MLB The Show: Smooth Pancakes' Shortstop RTTS Career

[SmoothPancakes]

After dropping three out of four to Reno, we would return home for probably our biggest series left on our schedule, a four game visit from the Iowa Cubs. Trailing the first place Cubs in the division race by six games, we would absolutely need a sweep to keep our division title hopes alive. Anything less than winning three out of four games in the series would be a disaster. With the Cubs playing well enough to keep from going on multiple game losing streaks, and us being unable to put together anything more than two or three wins in any given series, any hopes we would have of making up ground against Iowa and staying in the division race would be decided here and now in this series, the final time we would face the Iowa Cubs for the rest of the season. While we would start out strong in the first two games, we would fall apart in the last two games and our division hopes were likely shot now with no remaining games against Iowa to help us make up our six game gap between first and last.

Colorado Springs 5, Iowa 4 F/11
Colorado Springs 8, Iowa 4
Iowa 1, Colorado Springs 0
Iowa 4, Colorado Springs 3 F/10


First game of the series would see Goose batting third in the order as normal. The first at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, unloading on a first pitch meatball for a no doubt solo home run to straight away center. Goose would return to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and the bases empty, ultimately grounding out to the second baseman. Next at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the sixth inning, stepping in with two outs and runners on first and second, but instead of coming through in the clutch, Goose would pop out to the second baseman to end the inning. Goose would get his final chance at the plate leading off the bottom of the ninth in a one run game. It would be a weak hit, but the ball would find the gap into right field for a single to put the lead off runner on. A sacrifice bunt by Kyle Parker would move Goose up to second base, before Goose would successfully steal third to put the tying run just 90 feet away with only one out. A deep fly out to left field by Ryan Wheeler would be enough as Goose would tag up and cross home plate without a throw to tie the ball game. Just as quickly as we tied it up, our pitchers would give it right back up in the top of the tenth. Ben Paulsen would be a hero in the bottom of the tenth inning with a solo home run to save our bacon. After getting off the field without any damage, Goose would come to the plate in the bottom of the eleventh inning with one out and the bases empty. Swinging on an 0-1 fastball, Goose would send it flying off the wall to right center field, the right fielder wiping out on the wall in the process. Thanks to that, Goose would make it all the way to third base for a stand up triple with just one out, the winning run just one base hit or deep fly ball away. Kyle Parker would end up hitting a ground ball to the first baseman, the throw going straight home to force Goose back to third and allowing Parker to reach on a fielder's choice. Unfortunately, that would leave a potential double play ball wide open. Ryan Wheeler almost cost us as he would hit a ground ball to the first baseman. While the first baseman was able to make the throw to second for the force out, Wheeler was able to cross first base before the return throw from second on the fielder's choice, allowing Goose to cross the plate with the game winning run. Final stats for Goose in a wild one, 3-5 with a single, a triple and a home run, three runs scored, one RBI, one stolen base and player of the game honors.

The second game would see Goose batting third. The first at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, hitting a sinker up the middle and into center field for a single. A bloop single by Kyle Parker into shallow right field right along the baseline would advance Goose from first to third, though Goose would blow through the stop sign and nearly end up thrown out by the catcher while diving back into third base. Ryan Wheeler would come through huge with a stand up double into the left field corner, scoring both Goose and Parker to give us an early lead. Naturally, a late throw to first by our third baseman would result in a two out single, followed by a two run home run and our lead was gone the very next inning. Goose would lead off the bottom of the third inning, only to ground out to the second baseman for the first out. Goose would make his next at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs and a runner on first, sending a line drive into right field for a single to put runners on first and second. A Kyle Parker single into left field would score the run from second, advancing Goose to second and leaving runners on first and second. Taking off stealing two pitches into the next at-bat, Goose would beat the throw from the catcher, as a double steal would put runners on second and third, before a full count walk by Ryan Wheeler would load the bases for Ben Paulsen, who would bloop an RBI single into shallow right field to score Goose and reload the bases before Drew Garcia would strikeout to a reliever to end the inning. Thanks to some timely hits in the next inning, Goose would return to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on first, only to quickly ground out to the first baseman to end the inning. Naturally, ANY lead would not be safe from our pitchers as our reliever would walk FOUR STRAIGHT FUCKING BATTERS, along with a single, to gift wrap Iowa two free runs and still leave the bases loaded for the next pitcher. Thankfully our bats would stay alive in the bottom of the seventh inning as we would add on three more runs to re-secure our lead. Goose would make his likely last at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning, stepping up with one out and the bases empty, ultimately lining out to the first baseman to end his at-bat before he would even leave the batter's box. Final stats for Goose, 2-5 with two singles, two runs and a stolen base.

The third game of the series would find Goose remaining third in the batting order. Goose's first at-bat would come in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, quickly popping out to the catcher to end the inning. Goose would return to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and the bases empty, stepping into the middle of a pitcher's duel as both teams only had one hit thus far. Goose would end up striking out in his at-bat, as Iowa's pitcher dominated us with a repertoire of a running fastball, a splitter, a sinker, a slurve and a cutter. It was ultimately going to come down to who would make the first mistake. And naturally, that would be us as our pitching staff would give up two hits and one run in the top of the seventh inning. Goose would step up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and the bases empty, the entire team still being one hit thus far. Goose would fight his best at the plate, but would ultimately strike out. We would finally record another hit in the bottom of the eighth inning and another in the bottom of the ninth, as Goose would return to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, a runner on third base and Iowa holding a 1-0 lead. This would be the biggest moment of Goose's career, his chance to be a hero or a goat. More like, Goose would never get the chance as Iowa would opt to intentionally walk him to put runners on the corner and bring up Kyle Parker. Despite being intentionally walked, Goose would still end up deciding the outcome, and he would choose goat, as he would get picked up at first base before even a single pitch had been thrown to Parker, ending the game for Iowa and likely ending our division hopes. Final stats for Goose, 0-3 with two strikeouts, an intentional walk and getting picked off at first base to end the game.

The fourth game of the series would remain the same with Goose batting third in a foggy, rainy game with the rain coming down at a moderate rate. Goose would get his first crack in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, lining a slider into the right field gap for a single, but a pop out by Kyle Parker would strand Goose on the bases. This was likely going to be a long day as our pitching started sucking right from the first at-bat, with Jorge De La Rosa issuing walks like candy and having already surpassed the 50 pitch mark in the first TWO innings. Next at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the third inning with two outs and runners on first and second, hitting a grounder to the first baseman and ending up tagged out halfway to first to end the inning. Goose's next chance would come in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs and a runner on first, slapping a two-seamer off the right field wall for what should have been a stand up double, but Tim Wheeler would get thrown out at the plate trying to swipe a run, ending the inning in the process. In regards to the epitome of suck, aka Jorge De La Rosa, he would last just five innings, giving up eight hits, two runs and four walks, racking up a pitch count of 85 pitches in that time, 50 of those pitches coming in the first two innings of the game. Goose would make his next appearance at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and runners on first and second, driving a first pitch fastball into straight away center for an RBI single, scoring the run from second to tie the game and leaving runners at first and second, but a strikeout by Kyle Parker and a ground out by Ryan Wheeler would be the end of our scoring threat. Once again, nine innings would not be enough, and once again, our pitchers would screw us as they would promptly give up a two run home run in the top of the tenth inning. Goose would lead off the bottom of the tenth inning, as we faced a two run deficit. Sending a curveball into the gap in right center field, the ball would go all the way to the wall, allowing Goose to slide into third base for a lead off triple. Kyle Parker would put up the first out with a five pitch strikeout, followed by a ground ball to the pitcher by Ben Paulsen that would somehow result in a single to put runners on the corners for Ryan Culberson. A soft chopper to third would score Goose from third and move the base runner from first to second, but we would come up one run short as a two out ground out to the shortstop would end the game. Final stats for Goose, 4-5 with three singles and a triple, one run scored and one RBI.

Final series stats for Goose, he would start in all four games. Goose would bat a solid .500 for the series, going 9-18 with six singles, two triples, one home run, an intentional walk, six runs scored, two RBIs, two stolen bases, two strikeouts, once picked off on the bases and one player of the game honor.

Next up for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, we wrap up our home stretch with a four game series against the Oklahoma City Dodgers before heading back on the road for seven games. Thanks to our second half series collapse, absolutely nothing changed in the division standings. We remain in last place in the division and six games behind Iowa. The Cubs remain in first with a record of 44-40. Omaha is in second place, two games back of Iowa, with a 42-42 record, the Oklahoma City Dodgers have jumped Colorado Springs for third place in the division, five games back of Iowa and three games behind Omaha, with a 39-45 record, and Colorado Springs now sits dead last, six games behind Iowa, four games behind Omaha and one game behind Oklahoma City, with a record of 38-46 as we are sitting on a two game losing streak and have split our last 10 games.

[SmoothPancakes]

Failing to make up any ground against Iowa after our series with the Cubs, we kept right at it with the final four games of our stretch at home against the Oklahoma City Dodgers. This would be uncharted territory for Goose, as Colorado Springs thus far had pretty much faced only non-division opponents. Outside of 8 games against Iowa, Goose had yet to play a single game against the Omaha Storm Chasers and just now would be facing OKC for the first time. With 25 of the remaining 60 games in the season coming against Omaha and OKC, Goose would have to find his mojo against his division rivals.

