Rockies Game #69 Wrap: Chris Nelson Has Been Freed Along With The Bats

by Andrew Martin on Jun 17, 2011 11:15 PM MDT in Rockies Game Wraps

Chris Nelson only had one hit on the night, but boy oh boy was it a doozy.

With 2 on and 2 out in the 2nd inning, Chris Nelson took a 2-2 pitch (seriously, I can't make this up) and drilled a liner to left field that cleared the wall for his first Major League home run.

That homer of Nelsons capped a 6-run 2nd inning for the Rockies in what would turn out to be a complete bloodbath at the expense of Detroit pitching. The Rockies scored runs in 5 of the 9 innings played after starting out the 2nd inning down 1-0.

Rick Porcello clearly didn't have his best stuff, as he lasted only 3 innings, allowing 8 hits, 2 walks, and 9 runs (6ER), exiting after only 58 pitches.

It's a good thing that the Rockies brought their big boy bats tonight, as starter Jason Hammel was also off of his game. In his 6.1 innings of work, Hammel tossed 102 pitches, allowed 8 hits as well, struck out 2, walked 4, and gave up a grand slam to Jhonny Peralta in the 6th. Matt Belisle finished the 7th for Hammel and pitched a scoreless 8th, and Clayton Mortensen finished the game for the Rockies, allowing 2 hits and no runs in his inning of work.

Top performer in the game was Charlie Blackmon, who continues to build on his strong start and impress everyone watching with slick defense in LF, and a 4-for-4 night with 2R, 2RBI, raising his season average to .410 (.846 OPS). Helton, Cargo, and Smith all tacked on 2 hits of their own. The only players to not get a hit were pitchers Jason Hammel (who walked) and Matt Belisle.

GREAT way to start the series, especially one expected to be full of tough pitching matchups. Verlander still looms, but let's see if the Rockies can take the series before Justin Verlander even takes the mound.

Awesome folks:

Chris Nelson (.138 WPA)

Chris Iannetta (.080 WPA)

Rick Porcello (-.433 WPA)

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Comments

Sign me up as a Charlie Blackmon fan.

by Skullduggerman on Jun 17, 2011 11:22 PM MDT reply actions

Bringing him up was obviously a good move, but wait a bit

if a guy gets up to the bigs and starts raking, he attracts attention. Opposing teams will find a weak spot and exploit it until he adjusts (see Ian Stewart and CarGo). When that process has played out and the guy’s still hitting well, then he’s a major league hitter and let’s jump on the ol’ bandwagon. In the meantime, I’ll take the hits and RBIs because we sure need them!

"The game of baseball is made up of many little things. If we do all the little things right, then we'll never have a big thing to worry about" -- Cal Ripken, Sr.
Johnny Herrera Fan Club Member -- "Mr. Fundamental"
Yankee Haters Encouragement Group Member #3

by RoarFrom112 on Jun 17, 2011 11:44 PM MDT up reply actions

Exactly

by webgem14 on Jun 18, 2011 1:07 AM MDT up reply actions

/assuming blackmon has a weak spot

by roxintober on Jun 18, 2011 8:45 AM MDT up reply actions

I agree he'll have to make adjustments

But Blackmon has been a classic take-what-the-opponent-gives-me hitter. Live on the outside corner – I’ll take you to LF. Bust me inside – I’ll rip it into RF. Play your catcher at third base – I’ll drop a bunt in front of him.

And like I said earlier in the week, he’s consistently getting the best pitch of the at-bat in play, instead of taking it or swinging through it/fouling it off because he’s trying to do too much with it.

Sure he’s going to cool off and hit some bumps in the road. But for now the approach is so refreshing, it’s hard not to get on the bandwagon.

by Northsider1964 on Jun 18, 2011 9:05 AM MDT up reply actions

This exactly.

Perfect description.

The only other thing I’d like to see is a bit more power from Blackmon. More SLG

@CentralCaliRox

by CentralCaliRox on Jun 18, 2011 9:52 AM MDT up reply actions

Power is usually the last thing to come.

Even Ken Griffey Jr. wasn’t hitting 30-35 bombs his first couple years. Blackmon’s not a 30 home run guy, but there’s no reason he can’t be an 18-22 dinger dude in a couple years.

"We have done everything possible to be set for this day, for this season. It's time to go. We are ready. I can promise you that." - CarGo

by Mondogarage on Jun 18, 2011 9:58 AM MDT up reply actions

If Blackmon keeps his uber-BABIP no-strikeout skills,

draws a walk every third game, and puts up a .165 ISO, we have quite the player on our hands.

