Two Game Winning Streak? What the H?!?!?

(it won't last)

"You go out the next night and start a new streak"

(losing streak)

Tommy De La Juan

Great, the month of May just keeps getting better for the Rocks. DLR out for the year (and part of next year). Not only does that mean our best pitcher so far this year is gone, but we now have no lefties in the rotation. I don't see special things happening for this team the way things are going. Reynolds? Cookie? Maybe the original FrankDog at some point? Yep, bring those mediocre pitchers coming. They'll compliment the mediocre hitting. Case in point, our starting lineup for Game 2 of today's doubleheader had one player hitting above .250 (Cargo at .252). Sweet.

All Of These Position Players Hitting Below .250 Are Driving This Season Into the Shitcan (and making my butt itch out of stress)

While DT has appropriately bashed the bullpen in recent days, let's not overlook the 200 lb elephant in the room: the offense (note: the 200 lb elephant is something one of Yogabody's coworkers actually said). I will offer this up, the bullpen meltdowns wouldn't be so heart wrenching if they did not happen on the rare occasion where the offense actually scores more than one or two runs. I will also offer this up: teams teams that have one starter hitting over .250 (that would be Taaaadd, Johnny Boy didn't start today and sorry Tulo, you dropped to .250 today) do not come close to making the playoffs. At this point, it's difficult to see how a team so inept at the plate suddenly turns it around. Carney Lansford, you're better than this. Speaking of the A's they are chokers too, to the Giants no less. Shitty ass weekend in baseball.

All these blown leads is making my butt itch....

An understatement to say that the bullpen is struggling. [insert rant about Paulino]. I don't want to sound like some smart-ass-blogger-nerd, but why does Paulino have an MLB contract? Couldn't anyone do what he does (put on runners and allow dongs)? His opponent batting average is like .400... that's no joke. IT might be time to count our losses with the whole Barmes trade (at least send him down to the springs (I don't care about the whole options thing)... or MOdesto).


And whatup with the dumpness of Steet and Bettenfart? What the H?
Corpas report?

All This HR Trotting Is Making My Butt Itch.....

....I have no idea if the Giambino took a shower or not. Whatever he did, he should do more of it. Would be nice if we were entering inter-league play tomorrow, because it's very hard to keep Taaahhhddd out of the lineup the way he's been raking. Should've been a sweep, but a very nice road win. Yo-lease is now 5-2. That's good.

My 0.073 Batting Average Sucks!

When I-Dog gets 66.7% of your team hits for the day, you know there are issues with the offense. Just read the Rocks haven't scored more than 4 runs since April 20. The suits at Taco Bell are smiling, but like Stewbag, I'm crying.

By the way, that wasn't Linecum, Cain, or Sanchez pitching today....

On the bright side, the bullpen didn't blow this game.

Keep this man off the mound

Bullpen

Some pretty shitty performances out of the bullpen these last few nights, and it has rachel maddow and david bowie concerned. Up to this point it's been tough to bitch about the bullpen, they've been fairly rock solid (a bit 'bend but not break' I suppose). But, these last couple of games were pretty lame in the late innings, so yeah, I'm officially bitching about them. I guess you could also blame the RISP LOB (as usual).

And why is Paulino getting put in during tied games? I don't care if he has good 'stuff'; the guy puts runners on base and/or gives up runs.... very Hurdle-esque in my opinion.

As A Way To Cheer Up After Godawful Giants Series Opener....

I give you my favorite Cubs fans from the weekend.....






Disclaimer: I don't think that bro brah in the Tulsa Drillers gear and a 9 stadium beer cup stack in his hand was a Cubs fan (he was a Red Sox fan - go figure). An entire post could be dedicated to the good folks in that row....but that chick, this picture doesn't even begin to do her justice. That would require volume.

I Don't Really Embody 80's Hardcore,.....Sorry About The Complete Game Shutout.....

The blog is dead? Long live the blog?

Hard not to muster at least a "hell, yeah 10-2 Rockies!"

