(AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
This is quickly becoming the most frustrating season in Rockies’ franchise history. Honestly, they’re tough to write about. I feel like I’m saying the same things over and over again. Offensively, they’re about the worst thing I’ve ever seen. One run deficits feel more like ten. Also, they have the unique ability to turn marginal MLB pitchers into Cy Young caliber aces.
As of today, the Rox are four games under .500 and sit 4.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West. They’ve fallen to fourth overall in one of baseball’s worst divisions. In May alone, the Rockies lost eleven games in the standings to the Diamondbacks. Since May 21st, they’ve scored over three runs just twice. In the two games when they did score more than three runs, they inexplicably scored twelve and fifteen.
The biggest shame of it all is that they’ve been pitching so well. Since De La Rosa went down, their starters haven’t missed a beat. Ubaldo has been absolutely terrific in his last two starts and Hammel, Chacin, Mortensen, and Nicasio have all pitched at or above expectations. But, the Rox are wasting it on a nightly basis.
Look at these quotes from Troy Renck’s article in today’s Denver Post:
“We are kidding ourselves if we keep saying everything is fine. Maybe we aren’t as good as we thought we were. It’s not fine when the same thing keeps happening over and over again.” — Troy Tulowitzki
“He pitched really well, there’s no doubt. But it seems like I have been saying that a lot. This has gone on far too long and we have to fix it.” — Todd Helton
Back in March, I don’t think any of us were expecting to see quotes like these. This team is frustrated and out of answers. They are visibly beleaguered. They only bright spot has been the promotions of several promising minor leaguers. Watching Rex Brothers and Charlie Blackmon make their MLB debuts was probably the only enjoyment they’ve given us over the last week.
Today, I’ve decided to try something new on Blake Street. I’m here to make everyone feel better and I think a group therapy session is appropriate. Please comment below and write whatever your heart desires. If you want to trash me, go for it. If you want to trash Dan O’Dowd, that’s even better. If you want to bemoan the misery of being a Rockies’ fan, I’ll sympathize with you. Like I said, say whatever you want — just refrain from obscenities. Tomorrow, I’ll publish the best comment in my daily post.
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14 comments
Aledo LB
June 8, 2011 at 9:45 AM (UTC -6)
WTF??…I thought Coors Field was a hitter’s park? It’s a conspiracy. I blame Selig.
Amanda
June 8, 2011 at 1:42 PM (UTC -6)
maybe we need to go back to those “non-humidor” balls the Giants were complaining about….it seemed to be working, the Rockies used to be unbeatable in Coors.
Steve
June 8, 2011 at 11:02 AM (UTC -6)
Right now, I feel like the fan relationship I have with this team is like a marriage. The magical ’07 run was the honeymoon, and now there’s dirty laundry on the floor and dishes piled in the sink. It’s really hard to watch this team right now, but you’re locked in, you’re wearing that ring so you dutifully tune in. Anyone else feel like this right now? My fear is that April was a fluke and May is the stark reality. It’s depressing to see a new lineup every single night with the same results. I don’t even know who to blame either. Tracy? O’Dowd? Ultimately the players on the field have to perform, and they’re simply not taking care of business.
Logan Burdine
June 8, 2011 at 11:16 AM (UTC -6)
Steve, good analogy. She’s been rough on us lately. Hopefully, she doesn’t cheat.
Steve
June 8, 2011 at 11:22 AM (UTC -6)
The worst part is she knows we’re not going to leave, no matter how bad it gets!
CodenameDuchess
June 8, 2011 at 11:40 AM (UTC -6)
Where to begin… I was so excited for this season. I just moved to California and following the Rockies was supposed to be an easy way for me to keep a piece of home. I paid for the MLB Radio App and was inches away from pulling the trigger on the MLB.tv subscription. Thankfully I didn’t. Bless the Rockies radio guys for making this stretch as palatable as possible, I really believe that if I was watching these games I would have an ulcer.
