Colorado Springs, W 5-4 - Jason Hirsh made another rehab start. He allowed four runs, three coming of a solo shot and a two-run homer. In 4 1/3 IP, Hirsh allowed six hits, walked two, and struck out six. Luis Vizcaino struck out two in one inning of work. VIzcaino, Chris George, Valerio De Los Santos, Matt Daley, and Steven Register (who recorded his seventh save) combined to allow only three hits over the last 4 2/3 innings.

Trailing by one, Joe Koshansky hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eight to put the Sky Sox ahead 5-4. Brad Hawpe scored on the play, having singled to lead off the inning. Dustan Mohr had a double and an RBI. Newly arrived Kenny Perez had a hit.

Tulsa, L 2-3 - Ching Lung Lo limited Springfield to five hits and two runs in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked none. Aaron Fultz pitched in between Darren Clarke's and Jon George's clean outings. See, lefty Fultz entered the game to face a lefty at the start of the ninth inning with the game tied at two and promptly allowed a homer on his first pitch. Jon George immediately relieved him, ending the inning with no more damage done. But the Drillers could not come back.

Eric Young Jr. collected two hits (one was a double) and stole his 12th base. Corey Wimberly stole his 26th base. Jeff Dragicevich pinch hit for Lo and struck out.

Modesto - No game scheduled.

Asheville, W 5-4 - Sheng-An Kuo allowed all four runs on two two-run homers in the top of the first. He went five innings, gave up eight hits (five came in the first inning), and walked four. Joey Williamson, Craig Baker, and Randall Taylor combined for four innings of two-hit relief (both allowed by Baker). Taylor struck out two in the process of recording his 21st save.

The Tourist offense answered over the next two innings to tie the game. Everth Cabrera had a double and stole his 41st base before scoring on a Mike Mitchell double in the first. Mitchell scored that inning on a Darin Holcomb sac fly. In the second inning, Helder Velazquez hit his fifth homer after Kevin Clark started the inning with a walk. Not to be outdone, Clark hit his fifth homer of the season in the fourth inning to put the Tourists ahead. David Christensen had two hits, one a double, and did not strike out. Jeff Cunningham stole his first two bases of the season.

Colorado Springs: W 4-0

The Franklin Morales Question Part Eleven, from the Irv Moss recap:

Added Geivett: "I thought we could see the velocity coming back for Morales. His delivery looked much better, but he still needs to work on his secondary pitches. He was dominant with his fastball at times, and that's something that we haven't seen for a while."

So does that mean his velocity was back? Or just coming back and not back? Other than that concern that the velo still might be off, it seems like the movement to Franklin Morales' pitches was there and the command was mostly on (two of the five walks he gave up were around the hundred pitch mark) so you have to take this appearance as a hugely positive step forward for Morales.

As the article indicates, for the Rockies immediate future, the clean inning by Luis Vizcaino seems to be more relevant. This is the Vizcaino we would have liked to have shown up for Spring Training, but better late than never, I suppose. Matt Daley also pitched, to one batter, getting Morales out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh. Joe Koshansky hit a two run double in the first, and Doug Bernier a two run homer in the second for the only scoring in the game.

Tulsa: W 2-0

The big news for Tulsa was the return of Eric Young Jr. Young walked twice and stole his eleventh base leading off for the Drillers. He scored what proved to be the deciding run in the first after a walk, sac bunt by Dexter Fowler, passed ball, and a fielding error. With Chris Nelson being injured last week, the return seems fortuitously timed. I don't know about Corey Wimberly playing shortstop, but it was a clean game for him as far as errors go. One more step in his evolution into a Chone Figgins type of utility player would be a positive development, but I wouldn't consider him a safe defensive sub at any position, if he's put into a game in the Bigs it will be for his contact  and speed skills, not his glove.

Tomas Santiago has had just two quality starts this season, but he's had four other starts like yesterday in which he gives up two runs or less in less than six innings. It leaves a lot of work for the bullpen but at the same time you can't really fault the guy for giving the team a decent chance to win. Which is exactly what Tulsa did. Casey Weathers had another scoreless inning with a K and Ryan Mattheus picked up his seventh save.

