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SmoothPancakes
07-21-2014, 04:49 PM
The Hunt for Rocktober


The Managerial Career of Smooth Pancakes
Manager of the Colorado Rockies



Franchise Information

• PS4, MLB 15 The Show (Season 1 through present)
• Difficulty: Batting - Dynamic --- Pitching - Dynamic


Hitting Interface - Zone
Plate Coverage Indicator - On
PCI Appearance - Reticle
Hitting View - Catcher
In-Play View Offense - Dynamic
Ball Trail - On
Guess Pitch - Default
Baserunning Decisions - Auto
Baserunning Interface - Default
Sliding Decisions - On
Runner Windows - On




Pitching Interface - Meter
Pulse Meter Display - Default
Pitching View - Pitcher
Pitching Ball Marker - On
Pitch Confidence - On
Pitch Callout - Full
Pitch Delay - Normal
API - On
Throwing Interface - Buttons
Throwing Meter - On
Throwing Difficulty - Veteran
In-Play View Defense - Dynamic
Throw Cancelling - Off
One Button Dive/Jump - On
Fielding Decision - Assist
Throwing Decision - Off
Catch Position Indicator - On
Defensive Shift - Auto
Strike Zone - On
Hot Zones - On
Warm Up Pitchers - On
Balks - On
Umpires Balls and Strikes - Variable
Umpires Close Plays - On
Check Swing Appeals - On
Injuries - On
Ejections - On


• Rosters: Willard's Revision Roster v1.2
• Sliders:
• Current Job: Colorado Rockies Manager/GM
• CPU Roster Control OFF
• CPU Trading ON
• Instant Trades OFF
• Ignore Budget ON
• Force Trades OFF
• Designated Hitter AUTO
• Mode Specific Settings - All Manual

Lineups/Rotations
40-Man Roster
Roster Moves
Scouting
Waivers
Drafting
Injury Management
Management
Trades
Free Agency
Contracts




Current Sliders

SmoothPancakes
07-21-2014, 04:50 PM
Franchise History

Yearly Recaps



Season
Year
Team
Record
Division Rank
Playoffs
World Series Champs


1
2015
Colorado Rockies
20-17
2nd








Manager/Team Statistics

Win-Loss Records



Category
Wins
Losses


Overall
20
17


Home
5
11


Away
15
6


Division
17
12


League
19
16


Rivalry
17
12


Extra Innings
2
1


Playoffs
0
0


World Series
0
0





Milestones



Milestone
Amount


Winning Seasons
0


Wild Card Finishes
0


1st Place in NL West Finishes
0


1st Place in NL Finishes
0


National League Pennants
0


World Series Championships
0


Longest Winning Streak
4


Longest Losing Streak
6


Most Wins in a Season
20


Most Losses in a Season
17


Biggest Win
17-2


Biggest Loss
7-0





Career Win-Loss vs. Opponent



Team Name
Wins
Losses
Biggest Win
Biggest Loss


Arizona Diamondbacks
3
3
3-1
6-4


Atlanta Braves
0
0




Baltimore Orioles
0
0




Boston Red Sox
0
0




Chicago Cubs
0
3

6-2


Chicago White Sox
0
0




Cincinnati Reds
0
0




Cleveland Indians
0
0




Detroit Tigers
0
0




Houston Astros
0
0




Kansas City Royals
0
0




Los Angeles Angels
1
1
9-0
3-1


Los Angeles Dodgers
5
5
8-1
7-0


Miami Marlins
0
0




Milwaukee Brewers
2
1
18-13
9-12


Minnesota Twins
0
0




New York Mets
0
0




New York Yankees
0
0




Oakland Athletics
0
0




Philadelphia Phillies
0
0




Pittsburgh Pirates
0
0




San Diego Padres
5
2
17-2
6-4


San Francisco Giants
4
2
8-6
8-3


Seattle Mariners
0
0




St. Louis Cardinals
0
0




Tampa Bay Rays
0
0




Texas Rangers
0
0




Toronto Blue Jays
0
0




Washington Nationals
0
0







Career Win-Loss vs. Division



Conference
Wins
Losses


AL East
0
0


AL Central
0
0


AL West
1
1


NL East
0
0


NL Central
2
4


NL West
17
12

SmoothPancakes
07-21-2014, 04:52 PM
Awards and Accomplishments


National League West Division Titles




Season
Team


---
---





National League Pennants



Season
Team


---
---




World Series Championships



Season
Team
Opponent
Result


---
---
---
---




Playoff Series Results



Season
Round
Team
Opponent
Result


---
---
---
---
---




MVP Voting



Year
Team
Player
Position
Place


---
---
---
---
---




Awards



Year
Team
Player
Position
Award


---
---
---
---
---


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---
---
---
---





All Stars




Year
Team
Player
Position
Starter/Bench


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---
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Game Records



Record
Player Name
Season
Amount
Opponent


Batting Average
Nolan Arenado
Michael McKenry
Troy Tulowitzki
2015
.800
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
San Diego


Hits
Multiple Players
2015
4
Multiple Teams


Runs
Nolan Arenado
Michael McKenry
2015
4
Milwaukee


RBIs
Troy Tulowitzki
2015
7
San Diego


Doubles
Multiple Players
2015
2
Multiple Teams


Triples
Multiple Players
2015
1
Multiple Teams


Home Runs
Multiple Players
2015
2
Multiple Teams


Stolen Bases
Michael McKenry
2015
3
San Francisco


Caught Stealing
Multiple Players
2015
1
Multiple Teams


Walks
Multiple Players
2015
1
Multiple Teams


Strike Outs
Carlos Gonzalez
2015
4
Milwaukee
Chicago Cubs


Hit By Pitch
Multiple Players
2015
1
Multiple Teams


Errors
Charlie Blackmon
2015
2
San Francisco
















Innings Pitched
Tyler Chatwood
2015
9.0
LA Dodgers


Hits Allowed
Eddie Butler
Tyler Chatwood
2015
10
Chicago Cubs
LA Dodgers


Runs Allowed
Eddie Butler
2015
7
Chicago Cubs


Earned Runs
Eddie Butler
2015
7
Chicago Cubs


Home Runs Allowed
Multiple Pitchers
2015
2
Multiple Teams


Walks Allowed
Jordan Lyles
2015
3
Milwaukee


Strikeouts
David Hale
Kyle Kendrick
2015
11
San Diego
San Diego




Season Records



Record
Player Name
Season
Amount


Batting Average
Michael McKenry
2015
.380


Hits
Corey Dickerson
2015
47


Runs
Troy Tulowitzki
2015
27


RBIs
Corey Dickerson
2015
34


Doubles
Nolan Arenado
2015
15


Triples
Carlos Gonzalez
2015
5


Home Runs
Corey Dickerson
2015
17


Stolen Bases
Carlos Gonzalez
2015
14


Caught Stealing
Charlie Blackmon
Troy Tulowitzki
Michael McKenry
2015
3


Walks
Troy Tulowitzki
2015
4


Strike Outs
Carlos Gonzalez
2015
32


Hit By Pitch
5 Players
2015
1


Errors
Charlie Blackmon
2015
5














Wins
Tyler Chatwood
Kyle Kendrick
2015
4


Losses
David Hale
Eddie Butler
2015
3


ERA
Eddie Butler
2015
10.25


Quality Starts
Kyle Kendrick
2015
6


Complete Games
Tyler Chatwood
2015
1


Shutouts
Tyler Chatwood
2015
1


Saves
John Axford
2015
6


Blown Saves
Christian Friedrich
2015
3


Holds
Tommy Kahnle
2015
5


Innings Pitched
Jordan Lyles
2015
42.2


Hits Allowed
Jordan Lyles
2015
50


Runs Allowed
Eddie Butler
2015
30


Earned Runs
Eddie Butler
2015
30


Home Runs Allowed
Jordan Lyles
David Hale
2015
4


Walks Allowed
Jordan Lyles
2015
8


Strikeouts
David Hale
2015
45

SmoothPancakes
07-24-2014, 09:37 PM
2015 Spring Training Roster



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpZ3LODBK7E


This is the list of players being invited to camp this year. Spring training games are going to be simulated.





Player
Position
Level
Age
Overall
Potential


Troy Tulowitzki
SS
MLB
30
99
A


Carlos Gonzalez
LF
MLB
29
96
B


Nolan Arenado
3B
MLB
23
89
B


Corey Dickerson
RF
MLB
25
82
B


Justin Morneau
1B
MLB
33
81
C


D.J. LeMahieu
2B
MLB
26
78
C


Michael McKenry
C
MLB
30
78
C


Wilin Rosario
1B
MLB
26
78
C


Charlie Blackmon
CF
MLB
28
77
B


Drew Stubbs
CF
MLB
30
76
C


Nick Hundley
C
MLB
31
75
C


Charlie Culberson
2B
AAA
25
72
B


Christian Adames
SS
AAA
23
71
C


Brandon Barnes
RF
AAA
28
71
C


David Dahl
CF
AAA
21
71
A


Daniel Descalso
SS
MLB
28
69
C


Rosell Herrera
CF
AA
22
68
A


Kyle Parker
LF
AAA
25
68
B


Ben Paulsen
1B
AAA
27
64
B


Trevor Story
SS
AA
22
62
B


Rafael Ynoa
3B
AAA
27
60
B










Tyler Matzek
SP
AAA
24
77
A


David Hale
SP
MLB
27
74
B


Jon Gray
SP
AAA
23
72
A


Adam Ottavino
RP
MLB
29
72
C


Boone Logan
RP
MLB
30
69
C


Jordan Lyles
SP
MLB
24
68
A


Tyler Chatwood
SP
MLB
25
67
B


John Axford
RP
MLB
32
66
C


Rex Brothers
RP
MLB
27
66
B


Jorge De La Rosa
SP
AAA
34
65
C


Kyle Freeland
SP
AA
21
64
A


LaTroy Hawkins
CP
MLB
42
64
A


Kyle Kendrick
SP
MLB
30
64
C


Tyler Anderson
SP
AA
25
63
B


Christian Bergman
SP
AAA
26
62
C


Eddie Butler
SP
MLB
24
61
B


Tommy Kahnle
RP
MLB
25
61
C


Christian Friedrich
RP
MLB
27
58
C


Rafael Betancourt
RP
MLB
39
56
A

jaymo76
07-24-2014, 10:00 PM
You going to be playing every game? What about quick counts and player lock? Looking forward to when you get this started up. Until I owned it I didn't realize how addictive this game is.

SmoothPancakes
07-24-2014, 10:05 PM
I'm gonna try to play every game, haven't decided for sure yet. I like quick counts, but I also feel like I lose a bit of control in certain batting and pitching situations. A certain batter I may want to pitch to a certain way, but if I get an unfavorable quick count, my plan is screwed.

As for player lock, not planning on it right now. I haven't really gotten to do much fielding (been playing mainly RTTS) so being able to do full fielding for games is something I want to try.

SmoothPancakes
07-24-2014, 10:06 PM
Future Prospects



A list of future prospects in the Rockies organization, mainly players in AA and A that will be looked upon to be the future of the franchise in 1-5 years.





Player
Position
Level
Age
Overall
Potential


Tom Murphy
C
AA
24
65
A


Correlle Prime
1B
AA
21
60
B


Forrest Wall
2B
A
19
58
B


Tyler Nevin
3B
AA
18
64
B


Ryan McMahon
3B
AA
20
60
B


Trevor Story
SS
AA
22
62
B


Brendan Rodgers
SS
A
18
66
A


Rosell Herrera
CF
AA
22
68
A


Raimel Tapia
CF
AA
21
62
B


Noel Cuevas
CF
A
23
63
C










Kyle Freeland
SP
AA
21
64
A


Tyler Anderson
SP
AA
25
63
B


Mike Nikorak
SP
A
19
61
A


David Hill
SP
A
21
60
B


Peter Lambert
SP
A
18
59
B


Jairo Diaz
CP
AA
23
55
B

SmoothPancakes
07-24-2014, 11:09 PM
Instead of simming Spring Training in one swoop, I simmed it game by game. I decided to try out two different pitching rotations. For the first 14 games, I went with a rotation of Jordan Lyles, Tyler Chatwood, David Hale, Kyle Kendrick and Eddie Butler, likely my starting lineup come Opening Day. It wasn't a great start as we went 5-9 over the first 14 games. In those 14 games, Jordan Lyles went 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA with 6 Ks and 3 BBs. Tyler Chatwood ended 2-0 with a 6.23 ERA with 9 Ks and 6 BBs. David Hale was a terrible 0-3 with a 6.92 ERA with 12 Ks and 9 BBs. Kyle Kendrick was 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA with 4 Ks and 7 BBs. And Eddie Butler was the lone bright spot, going 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA with 6 Ks and 1 BB.

For the second half of Spring Training, I looked to get a preview of the future as rotation was changed to Tyler Matzek, Jon Gray, Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson and Christian Bergman.

For our batting lineup, through 14 games, our likely Opening Day lineup saw Nolan Arenado (3B) go .286 on 12 hits with 6 home runs and 10 RBI. D.J. LeMahieu (2B) followed batting .244 on 10 hits with 0 home runs and 1 RBI. Troy Tulowitzki (SS) was the hottest batter on the team, batting .385 on 15 hits with 4 home runs and 7 RBI. Carlos Gonzalez (LF) was the next hottest, batting .343 on 12 hits with 2 home runs and 7 RBI. Corey Dickerson (RF) struggled over 14 games, batting .205 on 8 hits with 1 home run and 5 RBI. Justin Morneau (1B) found his stride as our third hottest batter, hitting .333 on 11 hits with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. Michael McKenry (C) was our coldest batter of the starting lineup, going .154 on 6 hits with 1 home run and 2 RBI. Wilin Rosario (DH) was likewise unimpressive as he batted .231 on 6 hits with 1 home run and 2 RBI. And Charlie Blackmon (CF) would also finish among the bottom of the barrel, batting .184 on 7 hits with 1 home run and 2 RBI.

For the second half of Spring Training, Rafael Ynoa replaced Nolan Arenado at third base, Charlie Culberson took over for D.J. LeMahieu at second base, Daniel Descalso would replace Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop for 5 games (with Trevor Story coming in for 5 games and then Christhian Adames taking over at SS for the final 4 games), Kyle Parker replaced Carlos Gonzalez in left field, Brandon Barnes replaced Corey Dickerson in right field, Ben Paulsen took over for Justin Morneau at first base, Nick Hundley came in for Michael McKenry at catcher, David Dahl replaced Charlie Blackmon at center field (Dahl would play the first 7 games and Rosell Herrera would play the final 7 games) and Drew Stubbs would fill in for Wilin Rosario at DH.

The first 14 games of Spring Training, with a major league lineup and rotation, we went 5-9. For the final 14 games of Spring Training, with the lineups and rotation full of minor league players and future prospects, we went 6-8 to finish with a Spring Training record of 11-17.

Looking at my "test", for the second half of Spring Training, Tyler Matzek went 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA with 20 Ks and 8 BBs. Jon Gray went 0-1 with a 2.82 ERA with 19 Ks and 8 BBs. Kyle Freeland went 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA with 10 Ks and 5 BBs. Tyler Anderson went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA with 7 Ks and 7 BBs. And Christian Bergman went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA with 5 Ks and 5 BBs.

Batting, we had a couple very hot hitters, as Troy Tulowitzki topped the list batting .385 on 20 hits with 4 home runs and 7 RBI. Rosell Herrera, in extended second half action, batted .372 on 16 hits with 0 home runs and 5 RBI. Daniel Descalso hit .321 on just 9 hits with 0 home runs and 1 RBI. Carlos Gonzalez finished .306 on 15 hits with 3 home runs and 10 RBI. Charlie Blackmon batted .294 on 15 hits with 1 home run and 3 RBI. Nolan Arenado finished .283 on 15 hits with 6 home runs and 10 RBI. Justin Morneau also batted .283 on 13 hits with 2 home runs and 5 RBI. Wilin Rosario went .278 on 10 hits with 1 home run and 4 RBI, D.J. LeMahieu batted .273 on 15 hits with 0 home runs and 4 RBI. Brandon Barnes racked up .267 at the plate on 12 hits with 1 home run and 6 RBI. And Michael McKenry was the last player to crack .250 on 13 hits with 3 home runs and 6 RBI.

Looking at the bottom of the list, Nick Hundley took home the Mr. Freeze award for Spring Training, finishing .131 on just 8 hits with 0 home runs and only 3 RBI. Kyle Parker didn't fare much better, ending .149 on 7 hits with 3 home runs and 6 RBI. David Dahl just cracked .200 on 8 hits with 0 home runs and 3 RBI. Trevor Story only managed .208 on 5 hits with 1 home run and 5 RBI. Charlie Culberson batted .220 on 9 hits with 0 home runs and 3 RBI. Cristhian Adames ended .229 on 8 hits with 1 home run and 4 RBI. Ben Paulsen wrapped up his spring at .238 on 10 hits with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Drew Stubbs finished .244 on 10 hits with 0 home runs and 3 RBI. Rafael Ynoa ended .246 on 14 hits with 1 home run and 4 RBI. And Corey Dickerson finished his spring batting .246 on 14 hits with 3 home runs and 10 RBI.

Our best pitchers of the entire spring (by record) ended up being Tyler Chatwood (2-0 with a 3.68 ERA with 18 Ks and 7 BBs) and Jordan Lyles (2-1 with a 4.74 ERA with 10 Ks and 6 BBs). The worst pitcher (by record) was David Hale, who finished 0-3 (in three starts) with a 6.92 ERA with 12 Ks and 9 BBs. David Hale (6.92 ERA) and Tyler Anderson (6.75 ERA) finished with the highest/worst ERAs of any starting pitchers.

Rafael Betancourt was absolutely atrocious as a relief pitcher. Betancourt would enter three games during the spring, and would last just 1.1 innings combined in those three games on his way to a 0-2 record. In those 1.1 innings pitched, Betancourt would give up 9 hits, 12 runs, 11 earned runs, 2 home runs, 2 walks and ZERO strikeouts, all of that good enough for an astronomical ERA of 74.25.

Christian Friedrich wasn't as terrible, but still pretty bad, pitching as a reliever in 8 games, finishing with a record of 1-1 with 2 holds and 3 blown saves in 8.0 innings pitched. In those 8.0 innings, Friedrich would give up 19 hits, 9 runs, 9 earned runs, 5 home runs, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts on his way to a 10.13 ERA. LaTroy Hawkins did well enough to hang on to his closer role. In 5 games pitched, Hawkins picked up the save in all 5 games, going 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 0 home runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout to finish with a 3.86 ERA.

Looking at the lowest ERAs, starting pitcher Eddie Butler finished with an ERA of just 1.00 on a 1-1 record, pitching in four games and throwing 9.0 innings of work. Next was Jon Gray, who pitched 22.1 innings over 12 games, finishing with a 0-1 record and an ERA of 2.82. Kyle Freeland, pitching 16.0 innings over 4 games, finished 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. Tyler Chatwood would also finish under 4.00, going 22.0 innings over 15 games to finish with a 2-0 record and a 3.68 ERA. Rex Brothers was the highest reliever, finishing 1-0 on 12.2 innings pitched over 16 games to earn a 3.55 ERA.

Looking back at over the past month of baseball, it's clear this team needs a lot of work. There are a number of strong hitters, but spread out among three different tiers, we will have some weak spots in our lineup for at least the next season or two while we hope our prospects reach their potential. Some players could see themselves moved around and in or out of the lineup, while others may be destined for a stint in Triple A. Pitching meanwhile is still a huge concern. There are a couple of good starting pitchers and LaTroy Hawkins is still a quality closer, but relief pitching leaves a lot to be desired and a 4th and 5th starter is still needed. Hopefully our high level pitching prospects, namely Jon Gray and Tyler Matzek can be ready to go by mid-season.

As the regular season gets underway, this year, largely everyone will be considered fair game on the trade market if the right offer comes around. If some quality MLB veterans are offered, that's great, but minor league prospects will also be given great consideration as the farm system needs an influx of young quality talent.

In MLB 14, I had considered Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Cuddyer and Charlie Blackmon to all be permanently off the market, but things have changed this year. Cuddyer is no longer with the Rockies. Tulowitzki has now entered his 30s and who knows how long before he's going to peak and start getting hit by the regression system. Plus, as a 99 OVR and A potential player with still a number of years to play, plus being under contract for another 6 years, I could get a King's ransom for him this season, especially in pitchers, both MLB ready and prospects, from the right teams. The same with Carlos Gonzalez. He is 29 years old, who knows how long before he starts regressing, he's 96 OVR with a B potential, under contract for 3 more years, so I could easily get a windfall haul from trading him off for a couple prospects as well as maybe a MLB level guy.

Last year, when I first created this franchise on MLB 14, I wanted to keep my favorite players on the team and try to build around them. That would have been difficult as my favorite players are also the ones who would be the most profitable on the trading block. This year, I'm taking the stance of a GM, and removing any favoritism or attachment for certain players. If trading off one of our best players can help the team in the future through a ransom of top prospects or even MLB level pitching, then I'll do so. We have players who can take over and fill in for Tulowitzki or Gonzalez this year, even if in the short term until our own lower level prospects are ready to jump into the hole or even a free agent stopgap is possible. So they are not untouchable this year. If I can get the right players for them in a trade, then we'll be waving goodbye to them if the time comes.

SmoothPancakes
07-24-2014, 11:17 PM
Borrowing this from Steeler's Houston franchise.


Colorado Rockies (0-0) at Milwaukee Brewers (0-0)
April 6-8, 2015
Miller Park - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 1:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Jimmy Nelson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:10 PM
Tyler Chatwood (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Matt Garza (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 7:10 PM
David Hale (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Kyle Lohse (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

The season opener for both teams as the Rockies head north to start the season. The Rockies will see the Marlins only once more this season, during a three game stretch at home June 19-21.

SmoothPancakes
07-25-2014, 12:05 AM
This turned out to be a wacky series as Colorado's bats took on a life of their own in the first game. The second inning of the Opening Day game was the decider. A fly out, back to back doubles by Michael McKenry and Charlie Blackmon and a ground out left runners on second and third and two outs. That was when the Rockies just went nuts at the plate and would ultimately drive Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson from the game in only the second inning. Nolan Arenado hit a ground single to center to drive in McKenry and Blackmon. DJ LeMahieu would smack a double down the third base line to score Arenado from first. Troy Tulowitzki would then clear the bases with a two run home run. Carlos Gonzalez would single to right and Corey Dickerson would double to right to put runners on second and third with two outs.

That would be when Milwaukee would pull the hook on Nelson and go to the bullpen, but the Rockies weren't done yet. Justin Morneau would drive a single to right field to score Gonzalez, followed by an RBI single to center by McKenry to score Dickerson. Lastly, Blackmon would come in and hit a three run home run to center, scoring Morneau and McKenry, followed by pitcher Jordan Lyles committing the final out, Lyles ending up responsible for both the second and third outs of the inning. The final damage, 13 batters, resulting in 10 runs on 10 hits. A couple more runs here and there throughout the game would add up to 18 scores, while a 3 run second inning, a two run fifth inning and a pair of four run innings in the eighth and ninth would give Milwaukee a fighting chance, but they would come up short.

Colorado's 18 runs and 22 hits would decimate their previous best ever opening day, when they defeated Cincinnati 13-2 on 19 hits back on April 7, 1997.

Player of the game was Nolan Arenado, going 4-5 with 4 runs and 4 RBI. Top hitter for Milwaukee was Jean Segura, who ended 4-6 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. Winning pitcher was Jordan Lyles, going 5.0 innings, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs, 3 earned runs, striking out 3 and walking 3 to end with a 5.40 ERA. Losing pitcher was Jimmy Nelson, going just 1.2 innings, giving up 9 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs with two strikeouts to end with an atrocious 43.20 ERA.



The second game would see the bats go quiet for most of the game, as the Rockies would manage just 1 run (on a throwing error by the catcher) on 2 hits for the first 5 innings. It would be the 6th inning that again would see Colorado rack up runs, as DJ LeMahieu would get a lead off double, followed by a single by Troy Tulowitzki. Then Carlos Gonzalez would jack a three run home run to center field for his only hit of the game, giving us a lead we would never give back, chasing a tired Matt Garza from the game. The Rockies would end up going back to back to back with solo shots by Corey Dickerson and Justin Morneau off of reliever Jonathon Broxton, using a 5 run, 6 hit 6th inning to secure the lead for good. That solo home run by Justin Morneau would be a milestone shot as it was his 1,500th hit of his career.

Player of the game was Carlos Gonzalez with his three run home run. Milwaukee's top hitter was Ryan Braun, who launched a solo home run in the fifth inning to give Milwaukee a 3-1 lead at the time. Garza had a bit of success too, going 1-2 at the plate with an RBI single. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood, going 5.0 innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs with 5 strikeouts and 1 walk to end with a 5.40 ERA. Losing pitcher was Matt Garza, going 5.0 innings, giving up 5 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, with three strikeouts and no walks for a 5.40 ERA.



The final game of the series would see the Brewers score the first run of the game for the first time this series thanks to an RBI double by Jonathan Lucroy in the second inning. The Rockies would tie it back up in the third thanks to a solo home run by Charlie Blackmon, before taking a 5-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a two run shot by Corey Dickerson, followed by a double by Justin Morneau and a two run homer off the left field post by Michael McKenry. It's safe to say, the Rockies live and die by that long ball! From there, it would turn into a game of attrition. The Brewers would cut our lead to 5-3, we would build it up to 7-3, then a 4 run fifth inning would see the Brewers tie things up at 7-7. We would take an 8-7 lead, the Brewers would tie it right back up at 8-8, we would go up 9-8, the Brewers would tie it right back up 9-9. The deciding score would come in the bottom of the 8th inning as Ryan Braun would lead off with a solo home run, kicking off what would be a 3 run inning to give the Brewers a 12-9 win to avoid the season opening sweep.

Player of the game was Carlos Gomez, going 4-4 with a single, a double and 2 triples to score 4 runs and drive in 4 RBI. Top hitters for Colorado were Troy Tulowizki and Michael McKenry. Tulowitzki went 2-3 with 2 home runs, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. McKenry went 2-4 with 2 home runs, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Winning pitcher was Brandon Kintzler, who pitched 1.0 inning (the 8th inning), striking out 2 and giving up no hits. Francisco Rodriguez got the save with 1.0 inning pitched, giving up 1 hit and 1 strikeout. Losing pitcher was John Axford, pitching 0.0 innings officially, getting tagged in the eighth inning for 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs and one walk. Christian Friedrich would end up with a blown save on his record, pitching 0.2 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run and 2 walks.


Colorado - 18-22-1
Milwaukee - 13-17-1

Colorado - 6-10-0
Milwaukee - 3-10-1

Colorado - 9-8-0
Milwaukee - 12-18-1


The Rockies now get a MUCH needed day of rest as the bullpen ended up heavily used that series, resulting in a bunch of very tired and less useful relievers, as shown in that third game against Milwaukee. After a day off, the Rockies open up their first home series of the season with a weekend visit from the Chicago Cubs.

SmoothPancakes
07-25-2014, 12:13 AM
Chicago Cubs (2-1) vs Colorado Rockies (2-1)
April 10-12, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 2:10 PM
Eddie Butler (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Jason Hammel (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 6:10 PM
Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Travis Wood (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs Jon Lester (1-0, 1.35 ERA)

The home opener for the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies will see the Cubs only one other time this season, with a three game road trip to Wrigley Field July 27-29.

SmoothPancakes
07-27-2014, 01:21 AM
First game of the series saw our tired bullpen pushed even further, as another poor start by our starting rotation would see Eddie Butler go just 4.0 innings pitched. The Rockies found life early on, using a pair of two run innings in the first and second to stoke a 4-1 lead, but the Cubs would answer right back with 3 runs each in the third and fourth innings, taking over with a 7-5 lead. From there, the Rockies would score one and the Cubs would answer right back, 7-6 and 8-7 before a ninth inning run would give the Cubs a 9-7 margin of victory.

Player of the game was Coghlan, who went 3-5 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Justin Morneau who went 4-4 with 2 singles, 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. Winning pitcher was Jason Hammel, who pitched 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 11 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 7 strikeouts for a 9.00 ERA. Zach Rosscup and J. Grimm both picked up holds while Rondon got his second save of the year with a 1.0 IP, 2 strikeout performance in the ninth. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler, who went 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, 2 walks and 1 strikeout for a 15.75 ERA.



The second game would see the Rockies again jump out to an early 1-0 lead, and hold it until the Cubs would tie things up in the top of the fifth. From there, a pair of runs in the sixth inning and again in the eighth inning would stoke Chicago to their fourth win of the season with a 5-1 margin. This would end up being a pitcher's duel for most of the game, and while the Rockies would FINALLY get a quality start from one of their starting pitchers, the Cubs would get an even better quality start to get the win.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher, as Travis Wood pitched a complete game, going 9.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 1.00 ERA. Losing pitcher was Kyle Kendrick, who went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.57 ERA. Thankfully, our bullpen would get a day to rest as we would use just three pitchers the whole game thanks to Kendrick pushing 7 innings of work.

Top hitter for the Cubs was Starlin Castro, going 2-5 with a single, a double and two runs scored. Top hitter for the Rockies was Nolan Arenado, who went 2-4 with a run scored.

Kyle Kendrick finally gave the Rockies their first quality start of the season. Only took 5 games for it. So far, two pitchers lasted only 4.0 innings and two lasted only 5.0 innings. Kendrick is the first starter to actually see the sixth inning. While he's the #5 pitcher for now, if he continues to have quality starts as the season goes on, he may end up moved up in the rotation, possibly into the top 2 or 3 pitchers if the rest continue to struggle.



The third game of the series would end up being another pitcher's duel, and would again play out similar to the previous games. The Rockies would grab a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second before the Cubs went up 2-1 in the top of the third. It would remain 2-1 until late in the game when the Cubs would score 2 runs each in the seventh and eighth innings, while a single run in the bottom of the seventh for the Rockies would make the final score 6-2.

Player of the game for the Cubs was Addison Russell, who went 3-4 with a single, a double and a triple, scoring 2 runs and 1 RBI. Starlin Castro also had a big game, going 2-5 with a home run, one run scored and 3 RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez, going 3-4 with three singles and two runs scored.

Winning pitcher was Jon Lester, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 1.84 ERA. Losing pitcher was Jordan Lyles, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts for a 5.25 ERA.

Thankfully, Lyles had a much better game than his first start on Opening Day. In Milwaukee, he only lasted 5.0 innings pitched but still got the win because of the Rockies huge second inning at the plate. Today, he may have got the loss, but he battled and survived for 7.0 innings before having to give way to the bullpen, who thankfully, we only needed two pitchers to get through the rest of the game to give everyone else in the bullpen further rest and recovery after being picked the bone and sucked dry in that Milwaukee series. Hopefully this ends up being a sign of things to come for our pitching staff.


Chicago - 9-13-1
Colorado - 7-13-0

Chicago - 5-10-0
Colorado - 1-7-1

Chicago - 6-11-0
Colorado - 2-8-0


Hopefully our bullpen got plenty of rest during the Chicago series, as the Rockies get no rest, heading west to kick off a three game series at San Francisco less than 24 hours later on Monday afternoon with a first pitch scheduled for 1:35 PM.


(This ended up being a little less detailed than I originally intended, as everything I had originally typed ended up lost as I apparently took too long from the start of the first game to the end of the third game to play and type out everything in the forum without refreshing it. It's for the most part similar to what I originally had, I just lost everything regarding how individual runs were scored. But otherwise, the key details are all there.)

SmoothPancakes
07-31-2014, 01:50 AM
Colorado Rockies (2-4) vs San Francisco Giants (3-3)
April 13-15, 2015
AT&T Park - San Francisco, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 1:35 PM
Tyler Chatwood (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs Tim Hudson (0-1, 3.60 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:35 PM
David Hale (0-0, 13.50 ERA) vs Tim Lincecum (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 7:15 PM
Eddie Butler (0-1, 15.75 ERA) vs Ryan Vogelsong (0-1, 3.60 ERA)


It's the division opener the Rockies as they head west for a three game road trip against the San Francisco Giants. This will kick off a straight month of division play as the Rockies follow the Giants up with three games at the LA Dodgers, 4 at home against San Diego, 3 at home against the Giants, 3 at Arizona, 3 at San Diego, 3 at home against Arizona and 3 at home against the LA Dodgers before breaking for action against the LA Angels on May 12 and 13 in a brief two game series.

If the Rockies don't turn things around, well, they may set the record for earliest point in the season being eliminated from the division race as 25 straight games against division foes could end the Rockies division hopes even before the start of summer.

SmoothPancakes
06-15-2015, 11:21 AM
He's not expected to gain much in return value, but AAA pitcher Jorge De La Rosa has been placed on the trading block to see what kind of offers come in.

This is a purely personal move as De La Rosa's pitching windup is so goddamn LONG, drawn out and takes FOREVER, ending up causing the pitches to end up screwed up as it takes 10 seconds just to wind up but only 1 to throw. I have never been able to get used to De La Rosa's windup and I have never been able to successfully pitch well with him (which is why he is currently in AAA and not on the MLB roster), so to hell with it, I'm just going to throw him on the trade block at the start and try to move him for someone I can pitch with.

SmoothPancakes
06-15-2015, 11:24 AM
Oh yeah, I forgot, surprise! I officially started this baby yesterday. I've already played the first two series against the Brewers and Cubs, but instead of having a bunch of old posts from last year and starting the franchise over in new posts, I just went through editing my old posts and filling them in the new stuff from this current franchise.

And it didn't take long for things to already end up going to hell in a hand basket with that Cubs series. :fp:

steelerfan
06-15-2015, 12:28 PM
Is this a brand new Franchise using current rosters or a continuation of the old one?

I think you're trying to say it's new.

SmoothPancakes
06-15-2015, 12:52 PM
Is this a brand new Franchise using current rosters or a continuation of the old one?

I think you're trying to say it's new.

