Monday Morning Rockpile:

by Russ on Jul 28, 2008 7:50 AM MDT in Rockpile

As our most recent FanShot mentions, the Rockies' Official Website lists Jason Hirsh as the probable starter for tonight's game against the Pirates' Ian Snell. But both papers today are speculating that the more likely candidate is Valerio De Los Santos. The RMN's Jack Etkin believes that De Los Santos was held out of Saturday's game (which allowed Josh Towers to suck in that game) so he could be ready for today's game. The Denver Post says the Rockies "are likely to call up" De Los Santos.

De Los Santos, a southpaw, hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005 when he was with the Marlins. Did I mention yet that he's only started two games in the majors, both for the Brewers in 2000? Not that they mean much, but they were his first two games of that season. In the first one, he allowed one run on two hits in five runs. In the second one, he was rocked for eight runs on nine hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. If anyone looks at Game Scores, that start was good enough to garner a nine. Just to make some comparisons, Kerry Wood's 20-K game had a Game Score of 105 and Kip Wells had a seven in his third-of-an-inning start on July 21.

Calling up De Los Santos makes sense if Jeff Francis is indeed activated later this week. If Jason Hirsh comes up, I want to see him get more than just a start. No need to jerk him around.

Who or what did U-Ball thank for his recent performances? "'I have to say thank-you to July,' said Jimenez."

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Iannetta

Something that’s been bothering me, so I went and checked up on stats. Why in the world is he batting 8th? He has the second highest OPS on the team, behind only Holliday, and despite our whining about playing time (and he doesn’t get enough), it’s hardly a small sample size.

Seriously, did he kick Hurdle’s dog or something?

I've been in this game a hundred years, but I see new ways to lose I never knew existed before. - Casey Stengel

by Behrens on Jul 28, 2008 8:30 AM MDT 0 recs

Batting 8th

actually several times in the home stand Iannetta batted higher. 6th one night I can remember.

But if CDI doesn’t bat 8th….who does?
Tulo? Baker? Hawpe? Stewart?

Couple points
1) Chris batting 8th isn’t a slam to Chris, but a wow, we have a nice line up going now. They can all hit, 1-8.

2) If I was Hurdle, and had the current regular line up batting, I’d have Chris bat 8th too. You need a patient hitter in the 8th spot in front of the pitcher, and Chris is our MOST patient hitter. He’s having success hitting in that spot…which is very hard to do.

Thought Clint Hurdle should be fired before it was cool.

by Redhawk on Jul 28, 2008 10:31 AM MDT up 0 recs

Well shouldn't catchers always bat 8th?

Sometimes I think Hurdle just does things b/c “the book” says so.

by RockyMtnRedbird on Jul 28, 2008 8:41 AM MDT 0 recs

don't forget that

Yorvit Torrealba is still “the starter.”

Aut Vincam Aut Periam

by PioneerSkies on Jul 28, 2008 8:54 AM MDT 0 recs

Is he really, though?

Or has Hurdle just not addressed the point in a while? It seems to me that Iannetta has been getting the bulk of the starts lately, with Torrealba only getting the usual day-game-after-night-game type starts.

by holly96 on Jul 28, 2008 2:20 PM MDT up 0 recs

I think you're right:

Chris has won the job. Maybe Hurdle is keeping the pressure off of him by batting him 8th or he’s saving energy by just penciling him into the same spot Torrealba had.

by Since1993 on Jul 28, 2008 3:42 PM MDT up 0 recs

So, do we think...

O to the Dowd was going to use tonight’s spot for the pitcher he was to acquire in a deal?

by Since1993 on Jul 28, 2008 8:55 AM MDT 0 recs

Well apparently we are buying not selling.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/07/holliday-fuente.html#comments

Holliday and Fuentes are off the table, and we are looking for a back end starter. Duschershershersher is interesting, although Oakland pitchers are helped by playing in a serious pitchers park.

Second half run?

by moomacher on Jul 28, 2008 9:00 AM MDT up 0 recs

ugh...

I’d hate to guess who the Rockies would have to give up for Duchserer, if Fuentes and Holliday are not options (and I couldn’t see the A’s that interested in those two anyway). I have a hard time seeing it happening.

As for Fuentes, I’ll consider it a failure on O’Dowd’s part if he isn’t able to trade Fuentes by the deadline. Keep in mind that it isn’t a guarantee that the Rockies will get the picks for Fuentes at the end of the year. Moreover, even with the picks, draft choices that late in the first and/or second are far from a sure thing.

by DenverBears on Jul 28, 2008 9:44 AM MDT up 0 recs

I tend to disagree

The last thing I want to see is O’Dowd just trade away Fuentes for a low return like the Nats did with Jon Rauch. It’s not a guarantee that the Rox get the picks if Fuentes accepts arbitration rather than test the market. And yes, no draft pick is a sure thing ever. Just as no prospect is a sure thing. I like the fact that Dan is hanging tough. Worst cas is: we keep our closer in place for the rest of the season in the event the we are really making a run at this thing.

by Since1993 on Jul 28, 2008 10:32 AM MDT up 0 recs

worst case scenario....

The worst case scenario is the Rockies never make it back into contention and finish many games back at the end of the season. The Rockies have to play .590 ball (95 win pace) the rest of the way to make it back to .500—and chances are that they will need to be better than that to win the division. A miracle could happen again, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Also, I don’t view trading Fuentes as something the Rockies can’t recover from.

