutting down games after the injury to JJ Putz. He has been good closing games and has six saves on the year.
The match up for the series opener has Jon Garland facing off with Patrick Corbin. Corbin is looking for his seventh victory on the season and is also looking to remain perfect on the year. His counterpart Jon Garland will be looking to get his record back to .500 as he is 3-4 on the season.
The lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Gerardo Parra, RF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Eric Chavez, 3B
5. Martin Prado, 2B
6. Jason Kubel, LF
7. Miguel Montero, C
8. AJ Pollick, CF
9. Patrick Corbin, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, RF
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Josh Rutledge, 2B
9. Jon Garland, P
First pitch for the game tonight is at 6:40 PM mountain time.
The Diamondbacks are being led offensively by Paul Goldschmidt. The 25 year old leads the D-Backs in every major offensive category and has been extremely hot as of late. He has a .333 average with 12 home runs and 35 RBI. He is having a career year and is one of the main reasons that the Diamondbacks have been able to make some noise around the game. Eric Chavez has had a resurgence as the third baseman for the D-Backs and is hitting .330 on the year with five home runs. The D-Backs also have a young phenom at shortstop in Didi Gregorius. Gregorius has done nothing but hit since he was called up to the Major Leagues and has an average right now of .354 with three home runs. He is an intriguing player both offensively and defensively. Everyone knew that he could play great defense and he has a rocket arm, but people are surprised that he is hitting as well as he is. In five plus minor league seasons his career average is only .267 with only 23 home runs. Everyone is waiting for him to cool off but he continues to rake at the plate and his stock is quickly rising.
The Diamondbacks also have a surprise on the mound. Patrick Corbin was not supposed to be in the starting rotation but Kirk Gibson surprised everyone when Corbin was named the fifth starter coming out of Spring Training. Gibson must have known something because Corbin has been lights out on the mound. He has compiled a 6-0 record with a 1.52 ERA and a very impressive 1.07 WHIP. He has been the most consistent starter for the Diamondbacks and the 23 year old is quickly becoming a household name around the league. Tevor Cahill has also been very good for the D-backs but has not received much run support on the year which would explain his record. Cahill is 3-4 with a 2.48 ERA on the season. Former San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell has taken the reigns for the D-backs and is in charge of shutting down games after the injury to JJ Putz. He has been good closing games and has six saves on the year.
The match up for the series opener has Jon Garland facing off with Patrick Corbin. Corbin is looking for his seventh victory on the season and is also looking to remain perfect on the year. His counterpart Jon Garland will be looking to get his record back to .500 as he is 3-4 on the season.
The lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Gerardo Parra, RF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Eric Chavez, 3B
5. Martin Prado, 2B
6. Jason Kubel, LF
7. Miguel Montero, C
8. AJ Pollick, CF
9. Patrick Corbin, P
The Colorado Rockies lineup for tonight's game is as follows:
1. Eric Young Jr, RF
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Josh Rutledge, 2B
9. Jon Garland, P
First pitch for the game tonight is at 6:40 PM mountain time.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Rockies Get Series Win With Victory on Sunday
The Colorado Rockies secured their first series victory against the San Francisco Giants in over two years when they beat them 5-0 on Sunday afternoon. The Rockies pitching staff led by Juan Nicasio were able to shut down the Giants offense throughout the entire game. Nicasio easily had his best start of the year going six innings allowing three hits, no runs, one walk and struck out five batters. Something that he failed to do in other starts on the year was to keep his pitch count down which forced him to exit several games earlier than he would have liked. On Sunday he was able to control the counts in his favor and after six innings he had only thrown 89 pitches. This is a good sign for Nicasio and his job security in the immediate future. Prior to his start people were questioning if Nicasio belonged in the starting rotation. Some people were saying that Nicasio would benefit more from some time in the minor leagues so that he could work on his command and develop his slider into more of an out pitch. He was able to silence the critics on Sunday and helped secure the Rockies victory.