New franchise on MLB 15 using current rosters.

Instead of having a couple of game posts from last year (I had gotten played and posted two or three games against Miami, back when I was trying to do game by game recaps), I just overwrote those posts with the new series recaps and pitching match-ups from this year. That way there wasn't a mix of old and new, and that way I didn't have a bunch of blank posts if I just wiped out all of the text from those old posts and left them blank and started the new franchise with brand new posts.

So everything in this thread is current and up to date. The top posts, the Brewers series, the Cubs series, everything is 100% current on my brand new The Show 15 franchise that I created and started yesterday morning when I finally got the time and when I finally got a set rosters 100% to my liking. The only thing I need to change is getting one of the guys to update my thread title from MLB 14 to MLB 15.

SmoothPancakes
06-15-2015, 01:26 PM
Already an early trade in the season, news has broke that the Atlanta Braves agreed to ship AA SP prospect Michael Soroka (19 YO/64 OVR/B POT) to Houston for Astros first baseman Chris Carter (28 YO/72 OVR/B POT).

Chris Carter becomes the backup of Braves star first baseman Freddie Freeman, while Michael Soroka, who was a AA pitcher with the Braves, is promoted to AAA in the Astros system upon completion of the trade.

It may turn out to be a good move for the Astros. They add a very promising future prospect in Soroka, and while Carter was their major league first baseman, first baseman Jon Singleton (23 YO/69 OVR/B POT) sits in AAA as a more than suitable replacement for Carter. Singleton has 4 years on his contract, while Carter was in his final year.

Comparing ratings, Carter and Singleton are almost identical on contact, Carter is 15 points better on power, nearly identical on plate vision and batting clutch. Singleton is 13 points better on plate discipline, slightly less durable, but 10 points faster than Carter. Carter and Singleton are almost identical on fielding ability, while Carter is a much better stealer. The biggest difference, a +50 point difference for Singleton over Carter in Reaction.

So Carter and Singleton aren't too different from each other in individual ratings, both are a B potential, they are only 3 points apart on OVR rating and Singleton is 5 years younger. And in the process, the Astros get another promising young SP. So not too shabby a trade for the Astros.

steelerfan
06-15-2015, 04:47 PM
Doesn't sound bad for Houston at all. :)

SmoothPancakes
06-17-2015, 12:02 PM
Some miscellaneous news, the Chicago White Sox have traded 1B Adam LaRoche (age 35, 78, B) to the Texas Rangers for SP Yovani Gallardo (age 29, 73, C).

In Rockies organization news, John Axford has been made the new closer as he has been a better late game pitcher than LaTroy Hawkins thus far. Some small shake-ups are needed to get out of this four game losing streak. Hawkins will for now become a middle relief pitcher and Adam Ottavino will be moved from middle relief to set-up man.

Elsewhere, closer Jairo Diaz has been promoted from Double-A New Britain to Triple-A Albuquerque, closer Darin Hoffman has been promoted from Single-A Modesto to Double-A New Britain, catcher Dustin Garneau has been demoted from Triple-A Albuquerque to Double-A New Britain and first baseman Will Swanner has been dropped from Double-A New Britain to Single-A Modesto.

SmoothPancakes
06-17-2015, 03:34 PM
Looking to break an early four game losing streak that quickly put them in last place in the NL West, the Rockies would go on the road and shock the Giants, sweeping all three games in AT&T Park to climb back into the thick of the division standings.

Game one ended up being a bit of a pitcher's battle despite the score and amount of hits. A 3 run second inning would stake the Rockies out to an early lead, only for San Francisco to eventually close the gap to 4-3 through 5 innings. Two runs for the Rockies in the top of the sixth inning would end any comeback threat, otherwise, the pitchers largely dominated as both teams had a number of 1-2-3 innings. The second inning was what set the tone as the Rockies would get runners on first and second with no outs, followed by an RBI single to right. A double steal by Corey Dickerson and Justin Morneau would put runners on second and third for Michael McKenry, who would knock them both in with a two RBI single to center field before the first out was recorded. McKenry would also be the hero in the sixth inning, at the time a 4-3 ball game, with a two run home run to center to increase our lead to 6-3, a margin the Giants couldn't recover from.

Player of the game was Michael McKenry, going 2-4 with a single and a two run home run, scoring two runs and driving in 4 RBI. Another big bat for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 3-4 with three singles and a run scored. Top hitter for the Giants was Nori Aoki, going 1-2 with a single, a run scored, one RBI, a walk and a hit by pitch.

Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts for a 4.50 ERA. Rex Brothers got a hold for 2.1 innings of work, Tommy Kahnle got credit for a hold for 0.2 innings of work, and John Axford picked up his first save with a flawless ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Tim Hudson, going 5.0 innings pitched and getting tagged for 9 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs and 1 strikeouts for a 5.40 ERA.



Game two would end up even more so a pitcher's duel as Colorado got on the scoreboard early with a solo home run by Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning. That 1-0 lead would stand until the Giants pushed across a run on a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth inning. The game would remain deadlocked at 1-1 as both starting pitchers took over until the Rockies would finally seize control in the seventh inning thanks to a solo home run by Charlie Blackmon. The Rockies would then add an insurance run in the eighth inning on a RBI single by Justin Morneau for the two run victory.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-4 with two singles, a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Charlie Blackmon was also a top hitter for the Rockies, also going 3-4 with a single, a double and a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter for the Giants was Hunter Pence, going 2-4 with a single and a lead off triple in the fourth inning, scoring San Francisco's lone run in the fourth on a sac fly by Brandon Crawford. Winning pitcher was David Hale, who had a career day and improved to 1-0 on the season, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 6 strikeouts to lower his ERA to 5.25. John Axford picked up his second save in as many games with another perfect ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Tim Lincecum, dropping to 0-1 on the year, as he went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 2.08 ERA.



Game three would see a similar start, as the Rockies would cross the plate first in the third inning with a solo home run by Nolan Arenado, followed by a two run home run by Justin Morneau in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. That lead would evaporate almost instantly in the bottom of the fourth as the first five batters for the Giants reached base. Nori Aoki led off with a single, followed by an RBI single by Buster Posey, which was followed by an RBI single by Brandon Belt, which turned into a fielder's choice by Hunter Pence. Joe Panik would also hit an RBI single, making it all the way to third on an error. That would be enough to drive starter Eddie Butler from the game. Logan would come on in relief, striking out Brandon Crawford before giving up an RBI groundout to Joaquin Arias and punching out Ryan Vogelsong to finally end the inning. Final damage was 8 batters, four hits, one error and 5 runs. While the Rockies would get runners on base in the following innings, they would constantly fail to drive them in. It seemed all but over when an RBI single by Aoki in the seventh inning made it 6-3.

Then it was Colorado's turn to light up some pitchers. San Francisco lit up Colorado's starter, Colorado would light up San Francisco's bullpen. The eighth started off with a lead off triple by DJ LeMahieu, followed by an RBI single by Daniel Descalso to score LeMahieu. That was all for George Kontos in relief. Jean Machi would come to the mound, promptly giving up a two run home run to Drew Stubbs, his first of the year, to tie the game up 6-6. That was all for Machi. Now came in Jeremy Affeldt. Dickerson would send a pitch all the way to the wall in center field for a triple, followed by Justin Morneau hitting his second home run of the game, another two run shot, giving the Rockies an 8-6 lead and resulting in Sergio Romo coming on to pitch. After two outs by Hundley and Blackmon, Gonzalez would get on base via single and Arenado would be intentionally walked. A successful double steal would put runners at second and third, but while LeMahieu would give the ball another damn good ride, it would find Pagan in center field for the final out.

While he would only end up getting credit for a hold, the hero of the game was Adam Ottavino. After getting Belt to strike out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants would try to rally themselves back in it, as Pence grounded up the middle for a single, followed by a single to left by Panik and a single to right by Crawford. That would leave the bases loaded and only one out with Arias up to bat. Despite the immense pressure of the moment, bases loaded, only one out and only a two run ball game, Ottavino buckled down and got Arias to strikeout on a slider low and away. Perez would come on to pinch hit for pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, but he too would end up a victim of Ottavino's slider, frozen up and caught watching a called third strike go by on the outside corner as Ottavino pitched his way out of potential meltdown and got out of the inning.

Player of the game was Justin Morneau, going 3-5 with a single, and two two-run home runs, scoring two runs and driving in 4 RBI. Drew Stubbs, starting in place of Carlos Gonzalez in left, also had a huge day, going 3-5 with a single, a triple and a two run home run of his own, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. The top hitter for the Giants was Nori Aoki going 2-5 with two singles, a run scored and one RBI.

Winning pitcher was Christian Friedrich in relief, improving to 1-0 on the year. Friedrich would go 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run and one earned run to make his ERA 3.86. Starting pitcher Eddie Butler only made it 3.0 innings pitched, getting tagged for 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts to balloon his ERA up to 15.43. Boone Logan was a savior from the bullpen, eating up 3.0 innings pitched much earlier than anticipated, completely shutting the Giants down in the process as he would give up zero hits and strikeout 5 batters for a 1.59 ERA on the year. Adam Ottavino, in his 1.0 inning pitched, giving up 3 hits and getting 3 strikeouts to keep his perfect 0.00 ERA, was awarded his second hold of the season. John Axford came on in the ninth and sent the Giants down in order to earn his third save in as many games.

Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong would go 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs and one strikeout, while Javier Lopez would pick up a hold with 2.0 innings of work giving up just one hit. Vogelsong would lose the win however as George Kontos would go 0.0 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 earned runs, Jean Machi was smacked with a blown save, his first of the year, going 0.0 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 run and 1 earned run. And Jeremy Affeldt would be tagged with the loss, dropping him to 2-1 on the year, going 0.0 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 earned runs. In all, the Giants would use 8 pitchers, starter Vogelsong plus their entire bullpen, in the loss.


Colorado - 6-10-3
San Francisco - 4-6-1

Colorado - 3-11-0
San Francisco - 1-5-0

Colorado - 8-15-1
San Francisco - 6-11-0


All of a sudden, the three game weekend series at the LA Dodgers has new meaning, as the Dodgers, at 6-3, lead the NL West by a half game over the San Diego Padres, and lead the NL West by a full game over the Colorado Rockies, who sit in third at 5-4. Even just two of three games and the Rockies are potentially in a first place tie. It may only be the middle of April, but a first place tie is still a first place tie, and if the team can be right there fighting, certainly that's enough to get the players to believe and buy into a division chase as the dog days of summer soon approach.

SmoothPancakes
06-17-2015, 03:39 PM
Colorado Rockies (5-4) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (6-3)
April 17-19, 2015
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:10 PM
Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 2.57 ERA) vs Brett Anderson (0-1, 0.00 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 6:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (1-1, 5.25 ERA) vs Clayton Kershaw (1-1, 3.86 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 1:10 PM
Tyler Chatwood (2-0, 4.50 ERA) vs Zack Greinke (1-0, 3.97 ERA)


The Colorado Rockies made one hell of a statement as they opened division play with a three game sweep of the defending World Series champions. Now they head south down the California coastline to visit the first place Los Angeles Dodgers in yet another series giving them a chance to make a statement and prove they belong in the division race going forward, or showing their critics right and proving that they just got lucky and will eventually drift back down to the NL West cellar.

steelerfan
06-17-2015, 05:20 PM
Big time sweep! Now go get those Dodgers!

SmoothPancakes
06-17-2015, 08:01 PM
Big time sweep! Now go get those Dodgers!
Yeah, the Rockies badly needed that! The season may only be a week and a half old, but getting swept by the Cubs put the Rockies in an early hole with the two toughest division opponents next on the schedule. They could have gone into a tail spin. Instead they did the incredible. Dodgers are gonna be a whole other beast though. Going up against Kershaw and Greinke, it's gonna be a battle to get hits and runs.

SmoothPancakes
06-18-2015, 01:05 PM
Riding a three game winning streak, following the sweep of the San Francisco Giants, the Rockies would keep the momentum going against the Dodgers as a game 1 victory would result in a three way deadlock for first in the NL West, as the Rockies, Dodgers and San Diego Padres all found themselves sitting at 6-4. The Rockies would fail to get another sweep as the Dodgers would use a big eighth inning to take game two, but Colorado would take the rubber match as Tyler Chatwood pitched a career best game to carry the Rockies to victory.

The Rockies would continue their hot starts in the first game, as Nolan Arenado would immediately put the purple and black on the scoreboard with a lead off solo home run to left field. After a single by LeMahieu, Corey Dickerson would come on and send a two out pitch into the left field stands for a two run home run to open a 3-0 lead. The Dodgers would manage just two singles in the first inning, before the Dodgers bats would go ice cold, as starter Kyle Kendrick proceed to retire 14 straight batters before Turner broke the spell and reached base with a single in the sixth inning. During that time, the Rockies increased their lead to 5-0 on a third inning sac fly by Drew Stubbs and a solo home run by Dickerson, his second homer of the game, in the top of the sixth.

Despite throwing a shutout two-hitter up to that point, Kendrick would lose the shutout in the sixth inning as Justin Turner hit a one out single to left field, followed by a two out RBI double to left by Yasiel Puig. Puig would score on the next at-bat as Adrian Gonzalez hit a fly ball to deep right field, only for Dickerson to fail to come up with the catch, allowing Gonzalez to reach third and Puig to score from second on the fielding error. Both teams would get on base in the seventh, but neither could score. The eighth inning would see a career day for Dickerson as he would launch his third home run of the game, a solo shot to right field to make it 6-2. The Rockies would score twice more in the ninth inning on an RBI single by Carlos Gonzalez and a sac fly by DJ LeMahieu to make it 8-2, while the Dodgers would go down three up, three down in both the eighth and ninth innings to end the game.

Player of the game, by FAR, was Corey Dickerson going an insane 4-4 with a double, a career best three home runs, one a two run shot and two solo blasts, along with three runs and 4 RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Yasiel Puig, going 204 with a single, a double, one run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Kyle Kendrick, improving his record to 1-1 on the year as he went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and 3 strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.08. Rafael Betancourt got credit for a hold with a two hit scoreless seventh inning. Losing pitcher was Brett Anderson, dropping to 0-2 on the year as he would last just 5.0 innings, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.60 ERA.



The second game would see both teams struggle to get runs across the plate as long as both starters were on the mound. The Dodgers would get on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third with a solo home run by Yasiel Puig. The Rockies would answer back with a fourth inning solo home run by Corey Dickerson off of Clayton Kershaw. An RBI double by Justin Morneau would give Colorado a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth, only to see the game tied back up at 2-2 following an RBI ground out by Andre Ethier.

After an uneventful seventh inning, both bullpens were in full swing, and that was when the Dodgers would strike, lighting up Rex Brothers in the eighth inning. Howie Kendrick started the activities off with a double, followed by an RBI single by Puig, followed by a single by Adrian Gonzalez. Ethier would single to right field for one RBI to end Brothers’ day. Adam Ottavino would come in to try and close things out, only to get tagged for a two RBI double by Yasmani Grandal, as the Dodgers would score three runs on five hits to take a 5-2 lead before sending Colorado down in order in the ninth for the victory.

Player of the game was Yasiel Puig, going 2-4 with a single, a solo home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Top hitter for Colorado was Corey Dickerson, going 3-4 with a single, a triple and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI.

Winning pitcher was Joel Peralta, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up just 1 hit in the eighth inning. Kenley Janson got his fifth save for a perfect ninth inning. Starter Clayton Kershaw went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.38 ERA. Kershaw was gunning for his 100th career victory, but was pulled from the game before the Dodgers could get the lead for him. Losing pitcher was Rex Brothers, going 0.1 innings pitched in a miserable eighth inning, giving up 4 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout to shoot his ERA up to 13.50. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts to lower his ERA to 4.50.



The third game of the series would see the Rockies jump out quick and early courtesy of a two run homer by Carlos Gonzalez. While the Dodgers had shown the ability to comeback in the previous game, they had no answer for pitcher Tyler Chatwood today as they would manage just two singles in the first four innings. Colorado would increase their lead in the fifth inning with an RBI double by Nolan Arenado, while the Dodgers would get just their third and final hit of the game in the bottom of the inning. The Rockies would put the game away in the seventh inning as Chatwood drove in an RBI with a sac bunt, followed by an RBI groundout by Arenado to increase the lead to 5-0. From there it was all Chatwood the rest of the way. After giving up the leadoff single in the fifth inning, Chatwood would retire the final 15 Dodgers batters for the complete game, three hit shutout victory.

Player of the game was starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood, as he would pitch a complete game shutout to improve to 3-0 on the year, going 9.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 8 strikeouts to drop his ERA to 2.37. Losing pitcher was Zack Greinke, going just 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 4.41 ERA.

Top hitter for the Rockies, despite only having one hit while two other players had managed two, was Carlos Gonzalez, going 1-4 with a two run home run, one run and 2 RBI, giving us a first inning lead that would carry to the end. Top hitter for the Dodgers ended up a three-way tie as Howie Kendrick, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford all went 1-3 with one single.


Colorado - 8-12-2
LA Dodgers - 2-6-0

Colorado - 2-10-1
LA Dodgers - 5-11-0

Colorado - 5-8-0
LA Dodgers - 0-3-0


Despite taking 2 out of 3 from the Dodgers, the Rockies would still find themselves looking up in the standings, as the San Diego Padres sat in first place with an 8-5 record, a half game ahead of both the Rockies and the Dodgers. And much like how the Dodgers series suddenly became important as the first game arrived, now the Padres series was the must watch series in baseball as the top two teams in the NL West battled for division supremacy.

SmoothPancakes
06-18-2015, 01:13 PM
San Diego Padres (8-5) vs Colorado Rockies (7-5)
April 20-23, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
David Hale (1-0, 5.25 ERA) vs Ian Kennedy (0-1, 7.71 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Eddie Butler (0-1, 15.43 ERA) vs Brandon Morrow (2-0, 3.75 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 2.08 ERA) vs James Shields (2-0, 1.33 ERA)

Game Four - Thursday 1:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs Andrew Cashner (1-1, 2.84 ERA)


A three game sweep of the San Francisco Giants and taking a three game series against the LA Dodgers, and the Rockies found themselves within grasp of first place in the NL West as they trailed the San Diego Padres by just a half game, on the eve of opening a four game series against the Padres. While the Rockies have found phenominal early season success, winning 6 of their last 7 games, it has been the road that has been kind to them. So far, with a 7-5 record, the Rockies stand at 7-2 on the road, and 0-3 at home thanks to being swept by the Chicago Cubs in their only home series to date. That Cubs series was one that saw the Rockies struggle mightily, both at the plate and on the mound. The biggest question going into the Padres series, would the Rockies be able to overcome the massive monkey on their back as they returned to Coors Field still looking for their first home win of the season?

steelerfan
06-18-2015, 10:44 PM
Good job with the Dodgers. Another big series ahead, early in the season.

SmoothPancakes
06-19-2015, 01:15 PM
Good job with the Dodgers. Another big series ahead, early in the season.

Yeah, that went a lot better than I expected. Was able to handle business against the Dodgers #5 starter, taking advantage of the match-up. Things went about as I figured they would against Clayton Kershaw. Got some hits, but just couldn't get the runs. Game three was the biggest surprise, getting runs across on Greinke and dominating on the mound. I may need to change some pitching sliders around.

After watching your game against Oakland to decide the AL West winner and seeing your pitching with analog, I made the switch going from using meter pitching (which I was not the most proficient at, shown by having nearly as many balls thrown as I did strikes in those first three games against Milwaukee) to using analog pitching. It has been a day/night difference. My pitching has become better and more consistent. Maybe too consistent based on the Giants and Dodgers series.

jaymo76
06-20-2015, 04:15 PM
Good job with the Dodgers. Another big series ahead, early in the season.


Yeah, that went a lot better than I expected. Was able to handle business against the Dodgers #5 starter, taking advantage of the match-up. Things went about as I figured they would against Clayton Kershaw. Got some hits, but just couldn't get the runs. Game three was the biggest surprise, getting runs across on Greinke and dominating on the mound. I may need to change some pitching sliders around.

After watching your game against Oakland to decide the AL West winner and seeing your pitching with analog, I made the switch going from using meter pitching (which I was not the most proficient at, shown by having nearly as many balls thrown as I did strikes in those first three games against Milwaukee) to using analog pitching. It has been a day/night difference. My pitching has become better and more consistent. Maybe too consistent based on the Giants and Dodgers series.

I never disliked the Dodgers until I started playing The Show. Now I despise them. They tend to kick my butt most games and their pitching is beastly good.

SmoothPancakes
06-20-2015, 07:15 PM
I never disliked the Dodgers until I started playing The Show. Now I despise them. They tend to kick my butt most games and their pitching is beastly good.
Yeah, Kershaw was a pain in the ass. I'm sure Greinke will be too in the future. I'll be seeing enough of both of them with as many games as I'll have against the Dodgers.

SmoothPancakes
06-21-2015, 11:29 AM
Halfway through the San Diego series, a couple of trades have taken place.

Seattle traded C John Hicks (25 years old, 63, A) to Boston for SS Jeff Bianchi (28 years old, 66, C).

San Francisco traded RP Yusmeiro Petit (30 years old, 73, B) to Boston for SP Brian Johnson (24 years old, 63, C).


Edit - One more trade occurred on the final day of the Padres series.

Tampa Bay traded 3B Richie Shaffer (24 years old, 57, C) to the New York Yankees for LF Mason Williams (23 years old, 59, C).

SmoothPancakes
06-21-2015, 12:35 PM
April 22nd turned out to be a rough day for the Rockies minor league system as multiple players ended up injured in games.

AA New Britain starting pitcher Tyler Anderson suffered a lat muscle strain that would see him potentially sidelined for 1-6 days.

AA New Britain relief pitcher Ryan Arrowood would suffer bruised ribs during the same game, leaving him sidelined for potentially 1-6 days.

And AAA Albuquerque closing pitcher Jairo Diaz suffered a strained finger on his pitching hand, leaving him out of action for an estimated 1-6 days.

Thankfully none of the injuries appear serious and it will just be a couple days of rest needed, but three injuries in one day could be a bad sign if more important players start getting bit by the injury bug, and bit harder.

Right now the plan is to try to avoid having to place them on the 15 day DL, as the injuries appear minor and at most just 6 days of rest needed. If something changes and the time of recovery expands, then placement on the 15 day DL will be considered.

SmoothPancakes
06-21-2015, 02:35 PM
Returning home after a hot road trip along the Pacific coast, it would be a back and forth affair as it would see the Rockies take two tries before finally winning their first home game of the young season. The Rockies would then take that first home victory and turn it into three as the bats came alive in HUGE fashion to take three of four games against the Padres.

The first game would get off to a rough start as San Diego would plate three runs in the top of the second inning, all on a fielding error by Charlie Blackmon all the way out at the wall in center field. The Rockies would get two of those runs back as Michael McKenry hit an RBI double, followed by a RBI sac fly by Nolan Arenado. But the Padres would pile right back on in the third inning as Justin Upton had an RBI ground out, followed by a two run home run to left field by Wil Myers to make it 6-2. The Rockies would manage one run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI sac fly by Corey Dickerson and a solo home run by Carlos Gonzalez in the bottom of the eighth inning, but it wouldn't be enough to avoid defeat.

Player of the game for San Diego was Wil Myers, going 1-4 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored. Top hitter for Colorado was D.J. LeMahieu, going 3-4 with two doubles and a single. Winning pitcher was Ian Kennedy to improve to 1-1 on the year, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 5.51 ERA. Joaquin Benoit (2nd) and Shawn Kelley (3rd) each got credit for a hold in a combined eighth inning effort, while Craig Kimbrel picked up his 5th save of the year with a flawless ninth. Losing pitcher David Hale to drop to 1-1 on the year, only lasting 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 6 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 7 strikeouts for a 5.63 ERA.



The second game would go from a potential blowout to a back and forth nail-biter, all the way to the final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth. The Padres would waste no time in the top of the first inning with a two RBI double by Wil Myers and an RBI double by Jedd Gyorko to jump out 3-0. The Rockies would answer right back with a two run home run to left field by Troy Tulowitzki, nearly sending the ball clear out of the park. A second inning solo shot by Yonder Alonso would put the Padres back up 4-2, before a sac fly by Corey Dickerson in the bottom of the third would score Tulowitzki to pull back within one. At that point, the game went on the verge of a blowout in the top of the fourth inning as pitcher Brandon Morrow hit an RBI double to right, followed by Alonso going yard for the second straight at-bat, this time for a two run home run to put San Diego up 7-3. Then the wheels fell off for Morrow and the Padres. It didn't look good as the first two Rockies batters grounded out, but then some two out magic happened as pitcher Eddie Butler reached first on a throwing error, followed by a ground ball to center by Nolan Arenado. D.J. LeMahieu would deflect a ground ball off the first baseman and reach base safely for a single, loading up the bases with two outs for Troy Tulowitzki. Tulowitzki would come, he would see, and he would go yard for the second time in the game, a two out grand slam to left field to tie the game at 7-7. But the Rockies weren't done yet. Carlos Gonzalez would hit a two out double to center, followed by an RBI double to left by Corey Dickerson to give Colorado their first lead of the game at 8-7.

The track meet would continue in the fifth inning as San Diego tied the game back up on a fielding miscue during an infield single, allowing Matt Kemp to steal home on the play. The next play would see Gyorko single to right to score Myers for a 9-8 lead. The Rockies would answer right back as Charlie Blackmon hit a sac fly to left field, scoring Drew Stubs from third base to even the score back up at 9-9. After two scoreless innings by the bullpens, the Padres would capitalize in the eighth inning with two RBI triples in the inning to take an 11-9 lead. But the Rockies would not go quietly. A one out pinch hit would get Wilin Rosario on base, followed by a single to right by Arenado. After a double steal put runners on second and third, a ground out by LeMahieu would drive in the RBI as Rosario scored and Arenado advanced to third. Then a two out single to left field by Tulowitzki would drive in Arenado to tie the score back up at 11-11, the game seemingly destined for extra innings at this rate.

The Padres had a great chance to add to their score as Kemp ended up drawing a walk to start the ninth inning, but Melvin Upton, Jr would come in to pinch run and take off stealing on the first pitch to the next batter, only to be gunned down by an expecting catcher for the first out. A strikeout and a pop out would end the inning for Adam Ottavino on the mound. After a ground out to start the bottom of the ninth inning, Justin Morneau would get a free pass on base courtesy of a hit by pitch. A double to center by Michael McKenry would follow to put runners on second and third and only one out. That would bring up Drew Stubbs, who would send an 0-1 pitch into the gap in left field, rolling all the way to the wall for a single, driving in Morneau from third for the game-winning run, 12-11.

The player of the game, by FAR, was Troy Tulowitzki, who had a career day, going 4-5 with a single, a double, a two run home run and a grand slam, scoring three runs and driving in 7 RBI. Corey Dickerson also had a big day, going 3-4 with a single, a double and a triple and two RBI. Dickerson would end up one home run short of hitting for the cycle, while Tulowitzki ended up a triple shy of his own cycle. Top hitter for the Padres was Yonder Alonso, going 2-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and 3 RBI. Winning pitcher was Adam Ottavino, who improves to 1-0 on the year, pitching the ninth inning, giving up one walk and one strikeout to keep his ERA at 0.00. Starting pitcher Eddie Butler went just 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts to balloon his ERA up to 15.55. Losing pitcher was Shawn Kelley, who went just 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, one run and one earned run in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 6.43 ERA. Starting pitcher Brandon Morrow went only 3.2 innings pitched, giving up 11 hits, 8 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 4.60 ERA.



The third game of the series would go much better for the Rockies, and be much less stressful for the fans. The Padres would get the early 1-0 lead on an RBI triple by Austin Hedges in the top of the second inning, but the Rockies would answer back in the bottom of the third. With Drew Stubbs standing at third base, Nolan Arenado would reach base on a fielding error to allow Stubbs to cross the plate. Then Wilin Rosario would drive in Arenado with an RBI double, followed by an RBI single down the third base line by Troy Tulowitzki. Finally Carlos Gonzalez would smoke an RBI triple to right center field to put Colorado up 4-1.

The Rockies would put two more up in the bottom of the fourth as pitcher Kyle Kendrick got an RBI single to drive in Stubbs from second, before scoring on an RBI double by Arenado to take a 6-1 lead. San Diego would manage to plate one more run in the top of the sixth inning as Austin Hedges drew a two out, bases loaded walk to bring in Justin Upton on the free run, but that would be all they could manage. The Rockies would make up that run in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field by Drew Stubbs, followed by a solo home run by Michael McKenry in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap off the scoring at 8-2.

Player of the game was Drew Stubbs, going 3-4 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Padres was Austin Hedges, going 2-3 with a double, a triple, a bases loaded walk and two RBI. Hedges was the only San Diego player to get an extra base hit as the other 7 hits all came on singles.

Winning pitcher was Kyle Kendrick to improve to 2-1 on the season, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 1.80 ERA. Losing pitcher was James Shields to drop to 2-1 on the year, going just 3.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 2.25 ERA.



The fourth and final game of the series got off to a familiar start, as the Padres would get a couple of quick and early hits, an RBI single driving in the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. The Rockies wouldn’t wait to respond however, as an RBI single by Justin Morneau and a two run home run to right field by Corey Dickerson gave Colorado a 3-1 lead.

After a quiet second inning by San Diego, the Rockies would turn this into a blowout. Wilin Rosario would get the action started with a leadoff single, moving over to second on a ground out by Daniel Descalso. Rosario would make it to third base on a bunt out by pitcher Jordan Lyles. Then the top of the lineup would go to work as Nick Hundley lined an RBI single to left field to score Rosario. D.J. LeMahieu would line a single to left to score Hundley from second, followed by a bases clearing two run home run by Morneau. Charlie Blackmon would reach base on a single to center field, followed by Corey Dickerson smacking his second home run of the game, a two run moon shot into the second level seats in right field to make it 9-1 and drive starter Andrew Cashner from the game after just 1.2 innings pitched. Two more runs by Drew Stubbs and Wilin Rosario would result in a monster 8 hit, 8 run inning to see Colorado go up 11-1 after just two innings of play.

Unfortunately for the Padres, the nightmare would continue in the fifth inning as reliever Kevin Quackenbush would give up an RBI single to Descalso, before eventually pitching into a no out bases loaded jam. The Rockies would take advantage of the packed bases, as Nick Hundley would send a ground ball up the middle into center field for a two RBI single. LeMahieu would ground out for the first out of the inning, but he would drive in pitcher Jordan Lyles from third. Finally a two out double by Blackmon into center field would score Hundley from third to cap off a 6 hit, 5 run inning to turn the game into a 16-1 laugher through five innings. The Padres would manage a leadoff triple, an RBI single and another single to put runners on first and third before Jordan Lyles would close the door in the seventh inning and end his day on the mound. Troy Tulowitzki would come in to pinch hit for Lyles in the bottom of the seventh inning, making the most of his at-bat as he would launch a solo home run into the left field bleachers to up the score to 17-2. Boone Logan and Rafael Betancourt would shut down the Padres in the eighth and ninth to wrap this one up.

Player of the game was Corey Dickerson, going 2-5 with two two-run home runs, two runs scored and four RBI. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Charlie Blackmon, going 3-5 with a single, two doubles, one run scored and one RBI. Wilin Rosario meanwhile went 3-5 with three singles, three runs scored and one RBI. Top hitter for the Padres was Yonder Alonso, going 2-4 with one run scored. Winning pitcher was Jordan Lyles to improve to 2-1, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.96 ERA. Losing pitcher was Andrew Cashner to fall to 1-2, lasting only 1.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 9 runs, 9 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts to raise his ERA to 6.53.


San Diego - 6-9-1
Colorado - 4-10-1

San Diego - 11-12-1
Colorado - 12-17-1

San Diego - 2-9-1
Colorado - 8-12-1

San Diego - 2-9-0
Colorado - 17-19-0


With the huge series victory over the Padres, taking three of four at home, that would move the Rockies into outright possession of first place in the NL West with a 10-6 record. That would be made possible thanks to a 6-1 San Francisco victory over the LA Dodgers to drop the blue and white to 9-6 and a half game behind the Rockies. Now comes the challenge of holding onto the first place spot as the Rockies welcome the Giants to Coors Field for a three game weekend series.

SmoothPancakes
06-21-2015, 02:39 PM
San Francisco Giants (7-10) vs Colorado Rockies (10-6)
April 24-26, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:40 PM
Tim Hudson (1-2, 3.06 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (3-0, 2.37 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 6:10 PM
Tim Lincecum (0-2, 2.50 ERA) vs David Hale (1-1, 5.63 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Ryan Vogelsong (0-2, 4.80 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (0-1, 15.55 ERA)


Coming off a huge series win over the Padres to claim first place in the division, the Rockies would need to keep the hot streak going as they would try and repeat the results the last time they played the Giants. Only difference, that three game sweep came at AT&T Park. The Rockies would have to try and pull off the sweep at home this time around.

The potential good news for Rockies fans, they would see the exact same pitching match-ups that they did when the Rockies swept the Giants the week before, as the exact same list of probable starters top the list again this time, with Hudson/Lincecum/Vogelsong up for the Giants and Chatwood/Hale/Butler expected on the mound for the Rockies.

SmoothPancakes
06-22-2015, 06:43 PM
This series would see it all, a double digit track meet, a pair of extra innings battles, and a day of struggles for the Rockies as they would drop two out of three to the Giants to end their seven game homestand.

The first game would start slow and then turn nuts. The Rockies got on board first with a solo home run by Troy Tulowitzki in the third inning. Then the Rockies would go nuts in the third inning, as back to back singles, a bunt and another single would load the bases with one out. D.J. LeMahieu would single to drive in one run and leave the bases full. That would bring up Tulowitzki again, and Tulo would empty the bases as he would smoke a grand slam to straight away center field, sending the ball swimming in the fountain. They weren’t done yet however as Corey Dickerson would hit a two out triple, and then get a free pass home as a throwing error from the outfield to third base would send the ball flying into the dugout and out of play to make the final damage 6 runs and 6 hits to open a 7-0 lead.

