Rockies Fall Short Against San Diego, Lose 7-2

by Jeff Aberle on Sep 4, 2011 7:53 PM MDT in Rockies Game Wraps

Down by one in the bottom of the 8th, two outs, a runner on third, and Andy Parrino at the plate. Who? Exactly, but Jim Tracy had him walked intentionally. Then Matt Lindstrom walked another, then Mark Ellis made an error, then Will Venable hit a bases-clearing triple and what was once a winnable game was out of reach.

I'm not saying that the intentional walk was the cause of the loss, but it was yet another in a long list of baffling managerial decisions that have plagued the 2011 season that hurt Colorado's chances of winning. I mean, what benefit did Tracy gain by putting a rookie call-up on base? A potential force at 2nd, that's it. Meanwhile, he gave the Padres an extra base-runner. There's no way that's an equal trade -- it's a manager actively hurting his team. I don't know, maybe I'm hyper-sensitive to this stupidity because I've seen the Rockies go 4-18 on Sundays.

Aaron Cook gave the Rockies a quality start, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks in six innings, but it wasn't enough to avoid getting the loss (3-9). Offensively, Dexter Fowler went 3-4 and broke his own Rockies record for triples in a season with 15. He's quietly raised his triple slash stats to a very respectable .271/.368/.431 in the leadoff hole.

The Rockies will return to Coors after managing a 3-6 record on a make or break road trip that broke them.

Graph:

via www.fangraphs.com

We Salute: Fowler (.169 WPA), Seth Smith (.069)

We Are Disappointed In: Everyone else, mostly Tulo (-.121) and CarGo (-.133)

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Comments

Haha wow, Jim Tracy really did intentionally walk a rookie with two out and a runner on third in a one-run game. He’s fully into ‘Screw It, They’re Not Gonna Fire Me Anyway’ mode. I fully expect him to manage a game without pants on in this next homestand.

"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 Sep 4, 2011 8:08 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs

It was like handing Bud Black an engraved invitation

to bring his hottest hitter (Hundley) to the plate. Granted, Lindstrom shouldn’t have plunked Hundley and Ellis shouldn’t have booted the bouncer on the next play. But for God’s sake, just let Lindstrom pitch to the light-hitting rookie at the plate!

Rox went quietly in the 9th anyway. But if the game had remained 3-2, maybe they wouldn’t have phoned it in so easily.

by Northsider1964 on Sep 4, 2011 8:20 PM MDT up reply actions

Considering how Jim Tracy is usually wrong

Let’s hope he’s wrong about not getting fired.

by webgem14 on Sep 4, 2011 8:40 PM MDT up reply actions 4 recs

and green...

by Chrysicat on Sep 5, 2011 4:41 AM MDT up reply actions

A true WTF moment

I had really thought that there was nothing Tracy could do to surprise/disgust me anymore. I was so completely wrong.

I miss the magic. (h/t papality)

by rockhead on Sep 4, 2011 8:57 PM MDT up reply actions

If Tracy doesn't have confidence in Lindstrom to retire a rookie with 14 MLBB at-bats...

Why is he on the roster? Parrino’s in his first week in the majors and Hundley (.276) had four hits in the first two games of the series. Tracy is taking this lame matchup strategy to absurd lengths.

by alex colfax on Sep 4, 2011 9:01 PM MDT up reply actions

And Hundley may only be at .276

But I think he hit nearly .400 in August.

by Northsider1964 on Sep 4, 2011 9:37 PM MDT up reply actions

As a Dbacks fan

who is going to be watching the next three games you guys play at home, I hope he choses to manage a game without his pants later on down the road

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 4, 2011 9:28 PM MDT up reply actions

Well, he's been caught with his pants down so much this season, will anyone notice?

Paleface Destro: The Resident Smartass of the Ubaldo Lovers Club
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I snark because I care.

by Paleface Destro on Sep 4, 2011 9:30 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

This is something that makes me

want to throw up a little bit.

"I think I speak for everyone in here when I say: It''s playoffs or bust"- Jason Hammel : Feared Slugger
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by SDcat09 on Sep 4, 2011 9:31 PM MDT up reply actions

He's actually below Ty Wigginton on my list of Rockies to see without pants

and that’s saying something.

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

by glaucophane on Sep 4, 2011 10:21 PM MDT up reply actions

Me too

with any luck, he’ll be tossed, and the aforementioned “anybody but Jim Tracy” will be at the helm, even if for a short while.

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by Andrew Martin on Sep 4, 2011 10:32 PM MDT up reply actions

Wow @ Detroit whooping Chicago this weekend...

Shane Lindsay just gave up 7 ER in one inning.

@CentralCaliRox

by CentralCaliRox on Sep 4, 2011 8:45 PM MDT reply actions

What is it about the White Sox and ESPN this year?

Didn’t the Yankees do the same thing to them a few weeks ago on tWWL?

Paleface Destro: The Resident Smartass of the Ubaldo Lovers Club
There are those who call me..."Skip".
I snark because I care.

by Paleface Destro on Sep 4, 2011 9:27 PM MDT up reply actions

Very obviously OT

But has anyone considered how Crede could have been the best third baseman for the Rox had he bothered to show up to spring training?

Supporting efforts to create a genetic splice of Jonathan Herrera and Troy Tulowitzki since 2011.
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by SurfaceThought on Sep 4, 2011 10:14 PM MDT reply actions