Oklahoma City 5, Colorado Springs 2
Colorado Springs 7, Oklahoma City 3
Colorado Springs 5, Oklahoma City 1
Colorado Springs 7, Oklahoma City 2


First game of the series would see Goose batting third in the order as usual. His first at-bat would come in the bottom of the first inning with one out and a runner on first, but it would be a very uneventful at-bat with a pop out to the third baseman. The next at-bat would come in the bottom of the third inning with one out and runners on first and second, trailing OKC 2-0, but while he seemingly had a hit down the right field line, despite appearing to land fair, the first base umpire would rule it a foul ball, with Goose promptly striking out on a change up the very next pitch. Goose would get his next chance in the bottom of the sixth inning, stepping up with one out and the bases empty, this time managing to find base a with a bloop single into shallow right field. A full count walk to Kyle Parker would move Goose up to second base, before Ryan Wheeler would hit a single into right field. Goose would round third without even a hesitation and try to leg out the throw to home. Even though Goose easily beat the throw to the catcher, incredulously, the umpire would call Goose out at the plate, despite clearly beating the tag. Goose would get his chance at redemption in the bottom of the seventh inning, coming up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second against a new pitcher, but while Goose would foul off six consecutive pitches, the reliever would get him swinging at an inside fastball for a strikeout. Goose would get one last chance in the bottom of the ninth inning, digging in with two outs and a runner on first base, trailing OKC 5-2 after a three run top of the ninth. Naturally, Goose would ground out to the first baseman to end the game. Final stats for Goose, 1-5 with a single and two strikeouts.

The second game would see Goose given the day off for a day of rest.

The third game of the series would find Goose back in the lineup batting third. He would get his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, grounding out to the second baseman to end the inning. Next chance at the plate would see Goose leading off the bottom of the fourth inning. Goose would find the bases this time around with a flair single into shallow center field. Kyle Parker would take a 1-1 pitch square in the back, moving Goose up to second base on the hit by pitch, followed by a full count walk to Ryan Wheeler that would move Goose over to third and load the bases with no outs for Ben Paulsen. Paulsen would need just one pitch to rocket a line drive into left center field to score two runs and give us the lead. Goose would get back up to the plate in the very next inning, coming up in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and runners on first and second, sending a slider down the right field line and to the wall for a stand up RBI double. A Kyle Parker line drive up the gap into center field would be all it would take to drive in the runner from third as well as Goose from second, as the throw in from the outfield would get cut off by the shortstop and Goose would score unchallenged to break the game open. Goose would get his next at-bat in the bottom of the seventh inning, coming up with no outs and a runner on second base, but Goose would end up striking out on three straight pitches to end his at-bat. Final stats for Goose, 2-4 with a single, a double, two runs scored, one RBI and a strikeout.

The fourth game of the series would remain the same with Goose batting third in the order. Goose would make his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, roping an 0-2 slider down the left field line for a stand up double, but he would never make it off second base as Kyle Parker would ground out to the third baseman to end the inning. Goose would get his next shot in the bottom of the third inning, stepping up with no outs and a runner on second following Time Wheeler's bases clearing three run double. Goose would keep the action going with a line drive into right center field for an RBI stand up double, his second double of the game. Goose would advance to third base on Kyle Parker's ground out to the second baseman, followed by a strikeout by Ryan Wheeler to leave two outs in the inning. Ben Paulsen would come through in the clutch with a two out infield single, the shortstop unable to come up with the sharp hit grounder, driving in Goose for our fifth run of the game. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and the bases empty, ultimately popping out to the catcher for the second out. Goose would get his next chance in the bottom of the seventh inning, stepping in with two outs and the bases empty, flying out to the right fielder to end the inning. Final stats for Goose, 2-4 with two doubles, one run scored and one RBI.

Final series stats for Goose, he would play in three games. Goose would bat a solid .385 for the series, going 5-13 with two singles and three doubles, three runs scored, two RBIs and three strikeouts.

Next up for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, it's back on the road with a three game series against Omaha, followed by a four game road trip against the Round Rock Express. Thanks to taking three games against OKC, we are back in third place in the division and sit seven games behind Iowa. The Cubs remain in first with a record of 48-40, in the middle of a six game winning streak and having won eight of their last ten. Omaha is in second place, dropping six games back of Iowa thanks to a five game losing streak, with a 42-46 record, Colorado Springs climbed back into third place in the division, seven games back of Iowa and one game behind Omaha, with a 41-47 record, and Oklahoma City now sits dead last, eigth games behind Iowa, two games behind Omaha and one game behind Colorado Springs, with a record of 40-48.

The stats aren't perfect, with three July games and one game from May added in, but, roughly, the final June stats for Goose, in his first full month of Triple A action, Goose would play in 31 games, batting a hot handed .406 with 52 hits on 128 at-bats with 24 singles, 7 doubles, 6 triples and 15 home runs, scoring 35 runs and driving in 33 RBIs as well as being hit by a pitch once. On the bases, Goose would successfully steal 14 bases, never getting caught for a perfect 1.000% stolen base percentage, though Goose would get picked off a couple times at first base. Goose managed to draw two walks and struck out 16 times, ending with a .906 slugging %, .420 on base % and a 1.326 OPS. Goose would finish the month in the field with 77 assists, 9 putouts and three errors to give him a fielding % of .966.

While Goose had a massive first month in Triple A, the biggest question would be, could he sustain it? Of Goose's 16 strikeouts thus far, 10 of them have come in his last 13 games, along with increased pop outs, fly outs and ground outs.

[SmoothPancakes]

Coming up against the Omaha Storm Chasers for the first time as a member of the Sky Sox, Goose and the rest of the team would have a chance to potentially jump into second place in the division if we could keep up the good play and pick up a series win. We would do exactly that as we would survive a 13 inning affair and pull a pair of ninth inning comebacks out of our asses to sweep the Storm Chasers.

Colorado Springs 3, Omaha 2 F/13
Colorado Springs 8, Omaha 7
Colorado Springs 7, Omaha 5


First game of the series would see Goose batting third in the order as usual. His first at-bat would come in the top of the first inning with two outs, quickly flying out to the right fielder to end the inning. Goose would get his next chance in the top of the fourth inning with one out and the bases empty, dropping a hit right in front of the right fielder for a single. Goose's time on the bases would be short lived as Kyle Parker would ground into a double play to end the inning. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the sixth inning with two outs and the bases empty, grounding out to the first baseman to end the inning. The presumed final at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the ninth inning, stepping in with one out and no one on base, ending his day with a strikeout. However, instead of that being his final at-bat, Goose would end up seeing action in extra innings, as Omaha would score the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning. With that, Goose would return to the plate in the top of the tenth inning with two outs and runners on first and second, ultimately striking out for his second straight at-bat and ending the top half of the inning. Goose would get another chance as he would return to the plate in the top of the twelfth inning with one out and a runner on first. Goose would hit a weak grounder back to the pitcher, the base runner thrown out at second base, but Goose able to beat out the double play throw to first thanks to a high throw to second by the pitcher. With that, Goose would take over at first base, now with two outs for Kyle Parker at the plate. A full count walk to Parker would move Goose up to second base and put runners on first and second for Ryan Wheeler, who would strikeout to end our half of the inning. Going to the thirteenth inning, we would pick up one run in the top of the inning, before a one out 6-4-3 double play initiated by Goose would seal our victory. Final stats for Goose, 1-6 with a single, two strikeouts and a throwing error.

The second game would see Goose remain in the lineup, third in the batting order. He would make his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with one out and a runner on second, hitting a weak grounder up the first base line, tagged out by the pitcher midway to first base. Goose would make his next at-bat in the top of the third inning with one out and the bases empty, chasing a curveball low and away for a strikeout. Next chance for Goose would come in the top of the fifth inning with two out and a runner on first, hitting a bloop single into left field to put runners on first and second for Kyle Parker, who would fly out to right field to end our half of the inning. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and no one on base, sneaking a ground ball past the second baseman and into center field for a single. A line drive double by Kyle Parker down the right field line would roll all the way to the wall, giving Goose enough time to sprint home and score all the way from first base. Goose would get his next at-bat in the top of the ninth inning, coming up with no outs and a runner on third following a two run triple by Tim Wheeler that would pull us within two runs of the Omaha. With a chance to cut the gap to one or even tie the game, Goose would opt for the latter, smoking a slider into the seats to right field for a 401 foot two run home run to even the game at 7-all. Kyle Parker would add a home run of his own, and with a 5 run ninth inning, we would complete the improbable comeback, knocking off Omaha in our final three outs of the game. Final stats for Goose, 3-5 with two singles, a home run, two runs, two RBI and a strikeout.

The third and final game of the series would find Goose in his usual three spot in the lineup. First at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the first inning with one out and a runner on first, striking out on a 12-6 curveball for the second out of the inning. Next chance for Goose would come in the top of the third inning with one out and a runner on first base, striking out swinging at a 12-6 curveball for the second straight at-bat. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the fifth inning with one out and the bases empty, as we now trailed by three runs, completing the hat trick by striking out for the third straight time today on that damned 12-6 curveball. Goose's next chance would come in the top of the seventh inning with one out and the bases empty, flying out to the right fielder in foul territory. While it was another out, at least Goose finally managed to make contact with the ball! Goose would get one last chance at the plate in the top of the ninth inning with no outs and a runner on first base and a new pitcher on the mound. While it wouldn't be on a 12-6 curveball, Goose would still end up earning the Golden Sombrero, striking out swinging on a slider outside. Miraculously, for the second straight game, we would make a comeback in the ninth inning, plating four runs, all of them with two outs in the inning, to knock off Omaha yet again at the very end of the game. Final stats for Goose 0-5 with four strikeouts, earning him the Golden Sombrero!



Final series stats for Goose, he would start in all three games. Goose would fall off a cliff, batting a pedestrian .250 for the series, going 4-16 with three singles, a home run, two runs scored, two RBIs and count 'em out, one, two, three, four, five, six, SEVEN strikeouts, along with one throwing error.



Next up for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, we wrap up our road trip with a four game series at the Round Rock Express, before returning home for a three game series against Omaha and then into the All-Star break. Thanks to sweeping the three games against Omaha, we are in unfamiliar territory, sitting in second place in the division, still seven games behind Iowa. The Cubs remain in first with a record of 51-40, courtesy of an ongoing nine game winning streak. Colorado Springs is in second place, seven games behind Iowa, thanks to our current six game winning streak, with a 44-47 record, Omaha dropped into third place in the division thanks to a current eight game losing streak, nine games back of Iowa and two games behind Colorado Springs, with a 42-49 record, and Oklahoma City sits dead last on a six game losing streak, eleven games behind Iowa, four games behind Colorado Springs and two games behind Omaha, with a record of 40-51.

