Saturday Rockpile: Hammel looks to regain form, Hirsh demoted to bullpen, Smith (hopefully) a mainstay in the lineup
by Bryan Kilpatrick on Jul 18, 2009 9:47 AM MDT
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PrintHammel ready to bounce back on hill | ColoradoRockies.com: News
Jason Hammel is back on the road tonight, meaning we can likely expect a good start from him. He had trouble getting people out on the homestand before the All-Star break, and really has had trouble at Coors all year long. I'm predicting that a healthy mix of Petco Park and a stinky Padres offense will be just the right cure for Jason's recent woes.
Inside the Colorado Rockies " Hirsh Now Relieving for Sky Sox | News and commentary about the Colorado Rockies major league baseball team
Jack Etkin goes into more detail about Jason Hirsh's move to the Sky Sox bullpen that was brought up in a Pebble Report from a couple of days ago. So far, success has not come with the change. He's only hitting 88 with his fastball and his slider has been poor. The article also mentions that Greg Reynolds extended himself to throwing 100 feet. He still isn't close to a rehab assignment.
Smith earns start in left with offense - The Denver Post
It looks like Jim Tracy has finally seen the light, and is able to see what the rest of us have been seeing throughout the entirety of the season. Seth Smith started his fourth consecutive game last night. His 1-for-4 performance (with seven runners left on base) was definitely more of the exception than the norm, so hopefully Tracy doesn't see that as some kind of opportunity to put Carlos Gonzalez back into the starting lineup on a permanent basis.
Buster Olney rank the NL's easiest roads to the postseason - ESPN
Buster Olney ranks the Rockies as having the fifth easiest route to the playoffs. He mentions the tough stretch they have in late-August where they will play ten straight games against the Dodgers and Giants.
Baseball Prospectus fixes the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres - ESPN
This was posted a couple of days ago at ESPN.com. According to Jay Jaffe, the Rockies need to make a pitch at a big reliever, in addition to acquiring depth for the bullpen. The club already fulfilled his depth wish by adding Matt Herges a couple of days ago. Now, will the Rox make a run at a guy like Chad Qualls? Do they need to? Your thoughts...
Slow day for news, overall. As the late, great Walter Cronkite would say, "And that's the way it is..."
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Anyone else
interested to see if Dex is benched today for his Willie Mays-Hayes routine last night? I think Tracy’s gotta sit him down one for that. While I’m generally not one to get on kids for hot-dogging it, my tolerance extends only to the point where you still make the play. No harm, no foul? We’ll see.
I was thinking the same thing
and it helps that Tracy needs/wants to give CarGo some AB’s too and that allows for Fowler to sit and think tonight.
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
IMO no, he learned his lesson.
However, if there were a place where CarGo should be playing on occasion, it’s in CF.
Eschew Obfuscation!
Postgame?
I think benching him for that would be an overreaction. The current Rockies context doesn’t seem like that—the sort of thing that might happen on other teams with other managers. Tracy sat Fowler down at the end of the inning and had a talk with him, so it did not seem he was tolerating it.
Did anyone catch the post game interview? Did anyone ask Tracy about it?
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
I'm not out for blood here
and I’d be fine if Dex is playing tonight, but this is the kind of thing that needs to be emphasized (and, to be fair, has been under Tracy). I don’t want to squish the fun out of the game for these guys, but we’re in a playoff race now and its kill or be killed.
For me, depends on context
If the staff has talked to Fowler about it before, then a think a benching makes sense. If not, then I think the way Tracy handled it probably works for the time being.
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
Fowler
made a long run to the corner of CF/RF on a fly ball (that would be out in any normal park by 20 ft). But instead of putting his glove up…he lowered it at the last second to make a basket catch…it hit the heal of his glove, and fell safe for an error.
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
Context: it was in the 8th with just a 2-run lead
So if it was show-boating, it was quite the inopportune time for it.
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
the announcers said show boating
but I don’t think it really was (though only Fowler knows) Personally, I think he over ran the ball a little…as he had to lower his head and sprint. I think he miss played the ball. But he did look a little lackadaisical on the play when he put the glove out. If he had used two hands, and looked the ball into the glove..it would have been an out.
