Worth Repeating: The Colorado Rockies 2008 and Beyond

[OregonDuck1989]

RF4E: I know, it was very comical when I saw it pop up I laughed. This gives us a real good shot at looking at what Stewart has though over at third.

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San Diego Padres (19-19 5 GB) at Colorado Rockies (21-15 2 GB) May 13-15

May 13-Mark Redman pitches the best game of his life. 8 and 2/3 innings with no runs and five hits. Hurdle pulls him because his arm is sore but what a day on the hill for Redman. Stewart goes 1 for 4 in his debut striking out once and scoring a run. Rockies 7 Padres 0

WP-Mark Redman (1-0)
HR-Todd Helton (4), Brad Hawpe (14)

May 14-Jeff Francis has a terrible day on the hill and even Holliday and Hawpe’s home runs can’t save us from a loss. Padres 9 Rockies 6
LP-Jeff Francis (3-4)
HR-Matt Holliday (9), Brad Hawpe (15)

(In good news we are Greg Maddux’s 350th win! Congratulations to Greg on that milestone)

May 15-Ian Stewart hits his first home run of the season and Aaron Cook rebounds from his first loss of the season with eight shutout innings and we take the series from San Diego in good fashion. Rockies 5 Padres 0
WP-Aaron Cook (8-1)
HR-Sean Barker (1), Brad Hawpe (16), Ian Stewart (1)

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Coming away from the Padres series…

As we welcome in the Florida Marlins (20-22) I’m encouraged by the play of our youngsters Stewart and Barker. Both hit a home run in their debut series (in the same game no less) and both have hit well so far. Hawpe hit a home run in every game that series and now leads the league in home runs. He’s also hitting .331 now this season and on a huge hot streak. We’ve decided not to trade him as long as were in contention.

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Florida Marlins (20-22 4 GB of NL East) at Colorado Rockies (23-16 1.5 GB) May 16-19

May 16-Ubaldo sprains his ankle in the first inning and we get plowed by the Marlins because of it. Marlins 14 Rockies 5

LP-Taylor Bucholz (0-1)
HR-Matt Holliday (10)

May 17-Brian Fuentes blows up in the eighth inning costing us another victory on a good performance by Franklin Morales. Frustration sets in. Marlins 8 Rockies 6

LP-Brian Fuentes (0-1)
HR-Jayson Nix (3)

May 18-Brad Hawpe hits a single in the bottom of the ninth to bring home the winning run and we take game three of this four game set and avoid and possibility of a four game sweep early. Rockies 9 Marlins 8
WP-Luis Vizcaino (3-3)
HR-Yorvit Torrealba (1), Sean Barker (2), Matt Holliday 2 (12)

May 19-Jeff Francis strains his rotator cuff and will be out for a week, Victor Zambrano will take his spot in the rotation, but we force the four game split with Florida off a Matt Holliday single in the bottom of the ninth to win it. Rockies 5 Marlins 4

WP-Jason Hirsh (1-1)
HR-Ian Stewart (2)

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Coming away from the Marlins series…

I’m happy to split the series after the first two games were frustrating. We’re still 2.5 GB of Arizona after the split and now we welcome the mediocre Dodgers in for a three game weekend set before we get a day off. For the most part its been another up and down month and I hope to get a sweep at some point this month to really make it and up month for us. Ian Stewart is still hitting .333 with two home runs (for the record Atkins had two home runs too). Brad Hawpe caught the flu during a colder game against the Marlins and he will sit out the Dodgers series in favor of Sean Barker.

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Los Angeles Dodgers (20-24 8 GB) at Colorado Rockies (25-18 2.5 GB) May 20-22

May 20-Matt Holliday has a four RBI game but Cook’s bad day on the hill overwhelms the offense and we drop the opener. Dodgers 10 Rockies 7

LP-Aaron Cook (8-2)
HR-Matt Holliday (13) Ryan Spilborghs (1)

May 21-Jason Schmidt and Victor Zambrano duel out to the bullpens…ours loses the battle. Dodgers 4 Rockies 3

LP-Victor Zambrano (0-1)
HR-Todd Helton (5)

May 22-Tulowitzki and Ianetta hit home runs and Franklin Morales picks up his fifth win of the season as we avoid the sweep. Rockies 7 Dodgers 5

WP-Franklin Morales (5-2)
HR-Troy Tulowitzki (9), Chris Ianetta (3)

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Coming away from the Dodgers series…

Not happy with the play of the team in that series at all. As we head to Chicago to face the White Sox Dan and I decide to put Sean Barker as the DH for these three games. Barker is hitting .333 in his short time up in the bigs and with Stewart at third we choose Barker over Jeff Baker. Also, the flu hits Jayson Nix and he will be out for the White Sox series. Luis A. Gonzalez will take his spot in the lineup. With dropping two out of three we have fallen one full game behind the Mets in the wild card. The Mets have won six in a row and are more then ready to leave us in the dust.

[OregonDuck1989]

Colorado Rockies (26-20 3.5 GB) at Chicago White Sox (18-31 13.5 GB of AL Central) May 24-26

May 24-Victor Zambrano implodes on us and the lowly White Sox drop 11 runs on us. White Sox 11 Rockies 2

LP-Victor Zambrano (0-2)

May 25-Mark Buehrle outduels Aaron Cook and one of the leagues worst team is making us look terrible. White Sox 5 Rockies 4

LP-Aaron Cook (8-3)
HR-Brad Hawpe (17)

May 26-An eighth inning run gives us the win and the sweep is avoided in Chicago. Rockies 5 White Sox 4

WP-Jason Hirsh (2-1)
SV-Manny Corpas (6)

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Coming away from the White Sox series…

Frustrating. That’s all I have to say that summarizes this series. The White Sox are one of the leagues worst teams and we just let them walk all over us. The fact we didn’t get swept is astounding we played terribly on all fronts in this series. Luckily, Jeff Francis is back from his sore cervical disk and we get our rotation back to normal (bye bye Victor Zambrano!). We now head back home to welcome the Twins and Giants for a quick six game home stand that rounds out the month of May.

