See, creeping closer. And you don't want to see the Wild Card standings widget since it's too long and the Rockies are, oh, 15 games behind Milwaukee.

Jason Grilli played a huge part in picking up the victory last night. According to FanGraphs, Grilli's WPA was .426, the most for last night. And he was doing it in high leverage situations, as his average Leverage Index situation was 3.02. Ryan Spilborghs, obviously, also made a huge contribution. He made the most of his one at-bat when he singled in the winning run. As Spilly says in the Denver Post's recap: " 'My attitude in that situation is that I can't fail,' Spilborghs said. 'If I get a hit, I am a hero. If not, I keep grinding.' "

Dexter Fowler explains what happened once he entered the game last night:

"All I saw when I peeked back was the catcher (Bengie Molina) step out like it was a pitch out. I thought I was hosed," Fowler said. "If I had gone, he probably would have made a perfect throw."

Franklin Morales, heading to instructs to work on his delivery, and Juan Morillo will both participate in winter ball later this the year. As Renck also mentions, Morillo is out of options heading into the 2009 season. You know, since someone on the internets erroneously reported that Morillo was out of options back in March, and Renck didn't even have the decency to mention where that was reported on the internets. Did you know that on the RMN's Rockies page there are links to Purple Row and other Rockies blogs? The Denver Post doesn't have any.

The Rockies nominated Jeff Francis for the Roberto Clemente Award, an award given to players involved with giving back to their community.

SB Nation launched a new blog yesterday, Blog Huddle. According to the introductory post, it will include:

Announcements of new blogs

Introductions of new features

Tips + tricks on using the platform

Scheduled downtime notices and outage explanations

Media mentions of our blogs and the network

General observations on the growth of sports blogging overall

The Springs, L 6-9: Joe Koshansky hit his 31st homer, a solo shot in the ninth. Franklin Morales allowed six runs on five hits and a walk in 2+ innings. Matt Herges allowed a run in one inning of relief.

Tulsa, W 9-5: Chris Nelson's three-run triple in the middle of the fourth ripped open the scoring in this contest. EY Jr. had an RBI double earlier in the inning, and Jeff Kindel and Corey Wimberly each had RBI singles after Nelson unleashed the triple. Jeff Kindel knocked in two runs in the first. Dexter Fowler had three singles and scored twice.

Xavier Cedeno allowed four runs in four innings, but the relief corps held things in check (with some minor problems along the way). Tomas Santiago allowed only a hit in three innings but also walked three. Casey Weathers went 1 1/3 innings but allowed a run on three hits. He struck out two. Ryan Mattheus picked up the last two outs with little trouble.

Modesto, L 2-4: In the  fourth inning, Daniel Mayora hit his seventh homer and Jay Cox had a sac fly. That was all the offense the team has, as Mayora's homer was the only hit for the Nuts. Brandon Durden allowed three runs in six innings and struck out four.

Asheville, L 6-10: Brian Rike drove in three runs on a single and a double. Bo Bowman collected three hits, and David Christensen had two hits and an RBI. Robinson Fabian went one inning and allowed two runs. Joey Williamson went four innings and allowed three runs. 

Tri-City, W 7-0: Sheng-An Kuo and J.R. Murphy combined on a two-hitter yesterday. Kuo allowed both hits and struck out nine in 7 1/3 innings. Murphy struck out three in 1 2/3 innings.

The offense scored all seven runs in the second inning. Johnny Bowden started the inning off with a double, but after a Ryan Peisel walk and Austin Rauch single, Bowden was out at home on the force out Chad Lembeck hit into. After that, the scoridng started: a James Sims RBI single, a Derek Kinzler two-run double, and a Charlie Blackmon two-run single. After an Erik Wetzel sac bun and pitcher's throwing error, Patrick Rose put Charlie Blackmon across home plate. After a wild pitch, Johnny Bowden hit a sac fly to score Erik Wetzel, the seventh and final run.

Casper: Cancelled due to rain.

Rox Girl checks in at her RMN blog with her top 10 Rockies prospects. Will she stick to it when we have our end-of-the-season PuRPs poll?

Colorado Springs, L 8-15 (completion of 8/14 game) & W 6-1: In the first game, Sean Smith allowed five of the runs, but Valerio De Los Santos must be on life support after the beating he received last night. He allowed nine runs on 15 hits in five innings. Infielder Kenny Perez pitched the last inning of the game. Matt Miller drove in two of the run as he went 2-for-5.

Franklin Morales went six innings in the seven-inning second game. He walked five struck out three, and allowed the run. Christian Colonel hit a two-run homer, his 10th.