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
I don't know
I think you’re being charitable. I thought it was pretty blatant showboating (even my wife did) and I’ve seen Dex do that before. But even if you’re right, it was still pretty sloppy and technique that needs to be corrected.
I agree with your statement..
And actually if you look at the replay he did use both hands. The ball bounced off of the glove and his right hand.
Check out my Rockies comic strip at:
Rock Drive 1.4
Oh gotcha...I thought you all might have been talking about the forward diving catch.
I didn’t see the play, but it sounds like a ball that most outfielders wouldn’t have even gotten to in the first place.
I haven't looked so I don't know
but…..isn’t it great that we fans have this play to complain about. Seems a long time since May when we had SO many more issues
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
no kidding
really searching for criticism. Though the Padres may have as much to do with it as our own play. I was a Padres fan before the Rox were born, and its sad to watch how pitiful they look right now. Beautiful empty ballpark, and a team full of dudes that wouldn’t even rate as decent prospects in most organizations. Amazing how far they’ve fallen since The Slide. I wonder if Padres fans look back at that Laces Out Marino style, slowly going insane…
Here's a closeup shot of Fowler's drop from the Padres feed:
Check out my Rockies comic strip at:
Rock Drive 1.4
Can we make that the official "Bad Fowler" photo?
by bballrox4717 on Jul 18, 2009 12:58 PM MDT up reply actions
Dex Forgets?
No more asking please for wins, now I'm telling you: YOU WILL WIN.
"Good is not good when better is expected." -Vin Scully
by The Lodo Magic Man on Jul 18, 2009 3:55 PM MDT up reply actions
That was my thought when I saw this picture
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
I agree somewhat,
Although I can see both sides of the argument. It’s a fine line between sending a message to tighten the ship and being the overbearing captain (like Hurdle appeared to be when he benched Tulo for swinging earlier in the season) but this was a pretty clear case of a player taking something for granted and mistakes like that need to be cleaned up for the stretch drive. I think benching him’s probably in order as long as its not done just to throw Tracy’s authority around.
Agree with that
particularly the Tulo/Hurdle reference. I thought that move was pretty bush league, and it seems to me that it caused a pretty legitimate rift between CH and Tulo (who was one of the few players that didn’t seem to be sad at all about CH’s departure). Fine line between constructive punishment and abusive punishment.
Tracy isn't the type of guy to throw his authority around...
And the players seem to respect him well enough to know that Tracy genuinely has the team’s best interests at heart. I think that if Dexter is in fact benched, he won’t be upset, he knows he made a mistake. Very very unlike the benching Tulo got from Hurdle (which was both a power ploy and an act of desperation).
Bullpen
I think the answers to our bullpen lay in the minors. I think the Rockies have already added a MAJOR impact arm to the pen in Franklin Morales.
Could Hynick or Deduno, or Rodgers or Chacin (or others as I’m not listing all the pitchers in the Rox system) also help? For some pitchers making the transition to the bigs through the bullpen, is a good way to get their feet wet. (and used to be done a lot years ago) Now not all will be able to adjust to the pen, and then back, so it’s really a person by person issue.
I ‘d rather see the Rockies look inside before taking on more mediocre middle relievers or giving too much to land a proven arm. Qualls is a nice name, as is Sherill. I’m not so sold on Hawkins, and what would it take to get one of these pitchers?
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
From that article at Inside the Rockies
we have this really great news:
Tulsa reliever Shane Lindsday (elbow strain), who last pitched May 6, is making progress. He threw a 35-pitch bullpen _ just fastballs and changeups _ on Thursday and is scheduled to use all his pitches in a 45-pitch bullpen Saturday.
If he hadn’t been hurt, he would be in the Rockies pen right now. If he can recover, we might have another arm for the stretch run.
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
I have long been a big fan of Lindsay, but he just can't stay healthy
of course at least 1 of those injuries was a pretty freak thing, breaking your hand on someone’s face doesn’t happen everyday, unless you’re Chuck Norris. He was reaching 97 in many of his starts, so he definitely has an upper level fastball that would be a weapon out of the pen. While he is getting healthy and making some appearances in AA I wouldn’t mind seeing Rogers get that first chance to see if he can help the pen.
