Sunday, April 19, 2009

4/19/09 - COL 2, @ LA 14 - "Hey, At Least The Nuggets Won"

We’re going to be OK. I keep telling myself this.

Chris Iannetta’s not going to hit below .100 all year. Todd Helton and Garrett Atkins won’t hit their weight all year. Huston Street won’t give up a home run every single time he takes the mound. Aaron Cook’s sinker won’t be flat in every one of his starts. Matt Belisle’s not going to be on the team all season (actually, he should be gone by tomorrow night pending the recall of Franklin Morales).

More importantly, eventually the Rockies are going to play some teams that aren’t better than they are. They’ve been dealt a horrendous 11-game hand to start the year – eight games against last year’s dvision winners. The Dodgers are a better team than the Rockies by any objective measure, and they’re red-hot, and both of those things were evident this weekend. Eventually the Rox will get a chance to take a crack at the San Francisco’s and San Diego’s of the world, get a few wins, get some confidence back, and start playing like we all think they can play.

They’re going to be OK. I have to keep telling myself this, but there’s only so long I’ll actually believe it. Because even the most optimistic Rox fan – and I might be just that – can’t pretend they didn’t play like dog crap this weekend.

***

The Worst Pitchers I Have Ever Seen In a Rockies Uniform:
1. Denny Stark (somehow went 11-4 in his rookie year. I have no idea how this happened for a pitcher with a fastball that couldn’t get a speeding ticket on I-25 and no breaking stuff that was even remotely above average)
2. Scott Elarton (shame his arm had exploded by the time he got to Denver, because he had nothing on his fastball and actually looked afraid to throw strikes)
3. Matt Belisle (I saw two dozen guys at the Division III level during my time at DePauw University who had better stuff)
4. Zach Day (had one pitch, an 86 mph sinker that only occasionally sunk)
5. Greg Harris (you have to be a special kind of crappy to post a 6.60 ERA in 203.1 innings)
6. Mark Redman (he’d be higher on the list if not for his Rocktober ties – he got the win in Game 161, and pitched well to boot)
7. Livan Hernandez (he would have been better off just placing the ball on a tee for the hitters and setting up in a defensive position)
8. Mike Munoz (just could not throw a strike. My dad and I used to joke he should have come out of the bullpen to that “I’m Gonna Be (1000 Miles) song by The Proclaimers, only with different lyrics: “I would walk 500 guys and I will walk 500 more…”)
9. Mark Knudson (a 22.24 ERA in 5.2 innings deserves some mention, doesn’t it?)
10. Scott Karl (more like Hot Karl. I am extremely sorry I made that reference)

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