At the end of the season, the Rockies will be forced to choose between not offering arbitration and losing the picks and Fuentes or offering arbitration and risking the possibility that Fuentes will accept and they will be saddled with a salary they can’t afford.

by DenverBears on Jul 28, 2008 11:03 AM MDT up 0 recs

Fuentes....

isn’t going to accept arbitration. He wants to close and wants closer’s money. The only way to get that is to go the FA route.

I don’t deal him unless I get very high quality in return.

by BroJB on Jul 28, 2008 11:49 AM MDT up 0 recs

After this last week I figured this would happen

Holliday and especially Fuentes are most desired by a contender in any trade now at the deadline. Now that this Rockie team has shown some life…..we value them too for this reason.

Holliday doesn’t have to be moved now. In fact the off season, we could get more major league pieces back for him if he’s moved. However, I think next year’s team will look alot like this years team, which means if we had a pitcher….we would be a contender, and thus need Holliday. The window for a winning team is pretty small, so I’d like the Rockies keep Holliday in 09, and make a run at it. The team is deep in prospects and I’m not sure what trading Holliday could bring us, besides a plus corner position, like Rasmus.

Thought Clint Hurdle should be fired before it was cool.

by Redhawk on Jul 28, 2008 10:38 AM MDT up 0 recs

Doesn't say they are off the table...

just that it’s unlikely that they will be dealt. I, so far, applaud O’Dowd’s nerve. Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make.

by Since1993 on Jul 28, 2008 10:38 AM MDT up 0 recs

Dealing from a position of strength

always better if they have legit reason to think that we might not HAVE to trade Fuentes. O’Dowd is just posturing, I think.

by Teekalong on Jul 28, 2008 11:38 AM MDT 0 recs

Fuentes may

still be traded, according to Kenny Rosenthal. But it will only be for an MLB-ready SP, like an Anibal Sanchez. If I were O’Dowd, I wouldn’t trade Fuentes for anything less.

Aut Vincam Aut Periam

by PioneerSkies on Jul 28, 2008 12:52 PM MDT 0 recs

Interesting Week Ahead

So the rox are 6 games back. 10 games under. Do we play wait and see? if the rox lose all 3 in pitt are we suddenly sellers again? if we seep the pirates, are we looking for pitching even more? I think we need to sell tito, because i can’t sit here for the rest of the summer and see Kip Wells as the rox #5 pitcher. I do not envy O’Dowd at all this week, I just hope that there is some type of action from the rox this week

by ColoroxWS07 on Jul 28, 2008 1:15 PM MDT 0 recs

I don't think...

we’re ever sellers. Even if we do trade Fuentes, that’s more strategic than fire-sale. We’re not built on free agents or high-priced trades we have to sell out the back door when it all goes kablooey. It’s a good seller’s market for closers right now and since ours is approaching free agency, it’s worth fielding offers for him. If we start losing again, we may not want to pursue another starter because we wouldn’t need him. (What the x%x*$# was Houston thinking?) So if we keep winning we keep looking at startes, if we start losing again, we ride out the season with lots of cursing and beer to kill the pain.

by Since1993 on Jul 28, 2008 3:40 PM MDT up 0 recs

Trade Rumors

most aren’t worth the bytes they’re transmitted on. Very few of the trades end up in the form they’re rumored to be. That said, I Duchserer would seem to be an interesting option, because he wouldn’t have to be a rental, given his current salary. But he’s been a reliever until this year, right? And his last start was pretty bad…maybe there’s a tired arm there that the A’s are more aware of than the Rox.

I don’t see anyone out there being discussed that would be a lock to be an upgrade.

What do folks think are the chances of actually getting Halliday in a blockbuster?

Watching the purple row from high atop the big brown monolith on California Ave

by Mondogarage on Jul 28, 2008 1:52 PM MDT 0 recs

Slim

The Rockies have the prospects to get Halladay, but so do other contenders. If he’s on the market, there are plenty of teams who will want him.

by Tom (RFTN) on Jul 28, 2008 2:09 PM MDT up 0 recs

Reading the Latest

With McGowan down, I would imagine the Jays aren’t trading any of their starters now. But if reports of Halladay’s unhappiness in Toronto aren’t exaggerated, maybe we can put together an offseason package along the lines of Atkins/Torrealba/Chris Nelson, or something like that.

Imagine a 2009 rotation that goes something like:
Halladay
Jimenez
Cook
Francis
Hirsh

Watching the purple row from high atop the big brown monolith on California Ave

by Mondogarage on Jul 28, 2008 2:30 PM MDT up 0 recs

sure....

that would be a great trade for the Rockies. Only problem is, there is no way the Jays would go for it.

by DenverBears on Jul 28, 2008 3:03 PM MDT up 0 recs

There are only a handful of guys I would NOT be willing to trade for Roy:

Tulo, Ubaldo, Fowler, Iannetta, Cook, Chacin, Stewart…..that’s about it.

Bring Roy home! Come on, you know you want it.

by The Lodo Magic Man on Jul 28, 2008 2:14 PM MDT up 0 recs

The problem is

if we’re going to land Halladay, it’s more than likely that we would have to give up one of those guys. The Blue Jays probably aren’t going to give him away for peanuts, after all.

Honestly, off that list, the guy I’d trade would be Chacin (waiting for calls of “blasphemy.”) He should have good trade value and he’s the farthest away from the majors to boot.

by Tom (RFTN) on Jul 28, 2008 2:53 PM MDT up 0 recs

I agree with you...

I’d think about trading Chacin. There is a long list of pitchers who dominated in the low minors that never became the stars they were projected to become, either due to injury or stalled development.

If Chacin could be used to land a high quality starter like Halladay, I’d seriously consider it.

by DenverBears on Jul 28, 2008 3:06 PM MDT up 0 recs