It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
It's possible
You probably want the guy with the best two-pitch combo. It can be tricky because the player will be adjusting to both relieving and pitching to hitters at the ML level. But sometimes these guys can really be lights out in a relief role because they can haul off and throw just their 2 best pitches. (Phil Hughes is going crazy at the moment—25 K’s, 5 BB’s, 2 runs in 20.1 IP as a reliever. Then again, this is after 28 major league starts, so he’s not that comparable.)
You could bring one up and begin with lower leverage outings…though there haven’t been a lot of those lately with the starters going so deep in games.
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
All weekend games
should be day games. I hate California 8 pm stretches.
"If I can't live off $12-million, there are serious problems." -Larry Walker on Juan Gonzalez
eh
it gets pretty hot during the middle of the day at coors field, if i wanted to sweat my ass off (literally) i would do it somewhere very close to cheaper beer and a pool.
by cocainelips99 on Jul 18, 2009 6:45 PM MDT up reply actions
the bullpen
I don’t have an Insider sub—can someone summarize Jaffe’s argument?
“Need” is a strong word considering the cost of getting a better/more reliable reliever than a Herges-type. It’s probably worth it to use as much of the remaining games in July to assess Corpas and Morales. They have been playing pretty well with a bad pen, so they probably don’t need to make a move to make the playoffs. I do think they they’d have a better chance if the pen is stronger than it has been.
The pen has been better (by ERA) under Tracy, though that is due at least as much to letting the starters go longer (thus, fewer innings by the crappy guys), as well as getting rid of some of the guys who were really stinking it up (Grilli, Rusch, and bad Manny) as his management. While no decent team loses many games while leading in the 7th/8th/9th, the Rockies have blown as many such leads under Tracy as the Giants and Dodgers have all year. (4 7th inning leads; a couple of those were blown by the starters.) So our eyes aren’t deceiving us, there’s room for improvement.
Is it worth trading a top prospect for a pitcher who is both a reliable force in the 8th and cost controlled next year (like a Jim Johnson, a guy some have noted in other threads)? Probably not. But if they could take on a little salary and trade a package possibly including lesser prospects for someone like Sherrill, that might be worth it.
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
It's pretty much exactly what you're saying...
With the capsule for every team format, he doesn’t have much space to get into detail and it’s a generic “this will help” sort of thing.
Thanks, I see.
It is the one thing that quickly sticks out, as it’s a very well-rounded team otherwise. Seeing Peralta and Rincon used in the 8th in tight games must be a bit of a shock to the casual observer.
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
Am I really underestimating the Marlins that much?
Olney sees them as having the second easiest road to the post season:
The Marlins are in the midst of a home series against the Phillies now, and next week they play three in L.A., and then … a whole lot of fluff.
but I don’t know if I see it that way. After returning from LA, they get Atlanta, who I think is a better team than them, Chicago, who I think is a better team than them, they go on the road to Washington (okay, so this might be a break) and Philly and then come back home to face the Astros, who are about as good as they are, and us, another team that should beat them before going out on the road at Houston and Atlanta.
Am I wrong here? To me this looks like a very difficult schedule. Atlanta will really be gunning to beat them and put themselves as the Phillies primary chasers. Philly will have a great chance to pad their lead. The Rockies will want to do the same in the wild card chase, and Chicago and Houston will still be pretty desperate for wins themselves. The only fluff I see in that stretch is Washington. September’s a little bit easier, but not that much with road trips to St. Louis and Atlanta included.
The Astros have won 8 of their last 10 and are 9-4 in July..
Plus the Braves laid a whuppin on the Kruk All-Stars Mets last night. The Marlins are just too young to be competitive against the rest of their division. But they’re making a nice early run for 2010.
Check out my Rockies comic strip at:
Rock Drive 1.4
you might be a little
but not much
Florida is 0-2 since the all-star break dropping 2 to the Phighten Phills. Floriday is 4-6 over their last 10 games and they are behind the Astros and the Cubs and tied with Altlanta. I like Florida’s starting pitching, but after Hanley Ramierez their offense gets thin fast. Uggla is ok (.224 BA, w/ 16 Hrs), Baker is underrated catcher and Cantu is a good hitter.
