A few observations from a satisfying victory:
1. I don’t have any managerial experience or anything, but I do know this: if you feel the need to pinch-hit for your cleanup hitter to lead off the ninth inning in a one-run game, then the guy you have hitting cleanup shouldn’t be hitting there. Pinch-hitting for the rotting corpse of Garrett Atkins ended up being the right move, as Ian Stewart’s double set the stage for Brad Hawpe’s game-winning two-run homer. It was the obvious move for Clint Hurdle, as Atkins had been 0-for-3 with two outs made with runners in scoring position. What should have been more obvious is that the .195 Atkins just doesn’t belong in a big league lineup right now. Hell, even the Red Sox have benched David Ortiz. It’s time for Atkins to ride some pine. And I don’t mean for a single ‘work day’ – I mean for a while.
2. If pitching coaches could hang up the pitchers they’ve worked with like paintings in a gallery, Bob Apodaca would definitely hang Jorge De La Rosa right out front. De La Rosa was in danger of not having a big league career anymore when the Rockies acquired him last year. Now, he’s arguably been the best Rockies starting pitcher for the last four months of baseball (Aug-Sept 08, Apr-May 09). He’s fanned 22 batters over the last 15 innings, while walking just one. He’s not going to pitch like Cy Young every time out, but I think it’s time to stop waiting for a shoe to drop and just enjoy De La Rosa as one of the finer lefties in the National League. (I’m not putting him on the Hamels-Santana tier, but he’s only a rung or two below that.)
3. Right now, it feels like Troy Tulowitzki is just so locked in that he’s daring opposing pitchers to throw strikes. I sure am glad I didn’t jump on the ‘Tulo is a bust’ bandwagon after a month of play this season.
4. Tonight’s win was JUSTICE. Terrible call in the 8th on that woulda-been sac fly that should have scored Seth Smith with the winning run. Just a brutal display of umpiring, and if the Rox would have lost because of it, let’s just say this blog would have been far more hostile tonight. (Kudos to Fox Sports Rocky Mountain for doing everything they could to put together a definitive replay of the play, which showed that the call had been blown.)
5. Ryan Spilborghs saved three runs with his glove tonight. Two of the best catches you’ll see all year.
6. Watching the Rockies has become kind of a laconic experience for me this year. With the team playing so poorly, I don’t get excited about good things or bummed out about bad things. I’ve become a passive viewer. But when Hawpe went deep, I think I synchronized my fist pump with his as he rounded first base. Any team can get red-hot for a day and win 12-2, like the Rockies have done. But if you’re coming from behind in the late innings to get wins, it shows fight, it shows guts, and it shows that this team hasn’t quit on itself just yet.
***
I might be the only person outside of the Rockies clubhouse to be bummed out about Glendon Rusch being waived today. Rusch was certainly not a very good pitcher, but his popularity in the locker room belied that. Most fans won’t miss a guy like Rusch once he’s gone. But when I watched Glendon, I saw a guy that so loved pitching that he came back from a life-threatening blood clot in his lung in 2006 to resume his career, no small feat for a guy who had only two seasons with an ERA+ over 100 at that point in his career. At only 34, with not much steam on his fastball and no great secondary pitch, we may have seen the last of Glendon Rusch in a big league uniform. That we saw him at all was a minor miracle and a testament to perseverance, as well as the value of throwing with your left hand. Put those two things together and you can play in the major leagues for a long, long time.
Showing posts with label Troy Tulowitzki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Troy Tulowitzki. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
4/29/09 - COL 7, SD 5 - "Redemption For a Day"
First, a thank you to my new audience and especially those of you who have left a comment. I sure appreciate you all coming by.
***
Today we spelled redemption A-A-R-O-N. And T-R-O-Y and C-H-R-I-S and H-U-S-T-O-N, for that matter. (And, hell, M-E-L-O too, as the Nuggets escaped the first round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since Mike Harkey was a Rockie.)
When your team is 7-12 sometimes all you’ve got to hang your hat on is the hope that some of your important players are severely underperforming. Of course, it helps if that’s actually true. And Aaron Cook, Troy Tulowitzki, Chris Iannetta and Huston Street, four important cogs in Denver’s hopes for contention, have ranged from frustrating to disappointing to awful in April. Cook and Street had scuffled, and Iannetta and Tulo were below the Mendoza Line.
Not all of these things changed in one fell swoop today, but it began to look like they actually could. Sometimes a track record isn’t enough – you’ve gotta have tangible evidence that guys are going to start playing good baseball. Well, at the dish, Tulo’s got three hits the last two nights, Iannetta had two hits today, including a homer that just about took down the Tornadough stand on the concourse. And on the hill, Cook’s sinker worked to the tune of seven strong innings, and Street fanned the side in by far his best outing in black and silver.
