Tuesday dawned dark and dreary, and it did not get any brighter. Sure, the Rockies' bats came alive in the afternoon end of the day-night double-header. Led by Carlos Gonzalez's two home runs and a 14-hit attack, the Rox pummeled the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-4 to temporarily crawl within 3 games of the first-place San Francisco Giants. Sure, the Rockies registered their 17th come-from-behind victory of the season after spotting the D-Backs a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Sure, Dexter Fowler seemed to benefit from his move to the 2-hole hitting behind Jonathan Herrera, as the 1-2-3-4-5 hitters in the Rockies' order combined for 8 hits, 8 runs and all 12 RBIs in the game. Sure, it was great to see the bullpen keep the snakes in check after the third inning.
But, the joy was muffled as it was discovered that Jorge De La Rosa's season is over. It was announced, after an MRI examination, that a ligament in his left elbow was torn, necessitating Tommy John surgery to repair the injury. Typically, recuperation and rehabilitation requires a minimum of a year, but the arm usually is as strong or, in some cases, stronger than pre-injury. De La Rosa was on his way to another strong season, and talk was that he was definitely headed toward his first All-Star roster selection. At best, he will return to action on the Major League level next summer. Now, we need Aaron Cook to step up and assume the role that he occupied in 2008, when he led the Rockies with 16 wins. Greg Reynolds gave a good account of himself Tuesday, as he came in to relieve DeLa when the lefty from Mexico could not continue with one out in the third. Clayton Mortensen has pitched well, Jhoulis Chacin was excellent before yesterday's loss in the second game of the twin-tilt. Jason Hammel needs to buck up and stay consistent in the strike zone. All in all, the staff has the potential to weather a full season, IF there are no further injuries, and IF the bullpen can muster the onions to hold the fort in the late innings. Not to mention, IF the Rockies can hit more like killers and less like kittens.
The second game of the double-header was more like the Rockies of May. Two home runs, both with nobody on base (Jason Giambi, his 6th of the year, 5th in a week and Ty Wigginton, his 3rd). The Rockies failed to have a lead-off batter reach base in all 9 innings. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, were the recipients of two lead-off walks, the only two that Chacin allowed, and they both scored. The Rockies' batters went down 1-2-3 in order 5 times, and had more than one baserunner in only three innings. Dexter Fowler was thrown out at home in the third inning trying to score on a wild pitch, and manager Jim Tracy was thrown out of the game by home plate umpire Mark Wegner for arguing the call. Troy Tulowitzki misjudged a ball hit by Stephen Drew in the sixth that would have kept the score 3-1, but even though Drew was awarded a hit on the play, Tulo could have, and should have, fielded it.
The Rockies of May seem to hit in bunches, Hell's Bells in one game, then Meek Mice for the next few. They get good-enough pitching and can't score. The so-called-in-spring-training emphasis on "aggressive" base running has not materialized. They have run into more outs than runs created. Only 3 teams in the National League have fewer stolen bases than these no-go Rockies. Only 4 teams in the NL have a lower batting average. The Rockies are 4th in the NL in runs scored, but as I pointed out before, they have won only 4 games this season when scoring less than 4 runs. The Giants have won 12 games scoring less than 4, and they are 3 games ahead of these Rocks.
This is a flawed team, and the season, with 115 games remaining before the playoffs, MUST get tougher, meaner, more aggressive. Pitch inside with purpose, pound the strike zone, quit nibbling, shorten swings with two strikes, or when there are two outs. Quit playing like choir boys, and start playing like they hate to lose even one game. Act Hungry! The pieces that General Manager Dan O'Dowd has assembled, both in the Major and Minor Leagues, must put pressure on each other to produce or perish.
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