That lead would last for all of one inning as the Giants would come up in the top of the sixth inning. Two singles and a ground out would put runners at second and third, followed by an RBI ground out to score one and leave a runner at third. Despite having two outs, the Giants would pour it on with three straight RBI doubles and an RBI triple to cut the score to 7-5. A seventh inning sac fly would make it 7-6 before a two out eighth inning single would tie the game, followed by an RBI double to give San Francisco an 8-7 lead. The Rockies would answer back in the bottom of the eighth inning as pinch hitter Charlie Blackmon would launch a two run home run to center field, followed by a solo shot to left by Nolan Arenado to give the Rockies a 10-8 lead. That lead would almost instantly vanish as Nori Aoki would hit a one out single, followed by a walk to Joaquin Arias. An RBI double by Hunter Pence would score Aoki and a squeeze bunt by Adam Duvall would go for a successful single and an RBI as Arias would cross the plate to make it 10-10. The Rockies would load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but could not get the win.

Headed into the tenth inning, a leadoff triple to Matt Duffy would spell disaster as Aoki would line a two out RBI single into right field to give the Giants an 11-10 lead. Somehow, the Rockies would answer back with a leadoff single by Arenado and a two out RBI single by Carlos Gonzalez to knot the score back up at 11-11. Rafael Betancourt would shut the Giants down in the eleventh inning with two ground outs and a strikeout. Bottom of the eleventh inning, after a Wilin Rosario fly out, Michael McKenry would swing at a 1-2 fastball and would launch it into the left field bleachers for a walk off solo home run, giving the Rockies a 12-11 win in eleven innings.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-6 with a single, a solo home run and a grand slam, scoring two runs and driving in five RBI. Michael McKenry would be the hero of the game, going 4-6 with three singles and the walk off home run, scoring three runs and one RBI. Top hitter for the Giants was Nori Aoki, going 3-5 with three singles, two runs scored and two RBI. Matt Duffy was also a top hitter, going 3-5 with a double and two triples, scoring one runs and driving in two RBI.

Winning pitcher was Rafael Betancourt, going 2.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 2.57 ERA. Tommy Kahnle got credit for a hold, his third of the season. Boone Logan and John Axford each got tagged with their first blown saves of the year. Starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood would go 5.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.28 ERA in the no decision. Losing pitcher was Santiago Casilla to drop to 0-1 on the year, going 2.1 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and two strikeouts for a 3.24 ERA. Jean Machi was tagged with his second blown save in the eighth inning. Starter Tim Hudson would last just 3.1 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and four strikeouts for a 4.71 ERA.



The second game would end up a low scoring pitcher’s duel. The game would start quiet as neither team could find much success. The Rockies would manage to get on board first as Nolan Arenado hit an RBI single to right for in the third inning to stake a 1-0 lead. That would last until the fifth inning when pitcher Tim Lincecum hit a two out single to right field, followed by an RBI triple by Nori Aoki to even the game at 1-1. Two innings later, a one out sac fly by Gregor Blanco would drive in Adam Duvall to put the Giants up 2-1. The Rockies would manage to push across a run in the bottom of the eighth inning as D.J. LeMahieu hit a single to center field to drive in Arenado. From there, despite both teams getting runners on base, neither team would reach home plate until the eleventh inning.

In the top of the eleventh, Adam Ottavino would get two strikeouts, but would also walk Arias. That would bring up Jackson Williams, who would hit a line drive to center field. A misplay by Charlie Blackmon and a fielding error would allow Arias to score from first and would also allow Williams to sprint around the bases, sliding across home plate for the “inside the park home run that wasn’t” thanks to a bad throw pulling the catcher halfway down the first base line. With that, the Giants would grab a 4-2 lead. The Rockies would put up a fight as Michael McKenry would lead off the bottom of the eleventh with a double, moving over the third base on a ground out by Drew Stubbs. Charlie Blackmon would hit a sac fly to left field to score McKenry and make the score 4-3, but Wilin Rosario would go down swinging on a low and away fastball and the Giants would claim the victory.

Player of the game was Nori Aoki, going 2-6 with a double, a triple and an RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was D.J. LeMahieu, going 5-5 with four singles, a double and one RBI. Winning pitcher was J.C. Gutierrez to improve to 1-0, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk and 1 strikeout in a scoreless tenth inning. Jeremy Affeldt would get his first save of the year and S. Romo would get pegged with his second blown save. Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.25 ERA. Losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 1-1, going 2.1 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts to bump his previous perfect ERA up to 2.00. Starting pitcher David Hale went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts for a 4.30 ERA.



The third game of the series would find the Giants jumping out to an early and insurmountable lead. An RBI double by Brandon Belt and a sac fly by Hunter Pence would score two runs in the first inning, an RBI single by pitcher Ryan Vogelsong would score one in the second, and a two RBI double by Joaquin Arias would score two runs in the third inning to jump the Giants out to an early 5-0 lead. A sac fly by Belt in the fifth inning and a fielder’s choice by Vogelsong in the sixth would bring across two more runs to make it 7-0. The Rockies would finally get on the board in the bottom of the sixth as Daniel Descalso would launch a solo home run to right field for his first round tripper of the season, but the Giants would answer right back in the seventh as Hunter Pence launched a solo home run to center to make it 8-1. An eighth inning sac fly by Charlie Blackmon and a solo home run to right field by Corey Dickerson would be all the further the Rockies could manage in the 8-3 loss.

Player of the game was Buster Posey, going 4-5 with three singles, a triple and three runs scored. Top hitter for the Rockies was Daniel Descalso, going 3-4 with two singles, a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Ryan Vogelsong to improve to 1-2 on the year, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 13 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 4.30 ERA. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to fall to 0-2 on the season, going just 4.1 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 14.67 ERA.


San Francisco - 11-16-2 F/11
Colorado - 12-23-2

San Francisco - 4-7-0 F/11
Colorado - 3-16-2

San Francisco - 8-12-1
Colorado - 3-13-2


That series loss would rip the guts out of the Rockies momentum, dropping them to 11-8 on the year and into second place in the NL West, falling a half game behind the LA Dodgers (11-7). The Rockies would return to the extremely friendly road, as they would close out the final three days of April with a visit to the last place Arizona Diamondbacks.

SmoothPancakes
06-22-2015, 06:49 PM
Colorado Rockies (11-8) vs Arizona Diamondbacks (7-11)
April 27-29, 2015
Chase Field - Phoenix, Arizona

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 1.80 ERA) vs Bronson Arroyo (1-2, 2.76 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Jordan Lyles (2-1, 3.96 ERA) vs Chase Anderson (1-1, 2.33 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Tyler Chatwood (3-0, 3.28 ERA) vs Jeremy Hellickson (0-3, 4.29 ERA)


Coming off a disappointing series loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Rockies would try to regroup as they headed on the road, where they currently own a 7-2 record, with a three game stretch through Arizona to close out the month of April, before opening up May with a three game swing at San Diego.

steelerfan
06-23-2015, 05:00 AM
Damn, buddy. That game 2 loss hurts. 16 his and only 3 runs. :(

SmoothPancakes
06-23-2015, 01:32 PM
Damn, buddy. That game 2 loss hurts. 16 his and only 3 runs. :(
Yeah, that one was harsh. :(

Same story with game 3. Got runners on base both games but just couldn't get them across the plate.

steelerfan
06-23-2015, 01:56 PM
Yeah, that one was harsh. :(

Same story with game 3. Got runners on base both games but just couldn't get them across the plate.
Saw that. At least game 3 wasn't close though. Game 2 - ugh!

SmoothPancakes
06-23-2015, 03:59 PM
Saw that. At least game 3 wasn't close though. Game 2 - ugh!

That's true! Game 3 was pretty well over early. Game 2 was definitely the heart ripper. Had LOADS of opportunities to score more runs, just didn't drive them in when it counted.

SmoothPancakes
06-23-2015, 04:03 PM
An injury update, AAA Albuquerque first baseman Matt McBride suffered an abdominal strain in Monday's game against Las Vegas. The team doctors deemed it a minor injury that should only keep him sidelined for up to 6 days, so he should avoid the 15 day DL and for now will be moved to the bench for the next week or so.

SmoothPancakes
06-23-2015, 09:39 PM
After a month that saw the Rockies play some high scoring track meets, the month of April would end in a trio of pitchers duels as both Arizona and Colorado would play a battle of “first to three runs” in each of the three games of the series, a battle that the Rockies would win in the first and third games to take the series victory.

The first game would see both teams struggle in a pitcher’s battle. While Arizona would get a pair of runners on in the second inning, they wouldn’t break onto the scoreboard until the bottom of the third when Paul Goldschmidt hit a one out sac fly to drive in Pollock. The Rockies meanwhile would struggle mightily against Bronson Arroyo, the team not even getting their first hit until Daniel Descalso led off the top of the fourth inning with a single. While both teams would get a hit here and there, the scoring would go silent until the top of the sixth inning, when a one out single to center by Carlos Gonzalez would drive in Troy Tulowitzki from second base to tie the game 1-1. After a quiet seventh, Tulowitzki would reach base in the eighth inning with a one out single, advancing on to second courtesy of a throwing error by the left fielder before moving over to third on a ground out by Gonzalez. Corey Dickerson would bring Tulo in to score with a two out single to center field, giving the Rockies a 2-1 lead. The Rockies would tag on one more run as Wilin Rosario would reach base on a throwing error by the third baseman, followed by Nolan Arenado hitting an RBI double into the gap in left field to drive in Rosario and put the Rockies up 3-1. John Axford would pitch the bottom of the ninth, sending the Diamondbacks down in order for his fourth save of the year.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 2-4 with two singles and two runs scored. Top hitter for the Diamondbacks was A.J. Pollock, going 2-4 with two singles and a run scored. Winning pitcher was Tommy Kahnle to improve to 1-0 on the year, going 2.0 perfect innings pitched, giving up no hits, no walks and striking out two. John Axford would get his fourth save of the year with a perfect ninth inning. Starter Kyle Kendrick would go 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts for a 1.73 ERA and the no decision. Losing pitcher was Oliver Perez to drop to 1-1 on the year, going 0.2 innings pitched in the eighth, giving up 2 hits, 1 run and 1 earned run. Starter Bronson Arroyo went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 2.31 ERA and the no decision.



The second game would see the Diamondbacks jump out early, as Paul Goldschmidt, after fouling off a crap ton of pitches for a 15 pitch at-bat, would smash a two out solo home run to left field in the first inning. An RBI double in the second inning by Tuffy Gosewisch would bring Jake Lamb across the plate and give Arizona a 2-0 lead. The Rockies would break onto the scoreboard in the third inning as Daniel Descalso hit a sac fly to score D.J. LeMahieu from third, but a one out single by Goldschmidt would be followed by a two run home run by David Peralta, and the Diamondbacks jumped back out 4-1. Goldschmidt would continue to terrorize pitcher Jordan Lyles in the fifth inning, smoking a one out RBI triple in the fifth inning to bring A.J. Pollock all the way around from first for a 5-1 Arizona lead. The Rockies would cut the lead down in the sixth as Carlos Gonzalez led off the inning with a single, followed by a two run home run to right field by Corey Dickerson to make it a 5-3 ballgame. From there, both teams would go silent until Nick Hundley would smack a one out triple into the gap in right center field. Drew Stubbs would ground out to the second baseman, driving in Hundley from third for the RBI to close the score to 5-4. Unfortunately pinch hitter Michael McKenry would ground out to the shortstop to kill the rally and end the game.

Player of the game was Paul Goldschmidt, going 3-4 and coming within a double of hitting of the cycle, as he would hit a solo home run in the first, a single in the third and an RBI triple in the fifth, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with a single, a two run home run, one run scored and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Chase Anderson to improve to 2-1 on the season, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts for a 2.49 ERA. D. Hudson (1st) and Hernandez (4th) each got credit for a hold with uneventful seventh and eighth innings, while Addison Reed got his fifth save of the year, giving up just one hit and one run in the ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Jordan Lyles to drop to 2-2 on the season, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts for a 4.65 ERA. Rafael Betancourt was nearly perfect in relief, going 2.0 innings pitched, giving up just a single hit with no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.00 ERA as he shut Arizona down in the seventh and eighth innings.



The third game of the series would see runs, and hits, come at a premium as both teams struggled at the plate. The Rockies would jump on the scoreboard early with a two out solo home run by Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning. Tyler Chatwood would walk the leadoff batter, but then carry a no hitter into the third inning as the Diamondbacks had no answer at the plate. The Rockies would add another score in the top of the third as a double by Daniel Descalso was followed by an RBI triple by D.J. LeMahieu to push the lead to 2-0. Arizona would finally crack the scoreboard in the fourth inning, as Paul Goldschmidt drew a leadoff walk, followed by a one out double to center by David Peralta to put runners at second and third. That would bring up Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who would hit a sac fly to left field, scoring Goldschmidt and moving Peralta to third before Chatwood would escape the inning with a strikeout. Colorado would gain an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning as Corey Dickerson came on as a pinch hitter, sending a fastball into the right field stands for a solo home run, giving Colorado a 3-1 lead. It would be more than enough however as Arizona would manage just two singles between the fifth and ninth innings as the Rockies came away with the series win.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher, as Tyler Chatwood improved to 4-0 on the season, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up just 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts for a 2.90 ERA. Boone Logan (1st) and Adam Ottavino (3rd) each got credit for a hold as they combined in the seventh and eighth innings to hold Arizona to just a single hit. And John Axford picked up his fifth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Jeremy Hellickson to fall to 0-4 on the season, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 4.00 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Troy Tulowitzki, going 1-4 with a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Corey Dickerson was another top hitter as he went 1-1 as a pinch hitter, scoring one run and one RBI also via solo home run. Top hitter for the Diamondbacks was Paul Goldschmidt, going 1-3 with a single and a run scored. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had Arizona’s lone RBI, but he would go 0-3 at the plate.


Colorado - 3-8-0
Arizona - 1-7-3

Colorado - 4-8-1
Arizona - 5-7-1

Colorado - 3-6-0
Arizona - 1-4-0


The Rockies would end up in a battle the entire Arizona series, but they were able to pull out two wins and get back on track with a series victory to end the month of April. It wouldn’t be enough to reclaim first place however as the Dodgers remained a half game ahead of the Rockies. Next up for the Rockies would be a three game road trip to San Diego to start the month of May, before returning home to for a three game rematch against the Diamondbacks.

SmoothPancakes
06-23-2015, 10:05 PM
MLB Standings through Thursday, April 30, 2015

American League

East
Toronto Blue Jays - 14-9
New York Yankees - 13-9 (0.5 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 12-10 (1.5 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 9-13 (4.5 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 9-13 (4.5 GB)

Central
Kansas City Royals - 14-9
Chicago White Sox - 13-9 (0.5 GB)
Minnesota Twins - 11-11 (2.5 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 9-12 (4.0 GB)
Detroit Tigers - 8-15 (6.0 GB)

West
Oakland Athletics - 14-9
Seattle Mariners - 11-11 (2.5 GB)
Los Angeles Angels - 11-11 (2.5 GB)
Texas Rangers - 9-12 (4.0 GB)
Houston Astros - 8-14 (5.5 GB)


National League

East
Washington Nationals - 17-6
Miami Marlins - 12-10 (4.5 GB)
New York Mets - 10-13 (7.0 GB)
Atlanta Braves - 8-14 (8.5 GB)
Philadelphia Phillies - 6-17 (11.0 GB)

Central
Pittsburgh Pirates - 16-6
Chicago Cubs - 14-8 (2.0 GB)
Milwaukee Brewers - 13-9 (3.0 GB)
St. Louis Cardinals - 9-13 (7.0 GB)
Cincinnati Reds - 8-15 (8.5 GB)

West
Los Angeles Dodgers - 13-8
Colorado Rockies - 13-9 (0.5 GB)
San Diego Padres - 11-12 (3.0 GB)
San Francisco Giants - 10-13 (4.0 GB)
Arizona Diamondbacks - 8-13 (5.0 GB)

SmoothPancakes
06-23-2015, 10:16 PM
Colorado Rockies (13-9) vs San Diego Padres (11-12)
May 1-3, 2015
Petco Park - San Diego, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:10 PM
David Hale (1-1, 4.30 ERA) vs Ian Kennedy (2-1, 3.91 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 5:40 PM
Eddie Butler (0-2, 14.67 ERA) vs Brandon Morrow (2-1, 4.35 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 1:10 PM
Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 1.73 ERA) vs James Shields (2-1, 2.79 ERA)


After pulling out a series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, it would be off to San Diego to face the Padres for the second time in two weeks. While it would only be a three game series this time, it would be a repeat of pitching match-ups as all three Rockies starters will go up against the exact same counterpart on the Padres as they faced in the first series.

SmoothPancakes
06-24-2015, 04:54 PM
A trade was announced late Saturday morning.

Milwaukee traded C Martin Maldonado (28 years old, 71, C) to Detroit for 2B Hernan Perez (24 years old, 72, C).

SmoothPancakes
06-24-2015, 06:22 PM
Bad news struck the Rockies organization Saturday evening as word broke that AAA Albuquerque #3 starting pitcher Jon Gray suffered shoulder inflammation during his start that evening. It would be a severe enough injury to see Gray sideline for 3-4 weeks, earning him a spot on the 15-day disabled list.

SmoothPancakes
06-24-2015, 09:12 PM
The pitchers duels would continue for another series as the Rockies found themselves in a battle for runs and hits the entire series. But, they would manage to get the job done in games two and three and walk away with another series victory, taking two of three from the Padres.

The first game would start off good for the Rockies, as they broke onto the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. Gonzalez would chop a single down the third base line, before moving onto second base thanks to a throwing error sending the ball over the first baseman’s head. A single by Michael McKenry would put runners on the corners for Charlie Blackmon, who hit an RBI single into center field to score Gonzalez and leave runners at first and second. Justin Morneau would single to left to score McKenry from second base and Nolan Arenado would hit a two out single to center to score Blackmon from third. Morneau would try to make from second base, but he would get thrown out at home to end the inning with a 3-0 score.

The Padres would answer back briefly in the bottom of the inning as a leadoff double by Justin Upton was followed with an RBI single to right by Jedd Gyorko to score Upton and make it 3-1. Things would quiet down until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the wheels would fall off for pitcher David Hale. Matt Kemp and Upton would both get on base with a pair of singles. After getting a strikeout for the first out of the inning, that would bring Gyorko back to the plate, who would hammer a 1-2 fastball left up in the zone and send it into the left field stands for a no-doubt 3 run home run to give San Diego a 4-3 lead. From there, the pitchers would take over as neither team could manage a single hit for the final five innings of the game. The Rockies last hit of the game would come on a double by Michael McKenry in the fourth inning. The Padres last hit of the game would come on a two out single by pitcher Ian Kennedy also in the fourth inning.

Player of the game was Jedd Gyorko, going 2-3 with a single and a three run home run, scoring one run and four RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-3 with a single, a double and a run scored. Winning pitcher was Ian Kennedy to improve to 3-1 on the year, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 3.90 ERA. Joaquin Benoit picked up his third hold with a flawless eighth inning while Craig Kimbrel got his sixth save with a perfect ninth, all three combining to no-hit the Rockies from the middle of the fourth inning on. Losing pitcher was David Hale to fall to 1-2 on the year, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and 11 strikeouts for a 4.82 ERA. Hale, Tommy Kahnle, Rex Brothers and Adam Ottavino combined to no-hit the Padres from the fifth inning on.



The second game would see the Rockies leap out to a fast and early lead as this game would be decided by the third inning. Colorado would open things up with a leadoff triple by Nolan Arenado, followed by an RBI single by D.J. LeMahieu to bring Arenado across. A one out single by Corey Dickerson would put runners at the corners, followed by a stolen base by Dickerson to move up to second. Michael McKenry would strikeout swinging for what should have been the second out, but it would come on a wild pitch that would get past the catcher, allowing McKenry to reach first base, LeMahieu to score from third and Dickerson to move from second to third. A single by Charlie Blackmon would score Dickerson and move McKenry over to third and Drew Stubbs would get an infield single to drive McKenry in, putting Colorado out 4-0 in the first inning.

The Padres would answer right back however as a one out double by Yangervis Solarte would be followed with a two out RBI single to center field by Justin Upton to score Solarte from second, Upton advancing to second base during the throw to the plate from center field. Allowing Upton to advance to second would come back to bite the Rockies as Wil Myers would hit a single into center field, scoring Upton from center to cut the Rockies lead to 4-2. The Rockies would put it away for good in the second inning as a fielding error on Solarte would allow Troy Tulowitzki to reach base with two outs in the inning. That would bring up Corey Dickerson, who would jack a two run home run OUT of the ballpark, sending the ball to straight away center and into the streets of San Diego to up Colorado’s lead to 6-2. The Rockies would add one more run in the third inning as Nolan Arenado would hit a two out RBI single to center field to drive in Justin Morneau from second base, putting the Rockies up 7-2. Both teams would get runners on base the rest of the way, but none would manage to cross home plate.

Player of the game was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with a single, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Another top hitter for Colorado was Nolan Arenado, going 3-5 with a single, a double, a triple, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter for San Diego was Wil Myers, going 2-4 with two singles and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Eddie Butler, getting his first win of the season to improve to 1-2, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts for a 11.39 ERA. Rafael Betancourt got credit for his second hold with a 1 hit, 1 walk seventh inning, after which Adam Ottavino and John Axford would close out the game. Losing pitcher was Brandon Morrow to drop to 2-2 on the season, getting battered and abused as he would go just 2.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 7 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 5.40 ERA.



The third game of the series would turn out to be a low scoring affair as both pitchers pitched well. The Rockies would sneak onto the scoreboard first in the third inning as pitcher Kyle Kendrick would reach base on a fielding error to start the inning, followed by Nolan Arenado getting on via a throwing error to leave runners at first and second. Both runners would move up on a ground out by D.J. LeMahieu, bringing up Troy Tulowitzki, who would hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Kendrick and give Colorado a 1-0 lead. The Rockies would add another run in the fifth inning as Arenado would hit an infield single to score Justin Morneau for a 2-0 lead. All this time, Kyle Kendrick should have been pitching a perfect game, as he had given up just a single hit thus far, a fluke double to rival pitcher James Shields that bounced off the left field wall above Carlos Gonzalez’s head in the third inning. The Padres would get their second hit of the game in the seventh inning as Justin Upton would crack a two out double to center field. Taking a gamble, Kendrick would be left in to pitch the eighth inning, giving up a leadoff double to Jedd Gyorko. A strikeout and a fly out would leave two outs and Gyorko standing at third base for pinch hitter Will Middlebrooks, who would ground a single into center to score Gyorko and cut the score to 2-1. Kendrick would get a strikeout for the third out to end the eighth inning and his day on the mound. After an uneventful top of the ninth inning, John Axford would come in for the save, sending Yangervis Solarte, Matt Kemp and Justin Upton all down with strikeouts for the save and victory.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher, as Kyle Kendrick improved to 3-1 on the season, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 11 strikeouts for a 1.59 ERA. John Axford got his sixth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning. Losing pitcher was James Shields to drop to 2-2 on the year, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.57 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Justin Morneau, going 2-4 with two singles and a run scored, just one of two Rockies hitters to make two base hits today. Top hitter for the Padres was pinch hitter Will Middlebrooks, going 1-1 with a single and one RBI.


Colorado - 3-6-0
San Diego - 4-6-1

Colorado - 7-10-0
San Diego - 2-8-1

Colorado - 2-8-0
San Diego - 1-4-2


It was a battle from the first pitch of game one, to the final pitch of game two, but the Rockies would manage to pull out wins in games two and three and get the series victory. The win keeps the Rockies locked into second place in the NL West, still trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half game as the Dodgers also won two out of three in their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the conclusion of the San Diego series, the Rockies now head back home for two series, hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game Monday-Wednesday series, and then after a day off, they kick off a huge three game weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

SmoothPancakes
06-24-2015, 09:17 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks (9-15) vs Colorado Rockies (15-10)
May 4-6, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
Chase Anderson (2-1, 2.49 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (2-2, 4.65 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Jeremy Hellickson (0-4, 4.00 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (4-0, 2.90 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 1:10 PM
Archie Bradley (1-2, 7.36 ERA) vs David Hale (1-2, 4.82 ERA)


After pulling out a series win over the San Diego Padres, the Rockies head home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game Monday-Wednesday series for the second week in a row. Last week the Rockies eeked out 3-1 wins in games 1 and 3 while the Diamondbacks took game 2 by a 5-4 score (though they lead 5-1 through 5 innings).

SmoothPancakes
06-26-2015, 02:29 PM
There was a scare during Monday's game as Drew Stubbs botched a routine fly ball to deep center field in the fourth inning, catching the ball with his face instead of his glove requiring him to be taken out of the game. A huge sigh of relief went up around the facility when it was determined that Stubbs had suffered nothing more than a black eye that would leave him riding the bench for 1-6 days.

SmoothPancakes
06-26-2015, 04:46 PM
Some mid-week shuffling was done among the starting rotation. Based on results thus far this season, Kyle Kendrick was been promoted from the #5 starter to the #3 starter. David Hale has been bumped down one slot to #4 starter and Eddie Butler, who has largely struggled thus far, as been dropped down to the #5 starter in the rotation. David Hale will still start Wednesday's game against Arizona as scheduled as Kyle Kendrick just pitched eight innings Sunday in a 2-1 win over San Diego.

Depending on how Butler does in the #5 slot, if he doesn't start turning things around, he may be destined for a spot in the bullpen or even a demotion to AAA to make room for a potential call-up of Tyler Matzek.

In other organizational news, AA New Britain pitcher Tyler Anderson (25 years old, 64, B) has struggled mightily as a starting pitcher for the Rock Cats, standing at 0-3 on the season with a 7.13 ERA and in the middle of a cold streak. Until Anderson can recover and improve, he has been sent down to Single A Modesto Nuts. Single A pitcher David Hill (21 years old, 62, B) will be called up to AA New Britain to take his place and get his first test of action in 2015.

Also being dropped from AA New Britain is second baseman Juan Ciriaco (24 years old, 58, D), who has been almost non-existent at the plate this year, batting just .138 with 4 hits in 29 at-bats and one RBI. Taking his place with New Britain will be Single A second baseman Forrest Wall (19 years old, 59, B).

SmoothPancakes
06-26-2015, 08:15 PM
More injury news, news that would hit AAA Albuquerque hard. Starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa would leave Wednesday's game with a strained finger, an injury that should leave him sideline for just 1-6 days, saving him from the disabled list. The story was different for AAA relief pitcher Christian Bergman, who would also be injured in the same game, suffering a more serious head concussion, leaving him benched for 2-3 weeks, an injury that would result in him being placed on the 15 day DL.

There was also trade news from Wednesday, as Minnesota traded CF Eddie Rosario (23 years old, 64, B) to Boston for CF Manuel Margot (20 years old, 66, B).

There was also trade rumors Wednesday, as word broke anonymously that the Rockies may look to shop Troy Tulowitzki if the club falls out of contention in the NL West by the end of June. Top trade destinations currently for Tulowitzki would include the New York Mets, the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals.

SmoothPancakes
06-26-2015, 08:21 PM
The Rockies would finally get away from the never ending pitchers duels, as both Colorado and Arizona would rack up runs this series, but it would be a lone pitcher who would cost the Rockies the most as Arizona would steal two out of three games from the Rockies at Coors Field.

The first game would see the Rockies break onto the scoreboard first, as Nolan Arenado opened the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff triple, followed by a sac fly by D.J. LeMahieu to bring Arenado home. Troy Tulowitzki would then add a solo home run to left field to give Colorado a 2-0 lead early on. After a couple no-hit innings, the Rockies lead would disappear in the fourth inning when Paul Goldschmidt lead off with a hit to deep center field. It should have been a fly out, but center fielder Drew Stubbs misplayed the ball and was injured when the ball hit him in the face. Officially it went for an error, and Goldschmidt would be left standing at third base when all was done. The Rockies would rack up a second error as a fielding miscue by Wilin Rosario would let Mark Trumbo reach first and bring in Goldschmidt to score. After a pair of strikeouts, a single by Cliff Pennington would move Trumbo over to second, from where he would end up scoring when a single into center field by Jordan Pacheco brought in the tying RBI and moved Pennington to third base. Pennington would score the go-ahead run for the Diamondbacks on a single to left by pitcher Chase Anderson, giving Arizona a 3-2 lead.

After that, both teams would again struggle to get runners on base, allowing the innings to fly past until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Nick Hundley came up to pinch hit for the pitcher. Hundley would make the most of his opportunity, launching a solo home run into the left field stands to tie the game a 3-3. Both teams would fail to do anything else and we headed into extra innings. The Diamondbacks would get first crack in the tenth inning as a leadoff double and a one out walk put runners on first and second, but they would be unable to capitalize on the situation. The Rockies would have their best chance to win the game in the bottom of the tenth, as a leadoff single, a two out double and an intentional walk to Troy Tulowitzki would load the bases with two outs for Carlos Gonzalez, who would promptly fly out to left field to end the threat. A pair of singles in the eleventh inning would again have the Diamondbacks threatening with no outs, but Adam Ottavino would pitch his way out of the jam to preserve the tie while the Colorado bats would go silent to push into the twelfth inning.

Rafael Betancourt would come in next and send the Diamondbacks down in order. Bottom of the twelfth, Daniel Descalso would pinch hit for Betancourt to lead off the inning, hitting a line drive into left field. The left fielder would dive to try and make a highlight reel catch, but he would miss and the ball would roll all the way to the wall. Between the left fielder having to recover from his dive and go chase down the ball, that would allow Descalso to sprint around the bases for a leadoff triple. Nolan Arenado would come up next, smacking a shot into left center field that would bounce off the warning track and over the wall for a walk off ground rule double, driving in Descalso for the game winning RBI and a 4-3 victory.

Player of the game was Nolan Arenado, going 3-6 with two doubles and a triple, one run and one RBI. Daniel Descalso would be given top hitter honors for his triple to lead off the bottom of the twelfth inning and set up the game winning run. Nick Hundley would also be given top hitter honors for his solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that would tie the game up at 3 all after six scoreless innings since the first inning. Top hitter for the Diamondbacks was Jordan Pacheco, going 2-5 with a single, a double and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Rafael Betancourt to improve to 2-0, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up no hits and striking out one for a 1.64 in a flawless twelfth inning. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles would last just 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 0 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 4.00 ERA. Losing pitcher was Oliver Perez, officially going 1.0 innings pitched, pitching in both the eleventh and twelfth innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 1.65 ERA. David Hernandez was hit with his first blown save of the year as he faced just one batter in the eighth inning, giving up the solo home run to Nick Hundley before being pulled. Starting pitching Chase Anderson went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.51 ERA.



The second game would again see the Rockies get out in front early, as a trio of singles would drive D.J. LeMahieu in to score the first run of the game in the first inning. Arizona would answer back in the third inning as Ender Inciarte, the speedy son of a bitch he is, would hit a bloody inside the park home run as ricocheting the ball off the wall in center field, the deepest part of the part. A single and a double to center would bring David Peralta around to score and give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead. The Rockies would answer back in the bottom of the fourth inning as Carlos Gonzalez lead things off with a solo home run to right field to tie the game. A double to center by Nick Hundley would be followed by an RBI single to right by Charlie Blackmon, bringing Hundley in for the go-ahead run. The Rockies would get another run in the fifth inning as a leadoff triple by Nolan Arenado would be followed by a one out double down the third base line by Daniel Descalso to score Hundley and give the Rockies a 4-2 lead.

Everything was going well until the seventh inning, when LaTroy Hawkins took the mound. He would get a quick fly out for the first out of the inning, but then everything went to hell in a hand basket. Inciarte, that son of a bitch, would AGAIN hit a goddamned inside the park home run, already halfway to third before the outfielders could even retrieve and starting throwing in the damn ball. Pollock would follow with a single, followed by Paul Goldschmidt drawing a full count walk. Peralta would ground out to move A.J. Pollock and Goldschmidt over to second and third, which would bring up Chris Owings, who promptly smacked a triple down the first base line, scoring both Pollock and Goldschmidt and giving Arizona a 5-4 lead and resulting in Hawkins quickly being yanked from the mound. The Diamondbacks would add one more run in the eighth inning as Mark Trumbo led things off with a double, followed by an RBI single by Inciarte to drive in Trumbo for the 6-4 final, which was never in danger as the Rockies went hitless from the seventh inning on.

Player of the game was Ender Inciarte, going 3-5 with a single and TWO bloody inside the park home runs, scoring two runs and three RBI. Chris Owings also had a big day going 2-5 with a double, a triple and three RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez, going 2-4 with a single, a home run, one run scored and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Daniel Hudson to improve to 1-0, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits and nothing else in the sixth inning for a 1.17 ERA. David Hernandez (5th) and Andrew Chafin (1st) each got credit for a hole for perfect seventh and eighth innings, and Addison Reed got his sixth save of the year for a perfect ninth. Starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson went 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 4.50 ERA. Losing pitcher was LaTroy Hawkins to drop to 0-1, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and no strikeouts for a 15.00 ERA. Tommy Kahnle was given credit for his fourth hold of the season for a perfect sixth inning before Hawkins screwed the pooch. Starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood lasted 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.00 ERA.



The third game of the series was one that started off oh so right, and would end oh so wrong. The Rockies again wasted little time jumping out in the bottom of the first inning as Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez each reached base on a single, bringing up Corey Dickerson who would slam a three run home run into the right field stands for a 3-0 lead. The Diamondbacks would earn one run back as Jarrod Saltalamacchia would lead off the second inning with a solo home run. Top of the third, A.J. Pollock started the inning with a single, followed by an RBI double by Chris Owings to bring Pollock across. Owings would end up scoring as well as David Peralta would hit an RBI single to tie the game up. The Rockies would regain the lead in the fourth inning as Dickerson led off with a solo home run, his second of the game, followed by a triple by Charlie Blackmon and a sac fly by Justin Morneau to score Blackmon for a 5-3 lead. The fifth inning would see that lead grow even more as D.J. LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez would both hit solo home runs to left field, giving Colorado a 7-3 advantage. Arizona would tighten the lead in the sixth inning as Peralta hit a leadoff triple, followed by an RBI ground out by Jake Lamb to make it 7-4.

