Colorado Springs, L 2-7 - Ian Stewart hit his 15th homer. Franklin Morales allowed six runs and walked five in 5 1/3 innings. Two of the six runs scored as inherited runners after Matt Daley relieved. Morales had two errors on pickoff attempts.

Tulsa, L 3-9 - Todd Ritchie allowed eight runs in 5 2/3 IP, Casey Weathers struck out one in his one inning of work, and Eddie Cornejo hit a two-run homer.

Modesto, W 7-4 - Travis Becktel had a three-run triple in the eight as part of a five-run inning for the Nuts. Entering that inning, the Nuts had been trailing 2-5 to San Jose. Nelson Robledo had a sac fly earlier in the inning, and Anthony Jackson scored Becktel on a bunt ground hit immediately after Becktel's triple.

Aneury Rodriguez allowed four runs over 4 2/3 innings, but Tommy Baumgardner, Will Harris, and Andrew Johnston held San Jose scoreless over the final 4 1/3 innings. Johnston did walk two on his way to his 15th save.

Jhoulys Chacin will make his first start for Modesto on Tuesday, and here's Sunday's Q&A with Jason Van Kooten.

Asheville, L 1-4 - Mike Mitchell's double was one of three hits by the Tourists. He also stole two bases, with 33 for the season. Helder Velazquez racked up his 23rd error, while Darin Holcomb had his 10th and Cory Riordan his third. Riordan ("pitching with a sizeable blister on his middle finger") went 7 2/3 innings, allowed all four runs (three earned), and struck out four.

Tri-City, L 5-7 - Kenny Durst failed to make it out of the fourth, allowing six runs in 3 1/3 innings. Andy Groves allowed one more runs and three hits, but Jeff Murphy, and Carlos Luna held Spokane hitless over the final three innings. Austin Rauch had a double, a triple, and an RBI.

Casper, W 10-7 in 13 innings - Jeff Fischer still can't record his first pro victory. Casper pitchers blew the game three times. A 3-2 game in favor of Casper, Fischer left the game in the seventh with two men on and one out to go. Adam Jorgenson came in and saw both runners score. One scored on Jorgenson's wild pitch and the other scored on double (after the runner moved to third on a passed ball by Wilin Rosario). After Zack Murry doubled and scored on a Shane Lowe triple in the eighth, the score remained the same until the 10th. Casper scored a run, but Isaiah Froneberger gave it right back on a wild pitch. In the 11th, Mike Zuanich drove in Wilin Rosario on a double, and Zack Murry tipled in Zuanich. Yes, Casper blew the game again. Juan Rodriguez allowed a single and a walk in the 11th before Kyle Walker relieved him. Walker walked the bases loaded and then allowed a run on another walk. The second run came on a sac fly. After no runs scored in the 12th, Casper scored three on a double, a wild pitch, and a single in the 13th.

Ronny Lopez pitched the final two innings to pick up his first win. Andres Marrero struck out four between the eighth and ninth innings. Zack Murry went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, a double, a triple, and an RBI. Carlos Martinez and Wilin Rosario each had three hits in seven ABs.

Colorado Springs, L 5-6 - Seth Smith had his ninth home run, a two-run shot in the first, and Cory Sullivan had his fourth, a three-run homer in the fifth. Sean Smith threw seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball. Both runs were off solo shots. Juan Morillo allowed a run in the eighth, but it was Matt Daley who blew the game in the ninth. He allowed three runs on four singles and two walks.

Tulsa, W 6-3 - As mentioned during the game thread, Dexter Fowler had two doubles last night to increase his total to 20 on the season. His two RBI scored on the second one. Matt Miller went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Eric Young Jr. had two hits, and Daniel Carte stole his fourth base.

Xavier Cedeno turned in a solid 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks. Ryan Mattheus struck out two on his way to his 10th save. The Drillers turned four double plays (five if you include a play in the eighth, according to the Tulsa World).