Sometimes you just have to have faith in guys. Give them the chance to reward it. It makes a win like today’s all the more satisfying when you add the feeling of knowing the worm would turn all along.
8-12 is the record for April, and it’s not good. Earlier this month I said that any win total below 9 would be distressing. But considering the way this month closed – with a homestand that easily could have been 6-0, with the lower half of the order starting to find itself, with the ace of the staff finally looking like it – there’s more reason for optimism with an 8-12 mark than I thought there would be. More importantly, as today’s game began I knew we were going to win it, an odd feeling of confidence considering the way this April unfolded, but a feeling of calm nonetheless, one that not even Matt Belisle could shake.
***
If the Denver Nuggets were a baseball team, here’s the lineup I imagine they’d feature:
1. Dahntay Jones, CF – a pest, and as such the perfect leadoff man
2. Anthony Carter, 2B – the Clint Barmes of the Nuggets
3. Carmelo Anthony, SS – smooth footwork, killer instinct
4. Kenyon Martin, 1B – the Nuggets version of Todd Helton, crafty veteran leader
5. Chris Andersen, LF – because you gotta have the Birdman
6. JR Smith, RF – the streaky home-run threat, Brad Hawpe in a tanktop and shorts
7. Nene, 3B – plenty of power, but he’d kinda be a disaster defensively, huh?
8. Linas Kleiza, C – solid talent but frustrating to watch
9. Chauncey Billups, P – he’s the guy you want with the ball in his hand, a true ace
***
Today we spelled redemption A-A-R-O-N. And T-R-O-Y and C-H-R-I-S and H-U-S-T-O-N, for that matter. (And, hell, M-E-L-O too, as the Nuggets escaped the first round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since Mike Harkey was a Rockie.)
When your team is 7-12 sometimes all you’ve got to hang your hat on is the hope that some of your important players are severely underperforming. Of course, it helps if that’s actually true. And Aaron Cook, Troy Tulowitzki, Chris Iannetta and Huston Street, four important cogs in Denver’s hopes for contention, have ranged from frustrating to disappointing to awful in April. Cook and Street had scuffled, and Iannetta and Tulo were below the Mendoza Line.
Not all of these things changed in one fell swoop today, but it began to look like they actually could. Sometimes a track record isn’t enough – you’ve gotta have tangible evidence that guys are going to start playing good baseball. Well, at the dish, Tulo’s got three hits the last two nights, Iannetta had two hits today, including a homer that just about took down the Tornadough stand on the concourse. And on the hill, Cook’s sinker worked to the tune of seven strong innings, and Street fanned the side in by far his best outing in black and silver.
Sometimes you just have to have faith in guys. Give them the chance to reward it. It makes a win like today’s all the more satisfying when you add the feeling of knowing the worm would turn all along.
8-12 is the record for April, and it’s not good. Earlier this month I said that any win total below 9 would be distressing. But considering the way this month closed – with a homestand that easily could have been 6-0, with the lower half of the order starting to find itself, with the ace of the staff finally looking like it – there’s more reason for optimism with an 8-12 mark than I thought there would be. More importantly, as today’s game began I knew we were going to win it, an odd feeling of confidence considering the way this April unfolded, but a feeling of calm nonetheless, one that not even Matt Belisle could shake.
***
If the Denver Nuggets were a baseball team, here’s the lineup I imagine they’d feature:
1. Dahntay Jones, CF – a pest, and as such the perfect leadoff man
2. Anthony Carter, 2B – the Clint Barmes of the Nuggets
3. Carmelo Anthony, SS – smooth footwork, killer instinct
4. Kenyon Martin, 1B – the Nuggets version of Todd Helton, crafty veteran leader
5. Chris Andersen, LF – because you gotta have the Birdman
6. JR Smith, RF – the streaky home-run threat, Brad Hawpe in a tanktop and shorts
7. Nene, 3B – plenty of power, but he’d kinda be a disaster defensively, huh?
8. Linas Kleiza, C – solid talent but frustrating to watch
9. Chauncey Billups, P – he’s the guy you want with the ball in his hand, a true ace
Thursday, April 23, 2009
4/23/09 - Off - "Hitting Music"
Off Day list inspired by this posting over at Purple Row: The 10 Best Walkup Music Choices in Rockies History:
10. R. Kelly, “I’m A Flirt” (Troy Tulowitzki) – My theory is that Tulo couldn’t give a damn what music plays before he gets up and hits, so he tries to choose something that his teammates will get a kick out of. That would explain his choice of Britney Spears last season, and it sure would explain this selection. Anyway, Tulo belligerently singing this song in the locker room on local TV after the Rox clinched the pennant means it makes the list.
9. Staind, “For You” (Brian Fuentes) – Never mind that the lyrics of the song clearly describe a subject who hates their parents. The opening riff meant the game was over, and we’d never had a cool closer entrance before this one.
