I feel a bit bad for Jayson Nix, as he was as much a victim of a lot of outside factors as he was his own inability to adjust quickly to MLB play. If Tulo hits well, if Helton and Hawpe get off to hot starts or Yorvit Torrealba somehow actually was as good as he himself said he'd be this Spring, than Nix probably would have been given more time. The same probably would have been true if the Diamondbacks weren't looking quite as good as they are, as it is though, there's not much margin for failure with the team right now.

Unfortunately, failure's about all we have going for us. Though they're numbered, this isn't in any particular order, but these are the positions on the Rockies that haven't been up to contender caliber thus far this season: 

1. Starting Pitcher #1
2. Starting Pitcher #4
3. Starting Pitcher #5
4. Second Baseman
5. Shortstop
6. Catcher
7. Relief Pitcher
8. Relief Pitcher
9. Relief Pitcher
   
10. Right Fielder
11. First Baseman
12. Center fielder

Some of these we can expect to turn around, and a couple, like Helton, are only marginally worse than what we should want anyway. Some of these will need outside help. We're not talking about one or two guys that are dragging the team down, but close to half the active roster. This will require more than a shuffling of the deck. More than a Jose Capellan spot start or two in replace of Jimenez or Morales or Redman.

The Rockies basically need to stand up and start playing as if their batters really are better than the Esteban Loaiza's of the world and as if their pitchers can actually retire Russell Martin once or twice. I'm not sure where to start, but considering all the wasted chances yesterday and throughout the season , right now I'm leaning toward the idea of calling up Ian Stewart instead of Omar Quintanilla to help kickstart the offense from the bench when we do decide to go back to twelve pitchers. I think we really need to get the offense in gear first, then we can address the arms.

Jeff Francis. Esteban Loaiza. Just basing the outcome on the names of the pitchers, you'd have to go with Francis as the winner. Too bad games aren't won just on the name of a pitcher. Francis, we turn to you to stop any chance of the Rockies being swept in the first series of the season against Dem Bums.

Go Rockies!