Modesto, L 2-6 - Jason Van Kooten collected three of Modesto seven hits last night. All seven were singles. Van Kooten had two errors on the same play in the first inning. Aneury Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) in that inning on two hits. He allowed two more hits and walked over the next five innings. At the end of six innings, Rodriguez had struck out five and allowed only those two runs at the start of the game. Chris Malone allowed four runs on six hits in the seventh, but Andy Graham and Andrew Johnston combined to pitch a scoreless final two innings.

Jay Cox should be back with the team today after returning home to deal with a family emergency.

Asheville - All-Star Break.

Colorado Springs, W 11-9 - Seth Smith went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Two of the RBI came on two sac flies. Cory Sullivan collected four hits in six at-bats, scored three times, and had two doubles. Kenny Perez hit a two-run triple, and Sean Barker drove in two.

Things went mostly well for Glendon Rusch through the end of the fourth. He allowed a run and some hits, but it was the fifth that hurt him. He allowed two singles to start the inning and then saw both men score on a double. After putting another runner on base, Rusch allowed a two-out three-run home run. He would pitch another 1 2/3 innings, leaving after 6 2/3 IP. Matt Daley finished the seventh before giving way to Micah Bowie in the eighth. He struck out one and allowed one hit. Josh Newman allowed back-to-back doubles in the ninth and then saw a pop up to short turn into a two-run single. Another double scored the third run of the inning. Steven Register recorded the final out for his ninth save.

Tulsa, L 5-9 - Brandon Hynick allowed eight runs on 12 hits in seven innings. Three of those 12 hits went for home runs. Dexter Fowler had a big night, going 4-for-5 with two doubles (18), but drove in no runs. Tony Blanco hit his 10th homer, a solo shot in the eighth.

Last week the Tulsa World's Barry Lewis sat down with Rockies assistant general manager Bill Geivett for a Q&A.

Modesto, L 4-6 - Aaron Cook won this game. No, not our Aaron Cook. The Angels have an Aaron Cook, a reliever. Anyway, Simon Ferrer had another solid start, allowing three runs over six innings on five hits and two walks. Andy Graham came in for the seventh and blew the lead by allowing an RBI single and a two-run double. He also pitched the eighth and saw a double play end the inning.

Travis Becktel and Anthony Jackson had RBI singles in the fifth to put the Nuts within one of Rancho Cucamonga. In the seventh, Mike Paulk's double scored Troy Tulowitzki, and Aaron Cook hit Mike McKenry with the bases loaded, putting the Nuts ahead 4-3. Tulo had three hits, two were doubles.

Brian VanderBeek interviewed Andrew Johnston this week.

Asheville, L 3-5 -  Kevin Clark went 3-for-5 with his seventh homer and two RBI. Darin Holcomb drove in the other run. Mike Mitchell had three hits. Connor Graham allowed three runs over five innings, walked four, and struck out five. Craig Baker allowed two runs while pitching the final two innings of the game, leading to the loss.

The Tourists will at least tie for the first-half division championship if they lose today and Charleston wins, but if the Tourists win today that would be better. As Darin Holbcomb said, “Our mindset (Sunday)? We come out and we kill these guys[.]”

Colorado Springs, W 8-4 - Franklin Morales went up against the Angels' Nick Adenhart and both came up short. Adenhart allowed eight runs in 4 2/3 IP and Morales saw four runs in four innings. Morales walked four. Cedrick Bowers (3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB), Josh Newman (1 IP), and Matt Daley (1 IP, 1 H) held Salt Lake scoreless after Morales left the game. Salt Lake's bullpen also did the same once Adenhart exited.

Jayson Nix hit his seventh home run to start the bottom of the first inning. Three more runs scored on a bunch of singles and a ground out. One of those singles was by Matt Holliday, who went 4-for-4 with a two-run double in the fourth inning. Christian Colonel had an RBI double (16) an inning earlier, scoring Matt Holliday.

Tulsa, L 5-8 - Chaz Roe had mixed results in his first start for Tulsa. He went six innings and struck out seven. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks. Half of the hits went for doubles. The first three frames saw only one opposing batter reach base (on a walk). Roe, however, did not factor into the decision. Aaron Fultz came up empty again after entering a 5-5 game in the eighth. He allowed a homer to the first batter he faced. Casey Weathers allowed two runs in the top of the ninth.

