With Hunter Pence out 4-6 weeks with a wrist injury, Troy's chances at winning the NL RoY award have gone up considerably. Now there's that matter of Ryan Braun entering a prolonged slump.
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Mark Kiszla has a column that isn't angry, or calling for the head of someone on a platter. Seriously, he actually goes on about the players on the field. On why the middle of the order isn't accomplishing it's job.
Here's how the entire lineup is hitting in late innings of close games and with RISP:
Torrealba: .350/.233
Helton: .286/.281
Matsui: .400/.258
Atkins: .241/.234
Tulowitzki: .351/.223
Holliday: .211/.308
Taveras: .208/.253
Hawpe: .382/.301
The main pinch hitter:
Spilborghs: .167/.436
And while the team has "thin starting pitching and a bullpen held together by faith and hope," the real answer is not to get some reliable pitchers to keep the bullpen together (OK, that really is the solution), but to use duct tape to do it. Faith and hope? Nice, but nothing compares to the power of duct tape, especially Garrelli homemade duct tape.