In a 162 game season, there will be streaks for every team. This one is just hard for everyone to swallow, especially after the strong start. GM Dan O'Dowd is not panicking yet, citing his trust in Clint Hurdle.
O'Dowd: "We can tinker with the bullpen, which we will. But the 11th reliever is not going to make or break the club. We need our guys to step up, and they know that."
It might seem that we need eleven relief pitchers after the poor starting pitching this last week, but the day our four starters are legitimately considered relievers, we're in a lot more trouble. O'Dowd went on to say that this year was "the best spring that one of my teams has ever had." Troy Renck postulates that those spring lessons seem to be left in Tucson.
The staff "Ace," its most talented pitcher, and its most successful pitcher this year all failed convincingly to stop the precipitous slide the Rockies are in. Now the man who can stop it wasn't even with the club when it started.
Franklin Morales will try to prove he can stick in the rotation today. Either Ryan Speier will be placed on the DL or Matt Belisle will be outrighted to make room. He will be facing a team he pitched well against two weeks ago, but the recent book on him might prove a hurdle. Jason Hammel has posted two identical impressive outings (2IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB) since his shaky debut. Should Morales falter, Hammel has let it be known he wants to start.
Troy Renck reports that Alan Embree and Jason Grilli will be co-setup men for Manny Corpas, when the opportunity comes. Yes, it will come. Huston Street will pitch in low leverage situations until his mechanics are fixed. Street is neither worried nor anxious, believing a "slight change in foot positioning" is what needs addressed most.
In other news, former Rockie Desi Relaford talks about what it was like to get released by Colorado.