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Minnesota Twins (26-25 8 GB) at Colorado Rockies (27-22 3.5 GB) May 28-30

May 28-Scott Baker shuts us down and month of May is officially a down month for the Rockies as we can’t seem to get anything going. Twins 4 Rockies 1

LP-Franklin Morales (5-3)
HR-Matt Holliday (14)

May 29-Jeff Francis’ debut goes terribly wrong and Kevin Slowey shuts out the offense. My frustration builds with each loss. Twins 6 Rockies 0

LP-Jeff Francis (3-5)

May 30-Matt Holliday hits two home runs and Aaron Cook wins his ninth game of the year. A good day to avoid the sweep. Rockies 5 Twins 2

WP-Aaron Cook (9-3)
SV-Manny Corpas (7)
HR-Matt Holliday 2 (16), Ryan Spilborghs (2), Chris Ianetta (4)

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Coming away from the Twins series…

Ugh. Hopefully we can beat up on the Giants. Were falling off the pace in both races. 4.5 behind Arizona. 1.5 behind New York for the Wild Card. We need to start playing good baseball.

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San Francisco Giants (18-37 16 GB) at Colorado Rockies (28-24 4.5 GB) May 31-June 2\

May 31-Ubaldo pitches well and we beat up on the Giants and gain a game on Arizona. Rockies 6 Giants 1

WP-Ubaldo Jimenez (4-2)
HR-Troy Tulowitzki (10)

June 1-The offense goes off on Giants pitching and we take game two of the series in huge blowout fashion. Rockies 12 Giants 0

WP-Franklin Morales (6-3)
HR-Troy Tulowitzki (11)

June 2-The most unlikely pitching duel of the year: Mark Redman vs. Barry Zito. Redman loses it though and the Giants avoid the sweep. Giants 3 Rockies 2

LP-Jason Hirsh (2-2)

[rockiesfan4ever]

How did you get Francis back in May?

[OregonDuck1989]

This is 2008.

[rockiesfan4ever]

Oh yea LOL

[OregonDuck1989]

Baseball May Round Up

ASTROS COME BACK TO EARTH

The Houston Astros went from 18-8 in the month of April to 26-28 two days into June. The play of Roy Oswalt has deteriorated with the teams. He is 0-4 in the month of May with an era above 6 in the month, if the Astros can’t turn it around this month will be written as devastating, but the current ten game losing streak doesn’t show any improvement soon.

HAWPE, HOLLIDAY HAVE OFFENSIVE EXPLOSIONS

In the National League, two names keep popping up on batting lists. Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday. The two outfielders have 17 and 16 home runs respectively and are anchoring a Rockies offense that is now being called the “Big H” offense thanks to Helton, Holliday and Hawpe.

GRIFFEY HITS NUMBER 600 BONDS KNOCKS IN NUMBER 2000!

On May 1, Ken Griffey Jr became the sixth member of the 600 home run club in baseball’s long history and solidified himself as one of the games greatest players of all time. Two days later, the home run king himself knocked in his 2000th RBI becoming only the third player in history to do that behind Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. The milestones were celebrated across baseball even as Bonds faces steroid accusations and ridicule.

PRINCE FIELDER A NAT!

On May 14th, in the biggest trade of the year Prince Fielder was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Washington Nationals in an eight player deal that also sent Chad Cordero to Milwaukee. Also sent to Milwaukee was pitcher Matt Chico and several other prospects for Fielder, aging third baseman Craig Counsell and relief pitcher David Riske. The Nationals hope the Fielder acquisition will lead to a contract signing and a major boost to their offense. Many Nationals fans went “HUH?”

AL WEST RENAMED AL WORST
The American League West, after the Angels, is the worst division in baseball. With three of the four teams involved under .500 the West is looking like the weakest division in baseball and continues to show it. Even the division leading Angels are on a five game losing streak but still remain nine games ahead in the division race.

AROUND THE LEAGUE…

Division Leaders:

ALE: Boston Red Sox (36-21) Baltimore Orioles (33-27 4.5 GB)
ALC: Detroit Tigers (39-20) Cleveland Indians (30-28 8.5 GB)
ALW:Los Angeles Angels (35-22) Texas Rangers (27-32 9 GB)
ALWC:Baltimore Orioles (33-27) New York Yankees (31-28 1.5 GB)
NLE: Atlanta Braves (38-20) New York Mets (32-24)
NLC:Cincinnati Reds (33-23) Pittsburgh Pirates (27-28 5.5 GB)
NLW: Arizona Diamondbacks (36-23) Colorado Rockies (30-25 4 GB)
NLWC:New York Mets (32-24) Colorado Rockies (30-25 1.5 GB)

LEADERS:

Batting Average: Mike Lowell BOS .370 (AL), Yunel Escobar ATL .350 (NL)
Home Runs: Grady Sizemore CLE 18 (AL), Brad Hawpe COL 17 (NL)
RBI: Mike Lowell BOS 55 (AL), Matt Holliday COL 55 (NL)
SB: Chone Figgins LAA 24 (AL), Juan Pierre 30 (NL)
Wins: Kenny Rogers DET 8 (AL), Aaron Cook COL 9 (NL)
ERA: Kevin Slowey MIN 1.83(AL), Tim Hudson ATL 2.23 (NL)
Ks: Scott Kazmir TB 87 (AL), Johan Santana NYM 102 (NL)
Saves: J.J. Putz SEA 19 (AL), Rafael Soriano ATL 21 (NL)

Colorado Baseball Round-Up May Version

Finish Month: 30-25 4 GB of Arizona and 1.5 GB of Wild Card

Team Leaders:

Batting Average: Troy Tulowitzki (.316)
Home Runs: Brad Hawpe (17)
RBI: Matt Holliday (55)
SB: Willy Taveras (22)
ERA: Franklin Morales (2.68)
Wins: Aaron Cook (9)
K: Franklin Morales (57)
Saves: Manny Corpas (7)

Coming away from May…

May was a slightly disappointing month. We went 14-13 in the month and most disconcerting is we are still 23 million over budget. From the looks of things if we don’t put ourselves in a better position playoff wise Dan and I could be walking out the door. The play of Hawpe, Holliday and Helton continue to impress me and Morales continuing his good pitching is encouraging. We just need to start stringing wins together, we need to sweep teams and start winning games within the division. June is a pivotal month, it usually separates contenders from pretenders. We have to choose, now. The Atkins front is looking bleak. The best offers so far have been from Philadelphia (who offered J.D. Durbin) and Pittsburgh (who offered second baseman Brian Friday) the Pirates were very interested in Atkins and the Friday talks went long into the month but seem to have broken down as the Pirates wanted a cash part and seeing as how we’re not exactly good on the budget department we didn’t go for that too well. We start June on the road at LA and in Philly.