Dexter Fowler (6) and Matt Miller (7) both had solo shots as part of their 2-for-4, two RBI night. They both scored twice, and Fowler had an RBI triple (5). Eric Young Jr. stole his 13th base. Daniel Carte received an outfield assist on a throw to home plate, but Neil Wilson erred on the catch.

Modesto, L 5-10 - Brian VanderBeek narrates the brawl that erupted between the Nuts and the Ports last night (plus news that Modesto will be part of the Rockies organization through 2010). Before that, it wasn't a good night for Aneury Rodriguez. The Ports' five-run second inning was quite troublesome. The damage was done only by singles, a couple of walks, and a fielding error. Rodriguez allowed four more runs over the next three innings before hitting Matt Sulentic and the start of the brawl. Tommy Baumgardner allowed one run and walked three in the next three innings. Andy Graham and Simon Ferrer had clean innings in the eighth and ninth to end the game.

Victor Ferrante had a three-run homer (5).

Brian VanderBeek's interview with Shane Lindsay is up.

Asheville, L 3-7 - Things started off well for the Tourists with three runs in the first. Jeff Cunningham hit a two-run homer, his twelfth of  the season, and Helder Velazquez doubled in Darin Holcomb. Holcomb (24) and Mitchell (15) both had doubles that inning also. Five more hits came but no runs. Kevin Clark also had a double (14). Velazquez had a fielding and throwing error, Cunningham only a fielding one.

Cory Riordan took his fourth loss after pitching three batters into the seventh inning without recording an out. He allowed seven runs (three earned) on seven hits (one being a three-run homer) and two walks. He struck out five.

Colorado Springs, L 4-7 - Jayson Nix went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI, and Christian Colonel also had two hits and drove in a run on a double.

John Koronka allowed allowed six runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 IP. The sixth inning was particularly harsh when he allowed a homer to the second batter of the inning, followed by consecutive doubles. Joe Koshansky committed a fielding error on a play that scored a run. Matt Daley replaced Koronka and allowed a triple, scoring the two inherited runners. A wild pitch scored the guy from third. Cedrick Bowers pitched two hitless innings and allowed only a walk.

Tulsa, W 6-3 - Brandon Hynick performed quite well last night. He pitched seven innings, allowed three runs on four hits and a walk, and struck out seven. Seventy-one of his 101 pitches went for strikes. Hynick actually pitched into the eighth, but allowed a leadoff triple and then an RBI double. Darren Clarke relieved and eventually saw the inherited runner score. Ryan Mattheus struck out two in the ninth to record his fifth save.

The RBI were spread out among several players. Matt Miller had two, and Tony Blanco, Jeff Kindel, Daniel Carte, and Corey Wimberly each had one. Miller, Blanco, and Wimberly used the sac fly to drive in half the runs. Tulsa had only two extra-base hits last night: Dexter Fowler's double and Jeff Dragicevich's triple. They both had 2-for-4 nights.

Modesto, L 2-4 - Keith Weiser fell to 3-7 last night after pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks. Will Harris had a clean inning in the eighth.

Daniel Mayora grounded into a force out in the third, scoring Geoff Strickland. The Nuts led 1-0 at that point, but it would be short-lived as Weiser allowed two runs in the bottom of the inning. Mayora hit his 15th double in the eighth inning and later scored on Matt Repec's single. With San Jose scoring two runs the inning before, Repec's RBI brought the game to its final score. Mayora committed two errors (16), a fielding one and a missed catch.

Asheville, W 3-2 - A Darin Holcomb RBI groundout and a Kevin Clark RBI single gave Asheville a 2-0 lead in the fourth, but at the end of the seventh the game was tied at two. In the top of the eighth, Lars Davis led off with a single before Everth Cabrera struck out swinging. Davis was then caught stealing second while Mike Mitchell was at the plate. Mitchell singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jeff Cuningham plated Mitchell on his 13th double. Both Cunningham and Mitchell had three hits last night. Cabrera (34) and Helder Velazquez (4) each stole a base.