I have two major frustrations. One, Jim Tracey’s endless lineup changes. I understand giving Helton a night off now and than. Obviously, it is paying dividends as he is playing far better than I expected. That doesn’t excuse the yo-yo lineup that everyone but Tulo and Cargo have to deal with. I remember when Tracey first came on board the players talked about finally having stability in the lineup and knowing their role on the team. My how things have changed. What makes it worse is that there seems to be a different set of rules for each player. Giambi starts the season 0-20, no problem, Jim has faith that he’ll work through it. Spilly has a few ugly pinch hit appearances and he disappears for 2 weeks. Wiggington or Ianetta are struggling? No problem, we’ll give them a day off. Ian Stewart only gets 40 disjointed and random ABs and gets sent up and down to AAA. I understand that guys need to perform but Tracey showed great patience waiting for Cargo to come around in ’09 and it feels like guys like Spilly and Stewart have never been given that chance.
Two, Mr O’Dowd. What were you doing this off-season? Rockies fans have proven that they will support a winner yet the whole organization is still trigger shy after the Hampton/Neagle fiasco. I’m not expecting them to be the yankees and make a run at every big free agent but how about adding some good complimentary pieces. An additional bat or an arm out of the bullpen. Stop letting guys like Miguel Olivo walk after being key contributors.
Lastly, Carney Lansford. Get to work buddy. I don’t know his track record as a hitting coach but something isn’t working. There are far too many ugly ABs coming from this group. How many pitchers have set their season strike out high against the Rockies? Where has the development been? Dexter still can’t bunt. Ian still watches every inside fastball cruise by for a strike. Right now we can’t score and the diamondbacks are tearing the cover off of the ball. Maybe letting Baylor walk was O’dowd’s biggest mistake.
Steve
June 8, 2011 at 12:17 PM (UTC -6)
This is the first season I’ve paid for the mlb.tv subscription, and I don’t regret the decision but lately it’s a downright chore to watch the guys struggle through every night. I reached a low point when I watched the last game against San Diego and headed off to bed when they had the lead in the 8th. I woke up fully expecting to read in the paper that they blew the save after I turned off the game.
Logan Burdine
June 8, 2011 at 9:04 PM (UTC -6)
Dutchess, I love MLB.tv. I highly recommend the purchase. It’s well worth it.
Anna
June 8, 2011 at 12:59 PM (UTC -6)
First of all, the Rockies have a talented team. The ones who seemed to be a real drag on performance have been removed and placed elsewhere. Whether you agree or disagree with the choices or the timing of those choices makes no difference now. Secondly, their losses in May came at a pace of 2 or 3 to each win; they dropped dramatically in the standings. In the few days so far in June, they have at least plugged the leak and are maintaining a 1 to 1 win/loss ratio. The question is what to do now with what they have.
They have good pitchers who have been working hard with little run support. Put Mortensen in the bullpen as long relief and as insurance for Cookie’s return and Nicasio’s outings. Use Street and Lindstrom as closers depending on who is hotter at the moment. And, for heaven’s sake, when they bring in a lefty like Brothers or Matt Reynolds, let them pitch to the following batters as well. I don’t know about Brothers yet, but Reynolds has a great ERA against righties; don’t waste him.
First base of course belongs to Helton with Wigginton or Giambi as backup as needed. Tulo owns shortstop; on the rare occasions he will take a day off, Herrara or Nelson can step in and do the best they can. Iannetta is doing a darn good job at catcher. Morales is a nice fallback.
Right field goes to Seth Smith who is being a real class act this year; Spilly is good backup there. Centerfield now apparently belongs to Cargo; nobody compares to him defensively. With Blackmon now in left field, again with Spilly as backup, that takes care of the outfield.
Now, the painful places. . .2nd and 3rd base. I really like Herrara’s work ethic, good defense and his ability to get on base or move a runner up. Since Chris Nelson has come up, he has really made a big impression on me with his hitting and good defensive plays. Wigginton has been doing pretty well at 3rd and has some good hitting sprees. I just wonder if Nelson could be a possible at 3rd. If he could shift between 2nd and 3rd, as Wigginton shifts between 1st and 3rd, that would seem to spread the talents around. I don’t really see a spot for E Y; his fielding has not been impressive nor has his bat been strong enough to overcome that lack. As for Jason Giambi, he needs to be used more often. Whether we need a BIG hit in every game or not, he needs to hit often to remain valuable. Would we ever turn down one of his big hits? Not likely. It is disingenuous to think he can be sat for day after day and then explode on cue.
The final suggestion is this: Stop shuffling the lineup. Fluff it occasionally for an amazing
pitching opponent. Otherwise, let these guys do their jobs. Have a little faith, Tracy.