Rocktober is not a time of year, it is a religion.

by hjrrockies on Jun 18, 2011 10:00 AM MDT up reply actions

Steve Finley was an all star a few times

"We have done everything possible to be set for this day, for this season. It's time to go. We are ready. I can promise you that." - CarGo

by Mondogarage on Jun 18, 2011 10:02 AM MDT up reply actions

More doubles, triples, HRs I mean.

Not just HRs. He’s only hit 1 or 2 doubles, that average is singles-loaded.

@CentralCaliRox

by CentralCaliRox on Jun 18, 2011 4:07 PM MDT up reply actions

In case you missed it on Twitter, submitted for your approval. Because all dude does is hit line drives and rack up base hits (or base knocks, as some might say), and because I’m a Seahawks fan, and because Two-Buck Chuck doesn’t work no matter how badly I try to make it fit… Charlie Blackmon’s nickname, at least at the F26 Mansion, will hereafter be “Chuck Knocks.”

Too close to Chuck Knoublauch, maybe. Too much like a mixtape rapper, perhaps. But I’m going to give it a spin for a couple of days. I just love the caliber of at-bat he’s putting forward every single time. This is a talented young hitter.

"You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around the whole time." - Jim Bouton

by Franchise26 on Jun 17, 2011 11:36 PM MDT reply actions

Holy Smokes! The grand slam doesn't even show up as a marker on the graph

by RoarFrom112 on Jun 17, 2011 11:39 PM MDT reply actions

go rockies

was at the game, now at home watching replay. Carlos from CF to throw out Caberera was awesome.

Good for Nelson showing some power. Blackmon—keep it up.

Enjoying my sig.

Rockies record when I am in attendance: 5-2

by pacified on Jun 18, 2011 12:32 AM MDT reply actions

also

tomorrow, the Rox got a shot at getting back to .500

Rockies record when I am in attendance: 5-2

by pacified on Jun 18, 2011 12:39 AM MDT up reply actions

also

with win tonight, Rox are .500 at Coors Field for the year.

Rockies record when I am in attendance: 5-2

by pacified on Jun 18, 2011 12:44 AM MDT up reply actions

Awesome.

I'm gonna change my sig because the last time I did, we had a little winning streak. Then I changed it back, and we started losing again. It's the least I can do.

by prettyinpurple on Jun 18, 2011 1:00 AM MDT via mobile reply actions

Blackmon needs to ditch the mullet

and go with some dreads.

by webgem14 on Jun 18, 2011 1:06 AM MDT reply actions

Nah

Rockies and mullets = good baseball…….

And I’m not just talking about last year, I’m going all the way back to Larry Walker.

NO, we are NOT going to fire Jim Tracy midseason!!!!!

The Rockies couldn't be any more offensive or less offensive all at the same time.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Jun 18, 2011 1:29 AM MDT up reply actions

my friend and I do call him

the Jamaican

Rockies record when I am in attendance: 5-2

by pacified on Jun 18, 2011 1:31 AM MDT up reply actions

Yes. Because it's BlackMON

by webgem14 on Jun 18, 2011 1:33 AM MDT up reply actions

Charlie Blackmon is trending on twitter.

I'm gonna change my sig because the last time I did, we had a little winning streak. Then I changed it back, and we started losing again. It's the least I can do.

by prettyinpurple on Jun 18, 2011 1:17 AM MDT via mobile reply actions

The idiot award of the night goes to Miguel Cabrera

For him to only get a single on that ball off the wall in left with one out in the third is inexcusable. Apparently the baseball Gods thought so too because his decision to stand there and admire a ball that didn’t leave the yard cost the Tigers a run. Martinez followed Cabrera’s hit with ground ball to the right side that moved Cabrera to second (he would have been at third) and then Cabrera got thrown out at home on the Ordonez hit.

As good as Cabrera is at baseball, he’s that bad of a role model when it comes to among other things, playing the game the right way. You can probably count on one hand the number of times in the history of Coors Field that a ball was hit off the wall where Cabrera hit it and the batter only got a single.

WHAT A LOSER!!!!!!!!

NO, we are NOT going to fire Jim Tracy midseason!!!!!