Modesto: W 8-5

Due to Shane Lindsay's hand injury, Chaz Roe's anticipated debut in Tulsa is being put off for the time being. Roe's outing yesterday for Modesto wasn't especially effective with four runs being given up, but Modesto's offense came up with some support for him. The link to Brian VanderBeek's blog also brings up important notes about Andrew Johnston spraining his ankle and Michael McKenry going on bereavement leave. I'll try and get more word on Johnston later today, as well as the mysterious disappearance of Daniel Carte in Tulsa.

Asheville: W 7-4

I think it's safe to say that this was Jhoulys Chacin's worst outing of the year (maybe the second worst, with the April 14 outing at Greensboro vying for top honors) with thirteen baserunners allowed in six innings, but the T's won regardless in what looks from the boxscore to have been a pretty wild affair. There were a total of ten stolen bases in thirteen attempts, four of them by Kevin Clark. There were two HBP's by Chacin and a pair of wild pitches by Rome pitchers and a passed ball by their catcher. That's a lot of bases being given away, and in many ways I'm surprised that the scoring was limited to just eleven runs. Brian Rike hit a three run homerun, Everth Cabrera doubled and tripled and stole two, and Jeff Cunningham and Darin Holcomb both added doubles for the offense.

This marked the Tourists eighth win in a row, and they maintained their two and a half game lead over Charleston with thirteen games remaining in the first half. Even though they have a lot of bodies still in Tucson, nobody should accuse the Rockies of manipulating their extended Spring Training roster to expand the player pool they can use at their A-ball affiliate. It's also a sign of the luck with good health that this Asheville team has had that in the month of May, the Tourists had zero transactions according to the SAL's transaction page.

Colorado Springs, L 5-13 - After the end of the sixth, the Sky Sox held a 5-4 lead. Josh Towers pitched the first five innings and allowed all four runs. Luis Vizcaino came in for the sixth and things went smoothly for him (after the leadoff triple). Then Chris George came in. He allowed two doubles and two singles to score three runs. Juan Morillo came in the next inning, issued three straight walks, and then recorded his first out. A single scored the first run in the eighth. Landon Powell had a two-run groundout as Doug Bernier committed a throwing error. In the ninth, we saw more of the same as Steven Register allowed three runs, all unearned. On back-to-back plays, Eduardo Cornejo and Joe Koshansky committed errors. The first run scored on Koshansky's error, and the other two scored on a ground out and a single.

Joe Koshansky went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two-run homer (12). Christian Colonel had two hits, one for a double.

Tulsa, L 8-9 - Losing 4-7 entering the top of the sixth, the Drillers scored a run in each inning. Unfortunately, two runs in the bottom of the sixth gave the Rockhounds enough room to win the game. Matt Miller and Jeff Kindel both had two hits and two RBI, and Jeff Dragicevich had a solo home run for his eighth of the season (and three fielding errors). Corey Wimberly and Dexter Fowler each had two hits as well. Wimberly also added two stolen bases for 23 on the season.

Xavier Cedeno allowed nine runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks. He struck out six. Jon George and Darren Clarke held opposing batters to three hits and no runs over the final 2 2/3 innings.

Modesto, L 1-5 - Anthony Jackson had a double to leadoff the game and eventually scored on a Mike Paulk sac fly. Nick Haley had two hits and Jay Cox had one. Modesto had only those four hits. Jackson (15), Cox (1), and Haley (6) each stole a base.

Esmil Rogers pitched valiantly for seven inning, allowing only one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Will Harris came in for the eighth and allowed a two-run homer, an RBI single, and a RBI double to lose the game.

Asheville, W 6-4 - Helder Velazquez went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and two stolen bases (6). The game also saw Everth Cabrera hit a triple, score on a Mike Mitchell sac fly, and steal a base (36). Mike Mitchell also stole two bases (21). Brian Rike played and went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and three strikeouts.

Sheng-An Kuo liked the number six tonight. He picked up his sixth winning after pitching six innings. He allowed two runs on six hits, and walked two and struck out six. Craig Baker struck out three in the eighth before Randall Taylor struck out three to pick up his 18th save.