Cole C.
June 8, 2011 at 4:27 PM (UTC -6)
I find it stomach churning that one of the Rockies best pitching teams in franchise history is also one its worst hitting teams in franchise history so far. Last year was the year of the pitcher, but it seems this team has continued the trend at 20th and Blake, on both sides of the mound. I honestly don’t care if they solve the offensive woes fully, they just need to enough to get a W, a 1-0 win and 15-4 win show up the same in the standings come October.
Zach
June 8, 2011 at 6:29 PM (UTC -6)
Well I’ll start off by saying that the Offense as a whole has been ATROCIOUS. Cargo needs to be patient at the plate and needs to stop working himself into 0-2, 1-2 counts. He needs to realize that if he keeps swinging at pitches in the dirt that pitchers are just going to keep throwing them there every time. Whenever Cargo comes up to bat its the same thing every time, fastballs up and in (out of the strike zone) and change-ups and curveballs low and away (out of the strike zone).
As for Tulo he can’t be any unluckier, Ive never seen anyone hit the ball as hard as he does and hit it right at someone every single time. Hitting Coach Carney Lansford needs to do something different to get these guys hitting again or he needs to be fired. One thing I keep hearing on baseball tonight is that they do not understand why Cargo isnt hitting behind Tulo, and I agree with them because Tulo is a more disciplined hitter and will see better pitches and Cargo will benefit from that. The one positive on Offense is that Todd Helton seems to be back in form. Also great to see Blackmon up in the Show, he’s going to stick around for a while.
I remember those days where the Rockies Offense was so good that MLB made them put the baseballs in a humidor just to make things be on a even playing field.
Adam
June 8, 2011 at 11:55 PM (UTC -6)
Paying our stars and the de la Elsa resigning was like getting tickets on a cruise.sure we have to pay for the plane tickets, but well soon be in paradise. Yet this Yeats cruise has turned sour. With dirty sheets on the beds and undercooked meals this cruise has began to disappoint . The weather is great and the bars are filled but how long before this cruise turns in to a depressing boat ride and the Rockies future goes down the drain.
Justin
June 9, 2011 at 9:07 AM (UTC -6)
It’s a rough stretch no doubt of it. But nobody else is running away with the division either, though. Thank god we don’t play in a better division because we’d be cut adrift after that godawful month of May.
I remain optomistic, perhaps blindly, but remember the ’09 run? We don’t even need a miracle run like that to get back in contention. All it would take is three solid weeks of series wins and all the sudden we’d be right back in it. Will that happen? I can’t say, but there are flashes here and there you know. Ubaldo getting his ace stuff back of late has been a positive sign but Carlos and Tulo need to start hitting like the extensions they signed in the offseason. If that happens, I reckon everything else falls into place.
Matt
June 10, 2011 at 9:11 AM (UTC -6)
The Rockies have turned into a train wreck, that you can’t turn away from, even though you know it’s going to end up bad. I find myself watching a game, and praying and hoping that when they have a 1 run lead, they can hold on to it. I feel like no matter what lead they have, they will lose it – no matter how many runs they are down, they will not be able to come back.
What made the Rockies so loveable, was not just THAT they won, but HOW they won. Even last year, when they were down by 3, 4, or 5 runs, you would always watch till the end, because the Rockies would find a way to come back. The players looked like kids playing a game they loved, and they usually were great at playing it. But this season is painful, and could not be more separated from the memories of years past. Every strike-out, the player just mopes back to the dug-out, to join a bunch of other dejected Rockies teammates as they painfully attempt to swing a bat. There is no comradeship, no jovial-ism, and not one sign of a team-atmosphere.
Is this all one person’s fault, no; it’s more of a chain-reaction. O’Dowd needs to be fired – IMMEDIATELY! He pitter patters around with trades as if they did anything – we’re simply trading one washed-out reliever for another washed-out reliever – Awesome! Then when team morale drops, does Tracey own up for anything – no, does he admit that the team is struggling – no, does he even seem to recognize that the team is about to tailspin out of control – no! Sadly if Tracey doesn’t get this team turned around, we might need some managerial changes as well. I loved Tracey and the attitude he inspired in our guys last year, but this season – he reminds me more and more of the cocky, arrogant, and overly confident manager that preceded him.