Arizona Fall League:

The Phoeneix Desert Dogs captured the National Division title back on November 13, so the six Rockies on the roster will play for a chance to win the Arizona Fall League title once the regulate season ends on November 20.

• Shane Lindsay did not take part in the decision on November 11, but he struck out seven batters and allowed three runs in four innings.
• David Patton allowed four runs on four hits in 1/3 IP on November 10.
• Chaz Roe hasn't pitched since November 6.
• Michael McKenry went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, and three RBI on November 10. The next day, he hit his ninth homer. Then the day after, he went 3-for-5 but did not hit a homer. Atlanta prospect Tyler Flowers, 17 homers for Myrtle Beach (Carolina League) in 2008, took the lead in AFL homers after having a three homer, seven RBI game on November 12.
• Chris Nelson hit a homer on November 11, his fourth. On November 13, he went 4-for-5 with a triple, two homers, and five RBI.
• As Rox Girl posted a few days ago, Eric Young, Jr. missed this past week of AFL action.

Hawaii Winter League:

The Hawaii Winter League concluded yesterday, as the Waikiki Beach Boys took home the championship. Giants' 2008 first round pick Buster Posey smacked a three-run homer in the seventh inning during the 5-1 victory.

The Honolulu Sharks finished second (17-18) behind Waikiki in the two-team divsion.

• Austin Chambliss allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in 1/3 IP on November 11.
• Still don't know what happened to Andy Graham after his October 24 appearance.
• On November 11, Connor Graham struck out eight and walked three in four innings. He allowed no runs.
• Lars Davis had five hits in his last nine at-bats (that's over three games). On November 15, he hit his first homer, a solo shot, in HWL action.
• Darin Holcomb finished the HWL hitting .163/.291/.239.
• Mike Mitchell did nothing of in the final week of HWL play.

It wasn't a good last week for many of the Rockies' prospects playing fall baseball.

Arizona Fall League

• On November 5, Shane Lindsay started his second game in the AFL and took the loss. He allowed one run on four hits and two walks in three innings. He also struck out three.
• David Patton pitched in that November 5 contest and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in one inning.
• Chaz Roe showed some better stuff in his November 6 start. He struck out seven batters in four innings and allowed no runs on one hit. He did, however, walk three.
• Michael McKenry has seven home runs, good for a three-way tie for first in the AFL.
• Chris Nelson hasn't done much to stand out over the last week.
• Eric Young, Jr. has 18 stolen bases and collected six hits in his next four games, before going hitless on November 7.

Hawaii Winter League

• On Novemer 5, Austin Chambliss pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings. He then allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning on November 8.
• Anyone know what happened to Andy Graham? He hasn't pitched since October 24.
  
• Connor Graham's been regressing. On November 4, he allowed seven runs on two hits and six walks in 2 2/3 innings.
• Hits have been few and far between for Lars Davis in his limited playing time. He has nine hits in 54 at-bats.
• Darin Holcomb went 3-for-4 with an RBI last night.
• Mike Mitchell has struck out at least once in his last nine games.

All right, I'll admit that the headline is just a bit misleading; however, Eric Young, Jr. did hit his second home run of the Arizona Fall League season, and it was similar to his first homer, in that it was a grand slam. He went 3-for-4 in that game with a walk and two stolen bases.

Arizona Fall League:

• Shane Lindsay made his first start this fall on October 30 and picked up his second win that day. He went four innings, allowed one run on four hits and two walks, and struck out six.
• David Patton allowed four runs on five hits in two innings on Halloween.
• Chaz Roe started the October 30 contest, and he wasn't pretty on the mound. He lasted only 1 2/3 innings, allowed five runs on five hits and four walks.
• In the two games he played since he had back-to-back-to-back games with the homers, Michael McKenry went 0-for-6 with a run scored, an RBI, and two walks.
• Chris Nelson went 3-for-4 with two RBI on October 29 and then hit a two-run homer on Halloween.

Hawaii Winter League:

• Austin Chambliss allowed four runs on five hits in one inning on October 29. His next two outings (Oct. 31/Nov. 2) saw him pitch a scoreless inning in each.
• Andy Graham hasn't pitched since October 24, but the other Graham, Connor, walked five batters in his October 28 start. He lasted only 1 2/3 innings.
  
• Mike Mitchell has a three-game hitting streak, but Darin Holcomb and Lars Davis haven't done anything of note since the last update.

Here's the final installment of our current Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) List:

I'd have to go through all the past votes, but Fowler may be the first unanimous #1 prospect. The top 10 is balanced, with five hitters and five pitchers.

Arizona Fall League:

• Michael McKenry joined a select company of recent Arizona Fall Leaguers when he hit three homers in Monday's game. What that blog entry doesn't mention is that McKenry also launched a homer two nights before, when he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. In Tuesday's game, McKenry continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-4, one homer, two RBI, two runs scored performance. He's 8-for-13 over his last three games.
• Christopher Nelson has a five-game hitting streak going, Monday's game being the only multi-hit one in the bunch. He's hitting .289/.391/.500 in 38 at-bats.
  
