Josh Johnson befuddles Rockies bats, rally cut short against the Marlins bullpen in 6-5 loss

by Rox Girl on Aug 14, 2009 8:19 PM MDT in Game Wrap Comment 34 comments

So remember way back in the day when the Rockies were getting lots of hits and beating up on teams? That seems like forever ago, doesn't it? Alright, so Friday night we got reason number 29 that the Rockies should be grateful that most of their remaining games are where it's high and or dry. The Florida Marlins Josh Johnson flirted with a no hitter before Garrett Atkins broke it up in the seventh inning with a solo home run (HR number 8 on the season for Atkins). Johnson finished with one hit and one run allowed, striking out eleven Rockies in the process. Rockies hitters struck out a total of 14 times, and walked four times.

Rockies starter Jason Hammel wasn't remotely close to as effective as Johnson. Lacking fastball command, Hammel allowed six hits and walked four, giving up three runs in four innings before giving way to Adam Eaton. Eaton allowed two more runs on a Dan Uggla home run in the bottom half of the seventh to give the Marlins breathing room, and Joe Beimel allowed one run in the eighth. While it didn't look like it while Johnson was pitching, it turned out that the Marlins needed each of those runs.

The Rockies rallied when Troy Tulowitzki led off with a triple against Brendan Donnelly in the top of the ninth inning and after a Brad Hawpe strikeout, scored on a Wes Helms error on an Atkins ground ball to third. Atkins advanced on an Ian Stewart bloop single, chasing Donnelly. Marlins closer Leo Nunez came in and struck out Dexter Fowler. Chris Iannetta then hit a three run blast (his 14th home run of the season) with the aid of some wind, but the rally was cut short when Todd Helton flied to center for the final out.

64 - 52

Games Back: 5.5

Streak: Lost 1

Games Left: 46

With the Giants losing, the Rockies continue to hold their 1.5 game edge in the wild card standings, but the Marlins closed to within two games with the win.

via www.fangraphs.com

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The good news:

Giants lost, Braves lost, Dodgers currently losing.

by holly96 on Aug 14, 2009 8:25 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

yea and to b e honest

if we were going to lose a game in this series…tonight was obviously it

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

"TuLoRocks2008 had the most comments I've seen in any game thread this year (322)...Can such a feat be eclipsed?" ..... Bring it on!!

by TuLoRocks2008 on Aug 14, 2009 9:59 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

And I’d of course rather win when everyone else loses, but it’s better than losing when everyone else wins.

by holly96 on Aug 14, 2009 10:01 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

yepp

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

"TuLoRocks2008 had the most comments I've seen in any game thread this year (322)...Can such a feat be eclipsed?" ..... Bring it on!!

by TuLoRocks2008 on Aug 14, 2009 10:07 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is good news :)

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 8:26 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

sorry reply fail..:(

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 8:26 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seems as if

Troy Tulowitzki is made up of triples lately.

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

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Aug 14, 2009 8:27 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Troy Triplewitzki?

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 8:29 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

He just got some love on ESPNRadio.

They declared him to be the muy caliente hitter of the week.

by holly96 on Aug 14, 2009 8:31 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice ...lets' see what BBTN has to say

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 8:32 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

On a completely other topic...

I’m in Denver sportsapalooza tonight…I switched to NFL Network..and the Broncos are on..lol

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 8:33 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

from the AP article on the game...

“The crowd of 15,965 was so small that spectators in the club seats could hear fielders calling for popups.”

Marlins fans are weeeeeeeak

by nugg on Aug 14, 2009 8:35 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

they are the worst fans in baseball

and don’t deserve the success the marlins have had since their inception

by Narcoleptico on Aug 14, 2009 8:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

In their defense, their owner makes the Monforts look like Daddy Warbucks

And sure, there’s been success—improbable, crazy success. 2 WS w/ 2 wild card spots that followed mostly losing seasons. There was no time to build up a following, then they win all of a sudden, and then they blew up both teams, esp. the first one.

Everyone thinks the 2 championships make it all worth it, but that can’t be an easy team to follow.

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Aug 14, 2009 8:49 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I can’t imagine what it must be like to follow that team. WAAAAAAAY up, then WAAAAAAY down. I’d have a hard time buying in myself.