[OregonDuck1989]

Team Stats:

Batting:

2008 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Atkins, Garrett           COL   36  .219   137   30   8   0   2   17   20    0   1   24   15  .321  .306
Baker, Jeff               COL   24  .292    24    7   0   1   2    0    6    0   0    5   10  .625  .292
Barker, Sean              COL   10  .250    36    9   0   0   2    1   10    1   0    6    4  .417  .263
Barmes, Clint             COL   13  .304    23    7   2   1   0    0    3    0   0    4    4  .478  .333
Buchholz, Taylor          COL   19  .143     7    1   0   0   0    0    4    0   0    1    0  .143  .143
Capellan, Jose            COL   18  .400     5    2   2   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    1  .800  .400
Cook, Aaron               COL   11  .160    25    4   0   0   0    2    8    1   0    2    1  .160  .222
Francis, Jeff             COL   10  .000    17    0   0   0   0    0    8    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Giles, Marcus             COL    2  .000     6    0   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Gonzalez, Luis A.         COL   10  .267    15    4   1   0   0    2    1    0   0    2    1  .333  .353
Hawpe, Brad               COL   50  .299   184   55  12   1  17   23   54    0   1   37   33  .652  .377
Helton, Todd              COL   55  .294   221   65   7   1   5   24   23    1   0   25   35  .403  .369
Hirsh, Jason              COL   20  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .250  .250
Holliday, Matt            COL   55  .313   214   67  11   1  16   14   37    2   0   34   55  .598  .363
Iannetta, Chris           COL   44  .336   137   46   5   0   4   16   37    0   0   19   23  .460  .421
Jimenez, Ubaldo           COL    9  .118    17    2   0   0   0    1    5    0   0    2    1  .118  .167
Morales, Franklin         COL   12  .200    30    6   0   0   0    0   12    0   1    2    4  .200  .200
Nix, Jayson               COL   51  .275   193   53  13   2   3   19   40    3   0   25   26  .409  .336
Redman, Mark              COL    5  .000     5    0   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Spilborghs, Ryan          COL   50  .326    92   30   6   0   2   14   19    2   4   17    8  .457  .422
Stewart, Ian              COL   17  .190    58   11   0   0   2    6   13    0   0    8    4  .293  .266
Taveras, Willy            COL   46  .302   172   52   9   0   0   16   30   22   6   31    9  .355  .378
Torrealba, Yorvit         COL   30  .217    69   15   1   0   1    9   22    0   1    8    8  .275  .316
Tulowitzki, Troy          COL   50  .316   206   65  14   1  11   21   44    3   1   45   45  .553  .390
Wells, Kip                COL    3  .000     3    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Zambrano, Victor          COL    1 1.000     1    1   1   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 2.000 1.000

Pitching:

2008 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Buchholz, Taylor          COL   33.0  4.36   19   1   0   1   1   17    6 12.82
Capellan, Jose            COL   29.2  7.58   18   1   1   0   0   25    9 15.17
Cook, Aaron               COL   83.0  3.90   12  12   9   3   0   34   18 10.73
Corpas, Manuel            COL   14.0  1.93   13   1   0   0   7    9    4 10.93
Francis, Jeff             COL   64.2  5.01   10  10   3   5   0   44   19 11.83
Fuentes, Brian            COL   15.2  7.47   20   0   0   1   1   16   11 16.66
Herges, Matt              COL    3.2 12.27    5   0   1   0   0    3    1 17.18
Hirsh, Jason              COL   32.2  5.51   20   0   2   2   0   20   20 14.60
Jimenez, Ubaldo           COL   61.0  4.87   10  10   4   2   0   33   23 13.43
Morales, Franklin         COL   84.0  2.68   12  12   6   3   0   57   28 11.36
Redman, Mark              COL   23.0  2.74    5   3   1   0   1   10    5  8.61
Vizcaino, Luis            COL   24.0  3.38   25   0   3   3   1   32    6  8.63
Wells, Kip                COL   12.2 14.92    3   3   0   3   0   11    9 22.74
Zambrano, Victor          COL   11.0  5.73    2   2   0   2   0    7    5 12.27

[OregonDuck1989]

Colorado Rockies (30-25 4 GB) at Los Angeles Dodgers (27-29 7.5 GB) June 4-6

June 4-Jeff Francis and Jason Hirsh have terrible days and we drop the opener in LA. Dodgers 11 Rockies 5

LP-Jeff Francis (3-6)

June 5-Aaron Cook wins his 10th game of the season and Matt Holliday cranks out his 17th home run of the season and we rebound off the tough loss yesterday. Rockies 4 Dodgers 2

WP-Aaron Cook (10-3)
SV-Manny Corpas (8)
HR-Matt Holliday (17)

June 6-We take a one run lead with two runs in the top of the ninth but Manny Corpas can’t hold down the Dodgers and they win it off a Russel Martin double that knocks in the winning run. Dodgers 6 Rockies 5

LP-Manny Corpas (0-1)
HR-Jayson Nix (4)

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No series recap because…IT’S A DRAFT DAY EXTRAVAGANZA!

We come into the draft needing some pitching prospects. Luckily, the draft is very pitcher dominated as several of the top picks are pitchers. As our team gets called for the 29th pick Dan and I have a tough decision between two pitchers we have taken a liking to.

Ernesto Monnar Age: 17 5’11 188 lbs

Our scouts have this guy at a pretty good rate (49/94) and with three decent pitches he’s sure to live up to his high billing but we’re a bit wary on this kids control. Even for a 17 year old it should be better then it is at now.

Marv Rouillard Age: 18 6’1 185 lbs

What he lacks in muscle he makes up for with four pitches and a wide array of control and movement. With a fastball, cutter, curve and slide piece in his repertoire we like this kid a lot. Only problem is he lacks great power which we would need to build within the system.

We make our choice: With the 29th pick in the MLB draft the Colorado Rockies select Marv Rouillard of Paris, TX.

Draft Summary:

Top Ten:

1. Tampa Bay: Jeff Thomas (RF) 65/95
2. Pittsburgh: Malcolm McCord (RHP) 69/90
3. Baltimore: Phil Wilson (RHP) 67/87
4. Kansas City: Marcellus Smith (CF) 57/96
5. Florida: Margo Deandres (SS) 57/93
6. San Francisco: Erik Clarke (C) 60/88
7. Chicago (AL): Todd McGilvernock (RHP) 65/87
8. Cincinnati: Sean Stone (RHP) 72/80
9. Houston: Morgan Atkinson (1B) 58/88
10. Washington: Jeremy Foster (RHP) 63/87

29. Colorado: Marv Rouillard (LHP) 49/93

Rockies Draft Picks:

1. Marv Rouillard (LHP) 49/93. A possible future ace if he develops. One of the few left handed pitchers in this draft and with four good pitches we think he can be a great prospect in the future.