[SmoothPancakes]

Coming off the worst game of his career, and one of the worst series of his career, Goose would need to figure out a way to turn things around as Colorado Springs wrapped up their road trip with a four game series against Round Rock. Despite the poor results from Goose, the Sky Sox still found ways to pull out victories and sweep Omaha to claim second place in the division. Now, riding a six game winning streak, Colorado Springs would be poised to take stranglehold of second place and maybe even cut down Iowa's lead if the Sky Sox could sweep Round Rock and the Cubs happened to drop one or two (or three) games. With the Express having a matching 44-47 record, there was plenty of hope.

Colorado Springs 4, Round Rock 3
Round Rock 4, Colorado Springs 3


First game of the series would see Goose batting third in the order as usual, one bad game not enough to dislodge him from his spot in the lineup. His first at-bat would come in the top of the first inning with one out and a runner on first, swinging at the first pitch and bouncing it off the right field wall for a stand up double. Tim Wheeler, the runner on first, would try to go from first to home, getting tagged out a the plate in the process. Goose would advance from second to third during the tag out at home plate to leave two outs and Goose standing 90 feet from home. A five pitch walk to Kyle Parker would put runners on the corners with Ryan Wheeler coming to the plate, who would strikeout to end the top of the inning. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the third inning with two outs and a runner on first, Goose again unloading on an early count pitch and bouncing it off the wall in right center field for a stand up triple, this time successfully scoring the runner from first base to cut Round Rock's lead in half. Unfortunately, Kyle Parker would ground out to the shortstop and Goose would be left stranded on base. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the fifth inning, digging in with two outs and runners on first and second, but Goose would end up grounding out to the second baseman to end the top of the inning. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the seventh inning with one out and runners on first and third. Facing a fresh new pitcher, Goose would unload on a fastball left hanging up in the zone, smashing it off the right field foul post for a three run home run, giving us a 4-3 lead. Goose would make his final at-bat in the top of the ninth inning, coming up with one out and the bases empty, unfortunately popping out to the first baseman to ruin any chance he had of hitting for the cycle. Final stats for Goose, 3-5 with a double, a triple and a three run home run, one run scored, four RBI and player of the game honors.

The second game would see Goose remain in the lineup, third in the batting order. He would make his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with one out and a runner on second, only to strike out swinging at a curveball low and inside. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the third inning with one out and runners on first and second, but would get caught by a curveball inside for his second strikeout of the game. Goose would come up next in the top of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on first base, grounding a slider back to the pitcher for the force out at second base, though Goose would beat the double play ball to first to leave two outs and a runner on first for Kyle Parker, who would walk on four straight pitches. Ryan Wheeler would step up next with runners on first and second, who would be the recipient of a full count walk to load the bases for Ben Paulsen. Despite loading the bases, nothing would come of it as Paulsen would ground out the the shortstop to end the top half of the inning. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and the bases empty, going golfing on a fastball low and down the middle, only to air mail it to the right fielder for the third out. Goose would come up for his likely final at-bat in the top of the ninth inning, stepping in with one out and a runner on first base, trailing 3-1 on the scoreboard. Facing a junk baller for Round Rock's closer, Goose would fight off a couple 0-2 pitches before roping a sinker into left center field for a stand up double, putting runners on second and third for Kyle Parker. Parker would send a pitch flying to the right center field wall, driving in both runs and while he would get thrown out trying to turn a double into a triple, the damage would be done and the game was tied. That would be until our bullpen would piss themselves and blow it in the bottom of the ninth, and with that, our seven game winning streak was gone. Final stats for Goose, 1-5 with a double, a run scored and two strikeouts.

Before the third game was played, the Rockies front office completed a trade with the Kansas City Royals. Colorado received starting pitcher Miguel Almonte (placed in AAA, 20 years old, 63 overall, B potential), closing pitcher Thomas Hara (placed in AAA, 18 years old, 56 overall, B potential) and right fielder Elier Hernandez (placed in AAA, 19 years old, 53 overall, B potential) in return for right fielder Michael Cuddyer (starting RF, 34 years old, 85 overall, B potential).

Along with the trade, the Rockies officially purchased Goose's contract from Triple A Colorado Springs and have added Goose as a member of the 40-man roster. And in a shocking move, upon being added to the 40-man roster, Goose was immediately called up to the Show, joining the Rockies for their next game on July 9th in the last of a three game series against the San Diego Padres. Thanks to the call up to the majors, Goose's pay was increased to the league minimum $500,000/year.

So, instead of playing the third game of a four game series against Round Rock, Goose would now prepare himself for his first major league game.

Final series stats for Goose, he would only play two games of the series before being called up to join the big club. Goose would bat a solid .400 for the series, going 4-10 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, two runs scored, four RBIs and two strikeouts, along with player of the game honors in the first game.

So, doing a sooner than expected recap of Goose's results in Triple A, he would play in 36 games during his time at Colorado Springs, batting .390 with 60 hits in 154 at-bats, finishing with 27 singles, 9 doubles, 7 triples and 17 home runs, scoring 39 runs and driving in 39 RBIs. Goose would end up a perfect 14-14 in stolen bases for a 1.000% stolen base percentage. Goose would draw two walks (both intentional walks) and was hit by a pitch once, while striking out 25 times, all but about 5 of those strikeouts coming over his last 10-15 games. He would finish with a .870 Slugging %, .401 On Base % and a 1.271 OPS. Fielding, Goose would finish with 88 assists and 9 putouts while committing four errors, to leave his final fielding % at .960.

Doing a full organization standings recap, in Double A, the Springfield Cardinals ended up taking the Texas League North Division in the first half of the season. Second half of the year, the Tulsa Drillers are currently tied with Northwest Arkansas for second with a 5-7 record while Springfield leads the division with an 8-4 record. In Triple A, Colorado Springs Sky Sox remain in second place in the PCL American North with a 45-48 record, trailing the first place Iowa Cubs (52-41) by seven games.

And in the Major Leagues, the Colorado Rockies are currently in fourth place in the NL West with a record of 43-49. Looking at the entire NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks are tied for first place with 54-38 records, the San Diego Padres are in third and are six games behind the Dodgers and Diamondbacks with a 47-43 record, Colorado is fourth with a 43-49 record, sitting eleven games behind the Dodgers and Diamondbacks and five game behind the Padres. And the San Francisco Giants are in last place with a 41-50 record, sitting twelve and a half games behind the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, six and half games behind the Padres and one and a half games behind the Rockies.

I'll have a full rundown of the Major League standings in four games following the last game against San Diego and the completion of a three game series with the Minnesota Twins. That will take the season into the All-Star break and at that time I'll run down the full standings.

The biggest question right now, is what would happen to Goose. While the trade with the Royals involved right fielder Michael Cuddyer (which currently leaves us with NO right fielders on the MLB roster and only two outfielders in total on the MLB roster (Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez), Goose now finds himself in the midst of a three man platoon at shortstop in the big leagues, with team superstar Troy Tulowitzki the starting shortstop, presumably Goose now the backup shortstop as well as previous backup shortstop Trevor Story, a 21 year old kid rated 66 overall with a C potential.

Although, maybe Goose will be given playing time in right field or another position, as currently, looking at the Player Comparison window, both Troy Tulowitzki and Goose both have their roles listed as MLB Starter and Trevor Story's role is still MLB Bench, so someone may be playing out of position.

One quick look at the current lineup, and those suspicions were confirmed. Tulowitzki is still the starter at shortstop, while Goose is being plugged in as the starting third baseman. To make room for Goose, D.J. LeMahieu has been booted from his DH role and is now the new starting right fielder, utility infielder Jordan Pacheco, often a backup at third base, has been made the new DH and normal third baseman Nolan Arenado has been kicked out of the lineup altogether.

And looking at the lineup, it appears Goose will be batting seventh in his first ever major league game, a distinct departure from his usual three spot in the batting order.

[jaymo76]

You made it to the majors already??? Wow! That is crazy. Well, good luck. I played one full season in the minors. I was expecting 2-3. I didn't feel like I earned a spot but rather the game just promoted me. Do you deserve the shot this early?

[SmoothPancakes]

Nope! I was terrible these last couple games. On a whole, I was doing great in Triple A, but having only played 36 games in Triple A, not a chance in hell I deserved to be promoted yet. This promotion appears to be because of the trade the Rockies did in sending Michael Cuddyer to Kansas City, because I'm being made the starting third baseman, even though I have never played third base on any level. So it appears to be a game of musical chairs in the aftermath of that trade that resulted in the promotion.

#TheScriptIsDead

[SmoothPancakes]

Alright, so, instead of finishing out the four game series with Round Rock (and preparing for a potential Triple A All-Star selection), Goose would instead find himself thrown to the dogs in the big leagues as Colorado wrapped up a three game series with the Padres. A bit of a rough run right now for Colorado (possibly while Goose was called up so soon), as the Rockies have lost five straight games and 11 of their last 15 games. Goose would have to suddenly acclimate himself to playing in the big leagues and facing MLB starting pitchers.

San Diego 8, Colorado 3
San Diego 2, Colorado 1
San Diego 3, Colorado 2


Obviously nothing from the first two games as Goose didn't get called up until the day of game three.

The third and final game of the series would see Goose making his Major League debut with the Colorado Rockies. It was expected that Goose was going to start at third base, but the coaches apparently changed their minds, as Goose would only see action as a pinch hitter, entering the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases empty, San Diego leading 3-2. Scratch that, Goose wouldn't even bat. Instead Goose came on as a pinch runner on first base, in action just long enough to watch Michael McKenry fly out to center field. Final stats for Goose, what stats?

Final series stats for Goose, he would pinch run in the final game and that would be it.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we host the Minnesota Twins for a three game weekend series before hitting the All-Star break.