6 days

7 days

7 Year Pony?

Please, please let these rumors of a 7-year, $80 million Little Pony contract extension be true...Pony - Tulo as a 3-4 punch in the lineup for the next 7 years sounds good, check that, great to me. Not to mention the defensive wizardry the pair offers on top of the production. Remember, these two both finished in the top five in MVP voting last season. Barring any chronic injuries, I don't see how this Carlos contract can be a bad deal for the Rocks.

Still a little nervous these reports end up falling through, especially with the Boras factor in play. But assuming they don't, this a great day for the Rockies. Pulling off a handsome, but reasonable, contract means we can simply enjoy watching Pony's talents and stop assuming the clock is simply ticking before he jets to deeper pockets once free agency hits. It also means there will be entertaining baseball to watch at Coors for quite some time. Ink that shit as soon as possible please....

Goodbye

Welcome Home DLR.....When's His Tshirt Jersey Nite?

Let's Hope He's The Anti-Hampton

Pretty damn shocking when the reports started circulating late last night that the Rocks had inked an extension until 2020 with Tulo that involved over $130 million. Unexpected, exciting, refreshing, and potentially a really smart, although somewhat risky, maneuver on the part of the Monfarts/O'Dowd. Of course as a fan, I'm thrilled that there's no chance Tulo could depart for the Yankees after three more years (unless he's traded, as the contract does not include a no-trade clause). Still, that's a large sum of guaranteed money for a team that doesn't have bottomless pockets. But what the hell, I'm not going to fret over the prospect of things going south for a guy who had 40 RBI in the last full month of baseball he played.

Almost equally surprising, and more important for the 2011 season, the Rocks somehow appear to be ready to sign DLR for at least two more years (potentially four years with player/club options). Hard to overstate how important it is to have a power lefty in a projected starting rotation packed with righties. Welcome back DLR. May 2011 be a healthy, productive one for you.

After a snooze fest of a hot stove season thus far, things got interesting quickly. Still, there is more work to be done. Let's not forget these aren't additions to last year's team - and Tulo wasn't going anywhere soon anyway. O'Dowd needs to find at least one bat out there that provides some backup for Tulo and Pony. The fact that these two deals were made gives me some hope O'Dowd has at least one more trick up his sleeve.

Boom, Barmey Outta Here

I'm guessing this was a low and outside slider that Barmes bit on to strike out. It's kind of sad to see him go: great fielder, good teammate apparently, could hit some dongs, and was actually sort of clutch during the first half of last year. On the other hand, his strike outs were a liability, his average sucked, and was probably going to be let go anyway, so at least we got something for him. The contingency of players that were on the '07 WS team is dwindling pretty quickly. I also don't like the implications of this trade on the DLR situation. Looking like he's gone, which is not good.

No More Corpas To Unwar

Not that he was going to play this year anyway, but the Rocks flat released Manuel today. They still owe him almost $4mil. That's as exciting as Hot Stove season gets in these parts. Corpas had a ton of potential and I'll admit I thought his contract extension was a good move by O'Dowd at the time. Things just went down hill after 2007. Maybe it's because he never used VH's Panama as his theme music....adios Manny.....

Yo Pittsburgh Pirates (and their down trodden fanbase)....you ready for a hell of a lot more talk that will involve the term "barrel"?

Golden Gloves

Way to go fellas. But you know, these personal awards don't mean anything if there aren't rings to go along with 'em.

Boom, Miggy Outta Here

Not totally sure how to react to this one. If it was the first half Miggy, this would obviously look foolish as hell. Hard to argue with wanting to go in a different direction than the 2nd half Olivo. Crappy at the plate and made some pretty horrible throwing errors that were costly down the stretch. All of that said, O'Dowd better not be putting all of his catcher eggs in the I-Dog basket. I would like to think Lansford is going to be the catalyst that transforms I-Dog into an every day catcher, but that seems like a big leap of faith (read: stupidity). There better be a hot stove Plan B that emerges from all of this....

King Buzzo takes in a World Series game

Pretty odd surprise mid-way through game 2 to see a random crowd shot that lingered on the odd visage of Buzz from the Melvins...cracked me up.
Looks like our NL West brethren, the Giants, have a stranglehold on this WS shit. Up 2-0 and flat dominated Texas in both games really.