But to say that Chicago, the Astros and the Braves are “fluff” is just flat wrong. Of these teams I like the Braves. Their starting pitching is just as good as Florida, and they have a better hitting line up. Prado, is really hot, your lover Larry Jones is getting healthy. McClouth was a huge addition for them.
The Astros, I don’t think have enough there to really make a run, though they are hot, and they believe…which can’t be over looked. Chicago has a big money players and Soriano can’t suck forever (my fantasy team hopes not anyway).
I like Atlanta over Florida, Cubs, the Astros.
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
Astros
I should add, I don’t think they have the starting pitching. Their offensive line up is just fine.
Bourn needs to walk more as a lead off guy..but he’s hitting so that’s ok, Pence, Tejada, Lee, Berkman, are all doing fine. Blum is having a career year. Even I-Rod and Kaz are respectable. I like their offense. It’s the rotation of Oswalt, W. Rodriquez (their best pitcher), Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz, and Mike Hampton/Feilipe Paulino, that I have a problem taking seriously.
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
Oswalt and Wandy are a pretty solid 1-2, after that it gets iffy,
Still, the Astros have put a number on the NL West this season like no other team, it seems, 18-7 and counting so far. It’s nice to see the Dodgers get beat up by them like we did.
We got beat up by them
and then we took it to everyone else we played for the next two weeks. I hope the Dodgers don’t get any ideas.
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
Hello fellow Rox fans :) My first post :O
Guys..I’m just throwing this out there..but for those of you who have Comcast and can’t watch the Rockies game because you’re out of the area..MLB Extra Innings has a free preview from now until the 22nd. The Rockies game is on channel 459. Just letting y’all know. GO ROCKIES!
What do you guys think about..
Signing Tyler Walker?? The Phils just released him and he has good numbers for pitching at CBP..I remember he throws purdy hard from his days with San Fran..
Also i think it’s time we brought back up Ryan Speier. Rincon looks too hittable for my liking. Trade Torrealba and bring up Philips. Put CarGo down and bring back up Murton. Give Spilly some more playing time because Dex just doesn’t get it done. Think about it..how many times have you seen Dex get a multihit game? Not many..in fact I don’t know if I’ve EVER seen him get 3 hits in one game. I’m just saying maybe Spilly should start a little more.
Fowler's OBP
is trending upwards—.374 in June-July. I think he’s hanging in there.
Welcome to PR, btw. It’s a great place for Rockies fans. I’m new here as well (just found the site this April).
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
im glad you found it
I have come to really respect your insight and opinions
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein
by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 18, 2009 5:44 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Couldn't Agree More
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
Thanks!
It’s really a good site, with lots of contributors. Sometimes it seems there’s so few Rockies fans in the Front Range, so this place is great.
Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!
I disagree with your opinion on everything.
Nah I’m kidding. Not many really follow the advanced metrics, and PF and I tend to be more like-minded.
Chris Iannetta status: DOOM
Seth Smith status: FREE SETH SMITH
Matt Murton status: Prisoner Exchanged for CarGon
Mike McCoy status: FREE MIKE MCCOY
by Andrew Martin on Jul 18, 2009 10:02 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Funny I thought you were a longtime standing Row contributer
but then again, I haven’t been here long either.
And definitely per Poseidon’s Fist, you have excellent insight and opinions, especially on trade stuff.
by bballrox4717 on Jul 18, 2009 7:44 PM MDT up reply actions
"put cargo down"
I know what you mean and don’t disagree, but I must admit that phrase have me two funny images. One, cargo on the bench with a dunce cap while Jim Tracy shouts at him “cargo, you suck! You’re terrible!” doesn’t seem very helpful. The second is of cargo lying groggily on a vet’s table while o’dowd brandishes a needle. That seems an unjust punishment. Though I agree, if dex and smith continue to make such strong cases to start, I’d rather cargo got abs in aaa than sat as an ineffective overanxious punch hitter
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein
by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 18, 2009 5:40 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
also, Fowler is fourth on the team with 19 multi hit games
I believe hawpe and barmes have 30 and helton is in the upper 20s
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein
by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 18, 2009 5:42 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Helton & Hawpe w/30
Barmes has 28 I think
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
Welcome
and “trade player X” is usually easier said then done In Torrealba’s case the Rockies did try to trade him. It was one reason his return was so stretched out. No takers. His contract and lack of arm was a turn off.