Despite that, everything seemed well on its way to a Rockies victory, until the eighth inning, when the biggest mistake of the game would be made. LaTroy Hawkins would be brought in to pitch for a tired and worn out bullpen. It went to hell instantly. Mark Trumbo led off with a single, Saltalamacchia would draw a five pitch walk, followed by Peralta lining into center field for a single to score Trumbo to make it 7-5. Nick Ahmed would come on to pinch run for Saltalamacchia, and both Ahmed and Peralta would advance a base on a wild pitch. Lamb would get on base thanks to an incredibly ill timed hit by pitch, loading the bases with no outs. Another wild pitch, this time on a slider down in the dirt that got past the catcher, would allow Ahmed to score from third and Peralta and Lamb to move up 90 feet. That would be all for Hawkins. Christian Friedrich would come in next, getting Cliff Pennington to ground out, unfortunately for an RBI to make it 7-7 as Peralta crossed home plate. Jordan Pacheco would come up next, hitting a sac fly to deep right field, enough to score Lamb from third to give Arizona an 8-7 lead before Friedrich finally got the third out on a fly out by Paul Goldschmidt. All the Rockies would be able to manage for a response was an eighth inning single by Michael McKenry, which was promptly snuffed out thanks to an inning ending double play by Charlie Blackmon.

Player of the game was David Peralta, going 4-4 with two singles, two triples, two runs scored and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with a three run home run and a solo home run, scoring two runs and four RBI. Winning pitcher was Randall Delgado to improve to 2-0, going 1.0 innings pitched in the seventh, giving up 1 hit and 1 walk for a 2.63 ERA. Oliver Perez was given credit for his first hold for a 1 hit eighth inning and Addison Reed got his seventh save of the year with a perfect ninth inning. Starter Archie Bradley would go 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeouts for a 8.44 ERA. Losing pitcher was again LaTroy Hawkins to drop to 0-2, going 0.0 innings pitched with a disastrous eighth inning, giving up 2 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch and no strikeouts for a 21.00 ERA. Tommy Kahnle was given credit for his fifth hold with a perfect seventh inning, Christian Friedrich got tagged with his second blown save during that eighth inning. Starting pitcher David Hale would go 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 7 strikeouts for a 5.03 ERA.


Arizona - 3-8-0 F/12
Colorado - 4-12-2

Arizona - 6-11-0
Colorado - 4-11-0

Arizona – 8-10-0
Colorado - 7-10-0


This was a series that the Rockies SHOULD have swept, but instead of the relief pitching, namely LaTroy Hawkins, would screw Colorado out of wins in games two and three and result in a series loss. That would cost the Rockies as Colorado held outright possession of first place in the NL West by a half game after Monday’s action, only to end up trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by a full game by the completion of Wednesdays slate of games.

SmoothPancakes
06-26-2015, 08:49 PM
Immediately following the Arizona series, it was announced that RP LaTroy Hawkins (42 years old, 72, A) was being optioned down to AAA Albuquerque. RP Brooks Brown (29 years old, 67, C) would be called up from AAA Albuquerque to take Hawkins' place in the Rockies bullpen. Brown has had a successful year so far in the Albuquerque bullpen as he stands 1-0 with 1 save and a 0.00 ERA and just 5 hits given up over 18.2 innings pitched thus far in AAA action.

Losing so many pitchers to short week long injuries or long enough injuries to land on the disabled list, as well as due to various roster movements, the lack of numbers for relief pitchers in the organization was suddenly clear as we pretty much had bare bones relief pitchers for MLB, AAA and AA with none extra to spare. It took some hammering, but the Rockies completed a trade with the Minnesota Twins. The Rockies would send SP Jair Jurrjens (29 years old, 61, C), SP Brett Marshall (25 years old, 56, B) and SP Shane Carle (23 years old, 55, B) to the Twins for RP J.R. Graham (25 years old, 63, B) to give the Rockies an extra RP arm in AAA Albuquerque, giving the Twins farm system a quick shot in the arm of young, decently high potential starting pitchers.

SmoothPancakes
06-26-2015, 08:56 PM
Los Angeles Dodgers (17-11) vs Colorado Rockies (16-12)
May 8-10, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:40 PM
Mike Bolsinger (1-0, 2.57 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (1-2, 11.39 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 6:10 PM
Brett Anderson (1-3, 2.60 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (2-2, 4.00 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 2.75 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (4-0, 3.00 ERA)


After dropping the mid-week series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, instead of going into the weekend with a full game or half game hold on first place in the NL West, the Rockies would have to try and regroup against the Los Angeles Dodgers while looking up from second place, a full game back of the blue and white, with not the most friendly pitching trio coming up, including a huge Sunday showdown against Clayton Kershaw.

SmoothPancakes
06-27-2015, 11:50 PM
This would end up being a series to be forgotten as the Dodgers would largely have their way with the Rockies the entire series, squashing any hopes the Rockies had of reclaiming first place in the division and leaving Colorado fighting just to even remain above .500.

The first game would see both teams hitless into the third inning, the Dodgers getting a one out double and the Rockies a two out single. But it would be the fourth inning when the real damage at the plate would occur. Leading off the top of the fourth inning, Howie Kendrick would open for the Dodgers with a triple, followed by Yasiel Puig drawing a walk and a single to third by Adrian Gonzalez with the throw to first coming late, leaving the bases loaded and no outs. Carl Crawford would come up next, doubling to right field to score both Kendrick and Puig. After a fly out to left field, Yasmani Grandal would come up next, grounding out to first base to score Gonzalez from third, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. The Rockies would manage to get one run back as D.J. LeMahieu led off with a double to center, followed by a single to left by Troy Tulowitzki to score LeMahieu and make it 3-1. After a couple scoreless innings, the Dodgers would add a run in the seventh as fielding error and a single to right by Gonzalez would bring Kendrick into to score. They would get two more runs in the eighth inning as Andre Ethier led off with a single, followed by an RBI triple by Grandal to bring Ethier home. Jimmy Rollins would then hit a sac fly to deep right field to bring Grandal in for a 6-1 lead. The Rockies would manage just one more run in the bottom of the ninth inning as a leadoff triple by LeMahieu was followed by a one out single by Carlos Gonzalez, scoring LeMahieu and cutting the final deficit to 6-2.

Player of the game was starting pitcher Mike Bolsinger to improve to 2-0, going 8.1 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.35 ERA. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 1-3, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts for a 10.25 ERA. Unfortunately Brooks Brown would get dinged in his first relief appearance with the Rockies, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 18.00 ERA between the seventh and eighth innings, getting pulled with no outs in the eighth inning. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Yasmani Grandal, going 2-4 with a single and a triple, scoring one run and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was D.J. LeMahieu, going 3-4 with a single, a double and a triple and scoring two runs. LeMahieu was the only Rockies batter to get more than one hit in the game.



The second game would again see the Rockies be the first ones to find the scoreboard with their most successful first inning of the season. After a leadoff pop out by Nolan Arenado, Daniel Descalso, Troy Tulowitzki and Drew Stubbs would hit back to back to back singles to load the bases for Corey Dickerson. Dickerson would make the most of it as he would unload on a 2-1 slider and send it sailing into the right field seats for a first inning grand slam and a 4-0 lead. The Dodgers would slowly chew into the lead as Turner led off the third inning with a double, followed by a one out RBI single by Yasiel Puig to make it 4-1. In the fifth inning, Turner would again reach base with a one out single, followed by Puig again bringing him home to score on a one out sac fly to close the gap to 4-2. The Rockies seemed to secure their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as Troy Tulowitzki launched a solo home run to left field for a 5-2 lead, but everything would go to hell in the seventh inning.

Despite getting the first two outs very quickly, the Rockies would struggle and struggle some more to obtain that final out. A single to center by pinch hitter Scott Van Slyke would be followed by Puig being hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Adrian Gonzalez would drive both of them as a fielding error by first baseman Justin Morneau allowed Gonzalez to reach base and the Rockies lead to drop to 5-4, ending Jordan Lyles day on the mound. Christian Friedrich would come in next, giving up a ground rule double to Carl Crawford, the ball landing down the third base line in left field and bouncing into the stands in foul territory, putting runners at second and third. That would bring up Andre Ethier, who would smack a single into center field, scoring both Gonzalez and Crawford and giving the Dodgers a 6-5 lead. But the blue and white weren’t done yet. Tommy Kahnle would come in next to pitch, promptly giving up a two run home run to Yasmani Grandal to put the Dodgers on top 8-5. The Dodgers would add another run in the eighth innings as an RBI double by Puig would bring Kendrick across to score, and in the ninth inning, a two out single to center by Jimmy Rollins would score Ethier for a 10-5 margin. The Rockies would manage just a seventh inning double and a ninth inning single in response on their way to defeat.

Player of the game was Yasmani Grandal, going 3-4 with a single, a triple and a home run, scoring one run and two RBI. Another top hitter was Yasiel Puig, going 2-3 with a single and a double, scoring one run and three RBI. Yet another top hitter was Andre Ethier, going 3-5 with three singles, two runs scored and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 1-4 with a grand slam, scoring one run and four RBI. Another top hitter was Troy Tulowitzki, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, scoring two runs and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Joel Peralta to improve to 2-1, going 1.0 inning pitched, giving up no hits, no runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 3.31 ERA in a perfect sixth inning. Paco Rodriguez claimed his third hold of the season with two innings of one hit work. Starter Brett Anderson would go 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.58 ERA. Losing pitcher was Christian Friedrich to drop to 1-1, going 0.0 innings pitched in a disastrous seventh inning, giving up, officially, 2 hits, 2 runs, 0 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 2.31 ERA. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 5 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 4.01 ERA. All five Rockies pitchers, Jordan Lyles, Christian Friedrich, Tommy Kahnle, Rafael Betancourt and Boone Logan all gave up at least one run during their individual time on the mound.



The third game of the series would be a Mother’s Day disaster for the Rockies. The Dodgers would immediately pounce on pitcher Tyler Chatwood as Turner opened the game with a leadoff double, followed by an RBI single to left by Carl Crawford to score Turner. Yasiel Puig would reach base on a fielder’s choice, before coming around to score on an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. They would lay it on more in the second inning as Jimmy Rollins reached base on a one out hit by pitch, followed by pitcher Clayton Kershaw getting aboard thanks to a throwing error by Justin Morneau. Turner would fly out to center field, allowing Rollins to advance to third and put runners on the corners. Crawford would come up next, hitting a line drive into left field that would be misplayed by Carlos Gonzalez for a fielding error, allowing Rollins to score and Kershaw to advance from first to third. Puig would be up next, smacking a double into left field, scoring both Kershaw and Crawford all the way from first, giving the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.

Chatwood would thankfully settle down after that, throwing scoreless innings in the third, fourth and fifth, but his day would come to an end in the sixth inning as he opened the inning hitting Roberto Callaspo with a pitch, before giving up a double to Rollins to put runners on second and third. Kershaw would come up next, hitting a line drive single to left to score Callaspo and ending Chatwood’s day. Tommy Kahnle would come on to pitch next, forcing Turner to fly out before giving up a sac fly to Crawford, allowing Rollins to score for a 7-0 Dodgers lead that would go on to be the final score. As for the Rockies, well, it was also a day to forget at the plate. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez would both get on base with first inning singles, but from there, Colorado would go hitless the all the way until the ninth inning, when pinch hitter Michael McKenry led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and D.J. LeMahieu got a one out single off a deflection. In between the two hits in the first inning and the two hits in the ninth inning, Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw owned the Rockies batters.

Player of the game was starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, pitching a complete game shutout to improve to 4-2, going 9.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, no runs, no walks and finishing with an abusive 13 strikeouts for a 2.23 ERA. Losing pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to suffer his first loss and drop to 4-1 on the year, going 5.0 innings after getting pulled without any outs in the sixth inning, giving up 10 hits, 7 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and 2 hit by pitches for a 3.51 ERA. Tommy Kahnle (1 hit), Christian Friedrich (0), Rafael Betancourt (0) and Brooks Brown (1) would combine to hold the Dodgers to just two hits over the final four innings, but it wouldn’t matter much as there was never any hope of a comeback. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Yasiel Puig, going 3-5 with two singles and a double, scoring one run and two RBI. Another top hitter was Carl Crawford, going 1-3 with a single, but he would make the most of it scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was pinch hitter Michael McKenry, going 1-1 with a single. D.J. LeMahieu, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez all ended 1-4 with a lone single


LA Dodgers – 6-10-0
Colorado – 2-8-1

LA Dodgers - 10-16-0
Colorado - 5-9-1

LA Dodgers – 7-12-0
Colorado - 0-4-2


And so, the 6 game stretch at home at Coors Field would end in utter disaster, as the Rockies would win just one game and would end on a 5 game losing streak, including being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. That would send the Rockies tumbling into a tie with the San Diego Padres for second, 3.5 games behind the Dodgers. Unfortunately for the Rockies, they would be seeing the Dodgers again shortly. Colorado would next head on a six game road trip to Los Angeles, playing a quick two game series against the LA Angels, before ending with a four game weekend series at the Dodgers, with match-ups against Brett Anderson, Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu awaiting.

SmoothPancakes
06-27-2015, 11:56 PM
Colorado Rockies (16-15) vs Los Angeles Angels (15-17)
May 12-13, 2015
Angel Stadium of Anaheim - Anaheim, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Tuesday 7:05 PM
Kyle Kendrick (3-1, 1.59 ERA) vs C.J. Wilson (2-2, 3.86 ERA)

Game Two - Wednesday 7:05 PM
David Hale (1-2, 5.03 ERA) vs Jered Weaver (2-2, 3.41 ERA)


Thanks to dropping two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks, thanks to getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, thanks to being on a 5 game losing streak, instead of fighting for first place in the NL West, the Rockies would be left trying avoid dropping down to .500 or below on the season. A two game midweek series against the LA Angels wouldn't help matters, especially not with another showdown against the LA Dodgers, a four game series this time, looming just three days away starting on Thursday, a series that could make or break the Rockies hopes in the NL West.

SmoothPancakes
06-28-2015, 12:11 AM
Some more organizational shuffling took place on Monday during the off day for the Rockies. On suggestion of the farm director, AA New Britain starting pitcher Yohan Flande was promoted to AAA Albuquerque. Flande (29 years old, 66, D) is currently 5-0 in 6 games started with a 3.40 ERA for the New Britain Rock Cats, pitching 39.2 innings, giving up 30 hits, 3 home runs, 18 walks and striking out 44.

To make room for Flande, AAA Albuquerque starting pitcher Leuris Gomez (28 years old, 60, C) was demoted to AA New Britain after struggling in the Isotopes rotation. In seven games started, Gomez is 0-2 on the year with a 6.00 ERA, giving up 11 hits, 1 home run, 7 walks and only 12 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, previously promoted David Hill made his first start for AA New Britain, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts for a 3.00 ERA for a no decision in a 11-6 win over Portland. Hopefully Hill would settle into the rotation in AA and can become a productive pitcher in the organization, with a potential future in the majors if he progresses as expected.

SmoothPancakes
06-28-2015, 12:45 PM
The minor league injuries would keep racking up for the Rockies, as AA New Britain relief pitcher Jose Ortega suffered a fractured hand during action on Wednesday, sidelining him for 1-2 months and landing him on the 15 day DL.

SmoothPancakes
06-28-2015, 12:48 PM
The Rockies would manage to break their five game losing streak in in grand fashion in the first game against the Los Angeles Angels, but they would be unable to carry that success and momentum into game two as they ran into a buzz saw named Jered Weaver, ultimately splitting the two game series with the Angels.

The first game would see the Rockies dominate from start to finish as they would break their losing streak. Colorado would get in the board in the first inning as D.J. LeMahieu lined to right for a single, followed by a two out RBI triple by Carlos Gonzalez to take a 1-0 lead. Another run would score in the third inning as Nolan Arenado smacked a one out double to center field, coming around to score on a Daniel Descalso single to go up 2-0. The sixth inning would see Descalso lead off the inning with a triple, coming across to score on a one out double by Corey Dickerson to make it 3-0. The seventh inning would see the most damage done, as Gonzalez hit a one out single to center, followed by Corey Dickerson smoking a fastball into the right field seats for a two run home run. Colorado wasn’t done yet however as Michael McKenry would hit a single, followed by a two out base hit by Justin Morneau. Wilin Rosario would find center field for a single to score McKenry from second and Arenado would smack a single into center field to score Morneau from second for a 7-0 score. The Rockies would tack on two more runs in the ninth inning as Descalso would lead off the inning with a single to center, followed by a two out double by McKenry to score Descalso from first base. Charlie Blackmon would come up next, hitting a double into left field to bring McKenry in to score for the 9-0 final score. For the Angels, it was a day to forget as they would manage just two base hits, both by Erick Aybar, coming on a first inning single and a sixth inning leadoff triple.

Player of the game was Corey Dickerson, going 3-5 with a single, a double and a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in three RBI. Another top hitter was Nolan Arenado, going 3-5 with a single and two doubles, scoring one run and one RBI. Yet another top hitter was Daniel Descalso, going 3-5 with two singles and a triple, scoring two runs and driving in one RBI. Top hitter for the Angels was also their only hitter, as Erick Ayber went 2-4 with a single and a triple, giving the Angels their only two hits in the ball game. Winning pitcher was Kyle Kendrick to improve to 4-1, going 6.0 innings pitching, giving up 2 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts for a 1.35 ERA. Brooks Brown received credit for his first hold with two no-hit innings of work, and John Axford closed the door in the ninth for a combined two hit shutout. Losing pitcher was C.J. Wilson to drop to 2-3, going just 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 4.05 ERA. Fernando Salas and Vinnie Pestano would hold the Rockies to just one hit in one inning of work each, before the collapse in the eighth inning saw Cam Bedrosian give up two runs on two hits on 0.1 innings pitched, Mike Morin give up 2 runs on 4 hits in 0.1 innings pitched, and Joe Smith give up 2 runs on 3 hits over 1.1 innings pitched.



The second game would see the high of victory turn into the low of defeat for the Rockies. The Angels would get on the board first in the bottom of the second inning as Green hit a one out single into center, bringing up David Freese, who would jack a fastball into the bullpens in left field for a two run home run to take a 2-0 lead. The Rockies would cut the gap in half as Troy Tulowitzki led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run, but the Angels would answer right back in the bottom of the fourth as Calhoun led off with a single, followed by an RBI triple by Joyce to put the Angels up 3-1. The closest the Rockies would get to tying the game would come in the seventh inning, as Corey Dickerson and Michael McKenry would lead off with back to back singles, before a strikeout by Charlie Blackmon and Justin Morneau hitting into a double play would kill their chances at a rally. That would be it for the Rockies as they would manage just a two out ninth inning single by Corey Dickerson the rest of the way.

Player of the game was David Freese, going 1-3 with a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Troy Tulowitzki, going 1-4 with a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Jered Weaver to improve to 3-2, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.12 ERA. Vinnie Pestano (1st) and Joe Smith (4th) would both be credited with holds for working one no-hit inning each, and Huston Street would pick up his fifth save with a one hit ninth inning. Losing pitcher was David Hale to drop to 1-3, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts for a 4.91 ERA. Tommy Kahnle would finish the game for the Rockies going 1.2 innings pitched, giving up just 1 hit while on the mound.


Colorado – 9-19-0
LA Angels – 0-2-0

Colorado - 1-7-0
LA Angels - 3-6-1


While the Rockies were able to end their losing streak, they would still find themselves in the same position they were two days ago, barely hanging on one game above .500 and trailing the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers by 3.5 games. The only good news, the San Diego Padres have fallen into a three game losing streak and now sit a full game behind the Rockies, giving Colorado outright possession of second place in the division.

SmoothPancakes
06-28-2015, 02:01 PM
Colorado Rockies (17-16) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (21-13)
May 14-17, 2015
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Thursday 7:10 PM
Eddie Butler (1-3, 10.25 ERA) vs Brett Anderson (1-3, 3.58 ERA)

Game Two - Friday 7:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (2-2, 4.01 ERA) vs Clayton Kershaw (4-2, 2.23 ERA)

Game Three - Saturday 6:10 PM
Tyler Chatwood (4-1, 3.51 ERA) vs Zack Greinke (2-3, 4.38 ERA)

Game Four - Sunday 1:10 PM
Kyle Kendrick (4-1, 1.35 ERA) vs Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-0, 3.66 ERA)


After splitting a short two game series with the Los Angeles Angels, the Rockies get right back into action the next night as they kick off a four game series at the Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to gain back some momentum after being swept at home by the Dodgers just four days ago.

SmoothPancakes
06-28-2015, 08:39 PM
The Rockies minor league affiliates continued to be hammered with injuries, as yet another relief pitcher would suffer injury on Thursday. AAA Albuquerque RP Scott Oberg suffered an abdominal strain injury during relief action. Oberg has been ruled to be day to day and will avoid the DL, instead getting a couple days of rest on the bench.

SmoothPancakes
06-29-2015, 12:54 AM
Despite nearly constant pitchers duels, the Rockies would come back from getting swept by the Dodgers a week ago, and punch the blue and white right in the mouth, taking three of four games against the Dodgers for the series win.

The first game would get off to a bit of a shaky start as starter Eddie Butler would give up a two out solo home run to Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the first inning. Amazingly, Butler’s confidence wouldn’t be shaken and that would be virtually all the Dodgers would get the rest of the game, managing just a third inning leadoff double by Jimmy Rollins and a sixth inning single by Puig the rest of the way. The Rockies on the other hand would come alive in the third inning, as pitcher Eddie Butler would shock the stadium, hitting a fastball at the knees and sending it just 6 feet beyond the left field wall for a home run, making Butler the first Rockies pitcher since Jordan Lyles on April 30, 2014 to hit a home run. That wouldn’t be all however as D.J. LeMahieu would get a two out double to bring up Troy Tulowitzki, who would clear the bases with a two run home run to left field for a 3-1 lead. Fast forward to the eighth inning where Wilin Rosario and Michael McKenry have reached base with back to back singles to open the inning, bringing up Nolan Arenado who would single to center and drive in Rosario for a 4-1 margin. The Rockies would then get more than an insurance run or two in the ninth inning, as Corey Dickerson smacked a one out solo home run to straight away center. Nick Hundley would get on base with a two out single, followed by a single by Rosario. That would bring up Drew Stubbs, pinch hitting for Adam Ottavino, and Stubbs would make the most of it with a three bomb also to straight away center, giving the Rockies an 8-1 victory.

Player of the game was starting pitcher Eddie Butler to improve to 2-3, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 8.37 ERA. Adam Ottavino got credit for his fourth hold with a perfect eighth inning, John Axford pitched a perfect ninth but didn’t get the save opportunity as the Rockies batters blew the score out of save range in the top of the ninth. Losing pitcher was Brett Anderson to drop to 1-4, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.72 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Yasiel Puig, going 2-4 with a single, a home run, one run scored and one RBI.



The second game would see a pitcher’s battle for the first five innings, as neither team had much, if any success, until the bottom of the fifth inning when Jimmy Rollins led off with a triple, followed by an RBI groundout by Ellis to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers would add to their lead in the sixth inning as Howie Kendrick walked and Puig grounded to right for a single to put runners at the corners. Adrian Gonzalez would groundout to third base to score Kendrick. After a fly out, Andre Ethier would smack a base hit into centerfield, driving in Puig and reaching third base on a fielding error by Drew Stubbs. Ethier would come in to score when Rollins would line a single to left field to put the Dodgers up 4-0. The Rockies would find life in the eighth inning as Michael McKenry led off with a triple, followed by a one out single to right by Justin Morneau to score McKenry. Wilin Rosario would come up as a pinch hitter, lining a single into right field to put runners on the corners and to chase starter Clayton Kershaw from the game. Arenado would come up next, doubling to left field to score both Morneau and Rosario. The Rockies would manage to tie the game and pull off the improbable comeback as Arenado would attempt to steal third base, a throwing error by the catcher sending the ball into left field and allowing Arenado to trot home for the game tying run. The game looked destined for extra innings as a strikeout, a single and a fielder’s choice would leave two outs and Joc Pederson standing on first base. Instead of the game would end as Justin Turner smacked a double into center field, scoring Pederson all the way from first and giving the Dodgers a 5-4 victory.

Player of the game was Jimmy Rollins, going 2-4 with a single, a triple, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Justin Morneau going 2-3 with two singles, a run scored and one RBI. Another top hitter was Nolan Arenado, going 1-4 with a double, one run scored and two RBI. Winning pitcher was J.P. Howell to improve to 2-2, going 1.0 innings pitched with a perfect ninth inning. C. Hatcher was dinged with his second blown save for the eighth inning collapse. Starter Clayton Kershaw went 7.1 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 10 strikeouts for a 2.43 ERA. Losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 1-2, going 1.2 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 1.53 ERA. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 5.2 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.91 ERA.



The third game of the series would see a tight battle from start to end that wouldn’t be decided for sure until the final out of the game. The Rockies would get on board first right off the bat in the first inning, as D.J. LeMahieu hit a one out single to center, bringing up Troy Tulowitzki would who blast a two run home run to center to take a 2-0 lead. Colorado would add another run to their lead in the fourth inning as Michael McKenry hit a one out solo home run to left field. Then in the fifth inning, LeMahieu would get on base with a one out single to left, before a two out Drew Stubbs triple would bring LeMahieu across the plate for a 4-0 lead. The Dodgers would get one run back in the bottom of the fifth, as Carl Crawford reached based on a fielding error by Nolan Arenado, eventually coming around to score on a one out ground out by Ellis for the 4-1 margin of victory.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 1-4 with a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Carl Crawford, going 1-4 with a single and one run scored. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to improve to 5-1, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, no earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 3.04 ERA. Rex Brothers (2nd) and Tommy Kahnle (6th) both got credit for a hold and John Axford picked up his sixth save, combining for 2.2 one-hit innings of work. Losing pitcher was Zack Greinke to drop to 2-4, going just 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 4.74 ERA.



The fourth game of the series would see runs come at a premium, while both teams squandered opportunities on the base paths. Both teams would get leadoff hits in the first inning, but could do nothing to bring the runners across. The third inning saw the Dodgers with an opportunity to score as back to back walks left two runners on with one out, but a fielder’s choice and a pop out would end that threat. Back to back singles in the fourth inning would give the Dodgers runners on the corners, but again would fail to drive them in. The Rockies would finally break the tie in the fifth inning as Corey Dickerson led off with a triple, followed by Nick Hundley hitting a sac fly to centerfield to score Dickerson for a 1-0 lead. The Rockies would add another run in the seventh inning as Carlos Gonzalez hit a solo home run to center to increase the lead to 2-0. The last best chance for the Dodgers to reach home plate came in the eighth inning as a single by Justin Turner and a drawn walk by Adrian Gonzalez put runners on first and second with two outs, but a strikeout by Scott Van Slyke would end the threat and the Dodgers chances and hopes.

Player of the game was winning pitcher Kyle Kendrick, who improved to 5-1, going 7.1 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts for a 1.14 ERA. Adam Ottavino got his fifth hold in 0.2 innings of work, and John Axford picked up his eighth save with a hitless ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Hyun-Jin Ryu to drop to 3-1, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.57 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez, going 1-4 with a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Justin Turner, going 2-4 with two singles.


Colorado – 8-12-0
LA Dodgers – 1-3-0

Colorado - 4-9-1
LA Dodgers - 5-8-1

Colorado – 4-13-2
LA Dodgers - 1-4-0

Colorado – 2-6-0
LA Dodgers – 0-5-0


With the surprising series victory over the Dodgers, the Rockies got back away from the .500, pushing their record to 20-17 on the season and pulling back within 1.5 games of the first place Dodgers. The Rockies would have a good chance of catching back up with the Dodgers as they return home on Monday to open up a four game series against the floundering Philadelphia Phillies.

SmoothPancakes
06-29-2015, 01:00 AM
Philadelphia Phillies (16-23) vs Colorado Rockies (20-17)
May 18-21, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
Aaron Harang (0-6, 6.90 ERA) vs David Hale (1-3, 4.91 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Cole Hamels (3-3, 2.15 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (2-3, 8.37 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Jerome Williams (0-0, 5.06 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (2-2, 3.91 ERA)

Game Four - Thursday 1:10 PM
Chad Billingsley (3-2, 3.50 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (5-1, 3.04 ERA)


After taking three of four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies now return home to face the struggling Philadelphia Philles for a four game series. This will be a seven game home stand as the San Francisco Giants will then come to town for a three game series kicking off on Friday.

SmoothPancakes
06-29-2015, 03:39 PM
Bad news would break before the start of Monday's game with Philadelphia, as Wilin Rosario, who was scheduled to start that night at first base, suffered bruised ribs during the pregame. Rosario would be diagnosed as day to day, so he would avoid the DL, but it would leave the Rockies down a valuable position player for the upcoming week.

SmoothPancakes
06-30-2015, 03:15 AM
The Rockies minor league clubs would continue to be hit with injures, as AA New Britain third baseman Tyler Nevin was forced to leave Wednesday's game with a strained finger, leaving him day to day on the bench.

Meanwhile, AA New Britain right fielder Michael Tauchman would suffer an MCL sprain in the same game, leaving him sidelined for 2-3 weeks and a visit to the 15 day disabled list.

Earlier in the week, AA New Britain relief pitcher Jose Ortega suffered a fractured hand, leaving him out for 1-2 months and placed on the 15 day disabled list, the organizational depth at relief pitcher continuing to be stretched to the ever fracturing limits due to injuries.

SmoothPancakes
06-30-2015, 10:24 PM
This series would see everything, from a blowout and a shut out, to 1-0 final score and a walk off home run. Regardless of the circumstances and the drama, the Rockies would find a way to get it done as they would get the clean four game sweep of the Philadelphia Philles, one of the worst teams in baseball.

The first game of the series would show why Phillies starter Aaron Harang was 0-6 going into the game. The Rockies laid the runs on early as the game turned into a rout by just the second inning. After Nolan Arenado flied out to start the bottom of the first inning, Daniel Descalso smacked a double to left field, followed by a double to center by Troy Tulowitzki to score Descalso. Carlos Gonzalez would then hit a single into center to bring Tulowitzki around to score. Corey Dickerson lined a double to left field to put runners on second and third, bringing up Michael McKenry, who would hit a single to center to score both Dickerson and Gonzalez. A Charlie Blackmon single to left would put runners on first and second, and after a fly out by Justin Morneau, pitcher David Hale would contribute to his own defense, lining a single to left field to score McKenry from second to give the Rockies a 5-0 lead after the first inning.

The game would reach blowout status in the second inning when Descalso lined a one out single to right field, followed by a ground rule double by Tulowitzki to center. That would bring up Gonzalez, who would jack a three run home run to right field, putting the Rockies up 8-0 to end Aaron Harang’s day on the mound after just 1.1 innings of work. The Rockies would tag on two more runs in the fifth inning as McKenry smacked a one out double to center, followd by a two out double by Morneau to bring McKenry in to score from second. Hale would then again contribute at the plate, hitting a double to right field to bring Morneau across home plate for a 10-0 lead. The Phillies were almost silent at the plate, managing nothing but a single in the first and third innings, until the ninth inning, with Boone Logan pitching, when a one out home run to left field by Maikel Franco killed the two-hit shutout.

Player of the game was Carlos Gonzalez, going 2-4 with a single and home run, scoring two runs and driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Daniel Descalso, going 4-5 with three singles, a double and one run scored. Another top hitter was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-4 with a single and two doubles, scoring two runs and driving in one RBI. Yet another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 2-3 with a single, a double, two runs scored and two RBI. And finally, a top hitter was pitcher David Hale, who had a career day going 2-3 with a single and his first double of the season while driving in two RBI to help himself on the mound. Top hitter for the Phillies was Maikel Franco, going 1-4 with a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was David Hale to improve to 2-3, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts for a 4.18 ERA. Brooks Brown and Christian Friedrich combined for a hitless eighth inning while Boone Logan gave up one hit, one run and one earned run in an otherwise uneventful ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Aaron Harang to fall to 0-7, going just 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 8.90 ERA.



The second game would see runs come at an extreme premium and a no-hitter carried into the sixth inning almost turn into defeat. The Rockies would make it on the scoreboard first in the second inning as Corey Dickerson led things off with a solo home run, giving the Rockies an early 1-0 lead. They would add one more in the bottom of the fifth inning as Drew Stubbs opened with a single to center, followed by a line drive single to right by D.J. LeMahieu and a deflected single by Troy Tulowitzki to load the bases with no outs. A ground ball by Daniel Descalso would turn into a fielder’s choice, Tulowitzki called out at second but Descalso making it to first base safely, all the while Stubbs coming home to score from third for a 2-0 lead. Despite still having a scoring threat with only one out, a double play by Dickerson would end the inning. All this time, starter Eddie Butler was throwing a no hitter as the Phillies could not get on base to save their lives. The only thing keeping it from being a perfect game was a leadoff walk back in the third inning and a one out walk in the fifth. That would all change in the sixth inning as Cameron Rupp would come up to bat first, taking a 2-1 fastball and launching it into left field for a solo home run, making the score 2-1.

