Rockies Find New Ways to Keep the Streak Alive; Now 0-7

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Mar 3, 2009 4:35 PM MST in Rockies Game Wraps

It is another day, meaning the Rockies lost another Spring Training game, this time falling to the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix.

This one was different, though, as the Rockies offense was able to muster up 6 runs against the Brew Crew's pitchers (mainly just Carlos Villanueva and Mitch Stetter), and got 2-run homers from Dan Ortmeier and Seth Smith. Omar Quintanilla added to his impressive spring totals with 2 more hits, and Eric Young Jr. and Paul Phillips each chipped in with RBI singles as well. However, the bullpen (and pitching in general) failed the Rockies again, with the final dagger coming when Ryan Mattheus served up a 2-run home run off the bat of Trot Nixon in the bottom of the 8th inning - the last of four gopher balls that the Rockies gave up on the afternoon.

Colorado likely stuck to their strategy of feeding meatballs to the opposition, a statement backed by the following pitching lines:

Greg Smith - 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, HR

Greg Reynolds - 3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 HR, 2 K

Ryan Mattheus - IP, 3 H (all XBH), 2 ER, HR

In between all of the fail, Alan Embree pitched a solid 1-2-3 inning in which he struck out a batter (Prince Fielder).

The Rockies are off tomorrow, and will be back at it again (hopefully, not in typical fashion) Thursday in an exhibition (isn't every ST game an exhibition?) game against Mexico's WBC team.

Wrap rating:

via willbecontinued.files.wordpress.com

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Comments

Great photo!

by RdRnnr on Mar 3, 2009 4:38 PM MST reply actions

Am I the only one that thinks

that Hurdle’s new “Rules” are just a little outta line? The swinging on a first pitch one, that just seems a little messed up to me.

I know, I know, you’re not supposed to swing on the first pitch. But aren’t there exceptions? Do you really have to punish the guy after you?

by Rockie4Ever on Mar 3, 2009 4:39 PM MST reply actions

No you are not.

And is the first pitch thing from Hurdle or Baylor.

And just serving up fastballs all the time seems kind of odd as well.

by pedalpusher on Mar 3, 2009 6:13 PM MST up reply actions

I feel like

there’s really no downside to forcing your starters to hit corners with fastballs in spring training, particularly where they’re only pitching 2 innings. Once they’re pitching 5 they should probably be mixing it up…

by Resolution on Mar 3, 2009 8:24 PM MST up reply actions

And in between

Rox Girl and I duelled vigorously for the attentions of one of the failers. Ah well. We must like something about it, if we’re Rockies fans.

Aue tehan-deoes shaj do’ ai poyene slueden!

by Silverblood on Mar 3, 2009 4:40 PM MST reply actions

I forgot to include that...

It was, at times, far more interesting than the game itself. Particularly after the aforementioned homer given up by Mattheus.

"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." -Bob Dylan

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Mar 3, 2009 4:42 PM MST up reply actions

May favorite part of the GT

was when DBAcksSkins was seemingly flirting with pierzynskirules and inadvertently made fun of his own assets

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 7:12 PM MST up reply actions

Ho ho!

I see what you did there! You used the ability to link to comments that I just taught you to make fun of me! Well played, sir.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 7:38 PM MST up reply actions

:)

Be careful when helping what could be an enemy.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 8:05 PM MST up reply actions

+1

Keepin' warm by the hot stove season.

by Charlie77 on Mar 3, 2009 11:54 PM MST up reply actions

See

Israel’s role in nurturing Hamas for an even better example.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 4, 2009 12:03 AM MST up reply actions

haha

that was funny

i dislike men, you don't know what the hell you want out of life.

by pierzynskirules on Mar 3, 2009 8:07 PM MST up reply actions

Smith

I think it’s a good sign that Greg Smith didn’t give up any walks today.

by Greg Stanwood on Mar 3, 2009 4:41 PM MST reply actions

That is indeed a good sign,

but his GO/FO ratio is not.

"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." -Bob Dylan

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Mar 3, 2009 4:42 PM MST up reply actions

Indeed...

… but we kind of knew that was going to be what we got with him going in.

by Greg Stanwood on Mar 3, 2009 4:44 PM MST up reply actions

Game Tomorrow

Apparently, the Rockies are going to play the Diamondbacks tomorrow in an unofficial game. Marquis, Rusch, Fogg, Street, and Speier will pitch.

by Greg Stanwood on Mar 3, 2009 4:44 PM MST reply actions

Also...

