Better health, off days ease rotation woes - The Denver Post
The Rox, not-so-desperately trying to get back to health, got Troy Tulowitzki back last night and will get Ian Stewart back either tonight or tomorrow. Pitching-wise, there is an open start on Friday in Arizona, and Troy E. Renck says that Aaron Cook is progressing well and could be in the mix for that start. Huston Street participated in some long toss for the second straight day and will join the club in San Francisco to throw a bullpen session and will be re-evaluated at that point.
Smith gets a breather after feeling fatigued - The Denver Post
Luckily, this doesn't fall under the same category as the previous link; Seth will be back in the lineup tonight.
Undesirable list of free-agent starters this offseason - ESPN
Jason Marquis appears in Jayson Stark's list of lackluster pitchers who will be free agents this off season. Stark chalks Marquis' successful season, to this point anyway, to performing well at the right time (in a walk year) and having "a better ground game than Michael Turner." A quote from one team official regarding Marquis:
"He's having a great year, but I'm just not sure how to look at it. Was this a turning point in his career? Or do you look at it as somebody who turned it up and figured it out when he had the most to gain? I really don't know."
MLB - Setting the rotations for the eight playoff teams - FOX Sports on MSN
In his somewhat premature article, Ken Rosenthal digs into the starting rotations for each of the eight teams who would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Rosenthal goes with Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, Jorge De La Rosa, and Jason Hammel (doesn't mention Aaron Cook). He believes that the Rockies have a good chance to advance whether they face the Phillies or the Cardinals in the first round.
Giants' season comes down to next six games - MLB News - FOX Sports on MSN
John Paul Morosi thinks the Giants' chances of making the playoffs will evaporate if they don't play well in their upcoming six game stretch, which began last night with the loss to the Dodgers in which SF did NOT look very good. Hopefully, they're buried a week from now.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum plays catch to test back - ESPN
Timmay says his injured back is nearly normal again and he hopes to pitch Monday against the Rockies.
Rogers to make debut under fire | ColoradoRockies.com: News
Esmil Rogers will make his first start tonight, and he makes it in a high-pressure situation. Let's hope we don't see Jhoulys Chacin, pt. II. In this park and against this offense, if Rogers can simply throw the ball over the plate, he will have a chance to pick up a victory in his debut.