Thursday Rockpile: Closing the second playoff avenue for some competition...

by Rox Girl on Jul 9, 2009 9:06 AM MDT in Rockpile

At the beginning of a season, teams will typically look to their division title as the path of least resistant to the playoffs. The reason is simply a matter of less competition. Your team only has to be really good compared to three to five other teams rather than a dozen. Still, there's that plan B in the Wild Card sitting at the back of their minds if one of their divisional foes proves too difficult a challenge to overcome.

This is the case of your 2009 Rockies, who are in plan B mode, even if they would never admit as much. It behooves them, then to cut off this secondary playoff path to as many other teams as they can early and this four game set with the Braves provides an opportunity to do just that.

So today we start a series against a team that's still focusing on their plan A, but is trying to ignore that their plan B may be moving out of reach. The Braves are four games behind Philadelphia for the NL East, but five behind the Giants for the wild card. They are looking to come into town and gain ground on the Phillies:

"We need to get this cut back down to two by the break if we can," manager Bobby Cox said. "You're not out of this until you're 12 or 13 games out. That first year we won the division (in 1991), we were (9 1/2 games) out at the break."

and the only way they can figure on doing that is by winning a series in Denver. On the other hand, the Rockies (and Cardinals and Giants) are in a position to break the NL into four tiers rather than the three (Dodgers/middle pack/trailers) we've been seeing for the last few weeks. Okay, Washington's probably on their own tier also, but you get what I'm saying.

A series win or a sweep by the Rockies puts them at least eight games over .500 at the All Star break, and the Giants and Cardinals could be right in that neighborhood as well with winning series. This would break them into a lead pack heading into the final months of the season. Tracy Ringolsby asks what would be enough in this series, I think three wins should be the target to start making this wild card chase a three team race.

The competition isn't worried:

Hanson ready for Rockies | ajc.com

Variations on a theme of a team meeting focusing on offense:

DENVER -- Setting aside Wednesday's offensive outburst against the worst team in the majors, Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy is right to worry slightly about his team's hitting of late..

you can probably tell that one's a little on the pessimistic side.

From the Rockies official site.

Other links:

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Comments

a win tonight is critical

If we want to win 3 of 4, and Hanson has pitched well so far.

by Roxfan24 on Jul 9, 2009 9:20 AM MDT reply actions

Now we are supposedly interested in Freddy Sanchez

for EY2. Sanchez has like a 124 OPS+ compared to 106+ for Barmes. I still think we should just promote EY2.

by moomacher on Jul 9, 2009 9:26 AM MDT reply actions

you just beat me

I was about to post something about the sanchez rumor. I don’t really see how this would be a plus. I believe we’d be adding salary if we went that route.

The poster formerly known as Blake20th.

by NewMexicanSteven on Jul 9, 2009 9:30 AM MDT up reply actions

He makes $6.1 million this year

and his $8 million club option for next year is likely to kick in based on plate appearances. That seems very expensive for a minor offensive upgrade AND giving up a decent prospect.

by moomacher on Jul 9, 2009 9:35 AM MDT up reply actions

Have these various Pitts trade rumors been substantiated in any way?

or merely lazy reporting because of the Tracy/Pirates connection?

somewhere inbetween?

"Right now, I'm eating Scrambled Eggs, with a comb, from a shoe!"

by WalkInRight on Jul 9, 2009 9:44 AM MDT up reply actions

It's hard to impossible

to substantiate a trade rumor. No one that is a part to the talks will actually say what names are being tossed about. However, you do get reporters sources as trades or trade chips are usually talked to other teams as well.

Like: Hey you want Sanchez? No .Hey, I heard the Pirates were shopping Sanchez.

Start Seth Smith! Free Eric Young Jr.!

by Redhawk on Jul 9, 2009 9:48 AM MDT up reply actions

Laziness Knows No Bounds

Reporters probably look at lists of teams in contention, and then look for names they don’t recognize because they don’t follow anyone who doesn’t get national attention. Then they go to Ken Rosenthal’s list of available players and match up by position. You think, with some of the ridiculous stories that get printed, that they even remember Jim Tracy managed the Pirates?

by deacs on Jul 9, 2009 9:49 AM MDT up reply actions

ZOMG TEH YANKEES MIGHT TRADE FOR HOUSTON STREET

"DAMMIT! No, calm down. Learn to enjoy losing." --Hunter S. Thompson

by PioneerSkies on Jul 9, 2009 9:58 AM MDT up reply actions

Bingo.

by deacs on Jul 9, 2009 10:57 AM MDT up reply actions

WHen I saw that, I did a "....huhWHA?!" double take.