Another two hitless innings by the Phillies would bring up the bottom of the eighth inning. Michael McKenry would smack a one out double into right, followed by a single to center by Charlie Blackmon to put runners at the corners. That would bring up Wilin Rosario who would hit a single up the middle into centerfield, scoring McKenry and giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead. That lead would disappear in the ninth inning as John Axford came on for the save. Odubel Herrera would start things off with a successful bunt down the third base line to reach first safely. After a groundout that would advance Herrera to second, Maikel Franco would reach base on a fielder’s choice, putting runners at the corners with only one out. That would bring up Domonic Brown, who would smack a double off the wall in centerfield to score Herrera, followed by a sacrifice bunt down the first base line by Ryan Howard, scoring Franco to tie the game at 3-3. Extra innings seemed all but a given as a line out by LeMahieu and a ground out by Tulowitzki left two outs in the inning. But, everything would change on the last strike, as Daniel Descalso would swing at a 1-2 slider, carrying it deep into right field and into the stands for a walk off home run, giving the Rockies the 4-3 victory.

Despite numerous players having more hits and better days, the player of the game was Daniel Descalso, who would finish 1-5 with the walk off solo home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI, thanks to his home run and his RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth inning. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, who went 2-4 with a single and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 3-4 with two singles and a double while scoring one run. Top hitter for the Phillies was Cameron Rupp, going 1-2 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI to ruin Butler’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning. Winning pitcher was John Axford to improve to 1-1, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 5.94 ERA. Rex Brothers got his third hold of the year with two innings of no-hit work. Starting pitcher Eddie Butler went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts for a 7.32 ERA. Losing pitcher was Luis Garcia to fall to 1-1, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 5.11 ERA. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.24 ERA.



The third game of the series would be a true pitcher’s duel, as the only run of the game would come in the third inning, when Drew Stubbs led off with a triple to right field, followed by a Justin Morneau sacrifice fly to score Stubbs in what would be the game-winning run. The best chance the Phillies would have of scoring came in the second inning when a walk and a two out single left runners at first and second, but a ground out would end the threat. Hits also largely came at a premium, as both teams only had one hit to claim until the Rockies added a second with a fifth inning single. They would then put up 5 more hits between the sixth and eighth innings. The Phillies on the other hand, wouldn’t even have so much as a base runner since that single in the second inning, going 21 straight Phillies batters retired without anyone reaching base in any way or means. The Phillies bullpen however was a star this game, as starting pitcher Jerome Williams was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning suffering from elbow soreness. The bullpen would go the final 5 innings, giving up just 6 hits and not letting a Rockies base runner get past second base.

Player of the game was Justin Morneau, going 1-2 with a single and one RBI driven in. Another top hitter was Drew Stubbs, going 1-3 with a triple and one run scored. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, who went 2-3 with two singles. Top hitter for the Phillies was Carlos Ruiz, getting the Phillies their only base hit of the game with a second inning single. Winning pitcher was Jordan Lyles to improve to 3-2, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, no runs, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts for a 3.48 ERA. Tommy Kahnle (7th) and Adam Ottavino (6th) each picked up a hold, while John Axford got his ninth save of the year with a perfect ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Jerome Williams to drop to 0-1, going just 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 4.61 ERA.



The fourth game of the series would see the Rockies jump out to a quick lead as Nolan Arenado led off the bottom of the first with a single to left, followed by a two run home run by Daniel Descalso, his third of the year, for a 2-0 lead. The Rockies would add another run in the fourth inning as Drew Stubbs and Michael McKenry both reached base with one out singles, bringing up Charlie Blackmon who would hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Stubbs from second to go up 3-0. Colorado would tack on one more run in the seventh inning as McKenry led off the inning with a solo home run that just inched over the right field wall and into the Rockies bullpen to take a 4-0 lead. The Phillies wouldn’t go quietly, putting two runners on base in the eighth inning before Adam Ottavino was able to pitch his way out of the inning. Then in the ninth inning, Ben Revere would lead off with a solo home run to cut the score to 4-1. Maikel Franco would follow with a double to right, and Domonic Brown would single into center. Franco would try to score from second on the single, but Charlie Blackmon was able to get an accurate throw in from center and McKenry was waiting at the plate for Franco to tag him for the first out, with a pop out and a ground out securing the Rockies victory and the four game series sweep.

Player of the game was Daniel Descalso, going 2-4 with a ground rule double, a two run home run, one run scored and two RBI. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-3 with a single and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Phillies was Ben Revere, going 1-4 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to improve to 6-1, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.65 ERA. Losing pitcher was Chad Billingsley to drop to 3-3, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.68 ERA.


Philadelphia – 1-3-0
Colorado – 10-17-1

Philadelphia - 3-3-0
Colorado - 4-15-0

Philadelphia – 0-1-0
Colorado - 1-7-1

Philadelphia – 1-8-0
Colorado – 4-10-1


And so the Rockies would pull out the four game sweep against one of the worst teams in baseball, as the Phillies are just one game better than the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks for the worst record in all of baseball. With the sweep, Colorado is now riding a 6 game winning streak and has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. Combine that with the Dodgers going 3-7 over their last 10 games, losing four in a row before getting a victory over the Giants on Thursday evening, and the Rockies have now recaptured first place in the NL West by a full game over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now the Rockies shift focus back to division play as they wrap up their seven game stretch at home with a three game visit from the San Francisco Giants over the weekend. After that, the Rockies get six more chances to pad the win column next week as they open a six game road trip in the Midwest and east coast with a three game series at Cincinnati (tied for the worst record in baseball) and a three game series at Philadelphia (one game better from being tied for the worst record in baseball).

SmoothPancakes
06-30-2015, 10:29 PM
San Francisco Giants (19-23) vs Colorado Rockies (24-17)
May 22-24, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:10 PM
Tim Hudson (3-2, 3.80 ERA) vs Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 1.14 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 2:10 PM
Tim Lincecum (1-2, 2.76 ERA) vs David Hale (2-3, 4.18 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Tommy Hanson (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (2-3, 7.32 ERA)


After sweeping the Phillies in a four game series, the Rockies look to defend first place in the NL West as they host the San Francisco Giants for a three game weekend series. The last time these two teams played, the Giants took two out of three games at Coors Field during a weekend series April 24-26. So far for the season, including a three game Rockies sweep at AT&T Park April 13-15, the Rockies at 4-2 against the Giants, with five of those games coming with a margin of victory of just one or two runs, an 8-3 Giants victory on April 26th the only game to end with a more than two run difference.

SmoothPancakes
07-02-2015, 12:17 AM
There was good news as last in the organization as AAA Albuquerque starting pitcher Jon Gray, placed on the 15-day DL back on May 2nd while suffering from shoulder inflammation, had finally recovered from his injury and had been removed from the disabled list. Gray would rejoin the AAA starting rotation as the #2 pitcher behind Tyler Matzek, while Boone Whiting (3-2, 3.21 ERA) would be sent back down to AA New Britain to make space for Gray.

SmoothPancakes
07-02-2015, 12:30 AM
This series would see late inning dramatics, a pair of 10th inning walk off home runs, and a marathon for the all time MLB history books, as both bullpens would be stretched to their utter limits in a series that would see all three games go extra innings, and then some...

The first game of the series would see drama galore. It started off well for the Rockies, as Drew Stubbs started the second inning with a single, followed by a one out single by Nick Hundley to leave runners at first and second. Charlie Blackmon would come up next and smack a ground rule double into the Colorado bullpen, scoring Stubbs and leaving runners at second and third. Hundley would cross the plate on the next at-bat during a RBI ground out by Justin Morneau. Then pitcher Kyle Kendrick would help himself with a single up the middle into center, scoring Blackmon for a 3-0 lead. The Giants would immediately start cutting into that lead in the third inning as Joaquin Arias lined a single to left and stole second, followed by a single to right by Matt Duffy to put runners at the corners. Instead of a double play two batters later, Nori Aoki would hit into a fielder’s choice that would see Duffy thrown out at second while Aoki would leg out the throw to first to get on base, all the while Arias coming home to score to make the score 3-1. In the fifth inning, Duffy would reach first base on a fielding error by Daniel Descaloso, advancing to second on a wild pitch and reaching third on a ground out. That would bring back Aoki, who would ground to center for an RBI single, scoring Duffy to make it 3-2. That score would hold until the eighth inning, when back to back ground rule doubles by Angel Pagan (into the left field stands) and Buster Posey (into the Colorado bullpen) would tie the game at 3-3. The Rockies had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth as Stubbs would hit a one out triple to center, but they would be unable to drive Stubbs in, sending the game into extra innings. After sending the Giants down in order in the tenth, it would take one swing of the bat to end the game in the bottom of the inning as Charlie Blackmon would lead off the Rockies with a walk off solo home run to right field for the 4-3 victory.

Player of the game was Charlie Blackmon, going 2-4 with a double and a walk off solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Another top hitter was Drew Stubbs going 2-4 with a single, a triple and one run scored. Top hitter for the Giants was Nori Aoki, going 1-5 with a single and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Adam Ottavino to improve to 2-2, going 2.0 innings pitched, giving up no hits, no runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 1.21 ERA. Brooks Brown was tagged with his first blown save, pitching 2.0 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.38 ERA. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 1.18 ERA. Losing pitcher was Santiago Casilla to drop to 0-2, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run and 1 earned run on a single pitch. Starting pitcher Tim Hudson went 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 3.96 ERA.



The second game would become the game that never ends, as essentially three full games would be played that day. The Rockies would get onto the scoreboard first with a second inning solo home run by Corey Dickerson. The Giants would follow that up in the fourth inning with back to back triples by Matt Duffy and Juan Perez, tying the game at 1-1. Little did the fans and players know that it would take TWENTY THREE innings before the next run would be scored and the game could mercifully end. The Rockies had a chance to take a lead in the eighth inning as a Carlos Gonzalez single, a double by Dickerson and an intentional walk to Michael McKenry left the bases loaded, only for Charlie Blackmon to ground out to end the inning. The Rockies would again get a chance to end it in the eleventh as Dickerson reached base with a single, followed by a sac bunt and a sac fly to move Dickerson to third, followed by an intentional walk to Justin Morneau, only for pinch hitter Nick Hundley to strikeout to end the threat. The Giants got close in the twelfth inning as Duffy reached on a leadoff single, making it over to third base on a pair of ground outs, before a strikeout by Joaquin Arias would leave him stranded. The Rockies would load the bases in the thirteenth inning on back to back singles by Gonzalez and Dickerson, followed by a two out single by Morneau, but Rafael Betancourt would end up striking out to kill the game winning chance. Come the fifteenth inning, the Rockies would load the bases once more as Dickerson got on base with a one out single and advanced to second on a ground out by McKenry. Blackmon would reach base on a single, followed by an intentional walk to Morneau to load the bases, but Betancourt would once again strikeout and leave three runners stranded. The nineteenth inning would see the Rockies get runners on first and second following two out singles by Troy Tulowitzki and Dickerson, but Blackmon would strikeout to end another game winning chance.

In the twentieth inning, Duffy would reach base with a one out infield single, moving over to second base courtesy of a sacrifice bunt by Santiago Casilla, followed by a 7 pitch walk to Nori Aoki to put runners on first and second, but the Rockies would escape the inning when Arias lined out to first base. With their bullpen depleted, the Giants were forced to bring Madison Bumgarner out to pitch in the bottom of the twentieth inning, just 3 days after starting and going 6.2 innings in a 4-1 win over the LA Dodgers. Despite giving up a two out walk, Bumgarner would earn three strikeouts to get through the inning unscathed. Adam Ottavino would come on to pitch in the twenty-first inning, immediately giving up a leadoff double to Buster Posey. The Rockies got a HUGE break as Brandon Belt snuck a ground ball past Justin Morneau at first base for a single. Posey came around trying score from second, but a perfect throw from Dickerson in right field would leave Posey a sitting duck for catcher Michael McKenry to tag him out. A groundout by Hunter Pence and a walk to Brandon Crawford would leave runners at first and second with two outs for Perez. The runners would advance to second and third on a passed ball, but Ottavino would get Perez to strikeout to end the threat. Tulowitzki would lead off the bottom of the twenty-first inning with a single, but Bumgarner would get three straight strikeouts to extend the game even longer. The Giants nearly had a chance to win it in the twenty-third inning as Buster Posey roped a line drive down the first base line off of John Axford and into the right field corner, but Dickerson was able to come up with the ball and throw it in as Posey was just coming up to second base and rounding to take off for third, allowing the cut-off man to hurl the ball to third base, getting there just ahead of a sliding Posey to tag him out for the second out of the inning, followed by a strikeout by Belt to end the Giants’ at-bat.

In the twenty-fourth inning, Crawford would reach base on a one out single, followed by a two out walk to Duffy, before Axford would get Bumgarner to strikeout to end the threat. After going down in order, the Rockies would be forced to call on the services of Jordan Lyles in the twenty-fifth inning, the Rockies bullpen now fully officially exhausted. Lyles would set the Giants down in order, and then the Rockies themselves would be set down in order by Bumgarner. In the twenty-sixth inning, Belt would reach base with a leadoff single, but a strikeout and an inning-ending double play would squander their chance. The Rockies would try to get something going with a two out single by Dickerson, but McKenry would ground out to send the game to the twenty-seventh inning, making this officially the longest game ever in the entirety of Major League Baseball history. And the twenty-seventh inning is where it would end as Perez would lead off for the Giants with a triple, followed by a one out RBI sacrifice bunt by Bumgarner to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. A fly out by Blackmon, a ground out by Morneau and a strikeout by Lyles, and the Rockies would end up on the losing end of the longest game in MLB history, breaking their 7 game winning streak.

In quite the oddity, the player of the game and winning pitcher, in a game he didn’t even enter until the twentieth inning, was Madison Bumgarner to improve to 3-2 on the year, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, no runs, 1 walk and 12 strikeouts for a 2.35 ERA. Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.62 ERA. Losing pitcher, also in a game he wouldn’t enter until the twenty-fifth inning, Jordan Lyles would drop to 3-3, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts for a 3.45 ERA. With that, starting pitchers, who did not start the game and didn’t even enter until the twentieth and twenty-fifth innings, would end up the winning and losing pitchers. Luckily for the Rockies, Lyles would only throw 34 pitches during his time on the mound, lending hope of him still making his next start. Bumgarner was ridden like a mule in the game, throwing 87 pitches in the win, all but certainly costing him his next start due to needed days off for rest.

Top hitter of the game for the Giants was Juan Perez, going 2-11 with two triples and two runs scored. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, who went an ungodly 8-12 with 6 singles, a double, a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI.

This game would break the record for the longest game in Major League Baseball history set back in 1920 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves ended in a 1-1 tie in 26 innings. It also, obviously, broke the record for the longest game to end with a winning team in Major League Baseball history set back in 1984 when the Chicago White Sox defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. The Rockies and Giants would also obliterate the record for most combined strikeouts in a Major League baseball game. The old record was back in 1971 when the Oakland Athletics and California Angels combined for 43 strikeouts in a 20-inning game. The Rockies and Giants would decimate that record with a combined 62 strikeouts as both teams would end with 31 strikeouts a piece. Strikeouts by pitcher for the Rockies was David Hale (3), Christian Friedrich (1), Boone Logan (4), Tommy Kahnle (4), Rafael Betancourt (6), Brooks Brown (1), Rex Brothers (3), Adam Ottavino (3), John Axford (3) and Jordan Lyles (3). Strikeouts by pitcher for the Giants was Tim Lincecum (4), Jean Machi (2), J.C. Gutierrez (2), Sergio Romo (3), George Kontos and Javier Lopez (both 0), Santiago Casilla (8) and Madison Bumgarner (12). Rockies pitchers would walk 7 Giants batters, Giants pitchers would walk 5 Rockies batters. This game started at 2:10 PM. The final out in the bottom of the twenty-seventh inning would not be recorded until 8:53 PM, the official game time lasting 6 hours and 43 minutes. Somehow, both teams would have to find a way to turn around and play a new game just 17 hours later.



The third game of the series would see which team could recover the fastest in just 17 hours. The Rockies would need one hell of a performance from starter Eddie Butler as nearly the entire bullpen was almost unusable today. The only worthwhile pitchers in the bullpen were Christian Friedrich and Boone Logan, all the others useless beyond maybe one inning maximum, if that. This time, the winner would need more than two runs, as the Rockies would break out first in the bottom of the first inning. D.J. LeMahieu would reach base with a one out single, followed by a two out single to left by Carlos Gonzalez. That would bring up Corey Dickerson, who would launch a three run home run to right field, giving the Rockies an early 3-0 lead. The Rockies would add two more runs in the third inning as LeMahieu reached base on a fielding error to lead off the inning, followed by an RBI double by Daniel Descalso to score LeMahieu. Descalso would then come home to score on an RBI single by Gonzalez to give the Rockies a 5-0 advantage. The shutout wouldn’t last for long as Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford opened the fourth inning with back to back singles into center to leave runners at the corners. Joaquin Arias would then hit a one out sacrifice fly to right, scoring Pence to cut the lead to 5-1. The Rockies would get the run back in the bottom of the fourth as LeMahieu would hit a line drive into right field, reaching third base on a fielding error by the outfielder, coming home to score as Descalso would hit an RBI single into left for a 6-1 lead.

Things would go to hell in the fifth inning as pinch hitter Brandon Belt led off with a walk, followed by back to back two out singles by Buster Posey and Pence to load the bases. That would bring up Crawford who would clear the bags with a three run double, cutting the Rockies lead to 6-4. And because there were only two viable pitchers in the bullpen, the Rockies had no choice but to leave Eddie Butler on the mound to try and get through at least the sixth inning to spare the bullpen any further damage, with a three game series in Cincinnati beginning the very next night. The Rockies would manage to open their lead back up to three with a solo home run by Dickerson, his second of the game, in the fifth inning. The Giants would earn that run right back in the sixth as Juan Perez hit a two out single to left, followed by an RBI triple by Nori Aoki to cut the lead to 7-5. Aoki would try to turn it into an inside the park home run, but he would be cut down at the plate for the final out of the inning. Unfortunately in the seventh inning, Christian Friedrich would prove to be nowhere near ready to take over on the mound, as he would give up a leadoff walk to Gregor Blanco, an RBI double to Posey and an RBI single to Crawford to tie the game at 7-7, a double play mercifully ending the inning. Boone Logan would take over in the eighth and ninth innings, and he would blow it for the Rockies as he gave up a one out triple to Blanco, followed by taking a ground off the left leg, the ball deflected into no man’s land in the infield for an RBI single by Posey to give San Francisco an 8-7 lead.

The Rockies wouldn’t go quietly in the bottom of the ninth as Wilin Rosario and pinch hitter Justin Morneau would open with back to back singles, followed by an RBI double to center by Nolan Arenado to tie the game at 8-8 and leave the Rockies with runners on second and third and no outs. LeMahieu would try and drive the winning run home, but would ground out to third base. Descalso would try and sacrifice bunt the winning run home, but would strikeout as he missed a bunt attempt with two strikes, and the Giants would pick off Morneau at third to kill the Rockies chances at a win and send both teams to extra innings for the third game in a row. A tired Tommy Kanhle would come on in the tenth inning. Unfortunately, Arias would hit a one out triple to center and would end up scoring on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Duffy to give the Giants a 9-8 lead. The Rockies weren’t going to give up yet, as Gonzalez would lead off the bottom of the tenth with a solo home run to left field to tie things back up. And the Rockies would win it with a walk off home run by Dickerson, his third of the day, as Colorado would hit back to back home runs to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 10-9 extra innings win.

Player of the game was Corey Dickerson, going 3-5 with three home runs, two solo home runs and a three run home run, scoring three runs and driving in five RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gonzalez, going 3-5 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Giants was Brandon Crawford, going 3-5 with two singles and a double, driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Buster Posey, going 3-5 with two singles and a double, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Tommy Kahnle to improve to 2-0, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 2.49 ERA. Christian Friedrich was tagged with his fourth blown save, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout for a 2.81 ERA. Starting pitcher Eddie Butler went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts for a 7.35 ERA. Losing pitcher was George Kontos to drop to 1-1, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 5.21 ERA. Santiago Casilla was tagged with his second blown save, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 2.29 ERA in the ninth inning. Starting pitcher Tommy Hanson went only 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 6 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 5.40 ERA.


San Francisco – 3-6-0 F/10
Colorado – 4-9-1

San Francisco - 2-15-0 F/27
Colorado - 1-23-0

San Francisco – 9-16-2 F/10
Colorado - 10-14-0


And so, after playing 5.2 games worth in a three game series, the Rockies would stumble out of the 15 round bar fight taking two out of three games on tenth inning walk off heroics. That, combined with the Dodgers going on a two game losing streak to close the weekend against the Padres, would give the Rockies a 2 game lead over the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. Now would come the true challenge. After playing five games and change in the span of a three game series, the Rockies would have to somehow pull themselves together as they would instantly depart for the airport, flying to Cincinnati to open a three game series with the Reds, first pitch on Monday coming at an extremely unfriendly 1:10 PM. Worst of all was still not knowing who would be the starting pitcher Monday, as Jordan Lyles would need at least another day of rest after his extra shift on Saturday. The only options would be to move Tyler Chatwood up and start him a day earlier than scheduled which would limit his innings and/or pitch count as he would be coming in short on rest, a bad combination with our decimated bullpen, or bring up Tyler Matzek, AAA Albuquerque's scheduled starter for their Monday night game, and have him make a spot start for the Rockies on Monday before being sent back to Albuquerque after the game.

SmoothPancakes
07-02-2015, 12:44 AM
Colorado Rockies (26-18) vs Cincinnati Reds (17-27)
May 25-27, 2015
Great American Ball Park - Cincinnati, Ohio

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 1:10 PM
Tyler Matzek (3-2, 2.77 ERA in AAA) vs Johnny Cueto (1-2, 3.62 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:10 PM
Tyler Chatwood (6-1, 2.65 ERA) vs Homer Bailey (2-3, 3.57 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 12:35 PM
Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 1.18 ERA) vs Mike Leake (4-3, 3.76 ERA)


After taking a very difficult series against the Giants, the Rockies would have to recover fast with a 1 PM game against the Reds the very next day. This would kick off a six game road trip to the east coast, stopping in Cincinnati for three games, then after getting Thursday off, visiting the Phillies over the weekend.

With Jordan Lyles not ready to go after putting in overtime innings during Saturday's historic marathon, AAA Albuquerque #1 starting pitcher (and #2 pitching prospect) Tyler Matzek would be called up to make a start in place of Lyles on Monday. With few options for players to send down to Albuquerque for one day, Eddie Butler would draw the short straw, joining the Isotopes in New Orleans for one day. Matzek was scheduled to start Monday night for the Isotopes, but instead Jon Gray, fresh off the disabled list, would be called on to fill in as the starter that night.

SmoothPancakes
07-03-2015, 12:46 AM
Hey Steeler, what have you had the injury slider set to in your franchise? It's been sort of bothering me the lack of MLB injuries on my team. I've had minor league injuries up the ass, but only two MLB level injuries that at most lasted 1-3 days. I originally started with the slider at 6 and last bumped it up to 8 sometime in late April.

steelerfan
07-03-2015, 11:49 AM
Hey Steeler, what have you had the injury slider set to in your franchise? It's been sort of bothering me the lack of MLB injuries on my team. I've had minor league injuries up the ass, but only two MLB level injuries that at most lasted 1-3 days. I originally started with the slider at 6 and last bumped it up to 8 sometime in late April.
I've had it at 9 all year. With it there, I had enough injuries to be interesting and create a bit of juggling and a challenge but it wasn't so many that it was annoying.

SmoothPancakes
07-03-2015, 04:14 PM
I've had it at 9 all year. With it there, I had enough injuries to be interesting and create a bit of juggling and a challenge but it wasn't so many that it was annoying.
Alright, I may bump it up to 9 then next time I'm on. I did a test franchise in May with it at 10 and it was like half my roster was clinically dead. So 10 seemed like overkill, but 8 so far has been almost nonexistent other than a pregame injury and an injury from an outfielder catching a ball with his face, and both only out for a couple days in each case.

Minor league injuries has been decent. I seem to have 5-6 players injured at any given time (almost exclusively SPs and RPs), which has caused some juggling and working around to try and fill the holes. But with almost nothing in MLB, fatigue has been the only challenge thus far. With only 5 games left in May, I'm looking to get some MLB guys caught by the injury bug too to up the difficulty and challenge.

I may also give the CPU a power boost at the plate while I'm at it, try to give them some more hits, more home runs, etc. May also drop a couple of my pitching sliders. My pitchers have had a few too many 8-10 strikeout games for my tastes. See how any changes play out over the course of a month and then reevaluate at the end of June.

SmoothPancakes
07-04-2015, 02:25 PM
The minor league injuries continued to rack up on Monday as AAA Albuquerque left fielder Kyle Parker suffered a head concussion during a game against New Orleans. The injury would leave Parker sidelined for 2-3 weeks, landing him a spot on the 15 day DL.

SmoothPancakes
07-04-2015, 04:39 PM
Bad news would occur during Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, as Troy Tulowitzki injured his hip while fielding a routine double play in the bottom of the first inning, limping off the field with the trainer after the play. Following the game, the trainers reported that Tulowitzki suffered a inflamed hip that would leave him sidelined for 2-3 weeks, landing Tulowitzki on the 15 day DL.

The Rockies weren't the only ones to suffer a loss in Tuesday's game, as Brandon Phillips would injure his leg while sliding into third base in the sixth inning. After the game, it would be reported that Phillips suffered a sprained ligament in his knee during the slide, leaving him out of action for 3-4 weeks and also landing him on the 15 day DL.

Elsewhere in the Rockies organization, the hits would keep on coming in AAA Albuquerque as starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa suffered a fractured hand during his start on Tuesday. The injury will leave him out of action for 1-2 months with a trip to the 15 day DL for now, with a potential move to the 60 day DL later.

In associated roster moves, Daniel Descalso (28 years old, 69, C) was made the new starting shortstop for the Rockies. Cristhian Adames (23 years old, 70, C) was promoted from AAA Albuquerque to take over as backup shortstop in the majors, which will also give an additional back up at second and third base thanks to his secondary positions. To fill the hole in Albuquerque, AA New Britain shortstop Trevor Story (22 years old, 63, B) was promoted to AAA and made the new starting shortstop there. And to give AA New Britain an extra shortstop, rookie Brendan Rodgers (18 years old, 68, A) was promoted from A Modesto to New Britain.

To replace De La Rosa in AAA Albuquerque, AA New Britain starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21 years old, 66, A) was promoted to AAA. So far in AA, Freeland has a 4-1 record with a 3.06 ERA in 9 games pitched, giving up 52 hits, 5 home runs, 12 walks and 52 strikeouts. To fill Freeland's spot in AA New Britain, rookie starting pitcher Mike Nikorak (19 years old, 66, A) was promoted from A Modesto.

Tyler Anderson (25 years old, 65, B), a starting pitcher with Modesto was also promoted to AA New Britain and will be used both in the rotation and out of the bullpen. Anderson started the season in AA New Britain, but ended up demoted to Modesto in May after going 0-3 with a 7.13 ERA in just five starts. Anderson will return to AA baseball coming out of the bullpen to start, maybe regaining his starting spot in the rotation if he can turn his season around.

SmoothPancakes
07-04-2015, 08:03 PM
In trade news on Sunday, Toronto traded 1B Justin Smoak (28 years old, 71, C) to Seattle for SP Jordan Pries (25 years old, 68, C). Pries joins Toronto's AAA starting rotation while Smoak takes over at first base in the majors for Seattle.

SmoothPancakes
07-04-2015, 08:10 PM
After the Giants series that saw a record breaking marathon and every game go to extra innings, a very tired Rockies would put up their best fight against the Reds, but it wouldn’t be enough as Cincinnati would take two of three games from Colorado with a pair of ninth inning walk offs.

The first game of the series would see a home run fest. The Rockies would break onto the scoreboard first with a solo home run by Troy Tulowitzki in the bottom of the first inning. Then in the second inning Charlie Blackmon would go yard with a solo shot for a 2-0 lead. The Reds would cut the lead in half in the sixth inning as Billy Hamilton hit a one out triple to right, followed by Zack Cozart smacking a double to center to score Hamilton. The Rockies would score twice in the seventh inning as both Corey Dickerson and Nick Hundley managed to squeak home runs over the right field wall to go up 4-1. An RBI sacrifice fly by Brandon Phillips to score Devin Mesoraco in the bottom of the seventh and a solo home run in the eighth inning by Kristopher Negron would pull the Reds within one at 4-3, but they wouldn’t be able to finish off the comeback.

Player of the game was Charlie Blackmon, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Other top hitters were Troy Tulowitzki and Corey Dickerson, both going 1-3 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI, as well as Nick Hundley, going 1-4 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter was Kristopher Negron, going 1-1 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI as a pinch hitter. Winning pitcher was Tyler Matzek to improve to 1-0, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 1.50 ERA. Christian Friedrich picked up his second hold, despite giving up two runs on two hits in two innings of work, and Rex Brothers picked up his first save of the year as he worked the ninth inning in place of a resting John Axford. Losing pitcher was Johnny Cueto to drop to 1-3, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.51 ERA.



The second game would again see home runs in abundance, as well as both teams losing players to injury in a game that the Rockies would lose twice. The first loss came in the first inning when what appeared to be a routine double play ended with All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki limping off the field, suffering from a sharp pain in his hip after fielding the ball and throwing to second, forcing Daniel Descalso in to replace in. The Rockies would open up the scoring in the second inning as Carlos Gonzaelz went yard to right field with a solo home run, followed by a solo home run to left by Eugenio Suarez in the bottom of the second to immediately leave things deadlocked 1-1. The Rockies would take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning as Wilin Rosario hit a home run to center. The Reds would receive a scare in the bottom of the sixth as Brandon Phillips roped a line drive into left field, reaching second on a fielding error by Gonzalez. Phillips would advance to third after tagging up on a fly out to center by Joey Votto, but Phillips would suffer a leg injury during the slide into third, forcing him to be removed from the game. The Reds would re-tie the game in the seventh inning as Josh Satin reached based on a fielder’s choice, followed by an RBI double by Skip Schumaker to score Satin from first for a 2-2 ball game. Both teams would get runners on base, but it wouldn’t be until the tenth inning that a team could score, when Brennan Boesch would end the game with a one out walk off solo home run to center for the 3-2 extra innings victory.

Player of the game was Eugenio Suarez, going 3-4 with a single, a triple and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez, going 3-4 with two singles and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Tony Cingrani to improve to 2-0, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.52 ERA. Starting pitcher Homer Bailey went 5.2 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and a 4 strikeouts for a 3.53 ERA. Losing pitcher was John Axford to drop to 1-2, going 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 5.32 ERA. Starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood went 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 2.66 ERA.



The third game of the series would see the tired Rockies fall flat on their faces, as multiple starters were given the day off due to lingering fatigue from the Giants series, which would also lead to rookie Cristhian Adames being forced into his first major league start the same day he was called up, filling in at second base. The Reds would immediately get on the board in the bottom of the first as Billy Hamilton led off with a home run to right, but a leadoff home run by Drew Stubbs in the second inning would tie it back up briefly. The Reds would go right back on top as Mike Leake opened the bottom of the third with a double to center, followed by Hamilton stroking his second home run of the game to right field, giving the Reds a 3-1 lead. Top of the fifth would see Nolan Arenado hit a two out double to center, followed by rookie Cristhian Adames lining a single to center to score Arenado. Then in the sixth inning, Nick Hundley would single to right field, coming around to score from first on a line drive double to center by Charlie Blackmon to tie it at 3-3. The Reds would get a run right back in the bottom of the sixth as an RBI single to left by Jay Bruce would score Zack Cozart to give the Reds a 4-3 advantage. The Rockies would manage to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning as Nick Hundley homered to left field, but pitching would fail the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth inning as Bruce reached base thanks to a wild pitch on a third strike, coming home to score the game winning run on a line drive double to center by Eugenio Suarez to give the Reds a 5-4 win and the series victory.

Player of the game was Billy Hamilton, going 2-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBI driven in. Top hitter for the Rockies was Nick Hundley, going 2-3 with a single, a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Burke Badenhop to improve to 2-1, going 1.1 innings pitched, giving up no hits and no runs. J.J. Hoover was tagged with his fourth blown save, going just 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits and one run in the eighth inning. Starting pitcher Mike Leake went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts for a 3.77 ERA. Losing pitcher was Rafael Betancourt to drop to 2-1, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, no earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 1.42 ERA. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 1.67 ERA.


Colorado – 4-11-0
Cincinnati – 3-7-1

Colorado – 2-11-2 F/10
Cincinnati – 3-8-0

Colorado – 4-11-0
Cincinnati – 5-7-0


And so with the series loss and the two game stumble, Colorado’s grip on first place in the NL West drops to just one game ahead of the persistent LA Dodgers, and the Rockies are left to prepare for a three game weekend series at the Philadelphia Phillies, after a much, badly needed day of rest on Thursday.

SmoothPancakes
07-04-2015, 08:14 PM
Colorado Rockies (27-20) vs Philadelphia Phillies (20-29)
May 29-31, 2015
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:05 PM
Jordan Lyles (3-3, 3.45 ERA) vs Aaron Harang (0-7, 7.93 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 3:05 PM
David Hale (2-3, 3.96 ERA) vs Cole Hamels (4-3, 2.17 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 1:35 PM
Eddie Butler (2-3, 7.35 ERA) vs Jerome Williams (0-2, 6.23 ERA)


After dropping two out of three games to the Cincinnati Reds, the Rockies would look to close out their six game road trip, and close out the month of May, on a better note with a trip to face the Philadelphia Phillies, a team the Rockies swept four games from just the week before.

SmoothPancakes
07-04-2015, 11:47 PM
Some trade news broke on Saturday evening as Washington traded RF Jayson Werth (35 years old, 76, B) to Texas for LF Michael Choice (25 years old, 67, B).

The move gives the Nationals an extra MLB level left fielder (as their current one is Tyler Moore, a 28 year old C potential player rated 68 OVR) while moving an aging Werth out who was stuck on the bench behind Bryce Harper.

The same goes for Texas as Choice was stuck in AAA due to both Josh Hamilton and Delino De Shields Jr. taking up MLB roster slots above him at left field while picking up a starting right fielder still under contract for three more years.