Offensively the Rockies continued their hot streak as they pounded out 14 hits on the day. Every Rockies position player that started the game had at least one hit. Dexter Fowler is starting to heat up again and on Sunday he had four hits in five plate appearances. The only extra base hit on the day was by Carlos Gonzalez who doubled off of Barry Zito for one of his two hits on the day. DJ LeMahieu and Eric Young Jr. also had two hits on the day to help fuel the offense.
The Rockies will be welcoming in the first place Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night to begin a three game set. They will be looking to continue their hot streak and move ahead of the snakes in the division.
Offensively the Rockies continued their hot streak as they pounded out 14 hits on the day. Every Rockies position player that started the game had at least one hit. Dexter Fowler is starting to heat up again and on Sunday he had four hits in five plate appearances. The only extra base hit on the day was by Carlos Gonzalez who doubled off of Barry Zito for one of his two hits on the day. DJ LeMahieu and Eric Young Jr. also had two hits on the day to help fuel the offense.
The Rockies will be welcoming in the first place Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night to begin a three game set. They will be looking to continue their hot streak and move ahead of the snakes in the division.
Juan Nicasio pitching in the game on Sunday against the Giants (Photo by: AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Rockies vs. Giants Preview 5/19/2013
The Colorado Rockies have finally gotten over the hump in a couple of different ways. The Rockies broke their losing streak against the Giants when they defeated them on Friday night 10-9. The Rockies then followed up that victory with another one on Saturday night, this time beating them 10-2. The victory marked the first time that the Rockies had back to back victories against the Giants in over two years. The victory also marked the first time that the Rockies had back to back victories since April 19th and 20th. They will be looking to continue their winning ways as they head into the series finale against the Giants today.
The matchup on the mound today will be Juan Nicasio (3-1, 5.13 ERA) against crafty lefty Barry Zito (3-2, 3.40 ERA). Zito has seemingly had the Rockies number in the past couple of years. He keeps the hitters off balance and will try to lull the hitters asleep at the plate and then drop his big breaking curve ball for a swing and miss pitch. The Rockies offense has scored 10 runs in each of the past two games and they will be looking for a similar result on Sunday afternoon.
The San Francisco Giants lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Brandon Crawford, SS
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Hunter Pence, RF
5. Brandon Belt, 1B
6. Gregor Blanco, LF
7. Guillermo Quiroz, C
8. Nick Noonan, 2B
9. Barry Zito
The Colorado Rockies will counter with this lineup for the Sunday finale:
1. Eric Young Jr, RF
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
6. DJ LeMahieu, 3B
7. Josh Rutledge, 2B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Juan Nicasio, P
The matchup on the mound today will be Juan Nicasio (3-1, 5.13 ERA) against crafty lefty Barry Zito (3-2, 3.40 ERA). Zito has seemingly had the Rockies number in the past couple of years. He keeps the hitters off balance and will try to lull the hitters asleep at the plate and then drop his big breaking curve ball for a swing and miss pitch. The Rockies offense has scored 10 runs in each of the past two games and they will be looking for a similar result on Sunday afternoon.
The San Francisco Giants lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Brandon Crawford, SS
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Hunter Pence, RF
5. Brandon Belt, 1B
6. Gregor Blanco, LF
7. Guillermo Quiroz, C
8. Nick Noonan, 2B
9. Barry Zito
The Colorado Rockies will counter with this lineup for the Sunday finale:
1. Eric Young Jr, RF
2. Dexter Fowler, CF
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
6. DJ LeMahieu, 3B
7. Josh Rutledge, 2B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Juan Nicasio, P
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Rockies Smash Giants 10-2
The Colorado Rockies routed the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night at Coors Field. The Rockies offense came alive in the victory and knocked Tim Lincecum around in the process. The Rockies were lead by Troy Tulowitzki, Dexter Fowler and Wilin Rosario. Tulowitzki ended the night going 4 for 5 with a double, one run scored and two RBI. Dexter Fowler went 3 for 5 with a double, three runs and two RBI. Wilin Rosario delivered a big blow off of Lincecum as he took him deep to left field in the fifth inning for a two run shot. Rosario finished the game with two hits and three RBI. It was nice to see the Rockies get some timely hits for a change. The Rockies finished the game 7 for 14 (50%) with runners in scoring position and they also came up with some clutch two out RBI from Tyler Chatwood, Troy Tulowitzki, and Wilin Rosario.