(Stealing steeler's Probable Starters preview, I'll probably post this for each series from here on now that we're rolling with the major league club and most pitchers will be known names instead of the randoms from the minors)

Minnesota Twins (40-51) vs Colorado Rockies (43-50)
July 11-13, 2014
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:40 PM
Phil Hughes (1-6, 4.76) vs Christian Friedrich (6-6, 4.06)

Game Two - Saturday 2:10 PM
Mike Pelfrey (2-1, 4.74) vs Rob Scahill (5-10, 4.79)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Trevor May (3-8, 5.31) vs Rex Brothers (0-1, 4.97)

[steelerfan]

Not stealing. Using what you find useful.

Good luck. Hopefully you don't get called up to sit.

[SmoothPancakes]

Not stealing. Using what you find useful.

Good luck. Hopefully you don't get called up to sit.

Appreciate it!

And it doesn't look like I'm gonna be sitting. Other than that one game against San Diego when I came off the bench to pinch run, I have been made the starting third baseman as of the Minnesota series. The Rockies played some serious musical chairs with their starters following that Michael Cuddyer trade, and now I'm thrown into a position that I have never played before in this game.

That's why I told Jaymo, I think this was more a promotion of need and situational opportunity than it was one that I earned. Seemingly nowhere near being called up, especially after that awful performance against Omaha, not even on the 40-man roster, and then as soon as that Cuddyer trade is made with the Royals, I'm added to the 40-man and promoted to the majors, our DH becomes our new right fielder, our backup 3rd baseman becomes our new DH, our starting 3rd baseman becomes a bench player and Goose is made the new starting 3rd baseman beside Tulowitzki, who remains the starting SS.

I'm under the assumption and the belief that if not for that Cuddyer trade to Kansas City, I would still be in Triple A.

Now, I have played two of three games in the Twins series (was falling asleep with the controller in my hand so had to put game 3 off until today) and Goose has produce a little bit at the plate, but damn reading pitches at the MLB level is a challenge. I'm swinging at stuff I should never swing at all of a sudden. Any pitcher with high control and decent speed of a 12-6 curveball, splitter, cutter, sinker, palmball or changeup, and I am screwed. I feel like Pedro Cerrano from the movie Major League. "Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid."

#TheScriptIsDead

[jaymo76]

Not stealing. Using what you find useful.

Good luck. Hopefully you don't get called up to sit.

That was the first half of my MLB season. I would play every 5-7 games and pinch hit when needed. It sucks but the season sure passes quickly.

[SmoothPancakes]

Heading into the final series the weekend before the All-Star break, Goose would finally see his first real taste of major league action, as this time Goose really would be made the starter at third base and would be batting seventh in the order. Needless to say, Goose was feeling butterflies as he went from being a shark in a pond in AAA to a minnow in the ocean in the majors and there was no doubt the Twins wouldn't take it easy on him just because it was his first ever games and series in the majors. With the Rockies likely already out of the division race, sitting 11 games back in mid-July, likely the Rockies would be going into sell mode and the Michael Cuddyer trade may very well end up being just the tip of the iceberg, so at this point, it would be playing for stats and ratings to help solidify Goose as a future franchise player of the Rockies and avoid becoming a bench player or becoming bait as part of a multiple player trade.

Colorado 9, Minnesota 2
Colorado 5, Minnesota 2
Colorado 1, Minnesota 0


First game of the series would see Goose batting seventh in the order. He would make his first ever major league at-bat with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. He would make good contact on an 0-1 pitch from Hughes and send it deep to center field, but it would die before the warning track for a simple fly out. Goose would return to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on second base, somehow turning on a 1-0 slider and sending it down the left field line just inside the chalk for a stand up RBI double into the corner and his first major league hit, first major league double and his first major league RBI. Two pitches later, Goose would score his first ever major league run as Josh Rutledge would double to right field to drive Goose in from second base. Goose would make his next appearance at the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with no outs and a runner on first base, sending a 1-2 slider up the middle and into center field for a single to put runners on first and second for Rutledge. Rutledge would proceed to hit a ground ball to the shortstop, causing Goose to be forced out at second base. Goose would make his final appearance in the bottom of the eighth inning with no outs and runners on first and second. Catching the infield off guard, Goose would put down a drag bunt that would roll and perfectly die halfway down the third base line for a single to load up the bases for Rutledge. Rutledge would go beast mode and clear the bases in one fell swoop, sending a 3-2 pitch to right center field for a grand slam. Final stats for Goose, in his major league debut, he would go a very impressive 3-4 with two singles (one via bunt), a double, two runs scored and an RBI.

The second game would see Goose remain seventh in the order. He would make his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning with two outs and the bases empty, hitting a cutter up the middle for a weak single into shallow left field, but the inning would end next at-bat as Josh Rutledge would ground out for the final out. Goose would get his next shot in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and the bases empty. Swinging at a slider left up in the zone, Goose would set another career first, hitting his first major league home run with a 420 foot shot to left center field to tie the game at 2-2. Goose would come up next in the bottom of the sixth inning with no outs and no one on base, but it would be a decidedly less stellar at-bat, striking out in four pitches. Goose would return to the plate for his final at-bat of the game leading off the bottom of the eighth inning, but he would ground out to the second baseman to end his day. Final stats for Goose, 2-4 with a single, his first career home run, one run scored, one RBI and one strikeout.

The third and final game of the series would find Goose remaining in the seventh spot in the lineup on a dark and very rainy afternoon. Side note: If postponed games because of weather, make-up games and double headers are ever added to this series, this game would have been one of them as it was pouring rain from start to finish. First at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the second inning with no outs and a runner on first, proceeding to pop out to the third baseman for the first out. Goose's next at-bat would see him leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, going down swinging on a two-seam fastball for a strikeout and the first out. Next shot for Goose would come in the bottom of the sixth inning, stepping in with two outs and the bases loaded, and Goose would promptly strike out on a circle-change for his second strikeout of the game, killing our chance to increase our one run lead. Goose would reach the on-deck circle in the bottom of the eighth, but the inning would end before he would reach the plate, and with that, his day was over as we would hold on for the win in the ninth. Final stats for Goose, 0-3 with two strikeouts.

Final series stats for Goose, he would start in all three games. Goose would start hot and finish cold, batting .455 for the series, going 5-11 with three singles, a double, a home run, three runs scored, two RBIs and three strikeouts.

With that, we have hit the All-Star break, sitting at 46-50 on the season. The National League would end up winning the All-Star game 8-5 to claim home field advantage in the World Series.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we make a brief three game road trip to Pittsburgh over the weekend and then return home for an early week three game series against Washington.

Colorado Rockies (46-50) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (49-46)
July 18-20, 2014
PNC Park - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:05 PM
Franklin Morales (10-6, 3.29) vs Gerrit Cole (10-8, 3.10)

Game Two - Saturday 7:05 PM
Brett Anderson (6-5, 5.38) vs Francisco Liriano (9-8, 3.33)

Game Three - Sunday 1:35 PM
Christian Friedrich (7-6, 3.93) vs Brandon Cumpton (4-6, 5.68)

[SmoothPancakes]

As we are at the All-Star break, here's a look at the current standings to catch up on where things currently are.

American League

East
New York Yankees - 52-43
Tampa Bay Rays - 52-45 (1.0 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 51-44 (1.0 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 51-44 (1.0 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 42-54 (10.5 GB)

Central
Detroit Tigers - 52-42
Kansas City Royals - 51-44 (1.5 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 45-51 (8.0 GB)
Minnesota Twins - 40-55 (12.5 GB)
Chicago White Sox - 39-58 (14.5 GB)

West
Los Angeles Angels - 54-41
Texas Rangers - 53-42 (1.0 GB)
Seattle Mariners - 45-50 (9.0 GB)
Houston Astros - 45-51 (9.5 GB)
Oakland Athletics - 44-51 (10.0 GB)

AL Wild Card

Texas Rangers - 53-42
Tampa Bay Rays - 52-45
Kansas City Royals - 51-44 (---)
Baltimore Orioles - 51-44 (---)
Boston Red Sox - 51-44 (---)
Seattle Mariners - 45-50 (6.0 GB)
Houston Astros - 45-51 (6.5 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 45-51 (6.5 GB)
Oakland Athletics - 44-51 (7.0 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 42-54 (9.5 GB)
Minnesota Twins - 40-55 (11.0 GB)
Chicago White Sox - 39-58 (13.0 GB)



National League

East
Atlanta Braves - 54-41
Philadelphia Phillies - 51-44 (3.0 GB)
Washington Nationals - 47-48 (7.0 GB)
Miami Marlins - 41-54 (13.0 GB)
New York Mets - 39-56 (15.0 GB)

Central
St. Louis Cardinals - 53-44
Pittsburgh Pirates - 49-46 (3.0 GB)
Milwaukee Brewers - 49-47 (3.5 GB)
Chicago Cubs - 42-53 (10.0 GB)
Cincinnati Reds - 39-56 (13.0 GB)

West
Los Angeles Dodgers - 58-39
Arizona Diamondbacks - 57-39 (0.5 GB)
San Diego Padres - 49-46 (8.0 GB)
Colorado Rockies - 46-50 (11,5 GB)
San Francisco Giants - 42-54 (15.5 GB)

NL Wild Card
Arizona Diamondbacks - 57-39
Philadelphia Phillies - 51-44
San Diego Padres - 49-46 (2.0 GB)
Pittsburgh Pirates - 49-46 (2.0 GB)
Milwaukee Brewers - 49-47 (2.5 GB)
Washington Nationals - 47-48 (4.0 GB)
Colorado Rockies - 46-50 (5.5 GB)
Chicago Cubs - 42-53 (9.0 GB)
San Francisco Giants - 42-52 (9.5 GB)
Miami Marlins - 41-54 (10.0 GB)
New York Mets - 39-56 (12.0 GB)
Cincinnati Reds - 39-56 (12.0 GB)

[SmoothPancakes]

Following the sweep of Minnesota and the All-Star break, it was right back into the swing of things as we kicked off the unofficial second half of the season with a three game road trip to Pittsburgh, which some have claimed is as about as exciting as going to the moon (10 bonus points to those who can name the reference). While Goose started hot in his first two games in the majors, he quickly hit ice in the third game of the Minnesota series. Hopefully a trip east would help him out.