2. Carlos Silva (RHP) 48/87. Born in Nicaragua, Silva has a fastball, splitter, and cutter in his arsenal along with decent control for his age. Should be a reliable bullpen pitcher in a few years.

3. Derek Thompson (2B) 51/79. Derek isn’t the best hitter but with good speed and good defensive vitals the scouts he think he can be a decent second base prospect and a utility player at the very least.

4. Casey Labonte (1B) 49/77. A good hitter with a decent eye and good on the bag. With good time to develop and at only 17 Casey appears to be a good pick in the fourth round.

5. George Nelson (RF) 51/72. George may never make the big leagues with his average bat and fielding skills but his ability to stay healthy is a good thing.

6. Jorge Mansanarez (3B) 49/67. Jorge most likely will never smell the major leagues.

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Colorado Rockies (31-27 5 GB) at Philadelphia Phillies (30-30 8.5 GB of NL East) June 7-9

June 7-Matt Holliday hits two home runs and Franklin Morales has another good day on the mound as we cruise through game one. Rockies 7 Phillies 3

WP-Franklin Morales (7-3)
HR-Matt Holliday 2 (19)

June 8-Pat Burrell hits a game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth off Brian Fuentes and the Phillies get us back. Phillies 3 Rockies 2

LP-Brian Fuentes (0-2)
HR-Brad Hawpe (18)

June 9-Yet again the Phillies get a walk off, this time against Manny Corpas and we drop two of three in Philadelphia. Phillies 8 Rockies 7

LP-Manny Corpas (0-3)

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Coming away from the Phillies series…

A little disappointed with the play of Ian Stewart so far, Dan and I decide that it could have been a little too early but there was no other choice with Atkins on the DL. We keep hoping he will find his swing as it is still early in his major league career. We head to Arizona next to take on the division leading Diamondbacks. All I can say is: if we play like we did in Philly…expect to get swept.

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Colorado Rockies (32-29 5 GB) at Arizona Diamondbacks (39-25 1st in NL West) June 11-13

June 11-Francis gets his groove back and pitches well but Randy Johnson outduels him and we drop the opener and fall six games back of the Diamondbacks. Diamondbacks 4 Rockies 2

LP-Jeff Francis (3-7)
HR-Jayson Nix (5)

June 12-Aaron Cook gets win number eleven which leads the majors by three over Josh Beckett. Todd Helton hits his sixth home run of the year. Rockies 5 Diamondbacks 2

WP-Aaron Cook (11-3)
SV-Manny Corpas (9)
HR-Todd Helton (6)

June 13-We beat Brandon Webb and the Diamondback bullpen to get back within four games of the division lead. Good series to win. Rockies 7 Diamondbacks 5

WP-Ubaldo Jimenez (5-2)
SV-Manny Corpas (10)
HR-Ryan Spilborghs (3)

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Coming away from the Diamondbacks series…

One of the few series against the Diamondbacks I think I’ll ever say “We should have swept them” because we should have. Francis pitched well enough to win, we should have won. But we still took two of three and now head to San Diego. I’m glad we played well in Arizona and proved we belong in the discussion for the division title. We need to take two of three in San Diego before we take on the Wild Card leading Mets. They currently lead us by 4 games in the Wild Card thanks to a current five game win streak.

[OregonDuck1989]

Colorado Rockies (34-30 4 GB) at San Diego Padres (32-34 7.5 GB) June 14-16

June 14-Franklin Morales has his worst day of the year on the hill and we get beat down in game one. Padres 11 Rockies 5

LP-Franklin Morales (7-4)
HR-Troy Tulowitzki (12), Ian Stewart 2 (4)

June 15-Three errors by the infield kill us for eight runs (5 unearned) and we fall apart in game two as well. Padres 8 Rockies 3

LP-Mark Redman (1-1)

June 16-Randy Wolf does a great job on the mound and even though the Padres bullpen tries to give us a run we fall in the end and the Padres sweep us out of San Diego. Padres 7 Rockies 5

LP-Jeff Francis (3-8)

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Coming away from the Padres series…

It’s not looking good for Dan, Charlie came in and left a memo on his desk that said: “WIN OR GO HOME”. We’re pretty sure it was serious. Charlie doesn’t usually demand victories…but when we’re 20 million over budget…its hard not to.

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New York Mets (40-29 3 GB of NL East, 1st in Wild Card) at Colorado Rockies (34-33 7.5 GB) June 17-20

June 17-Aaron Cook pitches a complete game shut out and has become our stopper and our ace this season with his 12th victory. Rockies 3 Mets 0

WP-Aaron Cook (12-3) CG

June 18-Johan Santana strikes out eight and the Mets roll to a quick victory in game two. Mets 10 Rockies 4

LP-Ubaldo Jimenez (5-3)
HR-Ian Stewart (5)

June 19-Ian Stewart is back on track hitting a triple today and we beat up Oliver Perez to get the victory. Rockies 8 Mets 5

WP-Franklin Morales (8-4)
SV-Manny Corpas (11)
HR-Jayson Nix (6)

June 20-The Mets put up 16 runs. 16. We can’t win when we give up sixteen runs and we split the four game set against New York. Mets 16 Rockies 6

LP-Mark Redman (1-2)
HR-Todd Helton (7), Brad Hawpe 2 (20)

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Coming away from the Mets series…

At this point we have to look at positives and one major positive is that Ian Stewart is starting to hit the ball and we are getting the offense going again. But now that the bats are up the pitching has fallen off. We now travel to one of the best teams in the league in Atlanta and if the pitching can’t get going…we aren’t in for a happy series.