Words seems to be that Ubaldo Jimenez will be starting tomorrow for the Dominican team against the Cardinals.

by Greg Stanwood on Mar 3, 2009 4:47 PM MST up reply actions

According to MLB.com

The Dominican Team plays the Cardinals on Thursday not Wednesday, so I assume that is what they meant.

by Greg Stanwood on Mar 3, 2009 4:51 PM MST up reply actions

So that's

Welp, Erp, Help, Yelp, and Heh?

Aue tehan-deoes shaj do’ ai poyene slueden!

by Silverblood on Mar 3, 2009 4:48 PM MST up reply actions

Did you just change your icon?

Or did I just not notice it before?

by holly96 on Mar 3, 2009 5:14 PM MST up reply actions

No, I've had this one for a while.

Since the beginning of the year at least. Can’t remember exactly when. I thought it went with the name.

Aue tehan-deoes shaj do’ ai poyene slueden!

by Silverblood on Mar 3, 2009 5:22 PM MST up reply actions

Huh

I must be terribly unobservant. But in any case, yes, it does go nicely with your name.

by holly96 on Mar 3, 2009 5:28 PM MST up reply actions

The bottom looking up

Hey, we may be 0-7 but we’re only 5.5 games out of first place!

by roxhead on Mar 3, 2009 5:22 PM MST reply actions

Now that's the attitude!

http://twitter.com/blakebomber

by BlakeBomber on Mar 4, 2009 10:44 AM MST up reply actions

I'd also like to mention

Iannetta struck out in his only at-bat today. woopdeedoo

by Resolution on Mar 3, 2009 5:26 PM MST reply actions

this game sucked completely

it made me cry but the conversation was great

i dislike men, you don't know what the hell you want out of life.

by pierzynskirules on Mar 3, 2009 5:39 PM MST reply actions

well then 0-7 start

i kno it’s only ST but still…yuck

and o yea manny juss signed wit the dodgers officially

Jiri Hudler...our underrated MVP

by TuLoRocks2008 on Mar 3, 2009 6:58 PM MST reply actions

thanks for the heads up,

I just posted this as a front page Fanshot because heavens knows we aren’t tired of hearing about Manny.

by Rox Girl on Mar 3, 2009 7:42 PM MST up reply actions

yep i hear ya

Jiri Hudler...our underrated MVP

by TuLoRocks2008 on Mar 3, 2009 7:56 PM MST up reply actions

It's unfortunately newsworthy

I was going to do it earlier this evening, but I couldn’t bring myself to type his name again. I’ll have to Monday.

Thanks for doing the evil deed

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 8:06 PM MST up reply actions

ESPN changed the wording of their story.

Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers finally reached some common ground in their negotiations, a source close to the talks told ESPNdeportes.com’s Enrique Rojas.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 8:13 PM MST up reply actions

Funny.

There’s a baby picture of me just like the wrap rating’s.

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 3, 2009 8:11 PM MST reply actions

That may be

the kind of thing it’s better not to admit in public.

Aue tehan-deoes shaj do’ ai poyene slueden!

by Silverblood on Mar 3, 2009 8:14 PM MST up reply actions

Like I knew what I was doing

when I was 1 or 2.

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 3, 2009 8:15 PM MST up reply actions

So MLB's PR department

e-mailed me a CBS Entertainment press release about Team USA doing the Top 10 on Letterman Thursday night. Iannetta is not one of the ten:

THIS JUST IN…

…from CBS Entertainment

NEW YORK, March 3 – Ten Major League Baseball stars participating in this spring’s World Baseball Classic will present the “Top Ten Reasons to Watch the World Baseball Classic” on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, March 5 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The 10 Team USA players taking part in the Top Ten List are: Derek Jeter from the New York Yankees; David Wright from the New York Mets; Chipper Jones from the Atlanta Braves; Ryan Braun from the Milwaukee Brewers; Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies; Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis from the Boston Red Sox; Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers; Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros; and Adam Dunn from the Washington Nationals.

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 3, 2009 8:18 PM MST reply actions

Of COURSE Iannetta isn't one of them.