Pittsburgh 6, Colorado 2
Pittsburgh 5, Colorado 3
Colorado 13, Pittsburgh 2


First game of the series would see Goose batting seventh in the order. Before even getting to bat, Goose would end up committing a fielding error in the bottom of the first inning, as he would fail to cleanly field a ground ball, bobbling it off his mitt, a mistake Pittsburgh would take advantage of for an early run. He would make his first at-bat leading off the top of the third inning, hitting a soft grounder back to the pitcher for the first out. Goose would get his next shot in the top of the fifth inning with one out and the bases empty. Amazingly, despite fouling off seven straight pitches, Goose would make contact on a fastball left high and send it into right center field, where it would just clear the outfield wall by a couple feet for a very unexpected solo home run. Goose's next at-bat would come in the top of the seventh inning with one out and the bases empty, this time bouncing a curveball into the dirt right in front of home plate for a very easy grab and throw to first by the catcher for the out. That would be all for Goose as he would watch the end of the game from the on-deck circle, as our relief pitching imploded on us late in the game. Final stats for Goose, 1-3 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI.

The second game would see Goose promoted to sixth in the batting order. The first at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the second inning with one out and the bases empty, squeaking a fastball up the middle and just out of reach of the diving shortstop for a single. Justin Morneau would fly out to center field for the second out, followed by a line out to the second baseman by Josh Rutledge to end the top half of the inning. Goose would return to the plate to lead off the top of the fourth inning, turning on an 0-2 fastball inside and for the second straight at bat sending up the middle into the gap into center field for a single, but the time on the bases would be short lived as Morneau would ground into a double play. Goose would make his next appearance in the top of the sixth inning with no outs and runners on first and second following back to back singles by Carlos Gonzalez and Wilin Rosario, proceeding to hit into a double play of his own to leave Gonzalez on third and two outs, which would see our rally die an early death. The likely final at-bat for Goose (barring extra innings) would come in the top of the eighth inning with one out and Gonzalez standing on first base, upon which Goose would strikeout on a cutter low and inside. Final stats for Goose, 2-4 with two singles and a strikeout.

The third and final game of the series would find Goose demoted back into the seven hole in the order. Hopefully an omen would not be set, as Goose would have a TERRIBLE batting practice before the game, failing to get even a single ball out of 10 pitches beyond the grass of the infield. Goose would make his first at-bat in the top of the second inning with one out and runners on the corners with Carlos Gonzalez standing at third and Justin Morneau at first. Goose would proceed to kill our run scoring opportunity by grounding into a double play at shortstop.

It didn't take long to see what kind of day this was going to be. Batting in the bottom of the second inning with two outs, Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer would proceed to lay down a bunt down the third base line. Pitcher Christian Friedrich would beat Goose to the ball, only to end up throwing the ball over the first baseman's head and into foul territory in right field, allowing Mercer to advance to second. Then, right fielder D.J. LeMahieu, picking up the ball while Mercer was halfway to second, would wing the ball in from near the first base stands and promptly throw the ball over the second baseman's head and into left field. Thank god, Mercer did not try to advance from second to third, as left fielder Carlos Gonzalez charged in and grabbed the loose ball, quickly throwing it over to Goose at third, nearly sending the ball AGAIN flying free over Goose's head this time, a ballerina leap being Goose's only defense to try and snag the ball and keep it from going into the third base dugout.

Returning to a bit of normalcy, Goose would get his next at-bat in the top of the fourth inning, coming up with two outs and the bases empty, promptly grounding out to the catcher with a soft bouncer in front of home plate. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the sixth inning, digging into the batter's box with no outs and two runners on base with Rosario at second and Morneau standing at first. Goose would play the support role and in doing so crack the hit column and lay down a perfect drag bunt down the third base line, legging it out to first base for a single before the pitcher could get a throw off, loading up the bases with no outs for Josh Rutledge. Rutledge would hit a grounder to the shortstop, causing Goose to be forced out at second base, while Rutledge would beat the throw to first for an RBI fielder's choice. Amazingly, pitcher Christian Friedrich would help his own cause as he would smack a bases clearing, two RBI triple into the corner in right field and would eventually score via a sac fly by Charlie Blackmon as we would explode for four runs in the inning. Goose would make it back up to bat in the top of the seventh inning with one out and the bases empty following a solo home run by Rosario and a ground out by Morneau, only to end up striking out on a slider. Goose would get one final chance at the plate in the top of the ninth inning with no outs and Morneau standing on first base, sending a fastball into right field for a single. A single into center field by Rutledge would advance both Goose and Morneau up a base, loading the bases for starting pitcher Christian Friedrich, who was apparently going for a complete game with no pinch hitter in sight, a mistake as he would end up striking out for the first out. D.J. LeMahieu would get the next crack, flying out to very shallow center field to leave all three runners stuck and two outs with Charlie Blackmon next at the plate. Blackmon would come through with a ground ball single into center field, scoring both Morneau and Goose and leaving runners on first and second. Those runners would come in to score as well as Troy Tulowitzki would smack them home with a two RBI double, leading us onto a double digit ass whooping of the Pirates. Final stats for Goose, 2-5 with two singles, a strikeout and a GIDP.

Final series stats for Goose, he would start in all three games. Goose would struggle throughout the series, though flashing a couple of good moments, batting .417 for the series, going 5-12 with four singles, a home run, two runs scored, one RBI, two strikeouts, one GIDP and a fielding error.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we immediately turn right around and head back home to kick off a three game series the very next day against Washington. Wrapping up that series on Wednesday, we get Thursday off and then meet the Pirates once again, this time for a three game weekend series at home.

Washington Nationals (49-49) vs Colorado Rockies (47-52)
July 21-23, 2014
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
Taylor Jordan (5-9, 4.87) vs Rob Scahill (6-10, 4.51)

Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Stephen Strasburg (9-5, 1.85) vs Rex Brothers (0-1, 4.40)

Game Three - Wednesday 1:10 PM
Doug Fister (5-0, 1.87) vs Franklin Morales (10-6, 3.28)

[SmoothPancakes]

I'm fucked...

Facing Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister in back to back games in the Washington series...

I'm fucked...

[SmoothPancakes]

After avoiding the series sweep by the Pirates thanks to that huge offensive showing in game three, it was back home with no rest of the weary, thanks to a first pitch start against Washington just 24 hours after wrapping up our series in Pittsburgh and then jetting it back to Colorado. While Goose again flashed great moments against the Pirates, he also proved himself ever the rookie with some boneheaded moments at the plate and in the field. Hopefully Goose would be able to start pulling it together, though he would be truly challenged every step of the way with games against top pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister coming up.

Washington 7, Colorado 3
Washington 7, Colorado 0
Washington 6, Colorado 1


First game of the series would see Goose batting seventh in the order. Goose would make his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning with one out and the bases empty, blooping a fastball into center field for an aggressive double, Goose sliding into the bag just ahead of the throw from center. Taking off running on a ground ball to third by Josh Rutledge, Goose would make the third baseman hesitate long enough while deciding to try for the tag or throw to first, allowing Rutledge to successfully reach first base ahead of the throw for a single while Goose would advance to third to put runners on the corners for starting pitcher Rob Scahill. Scahill would swing at the first pitch and send it into center field for a sacrifice fly, Goose tagging up on the play and scoring the tying run from third. The next at-bat for Goose would see him leading off the bottom of the fourth inning, hitting a grounder towards the first baseman, forcing him to dive to stop the ball and failing to field it cleanly. While the first baseman would eventually manage to pick up the ball and wing it toward first base to the pitcher, Goose would just beat out the throw by a half a foot for a lead off single. Goose would then come home next batter as Rutledge would drive a fastball into right center field, the ball rolling all the way to the wall in the deepest part of the stadium for a stand up double, allowing Goose to sprint from first all the way home to score the go-ahead run. Naturally, that lead would die as our shit pitching would give up four runs in the top of the sixth inning, and we went from a one run lead to on the verge of getting blown out. Goose would make his next appearance at the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning, coming up with one out and the bases empty and promptly popping out to the third baseman for an uneventful at-bat. Goose would make his final at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases empty. Swinging at a slider low and away, Goose would make weak contact for a fluke grounder up the third base line, beating out the slow retrieval and throw to first from the pitcher for a lucky single. Much like his woes in Double A and Triple A, Goose would again dick things up on the bases, getting picked off at first base during Rutledge's at-bat, not that it would matter much with the score at the time. Final stats for Goose, 3-4 with two singles, a double, two runs scored and getting picked off on the bases.

The second game would see massive shuffling occurring, seemingly as some players got a day of rest. Goose would find himself starting today at shortstop and batting fifth in the order, Troy Tulowitzki would become the starting right fielder today and Nolan Arenado would return to the lineup to start at third base. First at-bat for Goose today would see him leading off the bottom of the second inning, fighting off a 1-2 curveball only to fly out to the center fielder. Next trip to the plate would find Goose leading off the bottom of the fourth inning this time, blooping a slider into shallow left field for a single. For the second straight game, Goose would dick things up on the bases, being picked off at first base for the second time this series. At this rate, the coaches are gonna start pinch running for Goose. Goose would get his next crack in the bottom of the sixth inning with no outs and Carlos Gonzalez on first base, only to hit a ball at the shortstop and ground into a double play. Goose's final at-bat of the game would come leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, Strasburg shooting for a complete game shutout. He would move one step closer to it as Goose would strike out on three straight pitches, followed by two pop outs to go the distance on the mound for Washington. Final stats for Goose, 1-4 with one single, one strikeout, one GIDP as well as getting picked off at first base for the second straight game.