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 01:17 AM
The Rockies would try to regain momentum after a disappointing series loss to the Cincinnati Reds, but instead of the four game sweep from a week ago, the Rockies would face defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies this time as the Rockies would drop two out of three games in the city of brotherly love.

The first game of the series would an early struggle for hits, followed by another late inning loss. The Phillies would get on board first in the bottom of the first inning with Ben Revere reaching base on a fielding error, followed by a two run home run by Maikel Franco to left field for a 2-0 lead. Both teams would go scoreless for the next 5 innings, while the Rockies would be held to just a lone first inning single. Colorado wouldn’t get their second hit of the game until a two out triple by Charlie Blackmon in the fifth inning, though a ground out would end the scoring threat. The Rockies would finally reach home plate in the sixth inning as Drew Stubbs led off with a double to right, followed by an RBI double to center by D.J. LeMahieu to score Stubbs, although LeMahieu was thrown out at third while trying to take an extra base. That would come back to bite the Rockies as Daniel Descalso came up next with a double to center, followed by a ground ball single to center by Carlos Gonzalez to score Descalso and tie the game 2-2. In the seventh inning, the Rockies would see Michael McKenry and Blackmon get on with back to back singles, followed by an RBI double by Justin Morneau to score McKenry. A sacrifice fly to left field by Cristhian Adames would score Blackmon to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead. The Phillies would answer right back in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run by Chase Utley, a single to left by Odubel Herrera and an RBI double to left by Revere to score Herrera and tie the game at 4-4. The Phillies would take the lead for good in the eighth inning as Domonic Brown led off with a double to right field, followed by a two run home run by Carlos Ruiz to put the Phillies on top to stay for the 6-4 victory.

Player of the game was Maikel Franco, going 2-4 with a single, a two run home run, one run scored and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Charlie Blackmon, going 3-4 with two singles, a triple and a run scored. Winning pitcher was Justin De Fratus to improve to 1-3, going 1.2 innings hitless innings pitched between the seventh and eighth innings, with one strikeout for a 1.83 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon picked up his twelfth save with a one-hit ninth inning. Starting pitcher Aaron Harang went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 7.44 ERA. The losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 2-3, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 1.78 ERA. Tommy Kahnle was tagged with his first blown save after 1.0 innings pitched in which he gave up 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 earned runs to up his ERA to 3.00. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, no earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.18 ERA.



The second game would see a back and forth affair as neither team could solidify a lead for good until the very end. The Phillies would cross home first in the bottom of the first inning as Ben Revere smacked a two out triple to center, coming home to score on a throwing error to take an early 1-0 lead. The Rockies would answer in the third as pitcher David Hale would get on base, eventually coming around to score on an RBI ground out by Nolan Arenado, but the Phillies would come right back in the bottom of the third with a solo home run by Chase Utley for a 2-1 lead. In the seventh inning, the Rockies would plate two runs on solo home runs by both Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson, but the Phillies would again answer right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, as Revere led off with a single to right and stole second, coming around to score on an RBI double by Domonic Brown. Brown would then score on a line drive single to right to give the Phillies a 4-3 edge. The Rockies would take the lead for good in the eighth inning as Carlos Gonzalez led off with a single and would steal second base, scoring from second on a double to right by Nolan Arenado. After a pair of ground outs that would advance Arenado to third base, he would come home to score as Stubbs squeaked a ground ball into center for a single to give the Rockies the 5-4 lead and the eventual win.

Player of the game was Corey Dickerson going 2-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Phillies was Chase Utley going 2-4 with a triple, a home run, a run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Christian Friedrich to improve to 2-1, going 0.2 innings pitched in the seventh inning, giving up no hits and striking out one for 3.38 ERA. Rex Brothers picked up his second save with two innings of two hit baseball. Starting pitcher David Hale went 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 3.99 ERA. Losing pitcher was Jake Diekman to drop to 0-1, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 2.45 ERA in eighth inning action. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels went 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 2.36 ERA.



The third game of the series would again see the Phillies jump out early as Chase Utley led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run, followed by back to back singles by Cesar Hernandez and Ben Revere before a sacrifice fly by Maikel Franco drove in Hernandez for a 2-0 lead. The third inning would see a pair of home runs as Wilin Rosario led off the third inning with a solo shot to center, and Revere would follow with a solo shot to center to lead off the bottom of the third for a 3-1 score. In the sixth inning, Nolan Arenado led off with a double before advancing to third on a ground out, coming in to score on an RBI single by Cristhian Adames to cut the gap to 3-2. The Phillies would open it up to two runs in the seventh inning as Utley smacked his second home run of the game. The Rockies would try and get something going in the eighth inning as Michael McKenry reached first on a throwing error and Arenado singled to put runners on first and second, but a double play would leave two outs and McKenry standing at third. Adames would come through again with another RBI single to left, scoring McKenry to make it a 4-3, but wouldn’t get another batter on base as the Phillies took the victory and the series win.

Player of the game was Chase Utley, going 3-4 with a triple and two solo home runs, scoring two runs and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was rookie Cristhian Adames, going 3-4 with three singles and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Jerome Williams to improve to 1-2, going 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 5.25 ERA. Ken Giles got his tenth hold and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his thirteenth save. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 2-4, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 7.01 ERA.


Colorado – 4-10-1
Philadelphia – 6-9-0

Colorado – 5-9-1
Philadelphia – 4-8-0

Colorado – 3-8-0
Philadelphia – 4-11-1


And so with the second straight series loss, losing five of their last eight games, the Rockies would fall back to reality and back into a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting up one hell of an early week series as the Rockies return to Colorado to open three games against the Dodgers on Monday.

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 01:25 AM
Los Angeles Dodgers (28-22) vs Colorado Rockies (28-22)
June 1-3, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
Tyler Chatwood (6-1, 2.66 ERA) vs Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.39 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 1.67 ERA) vs Zack Greinke (3-4, 3.64 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Jordan Lyles (3-3, 3.18 ERA) vs Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-2, 2.94 ERA)


After dropping two out of three games to both the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies to end the month of May, the Rockies and their fans would certainly be hoping June would bring a change of tune as Colorado had fallen back into a first place tie in the NL West with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A series win or sweep would give either team a 1 or 3 game edge over the other in the standings, and with the Rockies ceasing division play after Wednesday until facing Arizona way off on June 23rd, as well as the fact that this would be the last time the Rockies and Dodgers would play each other until meeting in LA on September 14th, any direct chances for the Rockies to make up ground in the NL West, and particularly in regards to potentially trying to make up ground against the Dodgers, would be severely limited.

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 01:34 AM
MLB Standings through Sunday, May 31, 2015

American League

East
Baltimore Orioles - 28-21
Boston Red Sox - 27-24 (2.0 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 26-26 (3.5 GB)
New York Yankees - 24-27 (5.0 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 22-29 (7.0 GB)

Central
Minnesota Twins - 32-17
Kansas City Royals - 28-22 (4.5 GB)
Detroit Tigers - 27-25 (6.5 GB)
Chicago White Sox - 23-27 (9.5 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 23-27 (9.5 GB)

West
Seattle Mariners - 28-22
Oakland Athletics - 29-24 (0.5 GB)
Texas Rangers - 24-27 (4.5 GB)
Houston Astros - 24-27 (4.5 GB)
Los Angeles Angels - 24-27 (4.5 GB)

American League Wild Card (Teams within 3.5 games)
Kansas City Royals - 28-22
Oakland Athletics - 29-24
Boston Red Sox - 27-24 (1.0 GB)
Detroit Tigers - 27-25 (1.5 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 26-26 (2.5 GB)


National League

East
Washington Nationals - 36-14
New York Mets - 23-28 (13.5 GB)
Miami Marlins - 23-28 (13.5 GB)
Philadelphia Phillies - 22-30 (15.0 GB)
Atlanta Braves - 21-29 (15.0 GB)

Central
Pittsburgh Pirates - 29-21
Milwaukee Brewers - 27-24 (2.5 GB)
St. Louis Cardinals - 25-26 (4.5 GB)
Chicago Cubs - 23-28 (6.5 GB)
Cincinnati Reds - 20-30 (9.0 GB)

West
Colorado Rockies - 28-22
Los Angeles Dodgers - 28-22
San Francisco Giants - 24-28 (5.0 GB)
San Diego Padres - 23-29 (6.0 GB)
Arizona Diamondbacks - 20-30 (8.0 GB)

National League Wild Card (Teams within 3.5 games)
Colorado Rockies - 28-22
Los Angeles Dodgers - 28-22
Milwaukee Brewers - 27-24 (1.5 GB)
St. Louis Cardinals - 25-26 (3.5 GB)

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 07:12 PM
The 2015 MLB Draft took place on Wednesday. With the first pick in the draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected third baseman Amos Eddy (19 years old, 72 OVR, A POT, 2016 ETA). The Colorado Rockies would take the next best overall player, drafting first baseman Beau Brunson (22 years old, 75 OVR, A POT, 2016 ETA). The Texas Rangers drafted left fielder Kurt Snell (21 years old, 59 OVR, A POT, 2019 ETA). The Minnesota Twins would draft right fielder Ryan Fleming (18 years old, 60 OVR, B POT, 2019 ETA). The Houston Astros would use the #5 pick to draft starting pitcher Thurman Hays (22 years old, 64 OVR, A POT, 2018 ETA).

In picks of interest, with the second and third picks in the Compensatory Round, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted right fielder Daniel Barnes (18 years old, 55 OVR, B POT, 2018 ETA) and starting pitcher Joel Aguilar (18 years old, 55 OVR, A POT, 2020 ETA). In the second round, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted relief pitcher Howie Hester (20 years old, 57 OVR, A POT, 2020 ETA). Houston would make a great snag in round 5, grabbing starting pitcher Victor Sanchez (21 years old, 66 OVR, B POT, 2018 ETA).


A rundown of the players that Colorado selected (borrowed from steelerfan):

Round 1, Pick 2
1B Beau Brunson
Age 22, 4-yr. College
B/T S/L, 6'2", 190 lbs
OVR 75, POT A, ETA 2016
2nd Pos: LF, RF

Round 2, Pick 2
SP Justin Brown
Age 19, 4-yr. College
B/T L/L, 5'11", 173 lbs
OVR 57 POT A, ETA 2020
2nd Pos: 2B

Round 3, Pick 2
SP Josh Aguero
Age 20, 2-yr. College
B/T L/R, 6'5", 213 lbs
OVR 66, POT B, ETA 2018
2nd Pos: None

Round 4, Pick 2
CP Peter Childs
Age 19, 4-yr. College
B/T L/R 6'0" 193 lbs
OVR 66, POT B, ETA 2018
2nd Pos: 3B

Round 5, Pick 2
SP Henry Sheldon
Age 22, 2-yr. College
B/T R/R, 6'4", 226 lbs
OVR 53, POT C, ETA 2022
2nd Pos: None

Round 6, Pick 2
SP Chris Fabregas
Age 19, 4-yr. College
B/T L/L, 5'10", 209 lbs.
OVR 64, POT C, ETA 2019
2nd Pos: None

Round 7, Pick 2
RP Bradley Bolton
Age 21, 4-yr. College
B/T R/R, 6'0", 196 lbs.
OVR 48 POT D
2nd Pos: None


This turned out to be a pretty deep draft as multiple A potential players were still left by the start of the second round, and numerous B potential players were still being taken in the fourth and fifth rounds, with Houston making the biggest steal, grabbing a 66 overall, B potential starting pitcher in Victor Sanchez all the way down in round 5. It was also a very pitcher heavy draft, which played well with Colorado's goals of focusing almost solely on pitchers, other than the first round pick that was made purely based on best player available. Main priorities coming out of the draft will be signing Beau Brunson, who has the makeup of a potential future All-Star, as well as Justin Brown and Josh Aguero. After hopefully getting those three to sign, attention will then be turned to Peter Childs and the remaining picks.

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 07:14 PM
The Rockies would try to regain momentum after a disappointing series loss to the Cincinnati Reds, but instead of the four game sweep from a week ago, the Rockies would face defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies this time as the Rockies would drop two out of three games in the city of brotherly love.

The first game of the series would see Clayton Kershaw reign supreme as the Rockies would end up shut out. The Dodgers would score the first run of the game in the fifth inning when Howie Kendrick hit a two out single to left, followed by Yasiel Puig lining a double to right to score Kendrick for a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers would add another run in the eighth inning as Carl Crawford hit a solo home run to right field for the 2-0 victory.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who improved to 7-2, going 7.1 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, no runs, no walks and 12 strikeouts for a 2.16 ERA. Chris Hatcher got his sixth hold and Kenley Jansen picked up his sixteenth save with a one hit ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to drop to 6-2, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts for a 2.55 ERA. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Howie Kendrick going 3-4 with one run scored. Top hitter for the Rockies was Nolan Arenado, Daniel Descalso, Michael McKenry, Charlie Blackmon and Justin Morneau, all of whom managed just one single each.



The second game would see what was on the verge of a blowout turn into a ninth inning win as a key injury would turn the tides. The Dodgers would strike first as Yasiel Puig hit a solo home run in the top of the first. The Rockies would answer in the bottom of the first as Nolan Arenado and D.J. LeMahieu lead off with back to back doubles. Daniel Descalso would hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Arenado to tie the game. Corey Dickerson would come up two batters later and stroke an RBI double to right to score LeMahieu, followed by a line drive single by Michael McKenry to drive in Dickerson for a 3-1 lead. The Dodgers would respond in the second with a one out triple to center by Alex Guerrero, followed by an RBI single by Jimmy Rollins. Then in the third inning, Howie Kendrick would lead off with a walk, followed by a single to center by Andre Ethier. Puig would then ground out a single to right field to score Kendrick. A double play ground out by Adrian Gonzalez would leave two outs but would also move Ethier to third base, where he would be driven in on a line drive single by Hector Olivera to put the Dodgers on top 4-3. In the fourth inning, the Dodgers would tack on one more run courtesy of a one out triple by A.J. Ellis, followed by a sacrifice fly by Greinke. The Rockies would answer in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to right by McKenry. It was after the home run and a fly out by Charlie Blackmon that starting pitcher Zack Greinke would be forced to leave the game after suffering a groin injury while on the mound, forcing the Dodgers to turn to their bullpen very early, which the Rockies would take advantage of. Justin Morneau would then double to center and Drew Stubbs would get an infield single, bringing up Arenado, who would ground a single into centerfield to score Morneau and tie the game 5-5.

The fifth inning would see Tommy Kahnle and Christian Friedrich lit up as Puig led off with a triple to center, followed by a two run home run to right by Gonzalez. After a single to center by Olivera, Rollins would then smoke a triple to center to drive in Olivera. Rollins would come in to score one batter later as Ellis lined a single to center, giving the Dodgers a 9-5 lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Rockies would manage to plate one run as Blackmon and Morneau each led off with singles, followed by a one out single by Arenado to drive in Blackmon. The Rockies would add two more runs in the seventh inning as Gonzalez led off with a double to right, followed by a two run home run by Dickerson to cut the score to 9-8. Come the bottom of the ninth inning, it looked like trouble for the Rockies as they were hit with one out quick on a strike out by Gonzalez. Then the Dodgers bullpen would collapse as Dickerson smoked a ground rule double to center, followed by a double to right by McKenry to leave runners at second and third. Blackmon would be intentionally walked, loading the bases with one out for Morneau. Morneau would make the Dodgers regret that as he would unload on a pitch with a swing of god’s own might, launching a bomb into centerfield for a walk off grand slam, giving the Rockies a 12-9 victory.

Player of the game was Justin Morneau, going 3-5 with a single, a double and a grand slam, scoring two runs and driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Corey Dickerson going 3-5 with two doubles and a two run home run, scoring three runs and driving in three RBI. Another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 4-5 with a two singles, a double and a solo home run, scoring two runs and two RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Yasiel Puig, going 3-5 with a single, a triple and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Brooks Brown to improve to 1-0, going 1.0 hitless innings pitched with a perfect ninth inning. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick lasted just 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts for a 2.27 ERA. Kenley Jansen to drop to 0-1, going 0.1 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout with a 3.78 ERA. J.P. Howell (3rd), Joel Peralta (3rd) and Yimi Garcia (7th) all got credit for holds before the disastrous ninth inning. Starting pitcher Zack Greinke would last just 3.1 innings before leaving with a groin injury in the fourth, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 4.02 ERA.



The third game of the series would the Rockies jump out first, but fail to hold on as the Dodgers would get the series victory. The Rockies would score first in the bottom of the second inning as Drew Stubbs led off with a double to center, followed by a two run home run by Corey Dickerson for a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers would come alive in the sixth inning as Hector Olivera led off with a single to third, followed by an RBI double to let by Howie Kendrick to score Oliver. Yasiel Puig would come up next, stroking a triple to center to score Kendrick. After a pop out, Alex Guerrero would line a single to center to drive in Puig for a 3-2 lead. The Dodgers would add another run in the seventh inning as Jimmy Rollins opened with a single to right and would advance to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hyun-Jin Ryu. After a strikeout, Kendrick would come up and blast a two out double to left field to score Rollins for a 4-2 Dodgers lead. The Rockies would respond in the eighth inning as Charlie Blackmon led off with a single, followed by a one out single to right by Carlos Gonzalez to move Blackmon to third and leave runners at the corners. Cristhian Adames would reach base after hitting into a fielder’s choice to score Blackmon from third to cut the score to 4-3. After a strikeout and a ground out to open the bottom of the ninth inning, Dickerson would hit a two out double to left field, but second base would be as close as the tying run would get as Nick Hundley would strikeout to give the Dodgers a 4-3 win.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu to improve to 4-2, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 11 strikeouts for a 3.03 ERA. Joel Peralta picked up his fourth hold while Kenley Janson got his seventeenth save. Losing pitcher was Jordan Lyles to drop to 3-4, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 3.38 ERA. Top hitter for the Dodgers, the only player with more than one hit, was Howie Kendrick, going 2-3 with two doubles, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies, also the only player with more than one hit, was Corey Dickerson, going 3-4 with a single, a double and a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI.


LA Dodgers – 2-12-0
Colorado – 0-5-0

LA Dodgers – 9-13-0
Colorado – 12-20-0

LA Dodgers – 4-9-0
Colorado – 3-8-0


And so the Rockies would lose their third straight series in a row, dropping seven of their last eleven games to go from a three game grip on first place in the NL West, to sitting in second and trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by a full game. With that, the Rockies now step out of divisional play for three weeks as they continue their nine game home stand, hosting a weekend series against the Miami Marlins, followed by a three game visit from the St. Louis Cardinals.

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 07:19 PM
Miami Marlins (23-31) vs Colorado Rockies (29-24)
June 5-7, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:40 PM
Tom Koehler (2-6, 6.06 ERA) vs David Hale (2-3, 3.99 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 2:10 PM
Jose Fernandez (5-2, 1.69 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (2-4, 7.01 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Mat Latos (2-6, 3.36 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (6-2, 2.55 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
vs. St. Louis (3 games), at Miami (4 games) at Houston (2 games)


After dropping two out of three games for the third series in a row, the series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers left the Rockies looking up from second place in the NL West, while exiting division play for three weeks to face foes from the NL East, the NL Central and the AL West. The Rockies would have to try and find their heads and turn things around while they still had some sense of control, starting with a three game visit from the fish of Miami.

SmoothPancakes
07-05-2015, 11:24 PM
Some trade news from Saturday, Philadelphia traded LF Domonic Brown (27 years old, 77, C) to the Chicago Cubs for 3B Mike Olt (26 years old, 68, B). The move gives the Cubs an instant upgrade at left field while the Phillies pick up a AAA prospect at third.

SmoothPancakes
07-06-2015, 01:07 AM
The Rockies would try to rediscover themselves after losing their third series in a row. Instead, the Rockies would nearly being on the losing end of a perfect game and would give up their most runs and hits in a single series all season.

The first game of the series would see the Rockies end up in a hole early and never recover, while the Marlins would change things up, as probable starting pitcher Tom Koehler would be replaced instead by Brad Hand. The Marlins would waste no time scoring in the first inning as Christian Yelich lined a one out double to left, followed by a two out double to left by Marcell Ozuna to score Yelich. Then in the second inning Adeiny Hechavarria would lead off with a solo home run. Third inning action would see Dee Gordon single to right field and then steal second base, coming around to score after Yelich lined out to third base and Nolan Arenado proceed to throw to second, only to have the ball end up in the gap in right center field. Following the run allowing error, Giancarlo Stanton would single to left, coming home on a triple by Ozuna. Ozuna would then score on a line drive single by Martin Prado, giving the Marlins a 5-0 lead. The Rockies would put a dent in the lead in the fourth inning as Carlos Gonzalez would reach base on a single, followed by a two out, two run home run by Michael McKenry to right field to cut the gap to 5-2. Miami would immediately respond in the fifth inning with back to back triples by Yelich and Stanton and then a sacrifice fly by Ozuna to score two runs in the inning and put the Marlins up 7-2. The Rockies would manage just two more runs in the seventh inning as McKenry led off with a double, followed by a two out pinch hit home run to right by Wilin Rosario to make the final score 7-4.

Player of the game was Marcell Ozuna, going 2-3 with a double and a triple, one run scored and three RBI driven in. Another top hitter was Giancarlo Stanton, going 3-4 with a single, a double and a triple, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-4 with a double and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher would be Brad Hand to improve to 3-0, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 6.16 ERA. Mike Dunn picked up his fourth hold and Steve Cishek got his thirteenth save. Losing pitcher was David Hale to drop to 2-4, going just 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 4.52 ERA.



The second game was just plain a disaster, as the Marlins would win in a blowout and the Jose Fernandez would come just a fifth inning walk away from pitching a perfect game. Miami started rocking starting pitcher Eddie Butler from the start as Dee Gordon led off with a bunt for a single, followed by a one out double to right by Giancarlo Stanton. Martin Prado would followed with a two out deflected ground ball for a single to score Gordon for an early 1-0 lead. That would hole until the fourth inning when Prado singled to lead off, stealing second base and then advancing to third on a wild pitch. Jhonatan Solano would draw a walk, Jeff Baker would hit a single into center to score Prado. Fernandez would lay down a successful bunt that deflected off the pitcher, allowing both runners to move up and Fernandez to reach first to load the bases. Gordon would come up next, smacking a double to left to score both Solano and Baker and leave runners at second and third for Christian Yelich, who would hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center, scoring both Fernandez and Gordon thanks to an errant throw in from the outfield, giving the Marlins a 6-0 cushion. Miami would add another run in the fifth inning as Marcell Ozuna led off with a triple to center, followed by an RBI ground out to third to score Ozuna. Starting pitcher Jose Hernandez had been pitching a perfect game to this point, but would lose it with one out in the fifth inning when he walked Corey Dickerson on a full count. Miami would come back in the sixth inning with a one out single by Fernandez and a fielding error by D.J. LeMahieu allowing Gordon to reach base. Yelich would come up next and line a single to center to score Fernandez from second while Gordon advanced to third. Stanton would then ground out to the pitcher, allowing Gordon to score from third to put Miami up 9-0. An eighth inning home run by Gordon would push the lead to 10. The ninth inning would see Ozuna and Prado both lead off with singles. Ozuna would reach third and Adeiny Hechavarria would reach first on a fielder’s choice that would see a double play ball thrown over the first baseman’s head. Baker would then hit a ground ball single into right field to score Ozuna from third for the 11-0 margin.

Player of the game, easily, was also the winning pitcher, as Jose Fernandez came a single walk away from pitching a perfect game as he improved to 6-2, throwing a complete game no-hitter, giving up just a single walk and striking out 15 batters. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 2-5, going just 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 7.48 ERA. Top hitter for the Marlins was Dee Gordon, going 3-6 with a single, a double, a home run, four runs scored and three RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was, no one. Top player, by default, was Corey Dickerson as he at least drew a walk, the only player to reach base the entire game.



The third game of the series would see Tyler Chatwood hammered early and the Marlins score runs at will in a fifth inning from hell as the Rockies would get swept. Miami got off and running in the first inning as Giancarlo Stanton blasted a two out home run to left. Marcell Ozuna would follow that with a single, bringing up Martin Prado who would smack a two run home run to left field for an early 3-0 lead. In the third inning, Christian Yelich would get on base with a one out single, followed by a single to left by Stanton to bring Yelich in to score. The sixth inning would see Chatwood’s day end as Yelich hit an infield single, Stanton drew a walk and Prado managed a two out single to load the bases. That would bring up Adeiny Hechavarria who would line a single in to right to score both Yelich and Stanton. Jhonatan Solano would then drill a home run to left field, driving in Prado and Hechavarria for a 9-0 lead and the end of Chatwood’s day. Tommy Kahnle would come in, promptly giving up a pair of singles to Jeff Baker and Mat Latos, followed by a ground ball single to center by Dee Gordon to score Baker for a 10-0 advantage. The Rockies would finally break on the board in the fifth inning as Nick Hundley smacked a one out triple, followed by a ground single by Charlie Blackmon to drive Hundley in. Colorado would go on their own mini-rally in the seventh inning as Carlos Gonzalez and Corey Dickerson both hit solo home runs, Hundley doubled to center, eventually advancing to third on a fly out. Michael McKenry would come in to pinch hit, lining a single to center to score Hundley and Nolan Arenado would rope a triple to center to score McKenry to close the gap to 10-5. A second home run by Gonzalez in the eighth inning would get Colorado within four runs at 10-6, but Miami would close it out in the ninth inning. Ozuna, Prado and Hechavarria all lead off with singles, followed by a fielder’s choice by Ichiro Suzuki, driving in Ozuna while Suzuki would beat out the double play attempt. Baker would then line a single to left to score Prado, giving Miami the 12-6 win and the three game sweep.

Player of the game was Martin Prado, going 4-5 with three singles, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Another top hitter was Adeiny Hechavarria, going 3-5 with two singles, a triple, one run and two RBI. Yet another top hitter was Giancarlo Stanton, going 2-4 with a single and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Nolan Arenado, going 3-4 with a single, a double and a triple and driving in one RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gonzalez, going 2-4 with a pair of solo home runs, scoring two runs and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Mat Latos to improve to 3-6, going 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.67 ERA. Losing pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to drop to 6-3, going 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 11 hits, 9 runs, 9 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 3.52 ERA. Tommy Kahnle would get tagged for 3 hits and 1 run in 1.1 innings of work while Rex Brothers would get lit up for 3 hits and 2 runs in 1.0 innings of work.


Miami – 7-10-1
Colorado – 4-8-2

Miami – 11-17-0
Colorado – 0-0-1

Miami – 12-18-0
Colorado – 6-12-1


And so the Rockies would lose their fourth straight series in a row, and would get swept for just the third time this season, first since getting swept at home by the Los Angeles Dodgers May 8-10. With this sweep, the Rockies have now lost four in a row, and have lost 9 of their last 11, going from a three game cushion in first place in the NL West, to second place in the NL West and 2.5 games behind the Dodgers, and right back to just barely hanging on to an above-.500 record.

SmoothPancakes
07-06-2015, 01:18 AM
St. Louis Cardinals (29-29) vs Colorado Rockies (29-27)
June 8-10, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
John Lackey (5-3, 3.12 ERA) vs Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 2.27 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Carlos Villanueva (3-3, 3.40 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (3-4, 3.38 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 1:10 PM
Adam Wainwright (5-5, 2.57 ERA) vs David Hale (2-4, 4.52 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
at Miami (4 games) at Houston (2 games), vs. Houston (2 games)


After dropping the fourth straight series and being clean swept for just the third time all season, the Rockies are left reeling and near in free fall as they fallen all the way to within two games of hitting .500, as well as continuously losing ground to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. While numerous players have stepped up, unfortunately, the team morale seems to have taken a serious hit since franchise player Troy Tulowitzki was injured with an inflamed hip two weeks ago, strangely around the exact same time this losing spell began.

In the mean time, unless team play starts to turn around soon, some serious changes may be coming. Some players may be sent packing to AAA Albuquerque, some AAA players may be getting the phone call to come up, and maybe even some staff shakeups might be needed if this team can't get back on track.

SmoothPancakes
07-06-2015, 11:01 PM
A couple more injuries hit the Rockies organization on Tuesday, as AA New Britain relief pitcher Ryan Arrowood suffered a strained oblique that would leave him sideline for a couple days, thankfully avoiding the disabled list.

Also injured was AA New Britain second baseman Angelys Nina, who suffered a MCL spring that would leave him out of action for 2-3 weeks, unfortunately earning him a spot on the 15 day DL. This is Nina's second injury to land him on the disabled list this season, raising much concern about his future health and durability.

SmoothPancakes
07-07-2015, 12:39 AM
It would take games two and three for the Rockies to finally achieve success, but they would do so against St. Lous, breaking a 5 game losing streak and winning their first series since May 24th, in the process giving themselves a little breathing room from the .500 mark.

The first game of the series would again see the Rockies end up in a hole early, battle back, and then blow it in extra innings. St. Louis jumped on board first with Kolten Wong reached base on a throwing error, making his way to third on a ground out and fly out, and then coming home to score on a single by Matt Adams. The Rockies would bring across a run in the fourth inning as Daniel Descalso led off with a triple to center, followed by a Drew Stubbs double to left. In the sixth inning, an RBI triple by Matt Carpenter would score John Lackey from second for the Cardinals. Then in the sixth inning, the Cardinals would plate two runs on a two run home run by Jason Heyward. The Rockies would answer in the bottom of the sixth as Michael McKenry blasted a three run home run to center for a 4-4 game. The Rockies would go up 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh as Cristhian Adames hit a ground rule double, followed by an RBI single by D.J. LeMahieu. The eighth inning would see the Cardinals take a 6-5 lead as Heyward hit an RBI double to left to score Pete Kozma, before eventually coming home to score himself on a sacrifice fly to right. The Rockies would answer back in the bottom of the inning and tie the game with a solo home run by Corey Dickerson. The Rockies had a chance to win, but Nolan Arenado would try to score from second on a ground ball single to center, and would be thrown out at home plate to send the game to extra innings. The Cardinals would take the lead and the victory in the tenth inning as St. Louis would get runners on first and second for Peter Bourjos, who would hit a ground rule double to center to drive in one run. Then with runners at second and third, a botched catch by right fielder Corey Dickerson would result in a fielding error, allowing both runners to score to give the Cardinals a 9-6 lead and eventually the win.

Player of the game was Jason Heyward, going 4-5 with two singles, a double and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in three RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-5 with a single and a home run, scoring one run and driving in three RBI. Winning pitcher was Jordan Walden to improve to 2-1, going 1.0 innings pitched in the ninth, giving up 3 hits and no runs. Sam Tuivailala was dinged with his third blown save. Starting pitcher John Lackey went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.35 ERA. Losing pitcher was John Axford to drop to 1-3, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 5.48 ERA. Brooks Brown was hit with his second blown save. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.47 ERA.



The second game saw the Cardinal jump out early again as a pair of lead off singles by Kolten Wong and Matt Carpenter allowed Matt Adams to hit an RBI single to right, scoring Wong from second for a 1-0 lead. The Rockies, however, would take over early this time in the third inning. D.J. LeMahieu, Cristhian Adames and Carlos Gonzalez all hit singles to shallow left or center field, loading the bases with two outs. That would bring up Corey Dickerson who would smack a single to left to score both LeMahieu and Adames. Then Michael McKenry would double to right to score Gonzalez and advance Dickerson to third. Drew Stubbs would finish off the action with a single to right to score both Dickerson and McKenry, giving the Rockies a 5-1 lead. The Rockies would add an insurance run in the fifth inning as McKenry hit a sacrifice fly to score Adames from third, putting the Rockies on top 6-1, a score that would stay behind a career pitching performance by Jordan Lyles, breaking a five game losing streak and earn the Rockies only their second win in June through eight games.

Player of the game, easily, was also the winning pitcher, as Jordan Lyles improved to 4-4, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 7 strikeouts for a 3.14 ERA. Losing pitcher was Carlos Villanueva to drop to 3-4, going 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 4.12 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-3 with a single and a double, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Cardinals was Matt Adams, going 2-4 with two singles and one RBI.



The third game of the series would see the Rockies finally break their losing spell, winning their first series since May 24th. The Cardinals put up a fight, scoring first with a first inning RBI single by Matt Carpenter, but the Rockies would respond in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run by Daniel Descalso and an RBI triple by Corey Dickerson to go up 2-1. A second inning RBI triple by Peter Bourjos and an RBI single by Adam Wainwright would give the Cardinals a one run edge, but the Rockies would answer right back with an RBI single by Nolan Arenado and an RBI triple by Cristhian Adames, putting the Rockies back on top 4-3. The Rockies would build their lead in the fifth inning as Dickerson smacked an RBI double to left to score Descalso and Charlie Blackmon hit a two run home run to drive in Dickerson. Then in the sixth inning, a solo home run to right by Adames would give Colorado an 8-3 advantage. The Cardinals would battle back briefly as a Jhonny Peralta single was followed by an RBI triple by Ed Easley in the seventh inning and in the eighth inning, an RBI triple by Adams and an RBI ground out by Jason Heyward to close the gap to 8-6. The Rockies would put the cap on the win in the bottom of the eighth inning as Drew Stubbs and Arenado both got on base with singles and would be driven in by Adames on a two RBI triple to center. Adames would then come in to score on a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Rockies an 11-6 victory.

Player of the game was Cristhian Adames, going 3-5 with two triples and a solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Daniel Descalso, going 3-4 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Cardinals was Jhonny Peralta, going 3-4 with a single, a double and a triple while scoring two runs. Winning pitcher was David Hale to improve to 3-4, going 6.0 innings pitched, givin up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 4.52 ERA. Rafael Betancourt would earn his third hold. Losing pitcher was Adam Wainwright to drop to 5-6, going 4.1 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 3.10 ERA.