Tulsa, W 4-2: Justin Nelson (18) and Tony Blanco (23) each hit solo homers last night. Brandon Hynick held Springfield to three hits in seven innings and struck out four. Ryan Mattheus struck out three on his way to his 16th save.

Modesto: No game scheduled. Brian VanderBeek looks at what an 8-team California League may look like in two years.

Asheville: No game scheduled. Darin Holcomb was named the SAL Player of the Year, and Joe Mikulik the SAL Coach of the Year (second in a row).

Tri-City, L 0-7: Sheng-An Kuo second start with the Dust Devils was completely forgettable. He was charged with six runs on eight hits over two innings. Not much else to report.

Casper, L 1-2: Jose Gonzalez drove in the only run for Casper and Jimmy Cesario hit a triple. Omar Duarte allowed both runs in four innings. Alan Deratt allowed one hit over the next three innings and struck out three. Isaiah Froneberger struck out two over the last two innings of the game.

The Springs, W 6-5 in 8 innings & L 2-3 in 7 innings: In the first game, Adam Melhuse hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the Sky Sox to victory. He also drove in one of the three runs scored in the first inning on a double. Joe Koshansky had an RBI single and Matt Miller had a sac fly to account for the other two runs.

Franklin Morales had a bit of a problem: eight walks. Yes, eight. He also struck out five. In his five innings, Morales saw three runs (one earned) score. Fifty-seven of his 111 pitches went for strikes. Register "blew" the save in the sixth inning when he allowed a run on two hits and a walk. 

In the second game, Edwin Bellorin had a triple and Mark Redman allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Tulsa, W 2-1 in 10 innings: Neil Wilson led off the bottom of the tenth and ended the bottom of the tenth. He did so because he hit the game-winning home run. Brandon Hynick struck out eight in eight innings, surrendering one run on four hits in the process.

Modesto, W 8-4: Interesting scoring by Modesto and Bakersfield. Brandon Durden went 5 2/3 innings, striking out six. He allowed all four runs in the first inning. Except for Mike McKenry's walk in the second, the Nuts were being no-hit. But then came the fifth inning. McKenry led off the inning with a double and scored on a Jason Van Kooten single. Radames Nazario doubled in two more runs, and Daniel Mayora and Victor Ferrante each knocked in one. With five runs scored and two men on Mike McKenry came to the plate for a second time in the fifth and hit his 13th homer. He also commited his ninth error (a missed catch) and picked off an opposing batter at third.

Asheville, W 6-1: Everth Cabrera fell a triple short of the cycle in his 4-for-5 night. One of those hits was a two-run homer. Warren Schaeffer did have a triple and knocked in two with it. Brian Rike drove in the other two runs.

Connor Graham walked four and struck out six on his way to his 10th win. He allowed one run on four hits in six inning. Sheng-An Kuo, Edgmer Escalona, and Ethan Russell Katz combined to allow only one hit over the last three innings of the game. Escalona allowed the hit.

Tri-City, L 6-7 in 11 innings: Leonardo Reyes, Scott Robinson, and Thomas Field all had homers yesterday, but they were not enough to win the game. Field's gave the Dust Devils the lead in the top of the 10th, but the reliever couldn't save the lead. That reliever was Austin Chambliss, and he allowed five of the last six runs Everett scored.

The good news, however, is that Christian Friedrich is dominating. He struck out 10 in 5 2/3 innings and allowed an unearned run on three hits and a walk.

Casper. L 5-17: Looks as if the youngest guys know how to follow in the footsteps of their older counterparts. Orlando Sandoval had a two-run homer (3-for-4 in the game( and Jose Gonzalez hit a solo one (two RBI total for the night).

Which pitcher didn't allow a run last night? The final one: Juan Rodriguez. Edwar Cabrera allowed six in 2 1/3 innings; Andres Marrero saw two score in 1 2/3 innings; Matt Baugh gave up five in two innings; and Chad Rose allowed four in 2/3 of an inning.

The Springs, W 8-3: Franklin Morales allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings and struck out five. Kenny Perez drove in three runs, and Mike McCoy and Dog Bernier two. Matt Miller and Chris Frey had three hits.

Tulsa, L 5-6 in 13 innings: Daniel Carte hit his 10th homer in the fourth and drove in one of the three runs scored in the eighth inning. Eduardo Cornejo and Tony Blanco drove in the other runs that inning. Unfortunately, Darren Clarke couldn't hold the 4-1 lead Brandon Hynick left him. Hynick allowed one run on three hits in seven innings. Clarke allowed three runs in the bottom of the eighth. Neils Wilson hit a homer in the top of the 13th, only to see Ryan Mattheus allow the game-winning two-run double.

Modesto: The Cal League had the night off.