The third and final game of the series would see pretty much everything remain the same, Goose starting at shortstop and batting fifth, Tulowitzki starting at right field and Arenado starting at third. One change from yesterday, Jordan Pacheco would take over at first base, giving Justin Morneau the day off to rest. Goose's first at-bat would come in the bottom of the first inning, stepping up to the plate with one out, Carlos Gonzalez on first and Tulowitzki on second, Goose proceeding to ground into a double play and end the inning. Next at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and Gonzalez standing on first, only to end up striking out on a sinker. Once again, our pitchers would destroy us, giving up five runs between the fifth and seventh innings. Goose would make his next at-bat in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and the bases empty, just legging out what should have been a single that was hit to first, instead it would be ruled a fielding error on the first baseman. Un-freaking-believably, Goose would AGAIN end up picked off at first base, making that three games in a row he would get made to look like a bitch by the Washington pitching staff. Final stats for Goose, 0-3 with a strikeout, a GIDP and third straight game being picked off at first base after reaching base on an error.

Final series stats for Goose, he would start in all three games. Goose would struggle throughout the entire series, making this one truly one to forget, batting .364 for the series, going 4-11 with three singles, one double, two runs scored, two strikeouts, two GIDP and THREE times being picked off at first base, getting picked off once in all three games of the series.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we get a day off, giving Goose a chance try and recollect himself, before opening up a weekend series at home with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Meanwhile, all eyes will be focused towards the front office in these final days of July as we approach the trading deadline. With the Rockies already completing one trade earlier in the month, and with any hopes of competing for the division and likely the wild card already shot, would the Rockies go into sell mode this year?

The biggest question, what would be done about the logjam at shortstop? With franchise player Troy Tulowitzki and future star Goose Anderson already fighting for time at their natural position, plus Trevor Story riding the bench as backup shortstop, then Juan Nugent and Rosell Herrera stuck in limbo in Triple A and Double A, the Rockies could very well start doing some selling to uncluster the shortstop position in the organization. But, who would be shipped out? Would the Rockies dare to trade their franchise player in Tulowitzki? Would they dare to trade their future projected franchise player in Goose Anderson? Or would they trade, by now, career backup Trevor Story and try to continue finding space for both Tulowitzki and Anderson on the field at the same time? If that happens, it could well come at the expense of third baseman Nolan Arenado, who originally found himself riding the bench for the Minnesota and Pittsburgh series while Goose was made the starter at third. That changed against Washington when Arenado returned to his spot at third and Goose was given shortstop, forcing Tulowitzki out of the infield and into right field.

Things would get thrown even more into doubt as early signs pointed to Goose being removed from the field in American League parks. When batting with a DH, Goose would be removed from the field and made the DH, leading off at the top of the order, Tulo would start at shortstop, Arenado would start at third and Jordan Pacheco would start in right field. When batting without a DH, Goose would start at shortstop, still batting first in the order, Tulo would start in right field, Arenado would start at third and Pacheco would head to the bench. Needless to say, all these questions and never ending changes at every turn of the batting order would be enough to give many people a blinding headache just reading all of this and trying to make any sense of it. About the only thing that can be done at this point, just sit back and wait and see what unfolds as the trade deadline approaches and passes.

Pittsburgh Pirates (52-49) vs Colorado Rockies (47-55)
July 25-27, 2014
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 6:40 PM
Francisco Liriano (9-8, 3.20) vs Brett Anderson (6-5, 5.26)

Game Two - Saturday 6:10 PM
Brandon Cumpton (4-7, 5.67) vs Christian Friedrich (8-6, 3.81)

Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Jeff Locke (4-8, 7.02) vs Rob Scahill (6-11, 4.62)

[steelerfan]

That was the first half of my MLB season. I would play every 5-7 games and pinch hit when needed. It sucks but the season sure passes quickly.

The point of that stage of your career is to play and improve. Sitting doesn't get it done.

[SmoothPancakes]

As July wound down, it was pretty much to the point that we were playing for pride, as we continued to fall further and further behind in the wild card race (we were already as good as dead in the division race), no thanks to losing 5 out of our last 6 games in series against Pittsburgh and Washington. It wouldn't get much better as we would again face off against Pittsburgh, though this time we would be in the friendly confines of home. Would that make a difference? No, no it would not as we would repeat our results against the Pirates, winning just one game in the series, though that win would at least end what had become a five game losing streak.

Pittsburgh 7, Colorado 2
Pittsburgh 6, Colorado 5
Colorado 9, Pittsburgh 6


First game of the series would see some changes as Goose would now be the starting shortstop and would also see Goose thrown into the number one spot in the batting order. Whether or not that would be a mistake remains to be seen. It wouldn't take long for our pitching to screw us, giving up two runs in the first inning, with the potential for many more thankfully averted. Goose would lead off the bottom of the first inning, only to ground out to the second baseman. Through two innings on the mound, starter Brett Anderson had already thrown 58 pitches. Through three innings, he was up to 79 pitches. This would be a long day for our relievers. Goose would make his next at-bat in the bottom of the third inning with one out and the bases empty, and while he would give a slider one hell of a ride, it would be caught at the wall in left field for the second out. Starter Brett Anderson would see his day come to an end after just four innings on the mound, racking up 91 pitches thrown in those four innings. God help us with quality relievers. Goose would return to the plate next leading off the bottom of the sixth inning, the at-bat ending in a line out to the second baseman, Goose still unable to figure out how to hit against Francisco Liriano. Goose would make his final at-bat leading off the bottom of the eighth inning and Liriano still on the mound, which would result in another poor at-bat for Goose as he would strike out on a slider outside, Liriano clearly having Goose's number at the plate. Final stats for Goose, 0-4 with a strikeout, making Goose 0-7 in his last two games, 1-11 in his last three games.

The second game would see Goose remain the lead off batter and continue as the starter at shortstop. Goose would lead off the bottom of the first inning, only to end up grounding out to the third baseman on a sinker for the first out. Goose would make his next at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, coming up with two outs and the bases loaded. Looking to break his cold streak, Goose would instead go glacial as he would ground out to the second baseman to destroy the great scoring opportunity. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and the bases empty, getting a very lucky bouncer up the middle, the shortstop diving and stopping it but unable to get a throw off in time to give Goose a single, his first hit in his last 12 at-bats. A fielding error would see Goose advance to second base and Charlie Blackmon safely reach first, leaving runners on first and second for Troy Tulowitzki, who would promptly clear the bases with a full count three run jack to left field to give us the lead. That is until a two run home run the next inning gave the lead right back to the Pirates. Goose would return to the plate leading off the bottom of the seventh inning against a new pitcher, ending his at-bat quickly with a ground out to the first baseman. Goose would make his final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with no outs and runners on first and second. Swinging at a 2-0 change-up left hanging right in the middle of the zone, Goose nearly shattered the ice of his cold hitting streak, launching a bomb down the right field line. Only at the very last second would it curve outside of the pole for a foul ball, robbing Goose of a potential game winning home run. After a 10 pitch at-bat, Goose would get robbed as he would send a full count fastball deep to right field, just missing a home run by a matter of feet, instead bouncing the ball off the way just inches above the right fielder's glove. Because the base runners had held up, they were late making their moves, resulting in Nolan Arenado somehow getting called out on a tag at home plate to screw us out of the game tying run and screw Goose out of an RBI. That would leave Goose at first base, Michael McKenry on third base and one out for Charlie Blackmon, who was still looking for his first hit today. Taking off hauling ass on a 1-0 pitch, Goose would actually end up taking off running just as the pitcher went to throw to first base. Thanks to the delay of the throw to first and the first baseman's throw to second being high, Goose was able to successfully steal second base. It wouldn't matter much as Blackmon would draw a four pitch, loading up the bases for Troy Tulowitzki, who has already jacked a three run home run back in the fifth inning. However, instead this time Tulo would end up frozen looking at a called third strike, leaving two outs and the bases loaded for Carlos Gonzalez, who was hitless for the game. After fouling off two straight pitches, Carlos would manage just a weak grounder to the first baseman, who would immediately throw to home for the force out to end the game, as we would royally screw multiple scoring opportunities in that final inning. Final stats for Goose, some life at last, 2-5 with two singles, one run scored and a stolen base.

The third and final game of the series would see pretty much everything remain the same, Goose starting at shortstop and batting lead off. Leading off the bottom of the first inning, Goose would smoke a high fastball down the third base line and into left field for a stand up double to open things up. A four pitch walk to Charlie Blackmon would put runners on first and second for Troy Tulowitzki, who would rope a single into center field to score Goose from second to give us the opening lead. Goose would return to the plate in the bottom of the second inning, coming up with one out and runners on first and second, going down swinging on a knuckle-curve for the second out. The next at-bat for Goose would come in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and a runner on second. Five pitches into the at-bat with a 2-2 count, the pitcher would end up throwing a wild pitch, allowing the runner to advance to third base. Due to the runner on third, Goose would try to lay down a bunt to bring the runner home, but the bunt would end up going down the third base line. Regardless, Goose would manage to sprint down to first before the catch could retrieve the ball to put runners on the corners and chase starting pitcher Jeff Locke from the ballgame. Getting ballsy, Goose would advance from first to third on an RBI single by Blackmon, just beating the throw from center field into third base to leave runners at the corners for Tulowitzki. A single by Tulo straight up the middle, almost exactly the same as Blackmon's, would result in an RBI single to score Goose from third. Goose would get his next at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs and a runner on first, only to end up striking out on a curveball to end the inning. Because our pitching sucks ass, we would watch a 6-0 lead destroyed as the Pirates proceeded to plate five runs in the sixth inning. Thankfully, our bats would respond in the bottom of the sixth and we would score three more runs to build back out to a four run lead. Leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, Goose would crack a cutter back up the middle and into center field for a single, putting the lead off runner on for Blackmon, would would promptly hit a ground ball to the first baseman, Goose forced out at second. Final stats, 3-5 with two singles, a double, two runs scored and two strikeouts.