St. Louis – 9-15-0
Colorado – 6-17-3

St. Louis – 1-7-0
Colorado – 6-11-0

St. Louis – 6-12-0
Colorado – 11-16-0


And so the Rockies would finally win another series after four failed attempts, they would get a couple games separation from the .500 mark and they would keep themselves within two games of the first place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Now would come the challenge where the Rockies would have to figure out a way to defeat the Miami Marlins, and this time, do it on the road.

SmoothPancakes
07-07-2015, 12:52 AM
The Rockies would get great news on Wednesday night as the team doctors cleared Troy Tulowitzki to return to action and has been taken off the disabled list. With rookie shortstop Cristhian Adames impressing in his limited action so far, the decision was made to keep both Adames and Daniel Descalso on the MLB roster, using both as back ups for not only shortstop but also second and third base. The Rockies would instead sacrifice their bullpen to keep Adames in the major, sending a struggling Brooks Brown back down to AAA Albuquerque. To make room for Brown, struggling left fielder Brandon Barnes would be sent down to AA New Britain.

Even though Tulowitzki is cleared for action, he will remain on the bench for a couple days to give him a chance to work his way back into the starting roster (since MLB The Show does not have rehab assignments in the game as Tulo has already used all three of his minor league options). The team hopes to have Tulowitzki back as the starting shortstop by Monday the 15th.

SmoothPancakes
07-07-2015, 12:57 AM
Colorado Rockies (31-28) vs Miami Marlins (29-31)
June 11-14, 2015
Marlins Park - Miami, Florida

Probable Starters:

Game One - Thursday 7:10 PM
Eddie Butler (2-5, 7.48 ERA) vs Jose Fernandez (6-2, 1.51 ERA)

Game Two - Friday 7:10 PM
Tyler Chatwood (6-3, 3.52 ERA) vs Mat Latos (3-6, 3.67 ERA)

Game Three - Saturday 4:10 PM
Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 2.47 ERA) vs Jarred Cosart (2-5, 3.06 ERA)

Game Four - Sunday 1:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (4-4, 3.14 ERA) vs Brad Hand (4-0, 5.57 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
at Houston (2 games), vs. Houston (2 games), vs Milwaukee (3 games)


After finally getting back into the series win column, the Rockies would now have to turn their attention to figuring out a way to beat Miami. Miami, just the prior weekend, became only the third team to clean sweep the Rockies in a series this season. The Rockies would also have to figure out how to hit against Jose Fernandez, enemy number one in the first game of the series, as he came just a single fifth inning walk away from pitching a perfect game against the Rockies last time, striking out 15 Rockies batters in the process. Thursday's game would be the true test of how the Rockies would hold up throughout the four game series.

SmoothPancakes
07-07-2015, 05:25 PM
Another injury would occur in AA New Britain on Thursday as right fielder Raimel Tapia suffered a sprained knee ligament. It would keep him sidelined for an estimated 3-4 weeks, landing him a spot on the 15 day DL.

SmoothPancakes
07-07-2015, 08:55 PM
A trade was announced on Friday as Boston traded C Christian Vasquez (24 years old, 73, C) to Tampa Bay for SS Hak-Ju Lee (23 years old, 71, B). Vasquez immediately becomes the new starting catcher for the Rays, while Lee will join Xander Bogaerts at shortstop for the Red Sox.

SmoothPancakes
07-07-2015, 11:01 PM
The Rockies received bad news after Saturday's game. Center fielder Drew Stubbs left the game in the eighth inning with an arm injury after sliding in to third while advancing on a fly out. Word came down after the game that it was a fractured forearm that would leave Stubbs out of action for 2-3 months, instantly landing him on the 60 day DL and possibly ending his season.

To replace Stubbs, the Rockies called up AAA Albuquerque left fielder Kyle Parker (25 years old, 68, B). So far in 40 games and 143 at-bats, Parker has batted .308 in AAA with 6 home runs and 19 RBI. He will be replacing Stubbs on the bench as a periodic starter when the other outfielders need a day of rest.

In related moves, AA New Britain right fielder Brandon Barnes (28 years old, 71, C) was re-promoted to AAA, where he had been batting .281 through 50 games.

To replace Barnes, A Modesto center fielder Noel Cuevas (23 years old, 63, C) was promoted to AA.

Also announced, the Rockies promoted A Modesto starting pitcher Peter Lambert (18 years old, 62, B) to AA New Britain.

SmoothPancakes
07-08-2015, 04:27 AM
Another series against the Miami Marlins would see another shutout, another blowout and a walk off home run, but while the Rockies would lose another series, they would manage to avoid being swept by the Marlins two weeks in a row.

The first game of the series would see the Rockies do better this time around against Jose Fernandez, but it still wasn’t anywhere near good enough. The Marlins would score first in the second inning as a Christian Yelich single, an RBI double by Martin Prado and Jhonatan Solano hitting into a fielder’s choice gave the Marlins an early 2-0 lead. In the third inning they’d increase it as Michael Morse smacked a two run home run to left while Yelich, Prado and Adeiny Hechavarria all hit singles to load the bases. Solano would strike out swinging for what should have been the third out, but the strikeout would come on a wild pitch that would get behind the catcher, allowing Solano to reach first base safely and letting Yelich race home from third to score. The scoring would be capped off in the fourth inning as Prado would hit a ground ball single to right, scoring Giancarlo Stanton from third to put Miami up 6-0. The Rockies struggled again against Fernandez, managing just three hits through the first seven innings. A pair of eighth inning singles would see the Rockies get a runner to second base for the first time all game, but that would be as far as they would get.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher as Jose Fernandez improved to 7-2, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, no runs, no walks and 12 strikeouts for a 1.37 ERA. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 2-6, going 3.2 innings pitched, giving up 11 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 7.93 ERA. Top hitter for the Marlins was Martin Prado, going a perfect 4-4 with three singles and a double, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Another top hitter was Michael Morse, going 2-4 with a double and a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Daniel Descalso, going 2-4 with two singles, the only Rockies player to finish with more than one hit.



The second game would see the Rockies take an early lead thanks to an error, then fall completely fall apart in later innings as hits and runs would still come at a premium. Colorado would go up 1-0 in the first inning as Daniel Descalso go on base thanks to a fielder error and would come around to score on an RBI double by Drew Stubbs, the lone Colorado hit until the seventh inning. That lead would last until the third inning when Christian Yelich hit a solo home run to center. The fifth inning would see the collapse start. An RBI infield single by Dee Gordon would give the Marlins a one run lead. Then Marcell Ozuna would smack a single to center to score Gordon and Yelich from second and third to go up 4-1. In the seventh inning, Corey Dickerson would cut the lead to two with a solo home run, but it would all go to hell in the bottom of the seventh. Back to back triples by Gordon and Yelich would score one run, Yelich would then score on a single by Giancarlo Stanton. Ozuna would reach base on a fielding error by Justin Morneau and Michael Morse would clear the bases with a three run home run for a five run inning and a 9-2 win.

Player of the game was Christian Yelich, going 4-5 with two singles, a triple and a solo home run, scoring three runs and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 1-3 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Mat Latos to improve to 4-6, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and 7 strikeouts for a 3.42 ERA. Losing pitcher was Tyler Chatwood, who has now lost his last three straight starts to drop to 6-4, going just 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.76 ERA. Rafael Betancourt, who came on to relieve Chatwood, also got lit up, going just 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and one strikeout for a 2.86 ERA.



The third game of the series would see the Rockies finally achieve victory over the Marlins, using a late game spree to turn a one run game into a blowout. The Marlins jumped out first in the second inning as an RBI double by Michael Morse, and a two run double by Jeff Mathis gave Miami an early 3-0 lead and the threat of another runaway loss. Instead of the Rockies would answer back in the fourth inning as D.J. LeMahieu and Daniel Descalso both opened with singles, and would both advance a base on a wild pitch to stand at second and third. A sacrifice fly by Carlos Gonzalez and a single by Corey Dickerson would drive both runs in, followed by a double to center by Michael McKenry to score Dickerson from first to tie the game 3-3. The Rockies would take the lead in the sixth inning when Gonzalez led off with a solo home run. A two RBI double by McKenry to score Descalso and Dickerson would add two more runs in the seventh inning to go up 6-3. The Rockies would then pour it on in the eighth inning as Drew Stubbs would double to right to lead off the inning and would advance to third on a line out to center. Unfortunately Stubbs would be lost to injury on the play as he went sliding into third. Nolan Arenado would hit a single to center to drive in pinch runner Charlie Blackmon, a single to center by Cristhian Adames would leave runners at the corners, followed by a double to right by LeMahieu to score Arenado. A sacrifice fly by Descalso would score Adames and a double by Gonzalez would score LeMahieu for a four run inning to give Colorado a 10-3 advantage. McKenry would put the cherry on the game in the ninth inning with a lead off solo home run for the 11-3 victory.

Player of the game was Michael McKenry, who would go a perfect 5-5 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and a solo home run, scoring one run and driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gonzales, going 2-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring one run and driving in three RBI. Top hitter for Miami was Jeff Mathis, going 2-4 with a single and a double and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Kyle Kendrick to improve to 6-1, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 2.54 ERA. Tommy Kahnle would get his eighth hold for two innings of relief work. Losing pitcher was Jarred Cosart to drop to 2-6, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.33 ERA.



The fourth game of the series would be a low scoring affair that would end in walk off fashion. Both teams, while getting runners on base, would struggle to reach home plate until the sixth inning. In the top of the sixth, Cristhian Adames would lead off with a single for the Rockies, followed by an RBI double by rookie Kyle Parker to score Adames. Parker would then come in to score as Corey Dickerson would line a single to center to take a 2-0 lead. That lead would instantly disappear in the bottom of the sixth inning as Dee Gordon hit a pinch hit single to right, coming in to score on an RBI double by Martin Prado. Prado would then cross home plate on a double by Giancarlo Stanton to tie the game 2-2. The game would remain tied until the bottom of the ninth inning when Marcell Ozuna would lead off the inning and hit a walk off solo home run for the victory and series win.

Player of the game was Marcell Ozuna, going 1-4 with a walk off home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 3-4 with two singles and a double and driving in one RBI. Winning pitcher was Sam Dyson to improve to 3-3, going 2.0 innings pitched, giving up no hits, no runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 3.38 ERA. Starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez went 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.67 ERA. Losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 2-4, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run and 1 earned run, facing only a single batter, for a 1.88 ERA. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 5.1 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.16 ERA.


Colorado – 0-5-0
Miami – 6-14-1

Colorado – 2-3-1
Miami – 9-14-1

Colorado – 11-18-2
Miami – 3-6-1

Colorado – 2-9-0
Miami – 3-8-0


And so the Rockies would drop another series and come down to within a single game of hitting .500 on the season as they approach the halfway mark of June. With a June record of 4-9 so far, rumors of coming changes were rapidly swirling around the Rocky Mountains. A pair of two game series against the Houston Astros could be the powder keg to set off those changes.

SmoothPancakes
07-08-2015, 04:33 AM
Colorado Rockies (32-31) vs Houston Astros (27-37)
June 15-16, 2015
Minute Maid Park - Houston, Texas

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:10 PM
David Hale (3-4, 4.52 ERA) vs Brett Oberholtzer (0-0, 11.57 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 1:10 PM
Eddie Butler (2-6, 7.93 ERA) vs Collin McHugh (4-5, 3.86 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
vs. Houston (2 games), vs Milwaukee (3 games), vs Arizona (3 games)


Another series loss would drop the Rockies to one game above a .500 record. The only good news, the Dodgers didn't have much success either, as they remained 2.0 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Depending on how the next 3-5 games go, some changes may be coming, in regards to both staff and players as the Rockies try to get back on track and try to keep this season from falling apart.

steelerfan
07-08-2015, 12:38 PM
Go Astros!

SmoothPancakes
07-08-2015, 03:25 PM
Go Astros!
:D The way this team has been playing since the last week of May, you probably won't have much to worry about.

I just hope Miami doesn't appear on my schedule again this year. God I haven't been lit up and had my ass handed to me this season like I was in those two series. Even their pitchers were roping singles and doubles at the plate.

SmoothPancakes
07-08-2015, 06:51 PM
A huge scare in Monday's game thankfully turned out to be minor. Starting pitcher David Hale was forced to leave early in the fifth inning with a leg injury. After meeting with team doctors, it would turn out to be just a lat muscle strain that would leave him day to day for just a day or two. With his next start another five days away, the injury shouldn't be of much concern.

The Rockies would also get extremely lucky as Daniel Descalso was forced to leave the game, also in the fifth inning, exactly one play before David Hale was forced out with injury. Descalso left walking off the field gingerly after diving to try and stop a ground ball up the middle. It would turn out after the game that he had just landed wrong and was a little sore, but otherwise uninjured in any way that would force him to miss games.

And so, a fifth inning from hell that would see injuries on back to back plays, would turn out to be very minor and would only cost a pitcher a couple days, which wouldn't matter as he wouldn't pitch again for another 5 days.

SmoothPancakes
07-08-2015, 08:51 PM
While the Rockies wouldn’t be able to claim a series win over the Astros, they also wouldn’t have to claim a series loss as a ninth inning comeback would let Colorado split a two game road series in Houston.

The first game of the series would see the Rockies claim the first lead, the Astros take control, and then a ninth inning rally for a surprise victory. The first score of the game wouldn’t come until the fourth inning when Troy Tulowitzki, making his first start since May 26th and Carlos Gonzalez hit back to back solo home runs for a 2-0 lead. The fifth inning would be a disaster as both second baseman Daniel Descalso and starting pitcher David Hale were forced to leave the game due to injury on consecutive plays. A very unprepared Boone Logan was forced to take over, and that allowed the Astros to rally. Jon Singleton started it with a single and came home to score on a triple by Luis Valbuena. Valbuena would score on a single by Jake Marisnick. Jose Altuve would get on base with a single and George Springer would wipe them clean with a three run home run off of the train itself in center to take a 5-2 lead. Back to back doubles by Corey Dickerson and Michael McKenry would score one run in the sixth inning, while the Astros would add a run in the seventh off of a Jonathan Villar double and an RBI single by Altuve to go up 6-3. Then the ninth inning would happen. McKenry would lead off with a double, coming home to score on a single by Charlie Blackmon, who would advance to second on the throw home from the outfield. Justin Morneau would single to center and Blackmon would come around to score. Cristhian Adames would smack a double to leave runners at second and third, where the Astros would intentionally walk Nolan Arenado to load the bases with no outs. D.J. LeMahieu would hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Morneau from third. Tulowitzki would hit a single to drive in Adames to give the Rockies a 7-6 lead, followed by both Tulowitzki and Arenado stealing on a successful double steal. That would lead to Gonzalez being intentionally walked to again load the bases, but despite only having one out, the Rockies would be unable to add to their score as Dickerson would fly out and McKenry would ground out to second. It wouldn’t matter however as Rafael Betancourt would shut the door in the bottom of the ninth as the Rockies held on a for a surprising 7-6 victory.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, who was making his first start since May 26th. Tulowitzki went 3-5 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI in his return to action. Top hitter for the Astros was Luis Valbuena, going 3-4 with two singles and a triple, scoring one run and one RBI. Another top hitter was George Springer, though only going 1-4, that one hit came on a three run home run, scoring one run and driving in three RBI to cap a five run fifth inning. Winning pitcher was Rex Brothers to improve to 1-1, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.73 ERA. Rafael Betancourt earned his first save with a hitless ninth inning. Starting pitcher David Hale went 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 4.52 ERA before leaving in the fifth due to injury. Losing pitcher was Luke Gregerson to drop to 1-3, going 0.1 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and no strikeouts for a 6.16 ERA in the ninth inning meltdown. Jose Veras picked up his seventh hold. Starting pitcher Brett Oberholtzer went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 5.79 ERA.



The second game would see the Rockies again take an early lead, only to end up blowing it the next inning and never quite recover. The Rockies would score first in the third inning as a ground rule double by Nolan Arenado would be followed by an RBI single by Troy Tulowitzki for a 1-0 lead. The Astros would answer in the bottom of the fourth as Colby Rasmus opened with a single, coming home to score on an RBI double by Jon Singleton, who would advance to third on the throw home from the outfield. Singleton would then cross the plate on a ground out by Luis Valbuena to put the Astros up 2-1. In the fifth inning, Arenado would reach base on a fielder’s choice and eventually come home to score on a single by Tulowitzki, but the tie would be broken in the bottom of the fifth as George Springer would get on base via a hit by pitch, eventually coming around to score on a fielder’s choice by Singleton to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. Houston would add to their lead in the sixth inning as Springer would blast a two run home run to center for a 5-2 advantage. The Rockies would cut the lead to one in the seventh inning as Arenado launched a one out triple and would score on a ground out by D.J. LeMahieu, followed by a solo home run by Tulowitzki to close within 5-4. The Rockies had a chance to tie it or take the lead as they would manage to load the bases after Tulo’s home run, but would be unable to drive another run home. The same would happen in the eighth after a one out triple by Cristhian Adames as back to back strikeouts would end the threat and go on to seal the loss.

Player of the game was George Springer, going 1-3 with a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-5 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring one run and driving in three RBI. Winning pitcher was Collin McHugh to improve to 5-5, going 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.98 ERA. Chad Qualls (4th) and Pat Neshek (14th) both got credit for holds, while Luke Gregerson picked up his eighteenth save. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 2-7, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 7.88 ERA.


Colorado – 7-13-0
Houston – 6-12-0

Colorado – 4-12-0
Houston – 5-11-2


And so the Rockies would hang on just one game above the .500 mark as they returned home for 8 games over the next 9 days with series again the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

SmoothPancakes
07-08-2015, 08:56 PM
Houston Astros (28-38) vs Colorado Rockies (33-32)
June 17-18, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Dallas Keuchel (4-5, 3.03 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (6-4, 3.76 ERA)

Game Two - Thursday 1:10 PM
Asher Wojciechowski (2-3, 1.21 ERA) vs Kyle Kendrick (6-1, 2.54 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
vs Milwaukee (3 games), vs Arizona (3 games), at San Francisco (3 games)


The Rockies would neither lose ground nor make up ground as they split a two game series in Houston. Now the team would return home to the friendly confines of Coors Field for another two game set against the Astros.

steelerfan
07-09-2015, 12:40 AM
2 games down, 2 to go. Come on, Astros!

SmoothPancakes
07-09-2015, 12:59 AM
After the sixth inning of the second game in Colorado, I hate the Astros. Damn I needed lube, even despite what the final score would end up being. I'm lucky it wasn't worse.

SmoothPancakes
07-09-2015, 01:04 AM
The Rockies would again split a two game series against the Astros, this time at home, winning via blowout and losing on a comeback that would see the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, only to come up short thanks to a game ending double play.

The first game of the series would see the Rockies jump out early and often as the game turned into a blowout by the sixth inning. The Rockies would open the scoring in the third inning with a two run home run by Troy Tulowitzki. They’d add three more runs in the fourth as Nick Hundley and Charlie Blackmon both reached on singles and would score on a two RBI triple by Justin Morneau. Morneau would then score on a single to right by pitcher Tyler Chatwood. Tulowitzki would hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot, in the fifth inning to build a 6-0 lead. The Astros would plate one run in the sixth as a sacrifice fly by Evan Gattis would score Luis Valbuena from first for a 6-1 score. The Rockies would respond in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run by Blackmon and a three run home run by Hundley in the seventh inning to go up 10-1. The scoring would close out in the eighth inning with a Michael McKenry leadoff single to center, an RBI triple by Nolan Arenado to score McKenry, and a sacrifice fly by D.J. LeMahieu to bring across Arenado for a 12-1 win.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-5 with a single and two home runs, one a two run shot and the other a solo blast, finishing with three runs scored and three RBI. Another top hitter was Charlie Blackmon who would end perfect, going 4-4 with three singles and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Astros was Jose Altuve, going 3-4 with three singles. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to improve to 7-4, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts for a 3.51 ERA. Losing pitcher was Dallas Keuchel to drop to 4-6, going 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.43 ERA.



The second game would see a low scoring affair early on, turn into a blowout, that would then turn into a near comeback that would fall just short. The first score wouldn’t come until the fifth inning, when Charlie Blackmon led off with a solo home run to right. Everything would fall apart in the sixth. Despite getting a quick first out, the second two would be near impossible. Jose Altuve would start with a one out triple, coming home to score on an infield since by Georgie Springer. Springer would steal second and advance to third on a Evan Gattis single. Colby Rasmus would double to center to score Springer and move Gattis to third, followed by an infield single by Jon Singleton to load the bases. After a strikeout for the merciful second out, pitcher Asher Wojciechowski would clear the bases as he would hit a double to center to score Gattis, Rasmus and Singleton all. Wojciechowski would then score on a line drive by Jed Lowrie that would also turn into a fielding error on Carlos Gonzalez for a 6 run inning to go up 6-1. Two more runs would cross in the seventh inning as Singleton smoked an RBI double to center and would come around to score on a line drive single to left by Jason Castro and then one more run in the eighth inning as Altuve would get on by way of a double, coming home to score on a fielding error by first baseman Justin Morneau on a hit by Springer, giving Houston a 9-1 lead.

But the Rockies wouldn’t give up. D.J. LeMahieu and Troy Tulowitzki would lead off with back to back singles, both runners advancing to second and third during the throw in from the outfield to third base. Gonzalez would then double to left to score both runners. Gonzalez would score on a Corey Dickerson triple, who would then score on a Michael McKenry double, who would advance to third on a ground out by Blackmon. McKenry would cross the plate on a line drive single to left by Justin Morneau, capping off a 5 run eighth inning to close the gap to 9-6. The bottom of the ninth inning would see LeMahieu and Tulowitzki both lead off with singles again, followed by a strikeout by Gonzalez. Dickerson would ground a single to left field to score LeMahieu and move Tulowitzki up to second. The Rockies would load the bases when McKenry reached first based on a throwing error by Lowrie, but with the bases loaded, Blackmon would end up hitting into a double play to the shortstop, killing the rally and ending the game in a 9-7 defeat.

Player of the game was Jose Altuve, going 3-5 with two doubles and a triple and scoring two runs. Another top hitter, by way of most RBIs, was pitcher Asher Wojciechowski, going 1-4 with his first double of the year, scoring one run and driving in three RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 2-5 with a single and a triple, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Asher Wojciechowski to improve to 3-3, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 11 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 7 strikeouts for a 1.74 ERA. Luke Gregerson picked up his nineteenth save. Losing pitcher was Kyle Kendrick to drop to 6-2, going 5.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.04 ERA, as well as two hit batters.


Houston – 1-8-1
Colorado – 12-17-1

Houston – 9-15-1
Colorado – 7-17-2


And so the Rockies would split the second two game series with the Astros, and would remain just a lone game above .500, heading into a three game series with the much improved Milwaukee Brewers. The loss, and two consecutive wins by the Los Angeles Dodgers, would drop now to three full games back of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, and leave the Rockies just one game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for third place in the division. Amazingly, the Rockies would still be left holding on to the second Wild Card spot with a one game advantage over the Arizona Diamondbacks, a 1.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins and a 2.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

SmoothPancakes
07-09-2015, 01:09 AM
Milwaukee Brewers (35-33) vs Colorado Rockies (34-33)
June 19-21, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:40 PM
Wily Peralta (2-6, 3.18 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (4-4, 3.16 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 2:10 PM
Jimmy Nelson (5-5, 4.40 ERA) vs David Hale (3-4, 4.52 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Kyle Lohse (6-1, 2.67 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (2-7, 7.88 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
vs Arizona (3 games), at San Francisco (3 games), at Oakland (3 games)


The Rockies would again neither lose ground nor make up ground as they split a two game series this time in Denver. The Rockies would now be left trying to make up ground against a much improved Milwaukee Brewers club, a different team than they faced on Opening Day.

steelerfan
07-09-2015, 03:12 AM
2-2. A split. I guess we'll both just have to live with it. :)

SmoothPancakes
07-09-2015, 03:56 AM
2-2. A split. I guess we'll both just have to live with it. :)

I'm happy I guess. It could have been 4-0. Bases loaded with a chance to tie or win in game two in Houston. And that comeback to pull within two runs in game two in Denver. I suppose a split's not terrible. ;)

SmoothPancakes
07-09-2015, 04:29 AM
Some breaking news on Friday night. Following the completion of their game against Milwaukee, the Rockies announced a trade had been completed with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals had approached the Rockies back on Tuesday inquiring about first baseman Justin Morneau. It would turn out both front offices were able to find a deal they could be happy with, with the Rockies shipping starting first baseman Justin Morneau (33 years old, 81, B) to St. Louis in return for backup center fielder Randal Grichuk (23 years old, 75, C) and prospect first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez (25 years old, 65, C).

1B Justin Morneau
Age 33, B/T L/R
81 OVR, B POT
.246, 4 HR, 27 RBI in 203 AB with Colorado
Assigned as starting first baseman for the Cardinals, replacing Matt Adams (26 years old, 75. C)


CF Randal Grichuk
Age 23, B/T R/R
75 OVR, C POT
.210, 4 HR, 22 RBI in 238 AB with St. Louis
Assigned as backup outfielder for the Rockies, taking the place of the injured Drew Stubbs due to his stint on the 60 day DL.

1B Jonathan Rodriguez
Age 25, B/T R/R
63 OVR, C POT
.231, 4 HR, 12 RBI in 65 AB with St. Louis AA affiliate Springfield Cardinals
Assigned to AA New Britain


In related roster news, the Rockies would name Wilin Rosario the new starting first baseman in Morneau's absence. Grichuk, who was a backup center fielder to Peter Bourjos in St. Louis, would remain a backup in Colorado, although he will be given a fair chance to challenge current starting center fielder Charlie Blackmon for the job. It has been undecided if LF Kyle Parker will be sent back to AAA Albuquerque to make room for a backup first baseman or if he will remain in the majors as a second backup outfielder with Grichuk. Parker has first base as a secondary position, so for now he will be considered the backup at first base until it is decided whether or not to bring a full time first baseman up from AAA Albuquerque, which would result in Parker being sent back down to AAA.

SmoothPancakes
07-10-2015, 01:37 AM
The Rockies would start the Milwaukee series in good fashion, then firmly faceplant themselves in games two and three on their way to a series loss that would leave them sitting exactly .500 on the season.

The first game of the series would see a blowout as the Rockies would jump on top instantly. First inning singles by Daniel Descalso and Cristhian Adames would be followed by a two run single to left by Corey Dickerson to score both runners. After a single by Michael McKenry to get on base, Charlie Blackmon would bring both McKenry and Dickerson home on a two out triple to give Colorado a quick 4-0 lead. The Rockies would add two more runs in the third inning as McKenry launched a two run home run, while a fourth inning single by Adames would score Arenado from second for a 7-0 lead. Milwaukee would get on board in the seventh inning as an RBI single by Hernan Perez and an RBI single by Luis Sardinas would score two runs, but the Rockies would respond in the bottom of the seventh with a line drive single by Dickerson to driving in Adames for an 8-2 win.

Player of the game was also the winning pitcher was Jordan Lyles improve to 5-4, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, two runs, one earned run, two walks and 9 strikeouts for a 3.01 ERA. Losing pitcher was Wily Peralta to drop to 2-7, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 3.79 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Cristhian Adames, going 3-4 with three singles, scoring two runs and driving in one RBI. Another top hitter was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with two singles, scoring one run and driving in three RBI. Another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 2-4 with a single and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Brewers was Gerardo Parra, going 2-4 with two singles and a run scored.



The second game would see most runs come in a flurry in the fourth inning. The Brewers would break the tie first as Jonathan Lucroy got on with a single and would be driven home on a Khris Davis triple. Davis would then score on a double by Adam Lind. Gomez would smack a double to shallow left to put runners on second and third for Aramis Ramirez, who would hit a sacrifice fly to the right field wall to score both Lind and Gomez to give the Brewers a 4-0 lead. The Rockies would answer with back to back singles by D.J. LeMahieu to lead off the bottom of the fourth, with both coming home to score on a hit to center by Carlos Gonzalez. A fielding error on the center fielder would allow Gonzalez to reach second base and both runners to head home. Gonzalez would eventually come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Nick Hundley to trail 4-3. The Brewers would put the game away in the eighth inning as Luis Sardinas and Lucroy led off with singles, followed by a double to right by Davis to score both Sardinas and Lucroy. A ground single to left by Carlos Gomez would score Davis to give the Brewers the 7-3 win.

Player of the game was Khris Davis, going 2-4 with a double and a triple, scoring two runs and driving in three RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gomez, going 3-4 with two singles and a double, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Troy Tulowitzki, going 2-4 with a run scored. Carlos Gonzalez would go 0-4, but due to a fielding error, he would score one run and drive in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Jimmy Nelson to improve to 6-5, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 4.19 ERA. Losing pitcher was David Hale to drop to 3-5, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 4.70 ERA.



The third game of the series would see everything go to hell in the first inning. To say starter Eddie Butler had a bad day would be the understatement of all understatements. It would all start with a leadoff Jean Segura single to left, who would score on a triple by Luis Sardinas. Sardinas would score on a single to right by Jonathan Lucroy. Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez would follow with singles to load the bases. Lucroy would come home to score on a ground out to Arenado, followed by a single to center by Jason Rogers to score both Gomez and Ramirez to put the Brewers up 5-0 and only one out. After a ground out for out number two, pitcher Kyle Lohse would ground a single to right to score Rogers, followed by a two run home run by Segura to cap off an 8 run first inning. The Rockies would answer with a solo home run by Troy Tulowitzki. The Brewers would add another run in the second inning off a sacrifice fly by Gerardo Parra and in the third inning from a Sardinas ground out to first base to score Segura from third for a 10-1 lead.

The Rockies would find a little life in the bottom of the third as Cristhian Adames would lead off with a triple and come home to score on an Arenado single. After a double play, Tulowitzki would reach on a single and come home on a two run home run by Carlos Gonzalez. The Brewers would add one more run in the fifth inning thanks to a solo home run by starting pitcher Lohse, in the sixth inning thanks to a solo home run by Gomez, and in the seventh inning on an RBI ground out by Lohse to score Rogers from third to put Milwaukee up 13-4. The Rockies would manage two more runs in the seventh inning as Wilin Rosario led off with a single to right and would score on a pinch hit triple by Randal Grichuk. Grichuk would then score on a sacrifice fly to center by Arenado. The final run of the game would come in the eighth inning as Corey Dickerson launched a solo home run to right field for a 13-7 final score.

Player of the game was Jean Segura, going 3-5 with a single, a triple and a home run, scoring three runs and driving in two RBI. Another top hitter was Luis Sardinas, going 3-5 with a single, a double and a triple, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gomez, going 3-5 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring three runs and driving in one RBI. And another top hitter was starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, scoring two rusn and driving in three RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-4 with two singles and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Kyle Lohse to improve to 7-1, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 12 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.07 ERA. Jonathan Broxton picked up his eleventh hold. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 2-8, going 1.0 inning pitched, by far the shortest outing of a Rockies starting pitcher this season, giving up 7 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 8.86 ERA.


Milwaukee – 2-6-1
Colorado – 8-15-1

Milwaukee – 7-13-1
Colorado – 3-3-0

Milwaukee – 13-15-0
Colorado – 7-13-0


And so the Rockies would go right back to losing series and falling further and further into a potentially irrecoverable hole, as they would now be left sitting at .500 for the 2015 season with a record of 35-35, this after at one point having a near the top of the Majors record of 27-18 back on May 25th. Since then, the Rockies have tail spun their way to an 8-17 mark that has them slowly fading out of contention for the NL West, now trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by four games.

SmoothPancakes
07-10-2015, 01:39 AM
With Monday being a scheduled off day, the Rockies have announced a press conference for 10 AM Monday morning.

SmoothPancakes
07-10-2015, 02:41 AM
On Monday morning the Colorado Rockies held a press conference to announce changes that had been made in the last 24 hours, and would still be coming, to the Rockies organization.

While having one of the top hitting teams in the majors, the losses have started racking up, and it has been because of a major letdown by the team's starting pitchers. As of Monday, June 23rd, the Rockies as a team ranks 29th in ERA in the Majors with a 4.21 ERA, second worst only to the Cleveland Indians, who own a 4.27 ERA. The club is also 29th in saves with a mere 13, tied for 21st with 11 blown saves, is tied for 26th with 663 hits allowed, dead last with 343 runs allowed, dead last with 302 earned runs allowed. The only saving grace, if you want to call it that, is that the Rockies are tied for 7th with only 54 home runs allowed. They are also first in strikeouts with 678 so far, also joined by the Cleveland Indians (dead last brothers in ERA, fighting for first in strikeouts) who sit second with 659.

Clearly changes are necessary if the Rockies have any hope of overcoming this rough stretch in the season and climbing back to the top of the NL West. The first change was announced by Colorado Rockies General Manger Jeff Bridich, who stated that 48-year old pitching coach Walt Stuart had been relieved of duties, paying out the remaining $1.7 million left on his contract.

After doing a candidate search over the weekend in advance of an expected change, Bridich announced the hiring of 45-year old Bryan Bates to take over pitching coach duties for the club. Bates and club officials agreed to a three year, $3.5 million contract that will pay roughly $1.2 million a year.

Walt Stuart
-1 Break
-1 H/9
-2 Clutch
-1 Velocity

Bryan Bates
+3 Stamina
+1 Break
+3 K/9
-2 BB/9


In organizational news, the Rockies announced that starting pitcher Eddie Butler was being optioned to AAA Albuquerque. In 14 starts, Eddie Butler has a record of 2-8 with a 8.86 ERA in 65.0 innings pitched while a starting pitcher for the Rockies.

To take Butler's spot in the starting rotation, the Rockies recalled starting pitcher Tyler Matzek from AAA, making Matzek the new #5 pitcher in the starting rotation. Matzek has gone 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 52.0 innings pitched for AAA Albuquerque. He also has a season record of 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in Colorado when he made a spot start for Jordan Lyles and got the victory over Cincinnati at the end of May.

In AAA, Jon Gray will become the new #1 starter, taking over the top role from Matzek.