Asheville, L 1-2: Mike Mitchell's three singles were part of a five-hit night by the Tourists. He also swiped his 45th base. Connor Graham went seven innings, allowed two runs on four hits and three walks, and struck out three.

Tri-City, L 9-13: Kenny Durst went four innings and gave up five runs, and that was one of the better Tri-City pitching performances last night.  J.R. Murphy allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings and Tyler Trice saw three runs score on five hits in an inning. Carlos Luna struck out four and allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Leonardo Reyes drove in three runs (two on a triple) while Scott Robinson (one RBI) and Ryan Peisel (two RBI) each had three hits. Austin Rauch also drove in a run and scored three times.

Casper, L 2-5: Orem's Roberto Lopez drove in all five runs for his team (four on a grand slam), and Wilin Rosario drove in both runs for Casper. Casper hitters struck out 11 times. Matt Baugh was charged with all those runs in 4 1/3 innings. Brandon Dill struck out three in 2 2/3 innings. Brandon Walker and Kurt Yacko followed with a scoreless inning each.

Not counting single-series road trips, this 10-game road stint was the best one by the Rockies yet:

Let's hope that the Rockies aren't on a pendulum and are about to swing to the other (bad) side again. Twenty-one of the Rockies' remaining games come on the road, and they're mostly in the division. Next week's series in Washington and early September's three-game stop in Atlanta are the exceptions.

But now the Rockies are back home for 10 games against the Nats, the Padres, and D'Backs. There's no season record yet against the Nats, but the Rockies are 2-1 at home while playing the Padres and a big 0-3 hosting the D'Backs. You remember those three games against the Snakes to start the home season from April 4-6, right? Outscored 5-20, Manny blowing the save in the final game after Franklin Morales went six innings and limited the D'Backs to two hits. Maybe it's better if you don't.

So, the Nationals are the worst team in the majors right now, having 41 wins in 111 contests. They also have a worse road record than the Rockies: 18-37. They have Tim Redding taking the mound tonight. The Rockies have Aaron Cook. That's about right.

It might be corrected by the time you read this, but notice that Renck twice makes the same mistake. Maybe it's because lately the suckitude of the two players has intertwined them.

The Rockies are about to finish a deal with Tyler Massey today, their 14th round draft pick. The story indicates his signing bonus will be close to what second rounders are getting this year, but this article from the RMN mentions a $400K signing bonus, just under what second rounders have received. Massey can play either first base or the outfield corners and will report to Casper after signing.

The second link above also mentions that the Yankees and Rays have scouts in town for the series against the Dodgers in order to see Brian Fuentes pitch. They'll want to watch him in close- and late-inning situations, but more games such as last night's and that won't happen.

At least we know Kip Wells won't be in the rotation for long:

"We're looking for somebody to help us solidify the starting rotation," manager Clint Hurdle said before the game.

"(Wells) is going to get the first shot at that. This is not going to be eight, 10 starts to figure it out. This needs to be something you come in, you embrace, you make pitches, you keep the ball down, you throw strikes and we'll go from there."

But then it's likely that anyone the Rockies plug into the rotation for Wells wouldn't be able to do what Hurdle wants him to do. Josh Towers? Franklin Morales again? Jason Hirsh? They're just as likely to fail in the rotation, but there's always Valerio De Los Santos.

Todd Helton says the Rockies don't want him hitting yet because they believe one swing could aggravate his injury again.

Colorado Springs, W 6-5 - Poor Chris Frey was lonely yesterday, as he was the only starter to not have a hit. Even Frankie Morales, who we know was originally an outfielder, had a hit and an RBI. Most of the damage was done on singles, but Christian Colonel had a solo shot in the fifth. In fact, the first six batters all had at least two hits, with Adam Melhuse collecting three.

On the pitching side of things, Morales allowed only two runs on three hits, but he also walked five batters. Of his 103 pitches, 53 went for strikes. Matt Daley allowed three runs, allowing one hit and walking three. Cedrick Bowers actually saw two of those runs score before Alberto Arias and Steven Register closed out the game. Register picked up his 15th save.

Tulsa, L 5-6 - Jeff Kindel two-run homer in the eighth inning was part of a four-run ininning that tied the game at five. Alas, Darren Clarke put some men on in the bottom of the eighth and then saw Ryan Mattheus allow the go-ahead run to cross home plate.

Xavier Cedeno allowed two unearned runs over five innings. Justin Nelson hit a homer earlier in the game and Dexter Fowler walked three times.

Modesto, L 4-5 - Victor Ferrante and Mike McKenry each had a two-run homer in the contest, and that was about it for the offense. Keither Weiser allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings.