Final series stats for Goose, he would start in all three games. Goose would struggle early on but find some life in the second half, batting .357 for the series, going 5-14 with four singles, one double, three runs scored, one stolen base and three strikeouts.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we got no chance to rest as we jet east to open up a four game series against the Chicago Cubs the very next evening, again, all eyes focused at that trade deadline just four days away as every player in the clubhouse waits to see who may be the next to get shipped out, if the front office does indeed go into fire sale mode due to our poor record.

Colorado Rockies (48-57) vs Chicago Cubs (45-59)
July 28-31, 2014
Wrigley Field - Chicago, Illinois

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:05 PM
Rex Brothers (0-2, 4.53) vs Jake Arrieta (5-8, 5.78)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:05 PM
Franklin Morales (10-7, 3.43) vs Jeff Samardzija (5-10, 2.40)

Game Three - Wednesday 7:05 PM
Brett Anderson (6-6, 5.46) vs Travis Wood (8-7, 3.37)

Game Four - Thursday 1:20 PM
Christian Friedrich (8-7, 4.01) vs Edwin Jackson (7-6, 3.62)

[SmoothPancakes]

Rolling along into the final four days of July, those four days would be spent in the windy city as the Rockies traveled east for a four game series with the Chicago Cubs. Colorado still was searching for a heartbeat this season, having been on a very rough stretch for the last two weeks. While the Rockies were already essentially eliminated from the division race and all but dead from the wild card race at this rate, they were at least still within shooting range of .500. Meanwhile, Goose had found a bit of a swing in the final two games against Pittsburgh, but still on a largely cold streak over his last 5 games, including going hitless in two straight games, he still needs to find his stroke if he is to cement himself into the big league club's lineup.

Chicago 4, Colorado 3
Chicago 11, Colorado 7
Colorado 3, Chicago 2
Colorado 6, Chicago 2


First game of the series would see some changes once again as Goose would remain the starting shortstop, but this time he would find himself batting fifth in the order instead of leading off as he did against Pittsburgh. Maybe Goose's struggles are coming because of all this moving around. In his short few weeks in the majors, he has gone from seventh to fifth to seventh to first to fifth in the batting order. Goose would come up for his first at-bat leading off the top of the second inning, knocking a fastball into center field for a lead off single. He wouldn't get very far however as a strikeout by Justin Morneau and a pop out to third base by Nolan Arenado created two quick outs, before a strikeout by Michael McKenry would end the inning. Leading off the top of the fourth inning, Goose would come up and go back down swinging on a slider low and inside for a strikeout. After back to back doubles by Josh Rutledge and Troy Tulowitzki, followed by a bases clearing triple by Carlos Gonzalez, Goose would return to the plate in the top of a three run fifth inning with two outs and Gonzalez on third and end up being the rally killer as he would strikeout swinging on a 2-2 fastball inside. Next chance for Goose would be in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases empty, but would end up striking out on a slider low and away for the third out. Final stats for Goose, 1-4 with a single and three strikeouts.

The second game would see Goose remain fifth in the batting order. Goose would make his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with two outs and a runner on second base, continuing to go glacial in hitting at the plate with a strikeout on a splitter. Next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the third inning with two outs and runners on first and third, shattering the ice with a no-doubt three run BOMB to right field to give us the three run lead, that would instantly disappear over the next two innings thanks to our joke of a pitching staff. Goose would lead off the top of the sixth inning, our three run lead by Goose now turned into a one run deficit. Facing a 1-1 count, Goose would end up getting a free base as a fastball would take aim at his shin for a hit by pitch. Following a strikeout by Wilin Rosario, Goose would advance to second base courtesy of a wild pitch during Justin Morneau's at-bat. Once pitch later, a double into the left field gap by Morneau would drive Goose home from second to score the tying run. Goose would dig in at the plate next leading off the top of the eighth inning, this time with a three run deficit, thanks to our crap pitching, only to ground out to the first baseman. Final stats for Goose, 1-3 with a three run home run, two runs scored, three RBI, a hit by pitch and one strikeout.

The third game of the series would see Goose out of the lineup, presumably for a day of rest. He would end up seeing action in the game, coming on to pinch hit in the top of the eighth inning with no outs and a runner on first base, trailing 2-0. Laying down a bunt down the third base line, Goose would just beat out the throw to first base for a single, chasing starter Travis Wood off of the mound and putting runners on first and second with no outs for Nolan Arenado, also coming up as a pinch hitter. Unfortunately Arenado would hit a blooper in-between first and the pitcher's mound, making for a very easy pop out to the pitcher and one out. Surprisingly, D.J LeMahieu would come up as the third straight pinch hitter. Apparently Goose pinch hit for the cold batting Charlie Culberson (who was starting shortstop), Arenado pinch hit for the cold hitting Trevor Story (who was starting third baseman) and LeMahieu was the actual pinch hitter for the previous pitcher. Despite LeMahieu hitting a crack shot down the first base line for a single, Goose would only advance to second base as the runner ahead of him held up while waiting for the ball to land, leading to him only making it to third base instead being well on his way to home as he should have been. That would load the bases with one out for Charlie Blackmon, hitting a grounder to the second baseman to result in LeMahieu forced out at second base, but Blackmon would beat the double play throw to first base to leave runners on the corners, Goose standing at third, and one run scored on the play to cut Chicago's lead to one. So, with two outs and runners on first and third, Jordan Pacheco would come up next, hitting a blooper through the gap into right field for an RBI single, Goose bringing across the game tying run. With that, Goose would end up taking over shortstop and the seventh slot in the batting order from Culberson. Goose would come up for another at-bat in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and the bases empty, drawing a walk on four straight balls to get on base. That would be as far as Goose would get as Arenado would fly out to right field to end the top of the inning. Amazingly, our pitching wouldn't blow it. Final stats for Goose in limited action, 1-1 with a single, a walk and a run scored.

The fourth and final game of the series would Goose return to the starting lineup, starting at shortstop and making another change, back to batting first in the order. Leading off the top of the first inning, it would be a very poor at-bat for Goose as would end up striking out to start the game. Goose would come up next leading off the top of the third inning, sneaking a grounder past the third baseman and into left field for a lead off single. Goose would never make it off first however as Charlie Blackmon would fly out to left field and both Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez would go down swinging to end the top half of the inning. Goose's next at-bat would come in the top of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on second base, quickly grounding out to the second baseman for the second out. Leading off the top of the eighth inning, Goose would come up against a new pitcher, reliever James Russell. Goose would make Russell pay as he left a 1-0 fastball hanging over the middle of the plate, and Goose promptly sent it to the right field bleachers for a solo home run to tie the game up. Three Cubs pitchers would combine to probably have their worst inning of the season. Following Goose, Charlie Blackmon would draw a walk, after which Troy Tulowitzki would take Russell yard for the second time this inning with a two run shot. Kenny Larkin would come in to replace Russell on the mound, but he would do even worse. After walking Carlos Conzalez, he would hit Wilin Rosario with a pitch and give us an RBI single into center by Justin Morneau to score Gonzalez. Larkin would then proceed to walk Josh Rutledge and that would be the end of his day. Carlos Villanueva would come in next to replace Larkin, promptly hitting Nolan Arenado with a pitch to force in a run and leave the bases loaded. Jordan Pacheco would pinch hit for pitcher Tommy Kahnle and would unfortunately fly out to center field, but it would take the Cubs three pitchers and nine batters to get the FIRST out of the inning. Because of all of that, Goose would be back up to bat for a SECOND time in the top of the eighth inning, returning to the plate with only one out and the bases loaded! Unfortunately Goose would not get a chance at a grand slam as he would proceed to hit a dribbler in front of home plate for a fielder's choice, leaving Morneau hanging with his balls out on the play at home while Goose would safely make it to first base, leaving the bases loaded with two outs for Charlie Blackmon. Sadly our amazing rally would end as Blackmon would fly out to center field to end the top of the eighth inning. Final damage in that eighth inning alone, 11 batters as we batted around the order, putting eight batters up before the Cubs would record a single out, scoring five runs courtesy of a solo home run, a three run home run, an RBI single, three walks and two hit by pitches, one of them scoring a run due to the bases being loaded at the time. Definitely an inning to remember, and one for the Cubs to forget, one that would help us split the four game series. Final stats for Goose, 2-5 with a single and solo home run, one run scored, one RBI and one strikeout.

Final series stats for Goose, he would start in three games, see action in all four. Goose would have his moments this series, both good and bad, batting .385 for the series, going 5-13 with three singles, two home runs, one hit by pitch, one walk, four runs, four RBIs and five strikeouts.

It would appear the trade deadline came and passed without any trades occurring in Colorado. I can't say if any trades happened elsewhere in MLB as you can't find out crap about the rest of the league and transactions in RTTS, but nothing popped up about any trades happening involving the Rockies and nothing seems to have changed among our MLB roster.

Since the Chicago series officially wrapped up July, here's the recap of Goose's July stats in the majors. He would play in 17 games, batting .396 with 24 hits on 61 at-bats. He would have 17 singles, three doubles, zero triples and four home runs, scoring 14 runs and driving in 7 RBIs. Goose has successfully stolen one base on one attempt for 1.000% stolen base %, he's drawn one walk and struck out 15 times. Goose has .639 slugging %, .413 on base %, 1.052 OPS, no sacrifice hits, no sacrifice flies, he's grounded into a double play four times, he's been hit by pitch once and has been picked off numerous times. Fielding, Goose has 28 assists and 5 direct putouts, committing one fielding error to have a .971 fielding %.

At the end of July, the Rockies are fourth in the NL West standings with a record of 50-59, 15.0 games behind the co-first place Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Because of that tie, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks also both currently hold the top two spots in the Wild Card, so the Rockies are considered 15 games back. Technically, the Rockies are only 7.5 games out of the second Wild Card slot as they sit 7.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates (57-51) who would end up being the second Wild Card team if the season ended today.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we head 4 1/2 hours to the east to visit Comerica Park and the Detroit Tigers for a three game weekend series.