Elsewhere, the Rockies made a decision to option left fielder Kyle Parker back to AAA Albuquerque after Parker's struggles at the plate in Colorado, managing just three hits and one RBI off the bench since being called up. With the acquisition of Randal Grichuk from St. Louis, Parker is no longer a necessity on the bench. Parker will return to Albuquerque where he was batting .308 with 6 home runs and 44 RBI for the Isotopes before he was brought up to fill in for the injured Drew Stubbs.

To replace Kyle Parker on the Rockies bench, the Rockies purchased the contract of first baseman Matt McBride from AAA Albuquerque and added him to the 40-man roster, immediately promoting him to Colorado. McBride will fill in as a backup to starting first baseman Wilin Rosario and will also help fill in as needed on a fatigue basis in the outfield with secondary positions of left and right field. McBride has been averaging .272 at the plate with 8 HR and 33 RBI in 202 at-bats for the AAA Isotopes this season.

SmoothPancakes
07-10-2015, 02:51 AM
Arizona Diamondbacks (34-36) vs Colorado Rockies (35-35)
June 23-25, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Jeremy Hellickson (2-7, 4.21 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (7-4, 3.51 ERA)

Game Two - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Archie Bradley (4-5, 5.80 ERA) vs Kyle Kendrick (6-2, 3.04 ERA)

Game Three - Thursday 1:10 PM
Josh Collmenter (6-5, 3.40 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (5-4, 3.01 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
at San Francisco (3 games), at Oakland (3 games), at Arizona (4 games)


The Rockies would be left standing on the edge of the cliff, as losing the weekend series against Milwaukee left them sitting with a .500 record of 35-35. A series win over the Diamondbacks would get the Rockies back above .500 and hopefully back in the race to catch up to the Los Angeles Dodgers. A series loss to the Diamondbacks would leave the Rockies sitting 1 or 3 games under .500 and likely in third place behind both the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks, at that point, just trying to keep the head above water in an attempt to keep from sinking all the way to the NL West basement.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 03:18 AM
The organization received bad news on Thursday, when word was released that J.R. Graham, who the Rockies obtained in a trade from Minnesota back in early May, suffered a dislocated shoulder during relief work in AAA Albuquerque's game that evening. The injury was expected to leave him sidelined for 2-3 months, landing him straight onto the 60 day DL and likely ending his season.

In a related move, the Rockies announced the promotion of AA New Britain relief pitcher Chad Bettis (25 years old, 59, C) to AAA Albuquerque. In 44 games and 53.0 innings pitched for AA New Britain, Bettis holds a record of 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA, giving up 60 hits and 5 home runs with 47 strikeouts.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 03:20 AM
The Rockies would use a couple displays of offensive firepower and a tenth inning walk off to earn only their third series sweep of the season in three wins against Arizona.

The first game of the series would see an early Arizona lead turn into a colossal Colorado blowout. Arizona jumped out quickly in the first inning with a solo home run by Chris Owings, an RBI single by David Peralta to score Mark Trumbo from second, and a single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to drive in Peralta for a 3-0 lead. The Rockies would answer in the bottom of the second as Carlos Gonzalez led off with a single to left, coming in to score on a triple by Corey Dickerson. Dickerson would then score on a sacrifice fly by Charlie Blackmon to cut the score to 3-2. After a solo home run by Peralta to give Arizona a 4-2 advantage, the Rockies would take the lead on a three run home run by Troy Tulowitzki and an RBI triple by Dickerson to put the Rockies up 6-4. From there it would turn into a blowout as the Rockies put up 3 runs in the fourth, 1 in the fifth, 6 in the sixth, 1 in the seventh and a huge 7 runs in the eighth inning, all seven RBIs coming on singles, the Arizona managing 2 runs in the fifth inning for a 24-6 destruction of the Diamondbacks.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 4-5 with a single, a triple and two home runs, scoring five runs and driving in seven RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gonzalez who went a perfect 6-6 with six singles, four runs scored and one RBI. Another was Charlie Blackmon, going 3-5 with a single, a double and a triple, scoring three runs and driving in three RBI. Top hitter for the Diamondbacks was Chris Owings, going 2-4 with two home runs, two runs and three RBIs driven in. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to improve to 8-4, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.91 ERA. Tommy Kahnle (9th) and Christian Friedrich (3rd) both received credit for holds. Losing pitcher was Jeremy Hellickson to drop to 2-8, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 4.84 ERA.



The second game would see a close game early turn into a cakewalk. The Rockies scored first in the second inning on a leadoff triple by Corey Dickerson, followed by a sacrifice fly by Michael McKenry to take a 1-0 lead. The Diamondbacks would tie it in the fourth when Mark Trumbo scored from second on a Jarrod Saltalamacchia fly out at the center field wall. The Rockies would answer in the bottom of the fourth with a two run home run by Dickerson and a two RBI triple by Nolan Arenado to score both Charlie Blackmon and rookie Matt McBride to take a 5-1 lead. A two RBI double by Trumbo in the fifth inning would cut the lead to two, but a solo home run by Tulowitzki in the bottom of the fifth, an RBI triple by Cristhian Adames and a sacrifice fly by Arenado to score Adames in the sixth inning and a pinch hit solo home run by Randal Grichuk in the eighth inning would propel the Rockies to a 9-3 win.

Player of the game was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with a triple and a two run home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Diamondbacks was Mark Trumbo, going 2-4 with a single and a double, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Kyle Kendrick to improve to 7-2, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.14 ERA. Tommy Kahnle picked up his tenth hold. Losing pitcher was Archie Bradley to drop to 4-6, going 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and a 2 strikeouts for a 6.09 ERA.



The third game of the series would see both teams struggled to score until the ninth inning, followed by a walk off home run in extras. Neither team would find the scoreboard for eight innings, both teams struggling just to get runners on base. The Rockies would come the closest to scoring in the seventh inning as D.J. LeMahieu smoked a one out triple, but a ground out to third base and a strikeout would kill the scoring chance. The Diamondbacks would break the scoreless tie in the top of the ninth inning as Ender Inciarte reached base on a single to left, coming home to score on a sacrifice hit and a single to center by Paul Goldschmidt for a 1-0 lead. The Rockies would answer in the bottom of the ninth as pinch hitter Randal Grichuk hit a single to center, stole second and would come home to score the tying run on a single by Nolan Arenado to send the game to extra innings. The game would come to an end in the bottom of the tenth inning when Carlos Gonzalez hit a one out single to left, followed by a two out walk off home run to right by Nick Hundley for a 3-1 victory and the series sweep.

Player of the game was Nick Hundley, going 1-4 with a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Diamondbacks was Paul Goldschmidt, going 1-4 with a single and one RBI driven in. Winning pitcher was John Axford to improve to 2-3, going 1.0 inning pitched, giving up no hits, no runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 4.06 ERA in the tenth inning. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, no runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.79 ERA. Losing pitcher was Oliver Perez to drop to 2-3, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 3.66 ERA. Addison Reed was tagged with his fourth blown save. Starting pitcher Josh Collmenter went 8.1 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.19 ERA.


Arizona – 6-9-1
Colorado – 24-29-1

Arizona – 3-9-0
Colorado – 9-14-1

Arizona – 1-6-0
Colorado – 3-6-0


And so the Rockies would pull out a surprising series sweep and start again showing signs of life and a possibility of turning the season around before it became irrecoverable.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 03:27 AM
Colorado Rockies (38-35) vs San Francisco Giants (35-39)
June 26-28, 2015
AT&T Park - San Francisco, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:15 PM
David Hale (3-5, 4.70 ERA) vs Madison Bumgarner (5-4, 2.07 ERA)

Game Two - Saturday 1:05 PM
Tyler Matzek (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs Jake Peavy (7-3, 1.60 ERA)

Game Three - Sunday 1:05 PM
Tyler Chatwood (8-4, 3.91 ERA) vs Tommy Hanson (3-2, 4.01 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
at Oakland (3 games), at Arizona (4 games), vs Los Angeles Angels (2 games)


A three game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks would pull the Rockies back from the brink of a sub-.500 record, and get them back within striking distance of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West, a timely three game losing streak by the Dodgers allowing Colorado to pull within 1.5 games of first place, as well as gain breathing from the third place team, now taken over by the San Francisco Giants, 3.5 games behind the Rockies. The sweep would also pull the Rockies a half game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for the top Wild Card spot in the National League.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 08:15 AM
Colorado's pitching corps would continue to be ravaged by injuries on Friday evening, this time AA New Britain starting pitcher Peter Lambert, who was just called up from A Modesto in recent weeks, suffering a fractured hand during his start. The injury would leave him sidelined for 1-2 months, landing him a spot on the 60 day DL.

As if one more pitcher being injured wasn't already bad news, AAA Albuquerque starting pitcher Yohan Flande also left with injury on Friday, though thankfully for a less severe reason, simply suffering lower back pain that would leave him day to day.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 10:56 PM
The Rockies would show signs of life at the plate, but the pitching would again become a letdown, leading to another lost series on the schedule.

The first game of the series would see a back and forth affair with the Rockies in punching distance, until a disastrous eighth inning would give the Giants a rout. The Rockies would get on the board in the top of the first, as D.J. LeMahieu came home from third on a bases loaded fielder’s choice. The Giants would answer back with a two run single by Buster Posey to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. A third inning home run by Hunter Pence and a fourth inning home run by Corey Dickerson would up the score to 3-2. The Rockies would manage to tie it in the sixth inning with a solo home run by Michael McKenry, the Giants would retake the lead with a seventh inning sacrifice fly by Angel Pagan, and the Rockies would slug right back with a solo home run by Randal Grichuk to leave the game deadlocked at 4-4. Then the wheels would fall off in the eighth inning with Adam Ottavino on the mound. A leadoff triple by Brandon Belt followed with a RBI double by Pence. Pence would score on a RBI double by Gregor Blanco, who would score on a RBI single by Brandon Crawford, who advanced to second on the throw to home. After a strikeout and a ground out, Crawford would score on a double to right by Nori Aoki, who would then sore on a double to right by Pagan to cap off a 5 run eighth inning for the Giants, turning a 4-4 tied game into a 9-4 landslide victory for the home crowd.

Player of the game was Hunter Pence, going 2-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Another top hitter was Angel Pagan, going 2-4 with a single and a double, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Another top hitter was Randal Grichuk, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Javier Lopez to improve to 2-3, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit and no runs, walks or strikeouts for a 2.39 ERA. George Kontos got tagged with his first blown save. Starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.21 ERA. Losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 2-5, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 3.15 ERA. Starting pitcher David Hale went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 4.68 ERA.



The second game would see Tyler Matzek get off to a rough start in just his second MLB game, but eventually settle down and help pitch the Rockies to a two run victory. The Giants would light up Matzek in the bottom of the first inning for three hits and two runs with a Nori Aoki solo home run, a Buster Posey triple to center and a RBI ground out by Brandon Belt to score Posey for a 2-0 lead. The Rockies would answer in the fourth inning on a double by Carlos Gonzalez, a RBI triple by Michael McKenry and a RBI single by Randal Grichuk to tie the game 2-2. Colorado would seize the lead in the seventh inning for good on a leadoff single by Grichuk, a RBI triple by Charlie Blackmon and a RBI single by Nolan Arenado to grab a 4-2 lead and eventually the win.

Player of the game was Carlos Gonzalez going 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Top hitter for the Giants was Nori Aoki, going 2-4 with a single, a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Tyler Matzek to improve to 2-0, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts for a 2.25 ERA. Tommy Kahnle (11th) and Boone Logan (2nd) both received credit for holds, while John Axford picked up his tenth save of the year (not a good sign to only have ten saves by the end of June). Losing pitcher was Jake Peavy to drop to 7-4, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 1.78 ERA.



The third game of the series would see both teams score early as the Rockies jumped out in the first inning with a two RBI double by Randal Grichuk for a 2-0 lead, followed by a two run home run by Brandon Belt to pull the Giants even 2-2. The Rockies would add a run in the second inning on a RBI single by Nolan Arenado and again in the fifth inning on a line drive RBI single by Corey Dickerson to take a 4-2 lead. Colorado would seemingly put the game away in the eighth inning when Troy Tulowitzki drove in Charlie Blackmon on a RBI single, Arenado tripled to right to score Tulowitzki, and D.J. LeMahieu grounded a single to right to score Arenado for a three run inning and a 7-2 lead. Then the wheels fell off in the bottom of the eighth. Nori Aoki led off with a double and would score on a Buster Posey single to left. Posey would score on a Belt double to center, Hunter Pence smacked a double to right to leave runners at second and third, and Brandon Crawford would drill a two RBI single to center to score both Belt and Pence for a four run inning, pulling the Giants within one run, 7-6. San Francisco would finish the comeback in the ninth inning with Aoki scoring from third on a wild pitch, Belt reaching base on a walk, and Pence lining a double to center to score Belt and giving the Giants an 8-7 come from behind victory.

Player of the game was Brandon Belt, going 2-4 with a double and a home run, scoring three runs and driving in three RBI. Another top hitter was Hunter Pence, going 3-4 with a single and two doubles, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Nolan Arenado, going 2-5 with a single and a triple, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Santiago Casilla to improve to 1-3, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up no hits, runs or walks while striking out 1 for a 3.23 ERA. Starting pitcher Chris Heston went 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 12 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 3.71 ERA. Losing pitcher was John Axford to drop to 2-4, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout for a 4.41 ERA. Rex Brothers picked up his fourth hold. Starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.82 ERA.


Colorado – 4-11-1
San Francisco – 9-14-0

Colorado – 4-13-0
San Francisco – 2-8-0

Colorado – 7-18-0
San Francisco – 8-13-0


While the Rockies would again lose another series, restarting another disturbing trend this close to the All-Star break, the Rockies would pull within a half game of first place in the NL West, courtesy of a three game losing streak by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have lost 7 of their last 9 games.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 11:03 PM
Colorado Rockies (39-37) vs Oakland Athletics (45-33)
June 29-July 1, 2015
O.co Coliseum - Oakland, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:05 PM
Kyle Kendrick (7-2, 3.14 ERA) vs Drew Pomeranz (7-4, 2.74 ERA)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:05 PM
Jordan Lyles (5-4, 2.79 ERA) vs Scott Kazmir (3-3, 3.86 ERA)

Game Three - Wednesday 12:35 PM
David Hale (3-5, 4.68 ERA) vs Sonny Gray (4-6, 2.85 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
at Arizona (4 games), vs Los Angeles Angels (2 games), vs Atlanta Braves (4 games)


Another series loss would surprisingly not hurt the Rockies too badly, thanks to the first place Los Angeles Dodgers losing 7 of their last 9 games, leaving the Rockies just a mere half game out of first place in the NL West. To reclaim first place in the division, the Rockies would have to battle and defeat the first place team in the AL West, the Oakland Athletics. It would likely not be an easy task as the Athletics themselves are in a battle to hold onto first place in the AL West, leading both the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers by just a single game.

SmoothPancakes
07-13-2015, 11:12 PM
In other news, the Rockies announced the contract signings of a number of their picks from the 2015 MLB Draft.

The Rockies and the #2 overall draft pick 1B Beau Brunson (22 years old, 75, A) agreed to a one-year minor league contract valued at $130,000. They agreed to a contract with their second round selection, SP Justin Brown (19 years old, 57, A) for a one-year minor league deal worth $100,000. Third round draft pick SP Josh Aguero (20 years old, 66, B) and the Rockies agreed to a one-year minor league contract worth $80,000. Fourth round draft pick CP Peter Childs (19 years old, 66, B) and the club agreed to a one-year minor league deal worth $80,000. Fifth round draft pick Henry Sheldon (22 years old, 53, B) and the Rockies agreed to a one-year minor league deal worth $70,000. And the Rockies reached a one-year minor league deal with sixth round draft pick SP Chris Fabregas (19 years old, 64, C) worth $70,000.

The only draft pick not signed to a contract was seventh round pick RP Bradley Bolton (21 years old, 48, D).

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 12:07 PM
The Rockies would have a great first game, but the pitching would again become a letdown, along with a plethora of errors, as the Rockies would drop another series.

The first game of the series would see the Rockies roar to life from the start. Colorado would come out swinging with a D.J. LeMahieu double, a RBI double by Troy Tulowitzki, a one run home run by Carlos Gonzalez and solo shots by Corey Dickerson and Michael McKenry to leap out to 5-0 first inning lead. The Rockies would add two more runs in the second inning with a RBI single by LeMahieu and a RBI fielder’s choice by Dickerson for two more runs, answered by the Athletics with a solo home run by Matt Olson to leave a 7-1 score. The third inning would see more blasts as Charlie Blackmon went yard with a solo shot, replied to by Craig Gentry in the bottom of the inning for an 8-2 mark. Colorado would get another run in the fifth inning when Blackmon smacked a triple to center, coming home to score on the same play thanks to a wild throw in from the outfield go wide of the third baseman and into the dugout out of play. A seventh inning solo home run by McKenry would be followed by a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick in the bottom of the seventh for a 10-3 score. Both teams would then add two runs in the eighth inning, Tulowitzki launching a two run shot to left, while the Athletics would score on a pair of RBI ground outs for a 12-5 final.

Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-5 with two doubles and a two run home run, scoring two runs and driving in three RBI. Another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 2-5 with two home runs, both solo shots, scoring two runs and two RBI. Top hitter for the Athletics was Craig Gentry, going 1-4 with a home run, one run scored and two RBI driven in. Winning pitcher was Kyle Kendrick to improve to 8-2, going 9.0 innings pitched for just Colorado’s second complete game of the season, giving up 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, no walks and 10 strikeouts for a 3.32 ERA. Losing pitcher was Drew Pomeranz to drop to 7-5, going just 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 3.43 ERA. The key stat of the game, both teams combined for eight home runs in the game.



The second game would see a lower scoring affair. The Rockies would jump out first, scoring one run on a Troy Tulowitzki sacrifice fly in the first inning. Oakland would answer back in the fourth inning with a two RBI single by Carson Blair to score Matt Olson and Coco Crisp for a 2-1 lead thanks to two straight throwing errors by the Rockies infield. The Rockies would tie the game up in the fifth on a RBI single by Wilin Rosario. The Athletics would retake the lead in the seventh inning with a RBI single by Ben Zobrist, Colorado responded in the eighth with a solo home run by Rosario to tie the game back up, and the Athletics would swipe the win in the bottom of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by Craig Gentry for a 4-3 win.

Player of the game was Tyler Ladendorf, going 2-4 with a single and a double and one run scored. Top hitter for the Rockies was Wilin Rosario, going 3-3 with a single, a double and a solo home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Fernando Abad to improve to 4-1, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, no runs or walks and 1 strikeout for a 2.37 ERA. Edward Mujica was tagged with his second blown save while Tyler Clippard got his thirteenth save. Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 3.76 ERA. Losing pitcher was Tommy Kahnle to drop to 2-1, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 3.77 ERA. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and a 5 strikeouts for a 2.70 ERA.



The third game of the series would see low scoring affair turn into an A’s walk off. Colorado jumped out early with a second inning sacrifice fly by Corey Dickerson to take a 1-0 lead. That lead would last until the sixth inning, when back to back fielding errors on right fielder Dickerson would give the Athletics runners on third base, followed by a sacrifice fly by Ben Zobrist to give Oakland a 2-1 lead. The Rockies would tie it back up in the eighth inning on a RBI single by Matt McBride, but the Athletics would pull out the win in the bottom of the ninth on a one out walk off single by Matt Olson to score Zobrist from second base for a 3-2 win.

Player of the game was Ben Zobrist, going 1-3 with a single, a run scored and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez going 2-4 with a single and a triple and one run scored. Winning pitcher was Evan Scribner to improve to 2-0, going 2.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit and no runs, walks or strikeouts for a 1.04 ERA. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 2.83 ERA. Losing pitcher was John Axford to drop to 2-5, going 0.1 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run and no walks or strikeouts for a 4.64 ERA. Starting pitcher David Hale went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 2 runs, 0 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 4.36 ERA.


Colorado – 12-17-2
Oakland – 5-5-1

Colorado – 3-10-3
Oakland – 4-12-0

Colorado – 2-9-2
Oakland – 3-4-0


And so another series loss would bring the Rockies back to within one game of a .500 record, which pared with a Los Angeles Dodgers win on Wednesday would drop Colorado one and a half games back of the Dodgers, and leave the Rockies just one game breathing room from the San Francisco Giants, currently riding a three game winning streak.

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 12:17 PM
MLB Standings through Thursday, July 2nd, 2015

American League

East
Baltimore Orioles - 44-34
New York Yankees - 41-38 (3.5 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 41-39 (4.0 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 37-43 (8.0 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 35-45 (10.0 GB)

Central
Minnesota Twins - 44-34
Kansas City Royals - 42-36 (2.0 GB)
Detroit Tigers - 40-39 (4.5 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 35-43 (9.0 GB)
Chicago White Sox - 32-46 (12.0)

West
Oakland Athletics - 47-34
Seattle Mariners - 44-34 (1.5 GB)
Texas Rangers - 44-35 (2.0 GB)
Los Angeles Angels - 35-44 (11.0 GB)
Houston Astros - 35-46 (12.0 GB)

American League Wild Card (Teams within 4.5 games)
Seattle Mariners - 44-34
Texas Rangers - 44-35
Kansas City Royals - 42-36 (1.5 GB)
New York Yankees - 41-38 (3.0 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 41-39 (3.5 GB)
Detroit Tigers - 40-39 (4.0 GB)


National League

East
Washington Nationals - 54-24
Miami Marlins - 40-39 (14.5 GB)
Philadelphia Phillies - 36-44 (19.0 GB)
New York Mets - 35-44 (19.5 GB)
Atlanta Braves - 32-46 (22.0 GB)

Central
Pittsburgh Pirates - 46-31
Milwaukee Brewers - 42-38 (5.5 GB)
St. Louis Cardinals - 39-40 (8.0 GB)
Chicago Cubs - 39-41 (8.5 GB)
Cincinnati Reds - 33-46 (14.0 GB)

West
Los Angeles Dodgers - 42-38
Colorado Rockies - 40-39 (1.5 GB)
San Francisco Giants - 39-40 (2.5 GB)
San Diego Padres - 37-43 (5.0 GB)
Arizona Diamondbacks - 36-43 (5.5 GB)

National League Wild Card (Teams within 3.5 games)
Milwaukee Brewers - 42-38
Miami Marlins - 40-39
Colorado Rockies - 40-39
St. Louis Cardinals - 39-40 (1.0 GB)
San Francisco Giants - 39-40 (1.0 GB)
Chicago Cubs - 39-41 (1.5 GB)
San Diego Padres - 37-43 (3.5 GB)

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 12:39 PM
Shamelessly borrowed from Steeler's franchise thread...

Major League Baseball Statistical Leaders through July 2, 2015

American League
Batting Average: Jose Altuve (HOU) .342
Hits: Jose Altuve (HOU) 111
Doubles: Michael Bourn (CLE) 24
Triples: Mike Trout (ANA) 8
Home Runs: Evan Gattis (HOU) 19
RBI: Evan Gattis (HOU) 58
Runs: Erix Hosmer (KC) 53
Stolen Bases: Emilio Bonifacio (CWS) 21
Bases on Balls: Mike Trout (ANA) 43
Slugging %: Mike Trout (ANA) .627
OPS: Mike Trout (ANA) 1.059

Wins: Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA) 10 (10-5)
Losses: Mark Buehrle (TOR) 2 (9-2)
Saves: Brett Cicil (TOR), Glen Perkins (MIN) 29
ERA: Chris Sale (CWS) 1.93
HR Allowed: Corey Kluber (CLE) 3
Shutouts: Felix Hernandez (SEA) 4
Strikeouts: Yu Darvish (TEX) 147
Complete Games: Felix Hernandez (SEA) 6
Innings Pitched: Felix Hernandez (SEA) 114.2
Walks Allowed: Scott Kazmir (OAK) 11
WHIP: Felix Hernandez (SEA), Chris Sale (CWS) 0.90


National League
Batting: Corey Dickerson (COL) .367
Hits: Corey Dickerson (COL) 114
Doubles: Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) 25
Triples: Peter Bourjos (STL) 8
Home Runs: Corey Dickerson (COL) 28
RBI: Corey Dickerson (COL) 74
Runs: Corey Dickerson (COL) 57
Stolen Bases: Jean Segura (MIL) 21
Bases on Balls: Lucas Duda (NYM) 42
Slugging %: Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) .639
OPS: Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) 1.035

Wins: Jose Fernandez (MIA) (9-3), Clayton Kershaw (LAD) (9-4), Jon Lester (CHC) (9-6) 9
Losses: Max Scherzer (WAS) 0 (7-0)
Saves: Drew Storen (WAS) 34
ERA: Jose Fernandez (MIA) 1.29
HR Allowed: Max Scherzer (WAS), Tyson Ross (SD) 2
Shutouts: Jose Fernandez (MIA), Jake Peavy (SF) 3
Strikeouts: Jose Fernandez (MIA) 130
Complete Games: Jake Peavy (SF) 5
Innings Pitched: Jon Lester (CHC) 113.2
Walks Allowed: Kyle Kendrick (COL) 7
WHIP: Jose Fernandez (MIA) 0.91

Max Scherzer was 7-0 on the season before suffering a torn pectoral against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12th, landing him on the 60 day DL with a return time of 1-2 months.

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 12:47 PM
Also shamelessly borrowed from Steeler's franchise thread...

Colorado Rockies Team Statistics (MLB Rank in Parenthesis)

Batting: .295 (1)
Runs: 441 (1)
Doubles: 145 (T2)
Triples: 41 (1)
Home Runs: 135 (1)
RBI: 436 (1)
Stolen Bases: 68 (5)
Stolen Base %: .827 (T1)
Bases on Balls: 150 (30)
Strikeouts: 521 (1)
Slugging %: .555 (1)
On-Base %: .315 (14)
GIDP: 39 (T7)

Assists: 611 (30)
Put Outs: 2174 (13)
Errors: 61 (30)
Fielding %: .979 (30)

ERA: 4.20 (30)
Complete Games: 2 (T26)
Shutouts: 4 (T23)
Saves: 14 (30)
Blown Saves: 12 (T20)
Hits Allowed: 743 (28)
Runs Allowed: 384 (30)
HR Allowed: 62 (8)
Bases on Balls Allowed: 142 (1)
Strikeouts: 760 (1)
Win %: .506 (T13)

steelerfan
07-14-2015, 12:50 PM
I have to be honest, as a slider guy those numbers make me queasy. :)

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 01:08 PM
I was also tempted to do the player by player full stat run down similar to how Steeler did, but I'm on limited time this afternoon, so I'm going to just stick with the league stats and rankings and go from there.

In regards to a "state of the team", the Rockies have been holding their own, but a big turnaround is still needed if this team has any hope of contending for a Wild Card spot or even the NL West come August and September. a 40-39 record is more than respectable for thus far in the season, but the team will have to flip a switch if they hope to keep battling. The pitching seems almost beyond fixing. This team ranks almost dead last (and actually dead last) in numerous pitching categories and it is turning out almost impossible to keep from blowing leads that result in series losses. Things were going great through April and May, and then come June, everything went off the rails. The Rockies have one month to figure things out and decide which direction they want to go, because come the trade deadline, if they aren't in a position to compete for a playoff spot, some big moves may be on the horizon.

The biggest surprise of the season so far has been Corey Dickerson. The guy has just unloaded at the plate this year. His biggest concern however has been fielding, where he's committed 8 errors in right field and sports a .956 fielding %. But the hitting numbers cannot be denied. Dickerson has franchise player written all over him at only 25 years old. The only question will be how much will it cost to keep him, as Dickerson is in the final year of his contract. Some other surprises have been the rookies and younger players that have stepped up due to injuries. Rookie shortstop Cristhian Adames was nothing more than a bench warmer called up due to the Drew Stubbs injury, but instead he has become a mainstay on the major league roster and will become a key name in future months and seasons.

The biggest disappointment by far has been pitching. David Hale (who was at one point in the runner for being considered a top 2 pitcher in the rotation) stands at 3-5 on the year, Eddie Butler has already been booted down to AAA Albuquerque after a disastrous 2-8 record and 8.86 ERA pitching from the #5 spot. Meanwhile the ERAs are starting to climb and the losses are starting to rack up for all pitchers. Adam Ottavino (2-5, 3.15 ERA) has already been kicked out of the set-up spot in the bullpen and replaced with Boone Logan (0-0, 5.22 ERA), while John Axford (2-5, 4.64 ERA, 10 saves) is starting to look more and more like a lost cause at closer as he has been getting lit up recently and has started added loss after loss.

Wholesale changes may be coming to the pitching staff. The Rockies minor leagues are chock full of producing pitchers at the moment. In AAA Albuquerque, starting pitchers Jon Gray (6-4, 2.93 ERA) and Christian Bergman (5-1, 2.00 ERA) are becoming more and more favorable for call-ups later this season if current pitchers on the major league starting rotation don't start producing better results. Relief pitching might see the biggest shuffle as John Lannan (6-2, 3.82 ERA), Justin Miller (8-1, 2.96 ERA) and Tyler Ybarra (5-2, 1.66 ERA) all look more and more like outstanding candidates to add to the major league bullpen in an effort to turn things around.

There are also promising prospects of the future in AA New Britain, where rookie starting pitcher Mike Nikorak has taken the Eastern League by storm with a 7-0 record and 1.77 ERA in only 8 starts. Starting pitchers Boone Whiting (3-0, 3.34 ERA in 7 starts) and Chris Rusin (6-4, 3.15 ERA in 15 starts) both also look like future candidates for promotion to AAA. Unfortunately the relief pitching dries up almost entirely in AA, where Kraig Sitton (3-1, 3.16 ERA) is the only viable candidate for promotion right now.

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 01:17 PM
I have to be honest, as a slider guy those numbers make me queasy. :)

Yeah, I left my sliders sit for far too long in April and May, which really screwed up the numbers. The June user numbers have really come down to reality. At the beginning of June I dropped human power, timing and solid hits all by a click or two, which has really sapped up some of my hitting power in the past month. I also bumped up CPU contact and timing by a click or two which has also led to my downfall in pitching.

With July, August and September, the numbers should start to fall more in line once I get more than a single month of data with the decreased user sliders. I've certainly noticed the changes in June seeing as I stumbled to a 12-17 record. If the numbers don't fall as expected as I get to the end of July, I may bump human timing and solid hits down another click, see if that normalizes things at all through August and September.

Probably the biggest mistake was just jumping straight into franchise mode as soon as I had my franchise roster finalized and ready to go, instead of taking a week or two to just play a bunch of games with it and try and dial in and fine tune my sliders. Instead I just went with what my sliders were at the time and planned to dial them in on the fly, leading to an over-productive April and May that has thrown things off a bit.

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 01:26 PM
Colorado Rockies (40-39) vs Arizona Diamondbacks (36-43)
July 2-5, 2015
Chase Field - Phoenix, Arizona

Probable Starters:

Game One - Thursday 6:40 PM
Tyler Matzek (2-0, 2.25 ERA) vs Bronson Arroyo (4-5, 3.10 ERA)

Game Two - Friday 6:40 PM
Tyler Chatwood (8-4, 3.82 ERA) vs Andrew Chafin (2-1, 2.12 ERA)

Game Three - Saturday 7:10 PM
Kyle Kendrick (8-2, 3.32 ERA) vs Archie Bradley (4-6, 6.11 ERA)

Game Four - Sunday 1:10 PM
Jordan Lyles (5-4, 2.70 ERA) vs Josh Collmenter (6-5, 2.94 ERA)

Upcoming Opponents:
vs Los Angeles Angels (2 games), vs Atlanta Braves (4 games), All-Star Break


Yet another series loss would end the month of June with a 12-17 record for the Rockies, their worst month of the season. At one point holding outright possession of the NL West, the Rockies now trail the first place Los Angeles Dodgers by 1.5 games, and lead the third place San Francisco Giants by just a single game. This could very well be the make or break point of the season if the Rockies fail to win the series or at least take two games from the Diamondbacks.

steelerfan
07-14-2015, 02:36 PM
Yeah, I left my sliders sit for far too long in April and May, which really screwed up the numbers. The June user numbers have really come down to reality. At the beginning of June I dropped human power, timing and solid hits all by a click or two, which has really sapped up some of my hitting power in the past month. I also bumped up CPU contact and timing by a click or two which has also led to my downfall in pitching.

With July, August and September, the numbers should start to fall more in line once I get more than a single month of data with the decreased user sliders. I've certainly noticed the changes in June seeing as I stumbled to a 12-17 record. If the numbers don't fall as expected as I get to the end of July, I may bump human timing and solid hits down another click, see if that normalizes things at all through August and September.

Probably the biggest mistake was just jumping straight into franchise mode as soon as I had my franchise roster finalized and ready to go, instead of taking a week or two to just play a bunch of games with it and try and dial in and fine tune my sliders. Instead I just went with what my sliders were at the time and planned to dial them in on the fly, leading to an over-productive April and May that has thrown things off a bit.
I don't see your W-L as particularly problematic. Your games have way too many hits (both ways) and your pitching staff has a very high number of Ks. It seems as though you are either first or worst in everything. The goal, for practical purposes, should to be neither in anything.

If I can help, don't hesitate to ask.

All of that said, I am enjoying following along. Keep up the good work!

SmoothPancakes
07-14-2015, 03:26 PM
I don't see your W-L as particularly problematic. Your games have way too many hits (both ways) and your pitching staff has a very high number of Ks. It seems as though you are either first or worst in everything. The goal, for practical purposes, should to be neither in anything.

If I can help, don't hesitate to ask.

All of that said, I am enjoying following along. Keep up the good work!

Yeah, I'm trying to reel that in. Before kicking off the Arizona series to open July, instead of waiting for another month, I went ahead and dropped human contact and timing both by one, dropped CPU contact by one and raised fielder run speed by one to try and give the outfielders some better cover distance.

Let me see how the numbers play out in July, if things still aren't jiving, I'll run some sliders by you for thoughts.