• Read this and look at this for Eric Young, Jr.
• Shane Lindsay hasn't pitched since the last update, David Patton allowed one run on one inning in Tuesday's game, and Chaz Roe allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in four innings of work. He also struck out two.

Hawaii WInter League:

• Austin Chambliss has a 32.40 ERA in 1 2/3 IP. Not really concerned.
• Andy Graham allowed his first earned run in his last appearance (Oct. 24). He has a 1.17 ERA in 7 2/3 IP.
• Connor Graham hasn't pitched since the last update.
• Lars Davis has played in one game since the last update and went 1-for-4 in it.
• Darin Holcomb has a hit in each of his last three games. He has a .169 BA.
• Mike Mitchell played in a game the day of the last update, went 0-for-3, and hasn't played since.

Arizona Fall League:

• Shane Lindsay has made three appearances out of the bullpen for the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In his second appearance, Lindsay struck out five in three innings of work and held the Peoria Javelinas to only one hit. He could not follow up that performance with something similar. Yesterday he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks.
• David Patton started the offseason in the Hawaii Winter League but moved up after injuries befell Rockies pitchers. He put up a 2.57 ERA in six appearances over there in the Pacific. He walked seven and struck out nine. In two appearances for Phoenix, he's allowed two unearned runs in 2 1/3 innings.
• Chaz Roe's made three starts for Phoenix and hasn't put up any good lines. He's gone longer in each outing (2 IP, 3 IP, 3 2/3 IP), but he's also given up four runs, three runs, and five runs. He's walked seven and struck out nine.
• Michael McKenry's appeared in six games and has three hits in 10 at-bats.
• Chris Nelson has done a bit better as of late. I think one good thing to look at is that in his last four games he's walked five times. While he's hitting .240, he's still getting on base (.355 OBP).
• Eric Young, Jr. is hitting .364 (12 for 33) and getting on base at a .432 clip. He's stolen six bases. He has a seven-game hitting streak currently and is 11 for 25 over that stretch.

Hawaii Winter League:

• Austin Chambliss arrived in Hawaii after David Patton booked a ticket back to the States. Chambliss walked two, allowed two hits, and saw five runs score without recording an out in his Oct. 17 outing.
• Andy Graham has allowed one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings. On his way to his three saves, Graham has struck out six and walked two.
• Connor Graham is 1-0 in four games started. In his last two starts, Graham struck out a combined nine batters (five and four). His GO-AO stands at 1.50.
• Lars Davis is 7 for 32 in 10 games and has five RBI. He has 12 strikeouts and no walks.
• Darin Holcomb is 7 for 48 in 15 games.
• Mike Mitchell is 10 for 54 in 17 games and has six stolen bases.

Yesterday the Arizona Fall League started play and, as noted yesterday, the Colorado Rockies have their minor leaguers on the Phoenix Desert Dogs. The Desert Dogs faced the Mesa Solar Sox and lost the game in 10 innings.

On the hitting side of things, Eric Young, Jr., starting at DH, had the best start of the bunch. EY had a hit in three at-bats and scored one of the two runs knocked in by Rusty Ryal's triple. Chris Nelson, the starting second baseman, went 0-for-3 and struck out twice. Nelson struck out 21% of the time in 329 plate appearances for Tulsa in 2008. Mike McKenry did not start the game, but he did come in as a pinch-hitter in the 10th. He struck out to end the game. Toronto's J.P. Arencibia will likely be the Desert Dogs' primary catcher.

Shane Lindsay was the only Rockies pitcher to see action yesterday. He pitched the eighth inning, allowing two hits. He sued only 13 pitches to get out of the inning, but only six of them went for strikes. Arizona's Max Scherzer started the game, went seven innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits,  and struck out four. Those two runs scored on a homer in the first inning.

The Desert Dogs take on the Solar Sox again later today.

While the Colorado Rockies aren't playing October baseball, six Rockies prospects are currently playing baseball for the Honolulu Sharks in Hawaii. Those six are pitchers Connor and Andy Graham and David Patton and position players Lars Davis (C), Darin Holcomb (3B), and Mike Mitchell (OF).

Here's how the pitchers have done so far (play began on September 28):

And now the position players:

The Arizona Fall League begins tomorrow. Rockies prospects are pitchers Shane Lindsay, Ryan Mattheus, Chaz Roe, and Casey Weathers and position players Mike McKenry (C), Chris Nelson (SS), and Eric Young, Jr. (listed as OF). They'll play for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

Casey Weathers should use this time as a tuneup for competing for a roster on the major league team come February and March. I'd also like to see Ryan Mattheus have a strong campaign in order to compete for a spot in the bullpen this spring. I'm not saying he'll make it at the start of the season, but Mattheus has to be better than some of the guys who were thrown out there this past season. Also, let's see what Chris Nelson can do after a disappointing year. The AFL is usually a good place to pick things up with the bat, so take that however you want to.

Free7694 has graciously offered his help in remembering Rocktober. He should check in soon with an entry on Game 3 of the NLDS.