Colorado Rockies (50-59) vs Detroit Tigers (61-46)
August 1-3, 2014
Comerica Park - Detroit, Michigan

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:08 PM
Rob Scahill (7-11, 4.73) vs Drew Smyly (11-3, 3.98)

Game Two - Saturday 7:08 PM
Rex Brothers (0-2, 4.61) vs Justin Verlander (9-6, 3.25)

Game Three - Sunday 1:08 PM
Franklin Morales (10-7, 3.74) vs Max Scherzer (7-6, 3.76)

[SmoothPancakes]

Hoping to keep up the heat into August, we rolled into Detroit for a three game stint with the Tigers. Goose caught some fire during the Chicago series, but now he would need to work on consistency, as he basically lacked any. Good news for the team at least, despite our questionable pitching, we would steal two of three against the AL Central leaders, though it really should have been a sweep if not for said crap pitching blowing game two for us multiple times.

Colorado 7, Detroit 2
Detroit 3, Colorado 2 F/12
Colorado 11, Detroit 5


First game of the series would see the changes continue as Goose would be taken out of the field and made the designated hitter, batting fourth in the order. One big unknown, was Troy Tulowitzki still around as he was nowhere to be seen in the lineup, though no trade notifications had ever popped up during the trade deadline. Hopefully he was just out for a day of rest. Goose would get up for his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with two outs and a runner on first, but pitcher Drew Smyly would make him ground back to the mound for an easy force out at first. Next at-bat for Goose would come in the top of the third inning with two outs and runners on first and second, only to go down swinging on a high fastball for a strikeout. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on second after a bases loaded double by Carlos Gonzalez would score three runs. Goose would send a fastball deep to center field, but come up about 50 feet short of the warning track for a fly out. Goose would come up to bat for the second inning in a row thanks to a second straight three run blitz that would chase Smyly from the game, digging in in the top of the sixth inning with two outs and runners on first and second, but while he would give a fastball a good ride, it would die in left field for another fly out. Goose would make his final at-bat in the top of the ninth inning with one out and the bases empty, but Jabba the Hutt, Joba Chamberlain, would get him to ground back to the mound for an easy throw to first fto record the second out. While Goose wouldn't get the job done, the guys behind him would as Justin Morneau would triple to left followed by an RBI single by Josh Rutledge and a single by Nolan Arenado to chase Joba from the game. Final stats for Goose, a pitiful 0-5 with a strikeout.

The second game would see Goose remain the designated hitter, but he would drop one spot from fourth to fifth in the batting order. Thankfully, no unannounced trades had occurred, instead merely a day of rest, as Troy Tulowitzki returned to the starting lineup at shortstop for game two. Goose would see his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with two outs and runners on first and second, only to go chasing on a change-up and ground out to the first baseman to end the threat. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the third inning with two outs and runners on first and third, striking out on a circle-change to end the top half of the inning for the second at-bat in a row. Goose would come to bat next in a tied game in the top of the fifth inning with two outs and the bases empty, smoking a nearly neck high fastball back at Verlander and into center field for a single, only for Wilin Rosario to pop out to third base to end our half of the inning. Goose would come back up to the plate in the top of the eighth inning with no outs and a runner on first base, going down with a swinging strikeout on a change-up by reliever Phil Coke. Heading into extra innings tied 1-1, Troy Tulowitzki would hit a two out double, followed by an RBI single from Carlos Gonzalez to give us a 2-1 lead, bringing Goose to the plate with two outs and Gonzalez standing at first, with Goose promptly grounding out to the first baseman. The game would not end there however as LaTroy Hawkins would give up a two out solo home run and on we went. Goose would come up for another at-bat in the top of the twelfth inning of a 2-2 ball game with two outs and runners on first and second. Goose would give a fastball a good ride into left center field, but it would hang in the air long enough to let the center fielder catch it for the third out. And with that, we would end up losing as Miguel Cabrera would jack a two out solo home run in the bottom of the twelfth to end the game. Final stats for Goose, 1-6 with a single and two strikeouts.

The third and final game of the series would see Goose remain the designated hitter, but move back up from fifth to fourth in the order. Goose would make his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with two outs and Carlos Gonzalez on first base. Swinging at an 0-1 fastball from Max Scherzer, Goose would hit a moon blast, sending that thing flying deep into the stands in right field for a two run home run to give us an early 2-0 lead, only for our pitching to naturally piss away the lead in the second inning. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the third inning with one and a runner on second, smacking a fastball deep to left center field and bouncing it off the wall just in front of the Tigers bullpen, sliding into third base and just barely beating the thrown from the outfield for an RBI triple, driving in the game tying run. Wilin Rosario would send a pitch high and deep to right center for a fly out to the center fielder, Goose tagging up and easily beating the throw home for the go-ahead run. Again, our lead would disappear as our pitching would give up two solo home runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the lead back to the Tigers. Goose would return to the plate in the top of the fifth inning with one out and the bases empty, slinging a fastball to deep center field for a fly out. Goose would dig in at the plate next in the top of the seventh inning against reliever Al Alburquerque, coming up with one out and the bases empty after a solo home run by Carlos Gonzalez that would return the one run lead back to us. Goose would get great contact and send a pitch screaming down the line into right field, but right fielder Adam Lind would make a hell of a play to run the hit down and get the second out. Surprisingly, despite there being two outs in the inning, we would go on an absolute tear following Goose's at-bat, as Wilin Rosario and Justin Morneau would hit back to back singles, causing the Tigers to bring in Luke Putkonen to replace Albuquerque. Josh Rutledge would then hit a two RBI double, followed by an RBI single by Nolan Arenado, who would be followed by an RBI double by Trevor Story to bring us back around to the top of the order before Charlie Blackmon would pop out to end the inning. We would end up batting around the entire order in the seventh inning, starting with Jordan Pacheco (second in the order) and ending with Charlie Blackmon (first in the order), scoring five runs on six hits, with all but one run and one hit (coming on Gonzalez's solo home run) coming with two outs in the inning. Thanks to that mega seventh inning, Goose would return to bat the very next inning, coming up in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases empty, blooping a change-up into center field. While Goose should have stopped at first for a single, he got ballsy, rounded first and hauled ass towards second, sliding in safely for a double thanks to a high and wide throw from the outfield that would force the second baseman off the bag and out of position to catch the ball. Goose would end up stranded on base however as Wilin Rosario would strike out to wrap up our half of the eighth. Final stats for Goose, he would go 3-5 in a MLB career day with a double, a triple, a two run home run, two runs and three RBI, earning him player of the game honors.

Final series stats for Goose, he would "start" as the designated hitter in all three games. Goose would be cold as hell, batting 1-11 in the first two games, before unleashing and unloading in the third game, batting .250 for the series, going 4-16 with one single, one double, one triple and a two run home run, scoring two runs, driving in three RBIs and striking out three times, as well as earning player of the game honors for game three.

Next up for the Colorado Rockies, we get to return home to Denver and finally get a day off on Monday, before kicking off a 13 game, 13 day stretch with a three game home series against the Chicago Cubs, followed by a three game weekend series at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Chicago Cubs (49-62) vs Colorado Rockies (52-60)
August 5-7, 2014
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado

Probable Starters:

Game One - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Travis Wood (8-7, 3.33) vs Brett Anderson (6-6, 5.20)

Game Two - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Edwin Jackson (7-6, 3.53) vs Christian Friedrich (8-7, 3.97)

Game Three - Thursday 1:10 PM
Jason Hammel (4-9, 4.61) vs Rob Scahill (8-11, 4.58)

[SmoothPancakes]

After 12:30am, probably too late to try and squeeze in the Cubs series, so I'm gonna give a quick update on the minors before calling it a night and watching a bit of TV ahead of bed.

Since Goose left Triple A Colorado Springs, the Sky Sox have gone apeshit in his absence.

Following the game two loss to Round Rock before Goose was called up, they would end up taking the final two games 10-0 and 2-1 to take three of four from Round Rock. They then took 2 of 3 from Omaha ahead of the All-Star break. Coming out of the All-Star break with a four game series against the Memphis Cardinals, the Sky Sox would drop the first game before sweeping the rest of the games to take three of four. They would split a four game series with Nashville, lose the first game of a four game series with Round Rock before reeling off five straight wins, taking three of four from Round Rock and the first two of a four game series against Nashville, before losing two straight to split with Nashville for a second straight series. Early August, they've hit a bit of a rough stretch as they followed those two losses to Nashville with two losses at Oklahoma City to go on a four game slide.

So in the games to date since Goose left, the Sky Sox have gone 14-9.

Coupled with a 7-16 collapse by the Iowa Cubs, that would see them lose three of four to Omaha, two of three to Oklahoma City, get swept in four games by Round Rock, lose three of four to New Orleans and split a four game series against Memphis before slightly recovering with a three of four games series win over New Orleans. Since then, Iowa has lost the first two of a four game series against Omaha.

So, thanks to Colorado Springs finding life and Iowa falling off a bloody mountainside in their collapse, along with Omaha continuing to tread water a couple games under .500 and Oklahoma City continuing to just suck, somehow, the Sky Sox have come storming back and are currently in a first place tie with the Iowa Cubs in the division with 59-57 records. It's a close one though as the Sky Sox are 21-15 in the division, the Cubs 20-16 thus far. Sky Sox are on a four game losing streak, the Cubs on a two game slide. Despite a two game winning streak, Omaha remains 4.0 games back, and Oklahoma City sits 8.0 games back even with a three game winning streak.

It's gonna be a race as the Sky Sox and Cubs both have 28 games remaining in the Triple A regular season, with it shaping up to be a race to the very end for the division title.

In Double A, it looks like the Drillers will be sitting at home this postseason. The Springfield Cardinals (26-12) took the first half of the Texas League season and they are running away with the second half, holding a 9.0 game lead over second place Arkansas Travelers. Tulsa is sitting in dead last with a 15-23 record, leaving them 11.0 games behind the Cardinals with only 26 games remaining in the Double A season.