Pirates journalists really seem to think the Rockies are interested in their players. I don’t know if it’s the Tracy connection or what, but no Colorado journalists have been reporting any of this stuff.

by Greg Stanwood on Jul 9, 2009 9:41 AM MDT up reply actions

If the Pirates players would really be an upgrade...

…their current team wouldn’t suck so hard, and for so long.

Seriously.

Ian Snell? headcase
Freddy Sanchez? Decent, but too expensive
Matt Capps? Severely overrated (at least by the writers trying to start trade rumors)

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

by Mondogarage on Jul 9, 2009 9:57 AM MDT up reply actions

But what of Woody?

In his mailbag he suggests trading Quintanilla for Josh Beckett. Or something like that.

What’s weird is that he thinks that trading fan favorite Spilly won’t have any effect on the chemistry of the team if they win. But if you scroll down, he pretty much contradicts that in the question about Birdman.

Funny Dog to Make Life Worthwhile

by frightened inmate #2 on Jul 9, 2009 9:34 AM MDT reply actions

Woody Paige is an idiot savant

Anyone see him on that ESPN sports reporters thing yesterday? He sounded like an abject tool, particularly with regard to the discussion about someone else’s editorial re the Pacers.

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

by Mondogarage on Jul 9, 2009 9:59 AM MDT up reply actions

what's the savant part?

Free Seth Smith!

by FooMan on Jul 9, 2009 10:22 AM MDT up reply actions

Agreed.

The sentence “Woody Paige is an idiot.” is complete and requires no additional modification. (At least where baseball is concerned. He may not be a complete idiot on football related matters.)

Ignorance of the American League is a sign of good moral character.

by RdRnnr on Jul 9, 2009 10:29 AM MDT up reply actions

RdRnnr

I like you signature about the American League.

by lizardlad01 on Jul 9, 2009 10:43 AM MDT up reply actions

I like it too

Nicely done.

http://twitter.com/blakebomber

by BlakeBomber on Jul 9, 2009 11:03 AM MDT up reply actions

I don't necessarily disagree with him, though.

I think in basketball one player can have a far greater effect on team chemistry than one player in baseball.

by holly96 on Jul 9, 2009 10:16 PM MDT up reply actions

heh, should I be calling him G-Loz?

As does Carloz Gonzalez

"DAMMIT! No, calm down. Learn to enjoy losing." --Hunter S. Thompson

by PioneerSkies on Jul 9, 2009 9:40 AM MDT reply actions

Zazzoz Zizzazez

by Greg Stanwood on Jul 9, 2009 9:42 AM MDT up reply actions

sounds like a cough drop brand

"Right now, I'm eating Scrambled Eggs, with a comb, from a shoe!"

by WalkInRight on Jul 9, 2009 9:48 AM MDT up reply actions

Don't blink

Don’t look now but we have the 3rd best pitching staff in the division.

by lizardlad01 on Jul 9, 2009 10:53 AM MDT reply actions

That doesn't even include park effects or our poor defense.

Put that in there and we’re about even, if not better. This is a couple weeks old, but our case hasn’t really been hurt in that time.

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 9, 2009 10:58 AM MDT up reply actions

Is the defense still poor?

I wonder. The staff is 2nd in GB/FB ratio and presumably the current starting infield is one of the better ones. Gonzalez is playing more in the OF, which must help. I guess it depends on whether one believes Fowler is really playing below-avg defense in CF, which I still have trouble seeing. (Though it doesn’t seem to be any systematic bias on the part of bUZR, as under even smaller sample sizes, Spilly and Gonzalez have better range ratings.)

Free Seth Smith!

by FooMan on Jul 9, 2009 11:11 AM MDT up reply actions

Opportunity time has expired

for Gonzalez and Fowler. Tracy wants hits, needs hits because the pitching staff cannot prop up offense all season long, play Spilly permanently in the outfield and play Smith more.

by indianrox on Jul 9, 2009 11:10 AM MDT reply actions

From the What-have-you-done-lately-for-me dept:

Last 7 days:

Spilly: .182 avg, .182 OBP, 364. SLG
Dex: .278 avg, .435 OBP, .389 SLG
CarG: .286 avg, .444 OBP .500 SLG

Free Seth Smith!

by FooMan on Jul 9, 2009 11:16 AM MDT up reply actions

it's good to see Cargo turning it up

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 9, 2009 11:29 AM MDT up reply actions

Spilborghs

has long struck me as a good 4th outfielder, a guy who can start 1-2x a week and pinch hit. He’ll provide some production, as he did yesterday. I don’t see him as an everyday outfielder. He’s nowhere near as good defensively as Gonzalez.

You’re right that Smith should be getting more starts in LF.

by J. Henry Waugh on Jul 9, 2009 12:05 PM MDT up reply actions