Asheville, L 3-4 in 11 innings - Gotta give a whole lot of credit to Riordan last night despite allowing a run in the ninth to tie the game. Riordan went nine innings and allowed three runs on 10 hits. He struck out eight. Craig Baker allowed a leadoff homer in the 11th. 

Helder Velazquez, Kevin Clark, and Beau Seabury each had an RBI, and David Christensen had two hits. Mike Mitchell stole his 41st base. Brian Rike continued to pileup the strikeouts, collecting three more.

Tri-City, W 5-4 - Austin Rauch's second homer of the season was a big one since it won the game for the Dust Devils. Down 3-4 in the ninth, Rauch stepped to the plate with ne out and hit the ball out of the park. Erik Wetzel had two hits and drove in two runs. Charlie Blackmon had two hits and stole his sixth base.

Christian Friedrich had a good start, striking out eight over five innings and allowing one run on two hits. Sean Jarrett, who's on his way back from injury and surgery, allowed three runs, but saw two of them score while Austin Chambliss was on the mound.

Casper, L 11-19 - Casper gave it a go in the ninth for a comeback, but only five runs scored. Dan Houston went three innings, allowing four runs on three hits. Alan Deratt allowed seven runs in two-thirds of an inning, and Andred Marrero saw five score in 1 2/3 innings.

Carlos Martinez, Wilin Rosario, and Shane Lowe led the offense with two hits each, but Lowe failed to drive in a run like the the other two. Almost everyone had an RBI, including the pinch-hitters, and it's too long to list.

After yesterday's start, it appears Jorge De La Rosa won't be back in the rotation once the second half of the season starts. De La Rosa will give way to Kip Wells, who still has two more rehab starts to make. Farther down on the article, Franklin Morales and Jason Hirsh are mentioned, but the possiblity of either pitching for the Rockies any time soon appears remote.

Aaron Cook and his family will add a baby girl in late July.

In a look at which teams have interest in which Rockies, Tracy Ringolsby's column mentions that Juan Morillo, Ryan Mattheus, and Casey Weathers are possible call-ups should some team trade for Matt Herges.

Mark Kiszla. Matt Holliday. New York. Scale of 1-10. Yankees at 11. Or something.

Colorado Springs, W 5-3 - The Sky Sox scored all five runs in the fifth inning. Cory Sullivan drove one run in on a ground out; Jayson Nix hit a two-run homer (14); Ian Stewart singled and Seth Smith scored on that play after an error; and Edwin Bellorin doubled in Stewart.

Franklin Morales allowed only two runs (on a homer) over 6 2/3 innings, walked four, and struck out four. Ryan Speier allowed the other run on the way to his second save.

Tulsa, W 8-1 - Brandon Hynick went eight innings, allowed one run on five hits, walked two, and struck out one. He also drove in a run. Jeff Kindel went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Daniel Carte drove in two runs, and Dexter Fowler collected two hits and an RBI.

Modesto, W 5-2 - Aneury Rodriguez threw eight shutout innings last night for the Nuts. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out six. David Patton allowed two runs on four hits.

Jay Cox led the offense last night with a double and a homer to drive in two runs. Daniel Mayora and Mike Paulk drove in the other runs. Anthony Jackson stole his 21st base.

Asheville, W 4-3 - Despite allowing two runs in the top of the ninth, Randall Taylor saved his 24th game. Connor Graham started the game, went seven innings, and allowed one run on three hits and four walks. He struck out five.

Darin Holcomb drove in two runs on his 11th homer to reach base for the 30th consecutive game, and Brian Rike drove in a run. Everth Cabrera and Kevin Clark each walked twice, the former scoring once and the latter twice. Cabrera stole his 52nd base. Jeff Cunningham had three hits.

Tri-City, L 5-12 - Juan Nicasio was knocked around for seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, all scored in the third. Five runs of them scored on three consecutive singles. Andy Groves allowed four runs over the next three outs.

Charlie Blackmon had a two-run triple in the fifth and drove in a total of three runs. Johnny Bowden had a double and an RBI. Thomas Field went 2-for-2 with two walks.

I received some photos from someone who attended Wednesday's Tri-City game. You can check them out by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

Christian Friedrich should make his debut on Wednesday. It also mentions that Hector Gomez had TJ surgery earlier in the week.

Casper, W 5-2 - Wilin Rosario had two doubles, one of which drove in two runs in the fifth. A run scored earlier that inning on an error. In the top of the ninth, back-to-back wild pitches scored two more runs. James Sims went 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two walks. He also stole his second base.

Dan Houston struck out eight  and allowed one run on his way to a three-hit, six-inning performance. Isaiah Froneberger struck out three, as did Kurt Yacko in the bottom of the ninth.

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