Colorado Springs, W 5-3: Mike McCoy hit a sac fly in the top of the ninth to break the 3-3 tie and Christian Colonel had an RBI single to give the Sky Sox a little cushion. In the fourth inning, McCoy hit his fourth homer of the season. Joe Koshansky and Chris Frey each hit a triple.

Greg Reynolds allowed three runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings and struck out nine. Matt Daley allowed the tying run when he put one of the runners he inherited from Reynolds across the plate. Juan Morillo pitched hte last two innings, walked two, and didn't allow a run.

Tulsa, W 5-3: Dexter Fowler and Chris Nelson both went 3-for-5with two RBI, but it was Fowler who had them all go for extra-bases. He had two doubles and a triple. Corey Wimberly was caught stealing twice, but also swiped his 59th base.

Josh Hall allowed three runs in six innings after allowing four hits and walking four. Ryan Mattheus picked up his 17th save.

Modesto, L 6-7: Mike McKenry hit his 18th homer, a three-run shot, in the fourth inning. Victor Ferrante and Angel Cabrera each hit solo homers.

James Burok started the game and allowed two runs in three innings. Jon George, Tommy Baumgardner, and Austin Chambliss (making his first appearance for Modesto this season) held Bakersfield to one run over the next three innings. David Patton allowed four runs in the seventh inning.

Asheville, L 1-3: Everth Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and his 73rd stolen base. Christian Friedrich allowed one run on four hits and two walks in five innings. The run scored on a first-inning homer. He struck out six.

Tri-City, L 3-5: Parker Frazier allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk in six innings.

Casper, L 0-10: Delta Cleary had the only Casper hits last night. They did walk five times, but nothing got done. Ethan Hollingsworth allowed five runs (three earned) in four innings. He walked three and struck out five. Craig Benningson allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings. Nick Schnaitmann, making his first appearance for Casper, allowed a hit and struck out one in one inning of work. Eric Schaler gave up two runs the next inning.

Colorado Springs, L 6-7: Ryan Spilborghs is a good player--a good player for the Rockies. But last night, he did well for the Sky Sox. He collected three hits last night, one being a homer. It actually tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, but Steven Register allowed a run in the eighth to lose the game. Jason Hirsh allowed six runs in six innings. Four of those runs scored on two two-run homers.

Tulsa, L 1-3: Tulsa only had four hits last night. Chris Nelson had one of them and also walked  twice. Chaz Roe went seven innings and allowed the runs (one on his 15th homer allowed). He did strike out seven. Zach McClellan needed only six pitches to get through his inning of work.

Modesto, L 4-5 in 10 innings: Will Harris was charged with the loss since he allowed the eventual winning run on base to start the 10th by walk (he allowed the next batter to reach on a single). Tommy Baumgardner replaced him and struck out the first batter he faced. Then Baumgardner committed a throwing error (the ball went into center field) to allow Lancaster the victory.

Simon Ferrer allowed three runs in five innings and struck out four. Jon George had two innings of clean relief after that before Will Harris entered. Harris allowed the other two runs. Mike McKenry hit his 16th homer.

Asheville, L 2-5: Jeff Cunningham collected both RBI when he hit his 18th homer of the season in the eighth inning. Mike Mitchell and Bo Bowman both had two hits, just like Cunningham. Mitchell, however, was caught stealing and picked off twice.

Bruce Billings allowed all four runs in 6 1/3 innings, two off a two-run homer and one each on a sac fly and a double. The former two runs scored in the first and the latter two scored in the eighth. Billings allowed a triple to start the eighth. He walked three and struck out five.

Tri-City, W 5-2: Juan Nicasio went 4 2/3 innings and allowed two runs. His six strikeouts were the most since he K'ed eight on July 9. That was the last time Nicasio won, but he didn't pick one up last night. Carlos Luna won the game after pitching the next 2 1/3 innings, He allowed two hits and struck out two. Michael Marbry alloweda hit and struck out one in the next inning, and Tyler Trice recorded his first save.

Chad Lembeck's solo homer (3) and Jordan Pacheco's two-run double in the sixth proved to the important inning. Those runs were sandwiched in between a Patrick Rose RBI single in the fourth and a Kordan Pacheco RBI single in the eigth. Rose swiped his 11th base and Charlie Blackmon his 13th. Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Casper, W 15-4: The heart of the Casper lineup turned things on during the heart of the game. The Baby Rockies (they'll always be that to me--damn Ghosts!) scored five runs in the fifth and the sixth and three runs in the seventh. They also caused Orem to use six pitchers.

Maikol Gonzalez and Orlando Sandoval led the way with four hits each. While Gonazlez drove in three runs, Orlando Sandoval, who drove in two, fell a triple short of the cycle. Wilin Rosario, Jose Gonzalez, and Jimmy Cesario, who collected three hits, each chipped in with two RBI. Carlos Martinez went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two stolen bases (18). Sandoval stole his eighth, Gonzalez and Rosario their fourth, and Cesario his second.

Dan Houston went four innings, allowed three runs on five hits, and struck out three. Brandon Dill allowed a hit and struck out two in his two innins of work. Juan Rodrgiuez picked up the save after pitching the final three innings of the game. He allowed a run on two hits and a walk. He also struck out four.