He plays for the Rockies.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 8:20 PM MST up reply actions

the who?

by Resolution on Mar 3, 2009 8:22 PM MST up reply actions

Well,

they’re not the Red Sox, and they’re not the Yankees, and they’re not the Cubs, so…. must be somebody’s Triple-A affiliate.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 8:28 PM MST up reply actions

And they're not Bud Selig's team

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 8:28 PM MST up reply actions

Did you get the one about

MLB NETWORK TO AIR GRIFFEY’S DIRTY LAUNDRY ON WEDNESDAY

or whatever it was, too? I wonder why the sudden interest in what Purple Row can do for them.

by Rox Girl on Mar 3, 2009 8:55 PM MST up reply actions

Yes, I got that one, too.

Maybe we should ask our people if they also received those e-mails. I bet the Yahoo thing has a part in this.

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 3, 2009 8:57 PM MST up reply actions

Probably,

I have to say, though, that my favorite e-mail today was the one from Ticketmaster alerting me that Asheville Tourists tickets are available. That just made me very happy to know that Spring is almost officially here.

by Rox Girl on Mar 3, 2009 9:08 PM MST up reply actions

"Spring is almost officially here"?

Heck — it was 91 degrees F in Tucson today.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 9:14 PM MST up reply actions

75˚ in Golden/Denver

Now I’m just waiting for the March blizzard and we can officially call it spring.

"A great catch is like watching girls go by; the last one you see is always the prettiest." ~Bob Gibson
JFK

by jrockies on Mar 3, 2009 10:08 PM MST up reply actions

The same exact thing happens every "spring" here

in Salt Lake City.

"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." -Bob Dylan

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Mar 4, 2009 6:48 AM MST up reply actions

By the way,

it’s a good thing I made the distinction that it was 91 degrees F rather than 91 degrees C. I’m sure you Rox fans would be concerned if your team were playing its ST games in a town that was 195.8 degrees F.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 10:15 PM MST up reply actions

How about

playing a game at -44?

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 3, 2009 10:19 PM MST up reply actions

.....?

Why do you ask?

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 10:55 PM MST up reply actions

Try converting it both ways.

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 3, 2009 11:09 PM MST up reply actions

I'm so confused right now!!

Stop it! I was an international security major!!

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 11:44 PM MST up reply actions

You started it

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 11:45 PM MST up reply actions

Actually,

I mean -40. Didn’t pick up on having it wrong until I emerged from a night of sleep.

"If we never try, we shall never succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Mar 4, 2009 7:31 AM MST up reply actions

You beat me to the correction.

"A great catch is like watching girls go by; the last one you see is always the prettiest." ~Bob Gibson
JFK

by jrockies on Mar 4, 2009 7:36 AM MST up reply actions

Ahhh.....

that makes more sense.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 4, 2009 9:14 AM MST up reply actions

I got those too...

and don’t know why.

Eschew Obfuscation!

by Jeff Aberle on Mar 3, 2009 11:39 PM MST up reply actions

I'm jealous

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 11:42 PM MST up reply actions

Probably

because you’re an author?

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 11:43 PM MST up reply actions

I didn't get it

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 11:43 PM MST up reply actions

It's becuz

you suck

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 3, 2009 11:44 PM MST up reply actions

I'm beginning to understand that Z

represents the letter of sarcasm in a given comment LOLZ

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 11:46 PM MST up reply actions

ZOMGZ YOU ZUCK ZO MUCH LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 4, 2009 12:00 AM MST up reply actions

Is that why

I got a total of 33 comments on my three articles this week?

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 3, 2009 11:58 PM MST up reply actions

33? Ouch....

Could be.

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 4, 2009 12:00 AM MST up reply actions

It's not a competition...

But if it was you certainly wouldn’t have anything to be ashamed of. Your KYF articles have received a lot more non Yahoo! referral hits than any other pieces anybody else has done over the last couple of weeks thanks to McCovey Chronicles and TBLA linking them.

by Rox Girl on Mar 4, 2009 8:17 AM MST up reply actions

woot

happy dance

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Mar 4, 2009 8:21 AM MST up reply actions

Makes you feel any better,

from time to time, I get press releases from Eric Byrnes’ agent, and it’s always something along the lines of: “The Arizona Diamondbacks’ MOST POPULAR PLAYER will be signing autographs tomorrow at 2PM at Arizona Mills for $25. This will be Eric’s only autograph session all year…”

We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan

by DbacksSkins on Mar 4, 2009 9:17 AM MST up reply actions