I'll have another beer, please.

by rockhead on Aug 14, 2009 9:07 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd take 10 years

of 2005 Rockies baseball for one title…

by Teekalong on Aug 14, 2009 11:30 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

i missed the first 7 innings of the game

why was hammel pulled after only 4 innings?

also is the game not televised tomorrow?

by purplesocks on Aug 14, 2009 9:44 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

He had no control...threw 60 + pitches..

game broadcase…I can’t find it listed anywhere, not on MLB Extra Innings either no Marlins or Rox feeds. I have no idea why unless its a stupid Fox blackout thing…pretty annoying…

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 9:52 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

The MLB box says he threw 95 pitches in the 4 innings

22 batters faced. Rough outing; for the season entering this game he was averaging 3.55 pitches/batter.

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Aug 14, 2009 10:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry...90+ pitches

by SDcat09 on Aug 15, 2009 2:40 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Okay, this wasn't a bad loss

Here’s the thing. Good pitchers, when they are on, don’t get hit. Period. When we finally faced pitchers in this game that weren’t Cy Young caliber, we smacked them. Then, we had our WORST starting pitcher going up against an ace, and our worst BP pitcher throwing 3 today too when Hammel failed like we all knew he most likely would. This also comes with the fact that our hitters have to adjust in the first game away from Coors. Face it, this was a game we all knew we would lose, and we even made it close. The way we hit in the later innings, is how we should hit tomorrow and Sunday against two badly HR prone pitchers. We have our two best pitchers going against them. The Giants lost, and the Dodgers are losing, meaning that today was a complete loss either. Today was just one of those games we were almost definitely going to lose.

by bballrox4717 on Aug 14, 2009 9:54 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Er, not two best pitchers

DLR and Cook next right? (The pitching rotation has me confused right now)

by bballrox4717 on Aug 14, 2009 10:01 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

And we drop this series though

I will be really concerned about the Marlins

by bballrox4717 on Aug 14, 2009 10:06 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

If**

by bballrox4717 on Aug 14, 2009 10:06 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I doubt we drop the series...I'd be really surprised..

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 10:07 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

winning consecutive games on the road against a hot team

Would be more surprising

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Aug 15, 2009 11:13 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

okay so I am confused now too..

So Cook is going tomorrow?..then DLR Sunday…. and then a day off and Cook pitches again and the rotation returns to normal. I’m way confused.. ???

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 10:32 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

never mind. I just realized..

I flipped DLR and Hammel….DUH!!

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 10:36 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

No actually it is Cook, the DLR...but the rest...I dunno..I'm confused...

by SDcat09 on Aug 14, 2009 10:49 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

matchup thoughts

Usually I think its a good thing when our worst pitcher pitches their ace…gets the bad game out of the system for both the offense and the defense.

But this time I’m not so sure… because if we had any of our other pitchers starting, we would’ve had a real good chance to steal this game, and a match up Hammel vs. Vanden Hurk wouldn’t give us bad chances at all either. Maybe it’s just because of the Marlins bullpen…. but if we started Cook on Friday instead, a series sweep could be likely (knock on wood for the next two games)

by nugg on Aug 14, 2009 10:26 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

yea i also

feel it was a positive that we taxed there bullpen a bit and made it closer…woke us up for the next 2 games and was a good effort to end the night considering we almost got no hit for most of it

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

"TuLoRocks2008 had the most comments I've seen in any game thread this year (322)...Can such a feat be eclipsed?" ..... Bring it on!!

by TuLoRocks2008 on Aug 15, 2009 8:36 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

lame effort

looked like dogs until GA ripped that shot. Whatever, this was an acceptable loss…so long as we take care of bidness the rest of the weekend.

by Teekalong on Aug 14, 2009 11:32 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure lame effort is fair...

Josh Johnson was out of his mind.

by SDcat09 on Aug 15, 2009 2:40 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

well

not really trying to say that the boys weren’t giving full “effort” but rather that whatever effort they gave was pretty ineffective. Johnson was great, sure, but our pitching staff wouldn’t have beat many folks with the game they turned in. WHatever, over, on to the next.

by Teekalong on Aug 15, 2009 12:48 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs