A Bullpen in Crisis
The Colorado Rockies' 4-3 loss last night to the Padres dropped them to 0-7 in games decided by two runs or less (0-5 in one run games). As a result, it appears that the loser of that game, Manny Corpas, has his tenuous closer position in doubt. In all, the Rockies bullpen has blown three of six save opportunities this year, posting an unsightly ERA of 5.40. Corpas' thoughts:
"I have to do something quick. I don't like this. It makes me mad. I am serious," Corpas said. "I don't want this to happen again."
Rockies fans hope so too, Manny. And so does my fantasy team for that matter.
Tracy Ringolsby goes so far as to suggest that Corpas be sent down to the minors for a bit to work on his mechanics. This is an intriguing (and perhaps necessary) suggestion, as according to my chart Corpas has two options remaining. This might be a move to be made when Buchholz comes off the DL in a month, or Manny might force the Rockies' hand sooner if his poor performances continue.
Brad Hawpe Update
Rockies fans (even those in the Free Matt Murton Fan Club) did get some positive news yesterday as Brad Hawpe's scary injury on Monday was deemed to be only a neck contusion, not a concussion. Had he suffered a concussion he almost certainly would have gone on the DL. The injury was especially scary for Matt Daley, who was present when Mike Coolbaugh was killed by a line drive in 2007. Hawpe expects to be back in the lineup on Friday against San Francisco. In Hawpe's words:
"After that happened (against L.A.), I decided I was going to slide feet first. And now this happened. So I don't know what I'm going to do," Hawpe said.
Brad has been the most consistent (the good kind of consistent) hitter of the Rockies' regulars, so this is great news for all except perhaps enthusiasts of outfield defense and those who have seen Seth Smith's power surge.
Fowler Files
In the aftermath of the five steal game on Monday by Dexter Fowler, Dave Cameron at Fangraphs examined Chris Young's fatal flaw. Long story short: Young is horrible at holding runners on (maybe even worse than Hideo Nomo). Those stealing on Young are doing so since 2007 at a 97% rate!
In a blog post by Renck, Hurdle basically anoints Dex as his everyday CF. Fowler has been very impressive this April to say the least. We'll see if he can maintain this extraordinary level of production over a long season. As Renck states:
Fowler provides a speed dynamic offensively and range defensively that no other player on the roster can match. The team’s best lineup is when he leads off.
Also mentioned in the notes is that Jason Hammel will remain the fifth starter for the near future--but also that Jason Hirsh is coming on strong in AAA.