The Rockies got another good start from Tyler Chatwood as he is replacing Jeff Francis while he is on the disabled list. Chatwood went 5 2/3rd innings allowing seven hits, one run, four walks and struck out four batters. He was a little erratic at times but he was able to limit the damage when he had base runners on. Chatwood is now 2-0 on the season, and he lowered his season ERA to 2.55. The only knock on his start tonight was that he failed to work ahead of the hitters consistently. He threw a first pitch strike to 13 of 26 batters faced on the day (50%). When he has his best stuff he will throw first pitch strikes to around 75% of hitters but like I said he was able to limit the damage and that is all that really matters.
Chatwood's counterpart, Tim Lincecum, did not fare as well tonight and took the loss against the Rockies. Lincecum never looked comfortable on the mound tonight and that showed in some of his pitch locations to some of the Rockies best hitters. Lincecum finished the night going five innings allowing seven hits, six runs, 2 walks, and struck out four. Lincecum is now 3-3 on the year and his season ERA is now 4.70.
The Rockies have scored twenty runs in the past two games and it looks like they have finally put their dreadful offensive performance from the last road trip behind them. This win also is the first time that the Rockies have gotten back to back victories against the Giants in over two years. The series finale will see Juan Nicasio (3-1, 5.13 ERA) against crafty lefty Barry Zito (3-2, 3.40 ERA). The Rockies will be looking to secure their first series victory since they took two of three games against the Dodgers back on April 29th-May 1st. First pitch for Sunday's game is at 2:10 PM Mountain time.
Rockies Vs. Giants Game Three
The Colorado Rockies will look to remain flying high after last nights thrilling victory over the Giants. They battled all night and were able to slam the door shut when Rafael Betancourt struck out the side to put an exclamation point on a 10-9 victory. The Rockies had 11 hits on the night. Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, Wilin Rosario and Jordan Pacheco had two hits a piece. The biggest hit of course was when Jordan Pacheco took Madison Bumgarner deep to left for a grand slam in the fifth inning. It was a no doubter and it fired up both the fans and the Rockies players for the rest of the game. It was a statement hit for Pacheco who has seen limited playing time this season even though he was one of the most consistent Rockies last year and finished the season hitting well over .300. He belongs on the field and last night he made a case for it.
Tonight the Rockies will be facing two time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum, affectionately nicknamed "The Freak", who is still trying to regain that elite form. On the year Lincecum is 3-2 with a 4.07 ERA. The Rockies will counter with Tyler Chatwood who is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Chatwood has made two starts on the year and his last start against the Dodgers on April 29th was fantastic. In that start he went six innings allowing five hits, no runs, no walks and five strikeouts. He was also an offensive star in the game as he collected three hits and two RBI. He was sent down after that start and continued to pitch very well at the AAA level which warranted another call up when Jeff Francis needed to be placed on the disabled list. The Rockies will be looking to give The Freak an early exit from the game today.
The Giants lineup for the third game of the series is as follows:
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Gregor Blanco, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Tim Lincecum, P
The Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Josh Rutledge, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Charlie Blackmon, RF
9. Tyler Chatwood, P
First pitch for the game tonight is scheduled for 6:10 PM Mountain time. After breaking the 10 game losing streak to the Giants, they will be looking to build a similar winning streak against them tonight. Fireworks could be on the agenda again at Coors Field.
Tonight the Rockies will be facing two time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum, affectionately nicknamed "The Freak", who is still trying to regain that elite form. On the year Lincecum is 3-2 with a 4.07 ERA. The Rockies will counter with Tyler Chatwood who is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Chatwood has made two starts on the year and his last start against the Dodgers on April 29th was fantastic. In that start he went six innings allowing five hits, no runs, no walks and five strikeouts. He was also an offensive star in the game as he collected three hits and two RBI. He was sent down after that start and continued to pitch very well at the AAA level which warranted another call up when Jeff Francis needed to be placed on the disabled list. The Rockies will be looking to give The Freak an early exit from the game today.