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Colorado Rockies (36-35 7 GB) at Atlanta Braves (46-28 3.5 GB) June 20-23

June 21-Francis holds the Braves to four hits during his time out there and the pitching holds the Braves down just enough for us to get a win. Rockies 7 Braves 4

WP-Jeff Francis (4-8)
SV-Manny Corpas (12)
HR-Brad Hawpe (21)

June 22-Tim Hudson improves to 8-0 as we can’t comeback from an early deficit and fall in game two. Braves 8 Rockies 7

LP-Darren Clarke (0-1)
HR-Sean Barker (3), Troy Tulowitzki (13), Matt Holliday (20)

June 23-Ubaldo pitches the lights out in Atlanta and we steal the series from the Braves with a good win. Rockies 5 Braves 0

WP-Ubaldo Jimenez (6-3)
HR-Troy Tulowitzki (14), Brad Hawpe (22)

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Coming away from the Braves series…

A good series to win, and its nice to be out of the toughest part of June with still some dignity intact. The bad news from this series? Chris Ianetta who has been hitting .315 since he got placed as the starter tore an ankle ligament and is now out for the year. We call up Edwin Bellorin from AAA Colorado Springs to replace him. Edwin is 26 and doing fairly well in AAA this year hitting .303 with 9 home runs. He’ll be back up to Torrealba for the rest of the year.

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Washington Nationals (28-48 18 GB) at Colorado Rockies (38-36 7.5 GB)

June 25-Morales can’t quite find his spots and we can’t quite pull out a victory. Why can’t we sweep these lower tier teams? It’s frustrating. Nationals 9 Rockies 5

LP-Franklin Morales (8-5)
HR-Ian Stewart (6)

June 26-Good day on the hill for Francis who appears to have his groove back and we grab game two of the series in a tight one. Rockies 5 Nationals 2

WP-Jeff Francis (5-8)
SV-Manny Corpas (13)
HR-Matt Holliday (21)

June 27-We score four runs in the bottom of the sixth to give Aaron Cook his league leading 13th win of the year and take the series from Washington in good fashion. Rockies 5 Nationals 4

WP-Aaron Cook (13-3)
HR-Jayson Nix (7), Ryan Spilborghs (4)

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Coming away from the Nationals series…

I think a bit of a fun rivalry is brewing between Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday in who has the team lead for home runs. They are poking fun at each other in the locker room and it appears as though every time Brad hits one a couple days later Holliday is right back at him. Ian Stewart is still improving and the pitching is coming around. It just all needs to click soon and we could go on a huge winning streak. We travel to San Francisco for the last series of June.

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Colorado Rockies (40-37 7 GB) at San Francisco Giants (30-52 20 GB)

June 28-Jeff Baker drives home a winning run in the top of the ninth off a double and we inch past the Giants in the series opener. Rockies 6 Giants 5

WP-Brian Fuentes (1-2)
SV-Manny Corpas (15)

June 29-Matt Cain pitches a shutout…Franklin Morales falls apart on the hill and his ERA is now above four with the last few struggling starts. Also, Jayson Nix breaks his elbow and will be out until September. We call up Omar Quintanilla to fill his spot and start to place Atkins on the market for a second baseman. We need one bad. Giants 10 Rockies 0

LP-Franklin Morales (8-6)

June 30-Brad Hawpe hits his 23 home run and Mark Redman pitches just well enough to give us the win and we grab another series…the bad news is we have our first losing month of the season and are still eight games back of Arizona for the division. Rockies 6 Giants 5

WP-Mark Redman (2-2)
HR-Brad Hawpe (23)


(BIG NEWS: Finally, Dan pulls the trigger on a deal and Atkins is sent to Houston for prospect Thomas Manzanella (IF 74/88) and 1.5 million dollars Manzanella joins the Rockies as a backup second baseman for now and the cash is well received. Atkins is off the books.)

[ShakeNBake]

No love for Garrett Atkins huh? Yeah he is a payroll killer for what he gives you. Brad Hawpe is on his way to 50HR... I don't know off hand is Hawpe in Arbitration? If so bye bye Brad after the season hes gonna cost you big.

[OregonDuck1989]

Shake: As much as I like Atkins it wasn't meant to be with the way he was playing. We're over budget and he is in a contract year. I feel like Manzanella was a decent give back if he pans out considering our second base is a bit weak. Hawpe is in a contract year as well. If we're not in contention come July 31 look for his move too.

June Baseball Round Up


DETROIT, ARIZONA HOLD BEST RECORDS IN LEAGUE AS WE PUSH HALF WAY POINT

As we head towards the All-Star break so far its all Tigers and Diamondbacks in the league as both have eclipsed 50 victories this season and take commanding leads in their respective divisions. The Tigers can rely on the pitching of Justin Verlander and their exceptional offense for their great midway point while the Diamondbacks 1-2 punch of Webb and Haren followed by some stellar pitching of Owings and Randy Johnson (not to mention 20 home runs from Stephen Drew) has given them the National League’s best record.

PRINCE FIELDER TRADED…AGAIN!

In a month of big trades the San Diego Padres traded all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, left fielder Scott Hairston and three minor leaguers to the Washington Nationals for Prince Fielder. Fielder was traded to Washington in May from the Brewers and is now playing with his third team of 2008. At only 24 the Padres are excited to possibly make him a staple for years to come.

THE BOOMER RETIRES

David Wells officially announced his retirement on June 29th after not playing a single game in 2008. He spent 2007 with the Dodgers and after only starting seven games was let go. The three-time all-star was more well known for his loud mouth and personality then his play but with 239 wins he will go down as one of the better pitchers of his era.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST STACKS UP AS BEST DIVISION IN GAME

With only one team below .500 (Washington) the National League East is easily the best division in baseball. With Atlanta at 48-35 leading the division and Philadelphia and New York right within 2 games of them (both are also fighting each other for the wild card) the division is becoming ultra competitive as we come to the half way point of the season. A division of surprises.

AROUND THE LEAGUE...