John Smoltz made a rehab start for Rome, striking out three and allowing one hit in two innings. Mike Mitchell had the lone hit.

Connor Graham had an odd night. He allowed five hits and walked five batters in six innings, but he saw no runs scored. He struck out four. Ryan Speier came in for the seventh inning and blew the save on an RBI double and a sac fly. He walked two. Craig Baker picked up the win after pitching 1 1/3 innings. Randall Taylor now has 17 saves.

Colorado Springs, L 8- 13 - . . . And the next night, the Sky Sox allowed their opponent to score in seven of nine innings. Albuquerque scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings of the game. Valerio De Los Santos allowed nine of those runs in 4 1/3 IP. Matt Daley finished the fifth and allowed one of the two inherited runners from De Los Santos to score. Juan Morillo allowed three runs in the sixth inning. Victor Zambrano allowed the last run (unearned, it was), went two innings, and struck out three. Josh Newman pitched the last inning for the Sky Sox and struck out one.

It was a night for doubles as Cory Sullivan (3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 SB), Seth Smith (2-for-5, 1 RBI), and Rick Guarno (2-for-5, 1 RBI) each had two doubles. Ian Stewart hit his fifth triple and drove in a run.

Tulsa, W 7-3 - Monday was a good night for both Chris Nelson and Neil Wilson. Nelson started the night with a two-run homer (3) in the first inning (he also had a sac fly in the seventh), and Wilson banged a three-run homer (1) in the seventh inning to make it 7-2 game in favor of the Drillers. Tony Blanco hit his first homer for the Drillers to complete the scoring. It was also a good night for Dexter Fowler. He had a bunt single in the first (and scored on Nelson's homer), and then tripled (4) in the seventh (and scored on Nelson's sac fly).

Brandon Hynick turned in seven solid innings. He allowed two runs on eight hits (one run came off a homer). He walked one and struck out two. Casey Weathers allowed one run on two hits and a walk in the eighth inning. He struck out two.

Modesto, L 0-4 - Victor Ferrante and Cole Garner both had three hits in four at-bats last night. One of Ferrante's hits went for his fifth double.

Simon Ferrer allowed four runs on eights and  four walks in five innings. He also struck out three. Brandon Durden pitched the last three innings and did not allow a base runner.

Asheville, W 3-2 - The sixth inning was the decisive once in last night's contest. In the top half of the inning, Beau Seabury and Everth Cabrera led off the inning with walks. Mike Mitchell put down a sac bunt, but made it to first after catcher Jordan Abruzzo committed a throwing error. Brian Rike and Darin Holcomb got out in the next two ABs. Jeff Cunningham hit a three-run triple to give the Tourists the 3-0 lead. Brian lapin hit a triple in the ninth, but nothing came of it.

In the bottom of the sixth, Cory Riordan allowed a lead off triple, and that guy scored on a double in the next AB. A sac fly scored the second run that inning. That was all Savannah was able to score. Riordan wound up going 7 2/3 innings and allowed those two runs on six hits. He also struck out six. Craig Rodriguez struck out the one batter he faced to end the eighth inning. Randall Taylor picked up his 10th save.

If you go over to milb.com's homepage as of this writing, you'll note that the first two featured performances yesterday came from our pitchers.

Colorado Springs: W 5-1

The good news in this one was that four Sky Sox pitchers combined on a no-hitter. The bad news would be that it took four of them to do it. Franklin Morales' six walks and only five innings are a good indication of how much he was laboring , unhittable that he may have been. Teekalong asked in the gamethread discussion yesterday why I would think Morales needed to go back to AAA to develop while Greg Reynolds could further his developing at the MLB level. It simply has to do with a lack of efficiency on Morales' part costing the team more in bullpen usage. Reynolds at this point both gives the Rockies about as good a chance to win that Morales was, but promises to eat more innings. Having four inefficient pitchers -adding in Jimenez, Mark Redman and 2008's Jeff Francis- was absolutely destroying any hope of holding leads by overextending the pen early this season. Reynolds, will take a lot of that burden away.