Who's putting together our Spring Training itinerary?

I always took Buck to be more of a Riker....

and McCarver to be a dispensable "Redshirt" that gets offed after beaming down to a planet with the landing party, certainly not Kirk.

Like Rick James, the Rockies are dead.

It's been a frustrating and fun season. Expectations were way too high.
The pitching staff was made dicey with injuries, and there was the saga of an ace who started hot and really couldn't carry the club through various bullshit late. Props to Ubaldo all the same.
We can't rely on Cook or Francis...got a lot of love for the both of them but this ain't '07. Unwar Corpas eternally. Street? Can you quit making me sweat and giving up meatball homeruns? May Esmil keep the mohawk and not give up 4 run innings? Jason Hammel looks friendly, mellow, and normal. What does that mean?
Let the Chacin era begin. Keep DLR. Get more arms...and I don't mean Manny Delcarmen.

If you aren't Tulo or CarGo, you weren't consistently pulling weight in the box. Sure, Melvin, Spilly, Giambi, Miggy, and others had their moments or streaks...but no one could be counted on like the offensive cornerstones (yeah i said it) of the Rockies, Troy and Carlos. Sad seeing Todd continue to decline. Sad seeing I-Dog straight suck shit. Sad never being able to count on the bats that went with the speed of Dexter or EY Jr. Sad that Stew-bag got hurt (I guess?) and never reached his potential...again. Sad that Seth is just a mediocre outfielder...not Mr. Late Night.
So long Hawpe. Make some noise in the ALDS.

Had some good times with the Rockies, and at Coors Field in 2010. Spent way too much cash on beer. Slapped numerous high fives. Ate 30PT's kettle corn. Enjoyed C-Bass' killer "10th row behind home plate" seats a couple time. Got on the field and ran the bases and the warning track multiple times with my daughter, Mini-ST. Drank badly disguised Natty light at Swanky's. Saw way more wins than losses at the ballyard over the 20? or so games I went to (I watched way too many L's on FSN though). Loved baseball amongst it all. I guess that's what it's about and why I dig this shit. Can break your heart.
Wish I was making my playoff ticket considerations right now.

Oh, the season isn't over and they're going to play the Cardinals through the weekend? I'm sure there's folks in St.L who have similar stories to tell.

The season is over.

Guess My 6 RBIs Aren't Enough

And that is how a season goes into the shitter. The offense has been spotty on this roadie, but it's clear right now that the starting rotation is a mess (3 out of the last 4 games the starters have been run before the 5th) and as a result the bullpen is completely gassed. Getting swept by a team deeply entrenched in last place is not what creates post-season births. The Pony made things interesting late, and a Tulo shot careening inches wide of the foul pole in the top of the 9th would have made for an incredible comeback, but it feels like those checks were long since cashed during the 10 game winning streak. The balls aren't bouncing their way and the calls all seem to go against the Rocks right now. Bottom line is they are making critical mistakes and not playing well enough to provide any margin of error. Still looking forward to a couple more games at Coors tomorrow night and Tuesday, but it's likely going to feel more like exhibition games than a pennant race. Bummer...

In lieu of a Rockies game. Das Boot flat hammered some new team to the E League circuit. Weird when you feel sorry for 'em after the 1st inning.
DAS BOOT! 4-0 record...Fall League spectacular. What was the final tonight? 26-5? Something like that?

The Rockies Are Kind of Dishin' 'em

Looked like the winning streak wasn't going to reach double digits and then a weird bloop double ties the game in the 7th, followed by a Giambino 2-out, pinch-hit, walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9th. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Pretty jubilant scene in ST's living room after the Giambi dong. The D-Bags kind of handed this one to the Rocks (despite excellent starting pitching), which I guess is what happens when you're riding a 9-game winning streak against a shitty team.

I like three straight sweeps a lot, but go ahead and make it four against the Pads before hitting the road.

Finally get a chance to post the 7-Seconds alteration!
Some heroes emerging over this run. Tulo, CarGo, even Giambi.

I'm feeling a little deja vu'. How 'bout you?