The Rockies couldn't be any more offensive or less offensive all at the same time.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Jun 18, 2011 1:26 AM MDT reply actions

His "single" hit the fence right in front of me.

by webgem14 on Jun 18, 2011 1:30 AM MDT up reply actions

Sweet

You got to see Blackmon make an awesome play on that, but really, he never should have had the chance to.

NO, we are NOT going to fire Jim Tracy midseason!!!!!

The Rockies couldn't be any more offensive or less offensive all at the same time.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Jun 18, 2011 1:32 AM MDT up reply actions

Didn't really see the play.

I was getting ready to catch it, when it died at the last second and hit the fence. By the time I realized what happened the ball was on it’s way back to the infield.

by webgem14 on Jun 18, 2011 1:36 AM MDT up reply actions

We tore him a new one in the GT too.

@CentralCaliRox

by CentralCaliRox on Jun 18, 2011 9:53 AM MDT up reply actions

I offered to buy him a drink.

"We have done everything possible to be set for this day, for this season. It's time to go. We are ready. I can promise you that." - CarGo

by Mondogarage on Jun 18, 2011 9:59 AM MDT up reply actions

I think someone offered to buy him a TV so he could watch Cargo

By the way, I’m really glad we have Cargo instead of Cabrera

by free7694 on Jun 18, 2011 11:39 AM MDT up reply actions

The A.L. cleaned up today going 10-4

The only four N.L. teams to win in interleague games were the Cubs, Nats, D’Backs and Rockies.

Washington and Chicago are not gonna be in the discussion come September so other than the D’backs, the Rockies picked up a game on everyone who matters in the NL.

NO, we are NOT going to fire Jim Tracy midseason!!!!!

The Rockies couldn't be any more offensive or less offensive all at the same time.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Jun 18, 2011 1:35 AM MDT reply actions

It's like this every year.

So it seems. It’s always pretty nice.

by webgem14 on Jun 18, 2011 1:37 AM MDT up reply actions

I was sure the Giants were going to win their game when I went to bed.

Glad to hear they didn’t add another one to their list of last-minute victories.

I hope the AL cleans up against everyone except the Rockies this interleague.

"Are they called the Rockies because they rock?" - 7 y.o.

by glaucophane on Jun 18, 2011 8:05 AM MDT up reply actions

fun game to watch

jason hammel is by far the most entertaining rockies starter this year, because you have absolutely no idea what is coming in his starts

the only organization of humans responsible for more evil in the universe than the philadelphia phillies is the boston red sox

fire jim tracy: if you can closer-by-committee, you can manager-by-committee

by papality on Jun 18, 2011 1:39 AM MDT reply actions

Blackmon ya mon!

Rake city. Rake rake rake. Everybody join the hit parade. Thank you sir I’ll take another!

by line-drive gapper on Jun 18, 2011 2:30 AM MDT reply actions

I missed a bunch

of stuff the last couple of weeks in the orient. So can a couple of folks fill me in. I know Dex has an “injury” and Blackmon has been raking in his absence. What is the plan when the “injury” heals? Is Dex being shopped? Does he come back as a reserve with EY losing his spot? EY seems superflous now that Nelson seems to be settling in at 2B and Herrera slides to the IF reserve spot (a role he is ideal for as opposed to EY). I honestly would like to see another bat with some thump on the bench in the near future. I saw Ubaldo got racked again last week though.

by RoxandRoll on Jun 18, 2011 6:57 AM MDT reply actions

I'd be shocked if dex were shopped

The rox don’t sell youth at basement value. I firmly believe his injury was real, but he would be in the minors now either way. He will stay in AAA into July at least, perhaps the all star break o fix his swing. We will see then what move makes most sense.

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jun 18, 2011 7:56 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions

Dex actually does have an injury, but the club's also made it clear they're optioning him to AAA when his rehab is done

Dex is not being shopped, but he’ll be left in AAA to work on his approach. When he comes back, my guess is it will be because of a trade of either EY2 or Spilly, but that’s all just a guess. It’ll depend on who ends up bringing us a better return (EY2, you’d think)

"We have done everything possible to be set for this day, for this season. It's time to go. We are ready. I can promise you that." - CarGo

by Mondogarage on Jun 18, 2011 10:01 AM MDT up reply actions

I'm just glad they brought Charlie up to replace him.

Dex will still be around if he is needed later on. Good defensive pllay. Good for some triples now and then. He will be back later. In the meantime we got Chux, the man with the bat and the leg.

by Real Perspective on Jun 18, 2011 2:17 PM MDT up reply actions