What's more, as the diary by NovaO pointed out, Morales' deficiencies have a lot more to do with mechanical adjustments that needed to be made, whereas Reynolds' task is just to learn to avoid mistakes. I think the two are apples and oranges in other words, and still think calling-up Greg was as good an option as we had at the time. Of course, you can go back to the offseason, when decent  experienced pitching was more available, and argue that the team made its mistakes then to leave us in this position. That is an argument that I can certainly see has its merits in hindsight.

Chris George, Matt Daley and Steven Register finished Morales' start, allowing three more walks in the next four innings, but that was it. Ian Stewart doubled twice, over the six games of the current homestand he has nine hits, seven for extra bases, three walks and just three K's in 25 PA's. He's both scored and driven in eight runs and he's on pace to hit the century mark in both.

Tulsa: Off

Modesto: W 11-0

When I stress the importance of efficiency, Aneury Rodriguez provides a great example. He was the sole pitcher in a complete game one hitter. 107 pitches over nine innings has a lot more value than the 90 over five that Morales threw. Rodriguez struck out six and walked two, and the one hit was just a bloop double according to this eye-witness account. Michael McKenry had two doubles as the DH and drove in three. Anthony Jackson also doubled twice and scored twice and Matt Repec hit his first homerun of the season. Michael Paulk, Nick Haley and Nelson Robledo got aboard three times each via walk or single, and Daniel Mayora added two singles as well.

Colorad Springs, W 8-4 - Joe Koshansky drove in five runs last night, and only one came by the way of a home run. In the first inning, he drove in Juan Castro and Ian Stewart (both reached on walks) on a single. He doubled in Stewart and Sean Barker in the third, and then homered in the sixth. Barker went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

John Koronka went 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits. Matt Daley allowed two hits in 2 1/3 IP. Steven Register had a clean ninth inning.

Tulsa, W 7-0, L 3-9 - The first game saw Dexter Fowler hit his fourth homer, a a three-run shot. Matt Miller added two RBI, and Corey Wimberly and Tony Blanco had one each. Blanco and Chris Nelson had the other extra-base hits for the Drillers, both doubles. Nelson stole his fourth base.

Ching-Lung Lo beat Arkansas in a seven-inning, two-hit, complete game shutout. He walked two and struck out two.

The second game wasn't as nice for Tulsa pitching. Five errors contributed to the score. Jon George and Luis Gonzalez combined to allow eight runs, but only three were earned. George had a throwing error, and Duke Sardinha, Jeff Dragicevich, Tony Blanco, and Luis Gonzalez committed fielding errors. Casey Weathers pitched a clean ninth.

Jeff Dragicevich had a two-run homer and Dexter Fowler followed his fourth homer in the first game with his fifth in the second game. Jeff Kindel had two hits.

Modesto, L 3-7 - Keith Weiser went only 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out five. According to his manager, the defense led to some of Weiser's troubles:

"Weiser was outstanding," Weinstein said. "In the first inning, we have to make some plays behind him, and in the second inning, we have to make a play. It could have been 3-0 in our favor into the fifth. He had to throw a lot of pitches because we didn't do a very good job defensively."

Daniel Mayora had an error in the third and fifth innings while Geoff Strickland had the other in the fifth inning. In his blog entry for the game, Brian VanderBeek writes that there were a few other plays on defense that should have been made (we also find out that Hector Gomez is progressing in Tucson). In the seventh inning, Will Harris allowed  four straight singles with two runs scoring on the fourth one. Andy Graham, James Burok, and Brandon Durden combined to allow two hits in 3 1/3 IP.

Cole Garner singled in Nick Haley in the first, which tied the game. Entering the bottom of the fourth, the Nuts were down by two, but a Victor Ferrante (who tripled to start the inning) scored when Matt Repec reached second base on a fielder's choice and an error. Anthony Jackson then scored Repec a little while later. The game was tied at three, but it wouldn't last for long.

Asheville, L 6-7 in 13 innings - Down four to nothing in the bottom of the sixth, Darin Holcomb hit his seventh homer to bring the score within one run. In the bottom of the ninth, Jeff Cunningham hit his sixth homer to send the game into extra innings. Fast forward to the bottom of the 12th, the Tourists are down two runs. Mike Mitchell doubled before Brian Rike came to bat. Rike hit his eighth homer, tying the game at six. Randall Taylor came in to start the 13th and promptly allowed a homer to the first batter he faced. There were no heroics in the bottom of that inning.