DIVISION LEADERS:

ALE: Boston Red Sox (51-33) Tampa Bay Rays (48-35 2.5 GB)
ALC: Detroit Tigers (53-31) Minnesota Twins (45-38 7.5 GB)
ALW: Los Angeles (48-34) Seattle Mariners (43-43 7 GB)
ALWC:Tampa Bay Rays (48-35) New York Yankees (48-37 1 GB)
NLE: Atlanta Braves (49-35) Philadelphia Phillies (47-36 1.5 GB)
NLC: Cincinnati Reds (46-36) St. Louis Cardinals (39-42 6.5 GB)
NLW: Arizona Diamondbacks (51-32) Colorado Rockies (42-38 7.5 GB)
NLWC: Philadelphia Phillies (47-36) New York Mets (46-37 1 GB) Colorado Rockies (42-38 3.5 GB)
Race for the #1 Pick: San Francisco Giants (31-54) Chicago White Sox (32-53 1 GA) Washington Nationals (32-50 2.5 GB)

League Leaders:

Batting Average: Alberto Callaspo KCR .366 (AL), Chad Tracy ARI .359 (NL)
Home Runs: David Ortiz BOS 21 (AL), Mark Teixeira ATL 26 (NL)
RBI: Jonny Gomes TB 66 (AL), Ryan Howard PHI 71 (NL)
SB: Chone Figgins LAA 35 (AL), Juan Pierre LAD 37 (NL)
ERA: Kevin Slowey MIN 2.56 (AL), Tom Shearn CIN 2.23 (NL)
Wins: Josh Beckett BOS 11 (AL), Aaron Cook COL 13 (NL)
K:Scott Kazmir TB 122 (AL), Johan Santana NYM 128 (NL)
Saves: Todd Jones DET 28 (AL), Rafael Soriano ATL 27 (NL)

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COLORADO BASEBALL REPORT: JUNE EDITION

ATKINS MOVED, FUENTES COULD BE NEXT

Garrett Atkins was traded on the last day of June for young prospect Thomas Manzanella. Atkins is currently on the DL but will be playing for the Houston Astros this year before free agency. Sources say Brian Fuentes could be next as the reliever making 5.5 million a year is another player on the salary dump for the Rockies which could extend to several players if the team doesn’t improve sources say. The sources would only indicate a few select players that could be leaving should the Rockies not improve any further: Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe and Willy Taveras. Two of these three players are huge producers so far this year.

ROCKIES FIGHT FOR WILD CARD

With Aaron Cook having a career year with 13 wins and the offense booming behind Hawpe, Holliday and Helton the Rockies find themselves in a huge fight for the Wild Card behind the Phillies and Mets by 3.5 games. July will be a pivotal month for the Rockies as they hope to defend their National League Pennant of last season.

DOWN ON THE FARM…

Hitter of the Month: Seth Smith (RF .348/.399/.972 with 11 home runs and 72 RBI)
Pitcher of the Month: Juan Morillo (RHP 1-1 2.48 ERA 24 K 8 BB in 23 Appearances)

Team Leaders:

Batting Average: Troy Tulowitzki (.306)
HR: Brad Hawpe (23)
RBI: Matt Holliday (70)
SB:Willy Taveras (30)
Wins: Aaron Cook (13)
ERA: Aaron Cook (3.34)
K:Franklin Morales (76)
Saves: Manny Corpas (12)

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Coming away from June…

The trade rumors are true, we are shopping Fuentes right now and Holliday and Hawpe are being discussed within the office but its nothing close to official. The problem is we’re 17 million over budget still and we’re not winning. We’re losing money and Charlie is not happy about while we aren’t in control of any playoff spots. We decide to give AAA pitcher Juan Morillo a shot. He earned Minor League Pitcher of the month this past month and with Jason Hirsh struggling we decide…what the heck…couldn’t hurt to give him a shot. He gets moved to long reliever as we also send down Jose Capellan for Taylor Bucholz. Taylor will move to middle relief. We open up July at home against the Dodgers then on the road in Florida before we start the All-Star break.

[OregonDuck1989]

Team Stats:

Batting:

2008 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Baker, Jeff               COL   37  .229    35    8   1   1   2    1   10    0   0    6   11  .486  .250
Barmes, Clint             COL   21  .250    28    7   2   1   0    0    4    0   0    5    4  .393  .276
Barker, Sean              COL   14  .250    40   10   0   0   3    2   12    1   0    7    5  .475  .279
Bellorin, Edwin           COL    1 1.000     1    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 1.000 1.000
Buchholz, Taylor          COL   19  .143     7    1   0   0   0    0    4    0   0    1    0  .143  .143
Capellan, Jose            COL   25  .286     7    2   2   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .571  .286
Cook, Aaron               COL   15  .139    36    5   0   0   0    2   12    1   0    2    1  .139  .184
Francis, Jeff             COL   15  .160    25    4   1   0   0    2    9    0   0    3    1  .200  .222
Giles, Marcus             COL    2  .000     6    0   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Gonzalez, Luis A.         COL   13  .294    17    5   1   1   0    2    1    0   0    2    1  .471  .368
Hawpe, Brad               COL   75  .279   280   78  12   1  23   34   83    0   2   53   47  .575  .359
Helton, Todd              COL   80  .286   318   91  13   2   7   32   39    1   0   38   44  .406  .363
Hirsh, Jason              COL   29  .167     6    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .167  .167
Holliday, Matt            COL   80  .303   310   94  15   1  21   22   63    2   1   52   70  .561  .358
Iannetta, Chris           COL   55  .315   178   56   6   0   4   19   43    0   0   23   25  .416  .394
Jimenez, Ubaldo           COL   14  .115    26    3   0   0   0    1   11    0   0    2    2  .115  .148
Morales, Franklin         COL   17  .184    38    7   0   0   0    0   15    0   1    2    4  .184  .184
Nix, Jayson               COL   75  .256   277   71  16   2   7   22   60    3   0   38   39  .404  .311
Quintanilla, Omar         COL    1  .200     5    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    1    0  .200  .200
Redman, Mark              COL    9  .000    11    0   0   0   0    1    8    0   0    0    1  .000  .083
Spilborghs, Ryan          COL   75  .374   115   43   7   0   4   15   22    2   5   23   19  .539  .451
Stewart, Ian              COL   42  .208   149   31   2   1   6   16   37    1   1   21   21  .356  .283
Taveras, Willy            COL   71  .304   270   82  14   1   0   23   43   30  10   47   21  .363  .371
Torrealba, Yorvit         COL   49  .262   122   32   5   1   1   14   37    2   3   16   13  .344  .353
Tulowitzki, Troy          COL   74  .306   297   91  21   1  14   36   67    4   2   56   59  .525  .386
Wells, Kip                COL    3  .000     3    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Zambrano, Victor          COL    1 1.000     1    1   1   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 2.000 1.000

Pitching:

2008 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Buchholz, Taylor          COL   33.0  4.36   19   1   0   1   1   17    6 12.82
Capellan, Jose            COL   40.2  8.41   25   2   1   0   0   38   18 17.48
Clarke, Darren            COL   14.2  3.07   13   0   0   1   0   16    3 10.43
Cook, Aaron               COL  116.0  3.34   16  16  13   3   0   57   22  9.70
Corpas, Manuel            COL   24.1  2.59   24   1   0   2  16   18    7  9.62
Francis, Jeff             COL   98.0  4.96   15  15   5   8   0   72   24 11.66
Fuentes, Brian            COL   23.2  7.23   32   0   1   2   1   28   14 17.11
Herges, Matt              COL    3.2 12.27    5   0   1   0   0    3    1 17.18
Hirsh, Jason              COL   48.2  7.58   29   0   2   2   0   29   39 17.01
Jimenez, Ubaldo           COL   92.1  4.48   15  15   6   3   0   56   38 13.26
Morales, Franklin         COL  106.2  4.05   17  17   8   6   0   76   36 12.57
Redman, Mark              COL   44.0  5.32    9   7   2   2   1   22   15 12.89
Vizcaino, Luis            COL   39.0  3.69   37   1   3   3   1   47   15 10.15
Wells, Kip                COL   12.2 14.92    3   3   0   3   0   11    9 22.74
Zambrano, Victor          COL   11.0  5.73    2   2   0   2   0    7    5 12.27

[OregonDuck1989]

Los Angeles Dodgers (40-42 10.5 GB) at Colorado Rockies (42-38 7.5 GB) July 2-4

July 2-We pick on the Dodger bullpen for five runs in the seventh inning and Yorvit Torrealba knocks out his second home run. Rockies 8 Dodgers 2

WP-Jeff Francis (6-8)
HR-Yorvit Torrealba (2)

July 3-Aaron Cook has a bad day on the hill but its Darren Clarke’s 3 earned runs in the eighth that does us in. Dodgers 9 Rockies 8

LP-Darren Clarke (0-2)
HR-Brad Hawpe (24)

July 4-Derek Lowe pitches a gem to make sure the Rockies don’t have a happy independence day and we drop the series. Dodgers 4 Rockies 1

LP-Ubaldo Jimenez (6-4)

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Coming away from the Dodgers series…

The frustration of everyone mounts as we can’t beat the Dodgers twice at home. We’re playing terrible baseball right now and if we don’t improve say goodbye to most of our best players as we enter rebuilding mode.

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Colorado Rockies (43-40 7.5 GB) at Florida Marlins (43-43 7 GB of NL East) July 5-7

July 5-The offense explodes all over the Marlins pitching and we walk to the win at Dolphin Stadium. Rockies 13 Marlins 6

WP-Franklin Morales (9-6)
HR-Yorvit Torrealba (3), Todd Helton (8), Troy Tulowitzki (15)

July 6-Juan Morillo has a tough debut and we can’t overcome a 3 run deficit in the top of the ninth. Marlins 3 Rockies 2

LP-Mark Redman (2-3)

July 7-Jeff Francis pitches eight good innings, Manny Corpas gets the save and we take two of three to finish the first half of the season. Rockies 7 Marlins 4

WP-Jeff Francis (7-8)
SV-Manny Corpas (17)

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Coming away from the first half…

A frustrating first half that sees us finish 45-41 (7.5 back of Arizona for the division, 3.5 back of Philly for the Wild Card). Its frustrating because we know we can play better but we aren’t. Maybe last year was a fluke, but the sad thing is: if it was…we’re going to be saying goodbye to a lot of players and Dan and I have a lot of decisions to make…

[OregonDuck1989]

ALL STAR WEEKEND!

Yankee Stadium, in its final season, hosts the All-Star game

Rockies in the All-Star Game:

The Rockies sent three representatives to the All-Star game including one starter in Troy Tulowitzki (his first appearance). Also involved are Matt Holliday and league leader in wins Aaron Cook.

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HOME RUN DERBY!

The home run derby got underway July 9 at Yankee Stadium with ten competitors. The competitors were:

Carlos Pena (TB)
David Ortiz (BOS)
Marcus Thames (DET)
Alexis Rios (TOR)
Grady Sizemore (CLE)
Ryan Howard (PHI)
Carlos Lee (HOU)
Mark Teixeira (ATL)
Andruw Jones (LAD)
Matt Holliday (COL)

In the first round of play in the home run derby it was all Carlos Pena and Ryan Howard. Pena crushed nine out of the house and Howard pounded eight. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz knocked five out to get himself in the second round and Marcus Thames hit one last dinger over the wall in left to pass Alexis Rios and put himself into the second round. Colorado’s own Matt Holliday only managed one home run in the competition along with Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore. Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee and Mark Teixeira also bowed out with two, three and four home runs respectively. So began the second round with only one National League slugger in the mix in Ryan Howard going against Pena, Ortiz and Thames of the American League.

The second round saw all the hitters fizzle out as Thames started the hitting with only two home runs. After Thames, Ortiz crushed five out of the park to take the lead. Ryan Howard hit a third home run on his final out to eliminate Thames and Carlos Pena represented the Rays well knocking five out and forcing a final between him and David Ortiz. How fitting that a battle of AL East rivals would be settled on Yankee Stadium’s field.

The final started slow, Pena could only hit one home run before he got to four outs (final is five), but the next two swings Pena took to the bleachers and finished with three overall. David Ortiz took control from there knocking four home runs before even getting one out. He took home the trophy with those four and walked away the home run derby champion!


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The 2008 MLB All-Star Game

Complete List of All-Stars:

Starting for the visiting National League:

Catcher: Brian McCann (ATL)
First Base: Ryan Howard (PHI)
Second Base: Orlando Hudson (ARI)
Third Base: David Wright (NYM)
Shortstop: Stephen Drew (ARI)
Left Field: Andruw Jones (LAD)
Center Field: Carlos Beltran (NYM)
Right Field: Carlos Lee (HOU)
Designated Hitter: Troy Tulowitzki (COL)
Starting Pitcher: Jake Peavy (SDP)

Starting for the home American League:

Catcher: Jorge Posada (NYY)
First Base: Kevin Youkilis (BOS)
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
Third Base: Mike Lowell (BOS)
Shortstop: Derek Jeter (NYY)
Left Field: Grady Sizemore (CLE)
Center Field: Coco Crisp (BOS)
Right Field: Vladimir Guerrero (ANA)
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz (BOS)
Starting Pitcher: Javier Vazquez (CHW)

(Kind of Boston overload, right?)

The rest of the players:

National League Infielders:

Albert Pujols (1B, STL)
Ryan Zimmerman (3B, WSN)
Mark Teixeira (1B, ATL)
Jose Reyes (SS, NYM)
Chipper Jones (3B, ATL)
Hanley Ramirez (SS, FLA)
Derrek Lee (1B, CHC)
Ramon Castro (C, NYM)

National League Outfielders:

Matt Holliday (LF,COL)
Matt Kemp (RF, LAD)
National League Pitchers:
Eric Gagne (P, MIL)
Matt Morris (P, PIT)
Randy Messenger (P, SFG)
Tom Shearn (P, CIN)
Aaron Cook (P, COL)
Brad Lidge (P, PHI)
Trevor Hoffman (P, WSN)
Juan Cruz (P, ARI)
Michael Wurtz (P,CHC)

American League Infielders:

Carlos Pena (1B, TBR)
Michael Young (SS,TEX)
Alex Rodriguez (3B, NYY)
Miguel Cabrera (3B, DET)

American League Outfielders:

Jay Gibbons (LF, BAL)
Emil Brown (CF, OAK)
Alexis Rios (RF, TOR)
Curtis Granderson (CF, DET)
Hideki Matsui (LF, NYY)

American League Pitchers:

Brian Lawrence (KCR)
Kevin Slowey (MIN)
J.J. Putz (SEA)
Andy Pettite (NYY)
Brian Bannister (KCR)
Roy Halladay (TOR)
Joakim Soria (KCR)
Jonathan Papelbon (BOS)
Mariano Rivera (NYY)

*********************************************************

The Game:

In an extra inning game that took over four hours the National League prevailed off of a Stephen Drew triple to drive home Troy Tulowitzki. After David Wright knocked in a run and Brad Lidge closed it out the NL stormed the field as they had their first win in 11 years over the American League (not counting the tie in 2001). It was a tremendous win for the National League in a tremendous all-star game. Nationals 3 Americans 1

WP-Brad Lidge
LP-Mariano Rivera (in Yankee Stadium)
HR-David Ortiz (AL)
MVP-Jake Peavy

[OregonDuck1989]

Atlanta Braves (51-38 1st IN NL EAST) at Colorado Rockies (45-41 7.5 GB) July 11-14

July 11-Brian Fuentes lays an egg and we fall to Atlanta in the series opener. Braves 9 Rockies 5

LP-Aaron Cook (13-4)
HR-Yorvit Torrealba (4), Ian Stewart (7)

July 12-The pitching continues to struggle as Ubaldo gets blown apart and the Braves are making us look bad. Braves 11 Rockies 1

LP-Ubaldo Jimenez (9-5)
HR-Brad Hawpe (25)

July 13-Seven runs in the first inning barely hold up as we take down Atlanta and go for the split tomorrow. Rockies 7 Braves 6

WP-Franklin Morales (10-6)
HR-Brad Hawpe (26), Ian Stewart (8)

July 14-Mark Redman pitches eight stellar innings and three home runs give us the split series against the Braves. I don’t know how we did it. Rockies 4 Braves 2

WP-Mark Redman (3-3)
SV-Manny Corpas (19)
HR-Todd Helton (9), Troy Tulowitzki (16), Willy Taveras (1)

**********************************************************
Coming away from the Braves series…

Both Franklin Morales and Ubaldo Jimenez suffer injuries and both will be out for two weeks. We call up youngster Brandon Hynick and veteran Victor Zambrano. We also release Kip Wells as he demands to be let go from the team. We cut his salary and it works. We put Brian Fuentes on the market for good and this is the offer we pull in:

The Yankees offer: Jeff Karstens (RHP 76/91) He has four decent pitches and has done decently well in AA with a sub-4 ERA. We take the trade right away, the Yankees throw in 1.5 million for good measure.

We’re now only six million over budget. Meaning we probably only need to dump one more salary to find our way into the black.

We now welcome the Indians for a quick weekend three game set before going to Yankee Stadium and Dodger stadium in succession.

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Cleveland Indians (46-48 13.5 GB) at Colorado Rockies (47-43 8 GB) July 16-18

July 16-Francis pitches all but one out in a stellar eight and two thirds inning performance as we hit four home runs to back him and crush Cleveland. Rockies 6 Indians 1

WP-Jeff Francis (8-8)
HR-Omar Quintanilla (1), Troy Tulowitzki (17), Matt Holliday (22), Brad Hawpe (27)

July 17-Aaron Cook gets back on track with his 14th victory of the year and we take another from Cleveland and go for the sweep tomorrow. Rockies 5 Indians 1
WP-Aaron Cook (14-3)
HR-Matt Holliday 2 (24), Willy Taveras (2)

July 18-Brandon Hynick makes his major league debut a great one as he strikes out ten Indians, pitches six strong innings and the offense pounds the Indians pitching one more time as we get the huge sweep before the tough series in New York. Rockies 12 Indians 2

WP-Brandon Hynick (1-0)
HR-Yorvit Torrealba (5), Troy Tulowitzki (18), Matt Holliday 2 (26)

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Coming away from the Indians series…

All I can say is: YES! Everything that could go right in that series did go right. Holliday crushed five home runs in three games, Hynick struck out ten in his major league debut and we dismantled the Indians for three straight games. We’re on a five game win streak as we head to New York and have gained some ground on Arizona (now six games back) and New York (only three games back). I’m really hoping for a good series in New York.

**********************************************************

Colorado Rockies (50-43 6 GB) at New York Yankees (55-42 2 GB of AL East) July 19-21

July 19-Ouch. Chien-Ming Wang pitches a complete game shut out and the Yankee offense pummels Victor Zambrano. Win streak over. Yankees 10 Rockies 0

LP-Victor Zambrano (0-3)

July 20-Mark Redman is pitching incredibly well from the fifth rotation spot. Brad Hawpe crushes his 28th of the year and we force a rubber game tomorrow by beating the Yankees. Rockies 9 Yankees 4

WP-Mark Redman (4-3)
HR-Brad Hawpe (28)

July 21-Taylor Bucholz can’t quite keep the Yankees at bay and we drop the series in a close one. Yankees 4 Rockies 3

LP-Taylor Bucholz (0-2)

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Coming away from the Yankees series…

For losing the series, I’m not too upset. We don’t fall any back of the Mets in the wild card and the only true thing I’m upset about is the fall and subsequent injury of Aaron Cook who is now out for two weeks. Luckily, Franklin Morales is back and healthy and replaces Victor Zambrano. Jason Hirsh comes back up and will start for Cook until Ubaldo is back to replace him. We now head to LA.