Also Phillips had a nice stay…but he’s a journyman catcher, and they are a dime a dozen. His career stats don’t show any reason he would maintain his production at the level he had. while replacing Yorvit.
Now…is Torrealba a better catcher than Phillips? I don’t think so…pretty even..just that Torrealba is more expensive…so might as well get something out of him (if the Rockies were to cut him, they would still have to pay him to NOT play)
and welcome…hope you stick around
Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!
Dex may not have multi-hit games
But he has many hit+walk games.
Chris Iannetta status: DOOM
Seth Smith status: FREE SETH SMITH
Matt Murton status: Prisoner Exchanged for CarGon
Mike McCoy status: FREE MIKE MCCOY
by Andrew Martin on Jul 18, 2009 10:02 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah I know he gets a ton of walks..around 50 already this season..and a fair amount of singles. But that’s all. I hardly see him get an extra base hit. Ehh..but I guess that can be excused with his speed and base-stealing ability.
He's on pace for like 35 XBH
That’s a solid number for a rookie.
Chris Iannetta status: DOOM
Seth Smith status: FREE SETH SMITH
Matt Murton status: Prisoner Exchanged for CarGon
Mike McCoy status: FREE MIKE MCCOY
by Andrew Martin on Jul 18, 2009 10:04 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
The Bullpen
IMO, it goes on faith on whether or not you trust Corpas to solidify himself and pitch like he should be capable of(2007 season), if you trust Perralta and Rincon.
Personally, I am very skeptical of the bullpen. I’d like to add a proven guy to the mix. However, what would we have to give up to get someone? I like Qualls a lot due to him throwing strikes. I’ve thought about possibly some other guys who may be available, like John Grabow, but Grabow’s 1.51 WHIP kinda scares me. Sherrill would cost too much IMO. Jim Johnson though may be someone to look at.
I guess it really depends on what other teams have available, and what they are asking for. Oakland has some guys to target, like Michael Wuertz.
Wow more than Barmes? scratches head Of course he’s going to be up there in multi hit games because he plays every day..Let’s take a looky. Left fielder has always been in limbo with Gonzalez Smith and Spilly. So he’s going to have more multi hit games than them. Tulo SHOULD have more..that’s sort of surprising to me. Stewart and Atkins split time at 3rd. And of course the catcher position also splits time. So yeah..Dexter beign 4th in multi hit games doesn’t exactly wow me.
Welcome to Purple Row
I am glad that you have found this site and are actively contributing, but it does make it easier to follow your comments if you press the reply button on the comment your are replying to. This feature took me a little bit of time to figure out as it is not completely natural.
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
I know it's early
but Pittsburgh is beating San Francisco in the 4th 1-0.
I now get live updates on all MLB games with the portable MLB game tracker I just got for my birthday, so I figured I’d use it.
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
Watching
Yeah I’m watching that game…anybody remember Charlie Morton?? I remember when he came to Coors and the movement on his pitches looked AMAZING..Rockies had a lot of trouble hitting that guy. Almost reminds me of Hammel..maybe a little better though.
by CentralCaliRox on Jul 18, 2009 6:15 PM MDT up reply actions
He's one of those guys where it just seemed a matter of time
Before he figured it out. Earlier in the season when it seemed we might be out of the race and selling parts, I thought he’d be a good acquisition from the Braves as part of an exchange for Spilborghs.
7th now
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
you know it's bad when you watch the enemy on gamecast
I mean, it’s only the middle of july and playoff fever is already in full swing
Here's to hoping Francis has a speedy recovery...
It's baseball
and the Cubs are winning on WGN after a good 6th.
"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK
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