Mike Mitchell had four hits in the game, Helder Velazquez stole his second base of the season, and Kevin Clark stole second and third in the sixth (but did not score).

Bruce Billings went five innings, allowed four runs on nine hits, and struck out seven. Joey Williamson, Matt Reynolds, and Craig Baker held Charleston to one hit, two walks, and no runs over 4 2/3 IP.  Craig Rodriguez allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 IP.

Colorado Springs, W 7-6 - Cory Sullivan doubled in two runs in the second inning, and Ian Stewart promptly doubled in Sullivan. Sean Barker collected three hits and drove in a run. Juan Castro made his debut for the Sky Sox, had two hits, and drove in a run. Joe Koshansky (who struck out three times) and Rick Guarno had the other RBI. Jayson Nix had a double, and Stewart, Barker, and Colonel each stole a base.

Josh Towers went 5 2/3 innings, allowed four runs on ten hits and a walk. He also struck out four. Matt Daley and Steven Register held Memphis hitless over the last two innings. Register picked up his third save.

Tulsa, L 2-3 - Chris Nelson went 3-for-4 with a home run, his second. He stole his third base of the season as well (Fowler stole his eighth). Daniel Carte drove in the other run. Jeff Kindel had a triple in the sixth and scored on Carte's single.

Alan Johnson went 7 1/3 innings and allowed all three runs.

Modesto - The Cal League had an off day.

Asheville, W 5-4 - David Christensen singled in Brian Lapin twice as part of his 3-for-4 night. He also stole his fifth base. But it was Brian Rike who had the best hit of the night, his seventh homer in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. He also had an assist and an error.

Jhoulys Chacin allowed four runs in seven innings. He walked three and struck out six. Randall Taylor picked up the win. This was the team's first win when trailing after seven innings.

Colorado Springs, W 5-1 - Cory Sullivan led the offense last night by hitting his second homer of the season, a three-run shot in the third inning. Seth Smith had a double and an RBI. Jayson Nix had a hit, scored twice, and walked twice.

Sean Smith allowed one run on two hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out five. Cedrick Bowers picked up the win after striking out two in the fifth inning. Chris George, Matt Daley, and Steven Register pitched in relief. Register allowed the other two Nashville hits.

Tulsa, L 1-2 - Matt Miller's ground out RBI in the third inning was all the offense last night for the Drillers. All six hits the Drillers had were singles. Corey Wimberly stole two bases and has 10 for the season.

Brandon Hynick allowed two runs (both in the first inning) on seven hits and one walk in six innings. He also struck out six. Casey Weathers returned to action and had a clean sheet in the seventh inning.

Modesto, W 9-7 - Simon Ferrer picked up his first win of the season in one of his better starts this season. In seven innings, Ferrer limited Bakersfield to two runs on three hits and three walks. Brandon Durden did not fare as well as he allowed three runs on two walks and a double. Andrew Johnston allowed one run in the ninth, but picked up his seventh save.

Jay Cox hit his  first home run of the season, a three-run shot, in the second inning. Mike McKenry hit his third, a two-run blast, in the ninth. Cole Garner went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored.

Asheville, L 0-4 - Brian Lapin and Lars Davis had two hits each, but Lapin's triple was the only extra-base hit for the Tourists. Helder Velazquez had the other hit. Darin Holcomb stole his third base, but Velazquez was caught for the fourth time. Brian Rike had two fielding errors.

Cory Riordan pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks. He struck out five. Matthew Reynolds pitched to three batters in the sixth inning and allowed two hits and walked the other batter before leaving without recording an out. Edgmer Escalona finished the last 2 2/3 innings of the game, struck out two, and allowed one hit.

Asheville radio announcer Jay Burnham has a blog about the team as they travel around the Sally League throughout the season.

Spence Nagy retired from baseball. I believe we missed that yesterday.