Following a baseball game with today's technology is different than it used to be. Without a television handy to watch it live, we were, my family, all at a family reunion, we turn to the iPhone apps. MLB At Bat 2011 and Yahoo Fantasy Baseball 2011 help us keep abreast of the progress of the game without taking away from visiting with long-lost family. As yesterday's game between the Rockies and Giants unfolded, it became obvious that it would be another typically low-scoring contest, where the final score would be decided by a small event or mistake.
Small ball, a process in which the Rockies have been woefully deficient the past few weeks. Well, the first run of the game was registered by the Rockies, in the top of the 5th inning, courtesy of a throwing error by Giants rookie SS Brandon Crawford. SS Troy Tulowitzki led off the Colorado 5th with a single to right (a good sign when Rockies hitters use the opposite field). Tulo has been crushing the ball lately, especially on this road trip, but has been finding his hot smashes being hit right at opposing gloves (atoms). RF Ryan Spilborghs follwed with a blooper to left, two on, no outs. This is where the Rox have been victims of their own lack of fundamental baseball strategy as of late. I'm thinking, "this would be a pretty good spot to maybe bunt the runners over with a sacrifice bunt." Nah, let's let 1B Ty Wigginton swing away and try for the big hit. Fly out to center, first out. Okay, this is where the next batter grounds into an inning-ending double play, according to the script of the recent Rockies' history. Sure enough, 3B Chris Nelson grounds a tailor-made twin-killing-grounder to Giant 2B Emanuel (call me Manny) Burriss. Cleanly fielded, toss to Crawford covering second, relay to first, wait........the throw is wide, 1b Aubrey Huff can't field the throw, the ball bounces into the Rockies dugout, allowing Tulo to trot home with the game's first tally. Crawford almost threw the ball away on an identical play in the 3rd inning, but Huff managed to catch the errant throw and tag a sliding Jose Morales to complete the double play.
The Rockies scored again in the 6th inning. CF Eric Young, Jr. singled to shallow right. 2B Jonathan Herrera executes a,*gasp*, perfect sacrifice bunt to move EY-j into scoring position. LF Carlos Gonzalez flies out to center which brings Tulowitzki up with two outs and a runner in scoring position. This is another situation in which the Colorado Rockies have been failing more often than not. Meeting on the mound to discuss whether to walk Tulo, or pitch to him. Thanks for playing, wrong choice. Tulo laces the first offering from P Madison Bumgarner past his ear into center field. Young scored easily, and Tulo saw that the throw was maybe going to the plate, and continued toward second. Huff cut the throw from CF Andres Torres, relayed to 2b Burriss to easily throw out the sliding Tulowitzki. Oh, well, 2-0 lead with Rockies right-hander Jhoulis Chacin pitching very well. A two-out RBI, very rare, indeed.
Bottom of the 6th, Chacin retires the first two batters, as he approached the 100-pitch count. That brings up LF Cody Ross, last year's World Series MVP for the World Champion Giants, and a hot, hot hitter. Ross was on a 5-game hitting tear going in to Saturday's afternoon game vs the Rockies, 10 for 20 with a homer and 5 RBIs, as the Giants won 4 out of the 5. Ross crushed Chacin's pitch #101 deep into the left field seats for San Francisco's first run, cutting the Rockies' lead in half at 2-1. Chacin retired the next batter on one pitch, his last, to retire the the Giants in the 6th.
It'd been awhile (May 20 vs the Milwaukee Brewers) since the Rockies had a less-than-4-run lead going to the 7th inning. I mention this because manager Jim Tracy likes to use righty Matt Lindstrom in the 7th, righty Rafael Betancourt in the 8th and closer Huston Street in close games. I mention May 20 because, in that game in Milwaukee, Betancourt entered the game in the 8th inning after the Rockies had taken a 4-3 lead into the 8th inning. Betancourt surrendered a game tying home run to Brewers 3B Casey McGehee to blow the save. Lindstrom pitched the 9th in the tie game, and retired the Brewers in order. Rox scored in the 13th, Street came in for the save, and gave up a bomb to Milwaukee SS Yuniesky Betancourt (no relation). Blown save #2 for the game. The Rockies scored again in the top of the 14th. Manager Jim Tracy fires his final bullet, hard throwing Felipe Paulino, at the Brewers in the bottom of the 14th, leading 6-5. First out recorded, 4-pitch walk to LF Ryan Braun, and a walk-off two-run bomb deep into the night. Blown save #3 and crawl-away loss for the Rockies. And Paulino's final appearance in the purple and black.
Anyway, back to the present. Lindstrom pitched the 7th, 1-2-3, Giants retired. On to the 8th. In comes Betancourt, 1-2-3, Giants done. On to the 9th, Huston Street time. Okay, 1-2-3 and out, but for the record, the third out would have been out of Coors Field as Brandon Crawford smoked Street's offering clear to the right field wall, where Spilborghs made a running catch just as he contacted the wall, at the 365 ft sign. The right field wall at Coors Field is 350 from home. Nit-picky, sour grapes, I know. Give Street and Betancourt and Lindstrom their due, along with Jim Tracy for allowing his normal strategy to function. And kudos for the Rockies executing two sac bunts successfully in the same game. Also, how about that 2nd base pick-off of Torres in the 5th? Perfectly executed by Chacin and Tulowitzki.
A good game, as I watched the replay at home last night. Technology again. I programmed my DVR from my uncle's back yard using my Direct TV app on my iPhone. It's good to have kids that can train the old man in the wonders of today's electronic gadgetry.
The Rockies try for their first two-game winning streak and first series win since they swept a two-game set from, these same Giants, way back on May 16-17. The Purple Squad can still salvage this road trip, if they win today and go on down to San Diego to sweep the Padres.
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