The Giants lineup for the third game of the series is as follows:
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Gregor Blanco, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Tim Lincecum, P
The Rockies lineup for today's game is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Josh Rutledge, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzales, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Todd Helton, 1B
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B
8. Charlie Blackmon, RF
9. Tyler Chatwood, P
First pitch for the game tonight is scheduled for 6:10 PM Mountain time. After breaking the 10 game losing streak to the Giants, they will be looking to build a similar winning streak against them tonight. Fireworks could be on the agenda again at Coors Field.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Rockies Break Streak Against Giants
The Colorado Rockies ended a 10-game losing streak against the division rival Giants in a a 10-9 victory on Friday night. The score reflects an old fashioned pre-humidor game at Coors Field as both offenses had outbursts. It was a sloppy game from both sides as the Giants had four errors and the Rockies had one. Both teams had double digit hits, Rockies had 11 hits and the Giants had 15 hits. Prior to the start of the game many people thought that this game was going to be a pitchers duel between Jorge De La Rosa and Madison Bumgarner as both pitchers had sub three ERA's entering the game. That was definitely not the case as neither pitcher made it past five innings. Bumgarner went 4.2 innings allowing eight hits, nine runs (seven earned runs), two walks and struck out four. De La Rosa went five innings allowing nine hits, five runs, with one walk and one strikeout. The Win for the Rockies was the first win against the Giants since September 10th of last year (10 straight losses).
Jordan Pacheco was the offensive hero of the night for the Rockies as he delivered the big blow when he hit his first career Grand Slam off of Madison Bumgarner in the fifth inning. The Rockies built the lead to 10-5 and then held onto the lead and ended up winning by just one. The Rockies showed a lot of fight throughout the night especially after going down 4-0 and having to face one of the premier lefty arms in the game in Bumgarner. They fought back and showed the heart that is needed in order to become a championship team. As long as the players on this team never lose that attitude then they have a real shot at making some noise later on in the season. Tonight was a big win for the Rockies and one that will hopefully propel them on to a good stretch of games against their divisional opponents.
Jordan Pacheco was the offensive hero of the night for the Rockies as he delivered the big blow when he hit his first career Grand Slam off of Madison Bumgarner in the fifth inning. The Rockies built the lead to 10-5 and then held onto the lead and ended up winning by just one. The Rockies showed a lot of fight throughout the night especially after going down 4-0 and having to face one of the premier lefty arms in the game in Bumgarner. They fought back and showed the heart that is needed in order to become a championship team. As long as the players on this team never lose that attitude then they have a real shot at making some noise later on in the season. Tonight was a big win for the Rockies and one that will hopefully propel them on to a good stretch of games against their divisional opponents.
Minor League Report: Tulsa Drillers
Offensively the Drillers have struggled to get going early on and they only have one player who is hitting above .300. That player is Angelys Nina who is batting .302 with three home runs and 15 RBI. The 24 year old second baseman also has two triples and nine doubles in 34 games played. Second on the team in average is Kyle Parker who is batting .272 with eight home runs and 19 RBI. The 23 year old former football star at Clemson now roams in right field and is a huge power threat every time he steps up to the plate. Leading the team in RBI is 25 year old first baseman Kiel Roling who has driven in 22 runs on the year. He also has seven home runs and seven doubles. Some other players to keep an eye on are left fielder Delta Cleary Jr. and first baseman Henry Wrigley.
Kyle Parker (Photo by: Tulsa Drillers Facebook page)
On the mound the Drillers are led by Christian Bergman and Chad Bettis as they each have two victories on the year. Bergman is 2-2 on the year with a 3.28 ERA on the year. He has 37 strikeouts and has shown great command and only walked eight hitters in 46 2/3rds innings pitched. Bettis also has a 2-2 record with a 4.00 ERA. He has struck out more than a hitter per inning as he has 37 strikeouts in 36 innings. He also has very good command and has issued just five free passes. Other pitchers to watch for the Drillers are relievers Michael Solbach and Mike Marbry.
Chad Bettis (Photo by: Rich Crimi)
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