Last night's game was oh so much fun to watch . . . if you were a Phillies fan. I mean, it apparently "exorcised a few demons" the Phillies acquired back in October when the Rockies swept them. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Phil Sheridan points out the, uh, obvious:

The Colorado Rockies couldn't have enjoyed getting pounded by the Phillies last night. You can be just as sure they wouldn't trade their last three victories over the Phils for a reversal of this outcome. . . . It's a long way from May to October, but the Phillies have survived the journey from October to May. Ask the Rockies how hard that can be.

Yeah, but can the Phillies survive the  journey from the end of May to the end of September?

Clint Hurdle on Jorge De La Rosa's status with the team:

"It wasn't a step forward," was all Hurdle said when asked about De La Rosa's future.

If he's still in the rotation come Saturday, DLR and his 9.00 ERA will face Ryan Dempster and the Cubs.

Injury updates: Garrett Atkins may be back tonight; Ryan Speier will join Asheville on Wednesday for a rehab assignment; Jason Hirsh and Luiz Vizcaino threw in simulated games and will rehab with the Sky Sox starting this weekend; Micah Bowi's throwing BP sessions; Brad Hawpe's right hamstring is feeling better. Are you?

Bob Apodaca on Yorvit's performance Sunday:

Revisiting Aaron Cook's complete-game four-hitter against the Mets on Sunday, Apodaca heaped praise on catcher Yorvit Torrealba: "It was like they were reading each others' minds. That's how well-called a game that was from Yorvit."

Torrealba went 0-for-2 with a sac fly.

U-Ball vs. Kyle Kendrick tonight.

So besides the loss last night that led to my little rant this morning, the major news for the Rockies yesterday was Troy Tulowitzki taking batting practice for the first time since he went on the DL. So far, no hiccups in Tulo's recovery, which is good to hear. We'll still get healthy in the pitching staff first, with Kip Wells, Jason Hirsh and Luis Vizcaino all making progress toward their returns. At that point, I suppose many here will be relieved to note that we can demote Alberto Arias, who gave up two runs last night and earned much scorn, for the Viz. That should put us over the top.

Okay, sorry for my sarcasm. I swear I'll drop it now. Anyway, the Rockies can salvage their second straight series victory with a win today by giving Ubaldo Jimenez the kind of backing pitchers willing to throw at Coors Field deserve. I'm talking about eight or nine runs, not the five or less we've been churning out since the season began.

Clint Hurdle is considering making a few changes to the lineup today, according to this short entry from the Denver Post. So who gets the day off? Do we see Tulo sit, even though he says he doesn't want to? A change to the outfield this time around? The possibilities are not endless, but maybe Hurdle will get a hit with today's lineup. And no, I don't mean the 'H' column will have a '1' in it. I mean a lineup that collects a bunch of hits and scores enough runs to win today. I know I was just setting that joke up for someone.

Once Kaz Matsui puts his problems behind him and returns to the Houston lineup, the Rockies, Troy Renck speculates, could inquire into Mark Loretta's availability. Renck also notes that O'Dowd concedes that any long-term contract with Holliday will have to start at $100M. And have you forgotten that the Diamondbacks won a World Series in 2001?

Todd Helton hasn't lost his humor: " 'I have one ab now,' said Helton when asked about his trimmer, leaner physique." There are also updates on Redman and Vizcaino in that article.

Time for Cook to continue on his path to a breakthrough season this afternoon.

You know, maybe this is one amazingly brilliant plan the guys cooked up during the offseason. Maybe someone read Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I and thought it would be a good idea to set the bar really low during the start of the season, just as Prince Hal set the bar low for himself before becoming king. So, when the time is right, the Rockies will break out of this malaise and become a great team, just as Prince Hal became Henry V and led the English to victory over the French at Agincourt. Does that make any sense? It did in the dream I had last night. And Tulo gave the equivalent of Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech in Henry V. Why am I dreaming about the Rockies taking part in Shakespeare's plays?

Seems there is a problem with Luis Vizcaino. He was placed on the 15-day DL last night with a shoulder injury after he experienced pain there while warming up in the seventh inning. Ryan Speier will take his place in the 'pen.

Look for me to beg for a win in today's game thread in a few hours.