8. Gwen Stefani, “Sweet Escape” (Ryan Spilborghs) – Every time I hear Akon squealing “Whoo-hoo… WHEE-hoo!” I’m immediately transported back to 2007. That was a good year.
7. Genesis, “I Can’t Dance” (Chris Iannetta) – A fun, out-of-nowhere pick that actually sounds pretty good.
6. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, “El Matador” (Vinny Castilla) – Best foreign language entry, edging Manny Corpas’s use of Daddy Yankee. Bonus points for including the player’s nickname in the song.
5. Kid Rock, “Bawitdaba” (Todd Helton) – Yeah, it’s a trashy, strip-club metal song, but for the best years of Helton’s career, this song was the soundtrack.
4. Foo Fighters, “My Hero” (Jeff Cirillo) – Great opening riff, but in the late innings, if Cirillo came up in a big spot, they’d play the chorus instead – “There goes my hero…” I know he wasn’t that good, but it’s a great song.
3. 8 Ball & MJD, “You Don’t Want Drama” (Preston Wilson) – Shame he was hurt all of 2004, because this was his hitting music that year, and it was awesome. The best rap selection of all time, edging the one time Jack Cust strode to the plate to “Oh Boy” by Cam’ron.
2. Ozzy Osborne, “Crazy Train” (Larry Walker) – Need I say more? The only reason it isn’t number one is because…
1. Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer” (Dante Bichette) - …I LOVE Peter Gabriel, and I’m such a Bichette fan that I still own and wear a #10 home jersey. This was the perfect music for Bichette in his prime.
***
Here’s a scary thought I’ve been battling lately: what if Troy Tulowitzki’s already as good as he’s going to be?
This wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’ll still take his defensive skills over any shortstop in the National League. But as a hitter, I’m wondering if that .291/.359/.479/24/99 he threw up as a rookie was his peak, rather than a sign of things to come. Tulo’s out to a good start power-wise, with three homers in the first two weeks, but he’s striking out a ton (he and everyone else) and hitting just .196. He looks lost against sliders and still isn’t laying off the high fastball.
I think Tulo’s a hard enough worker that if there are correctable flaws in his game, he’ll correct them. His reputation as a baseball rat has preceded him since he was drafted. But over the last two seasons – the injury marred 2008 and this one so far – his approach at the plate has been concerning. And I think I tend to worry about Tulo because I believe this franchise is fated to go as he goes. The minute he stepped on the scene as a rookie, he had the feel of a Jeter-esque force of nature that could lead a team and put up All Star seasons. And I’ve hitched my hopes for the future of Rockies baseball to Tulo’s wagon, praying that the wagon wasn’t so flawed as to collapse under its weight.
At the very worst, Tulo’s an .750+ OPS hitter with Gold Glove caliber defense. That’s a good, valuable player. But for the Rockies to provide us with more Rocktober memories in years to come, Tulo’s got to be great. And like Tulo needs to lay off that hard slider from time to time, maybe I too have to show some patience.
10. R. Kelly, “I’m A Flirt” (Troy Tulowitzki) – My theory is that Tulo couldn’t give a damn what music plays before he gets up and hits, so he tries to choose something that his teammates will get a kick out of. That would explain his choice of Britney Spears last season, and it sure would explain this selection. Anyway, Tulo belligerently singing this song in the locker room on local TV after the Rox clinched the pennant means it makes the list.
9. Staind, “For You” (Brian Fuentes) – Never mind that the lyrics of the song clearly describe a subject who hates their parents. The opening riff meant the game was over, and we’d never had a cool closer entrance before this one.
8. Gwen Stefani, “Sweet Escape” (Ryan Spilborghs) – Every time I hear Akon squealing “Whoo-hoo… WHEE-hoo!” I’m immediately transported back to 2007. That was a good year.
7. Genesis, “I Can’t Dance” (Chris Iannetta) – A fun, out-of-nowhere pick that actually sounds pretty good.
6. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, “El Matador” (Vinny Castilla) – Best foreign language entry, edging Manny Corpas’s use of Daddy Yankee. Bonus points for including the player’s nickname in the song.
5. Kid Rock, “Bawitdaba” (Todd Helton) – Yeah, it’s a trashy, strip-club metal song, but for the best years of Helton’s career, this song was the soundtrack.
4. Foo Fighters, “My Hero” (Jeff Cirillo) – Great opening riff, but in the late innings, if Cirillo came up in a big spot, they’d play the chorus instead – “There goes my hero…” I know he wasn’t that good, but it’s a great song.
3. 8 Ball & MJD, “You Don’t Want Drama” (Preston Wilson) – Shame he was hurt all of 2004, because this was his hitting music that year, and it was awesome. The best rap selection of all time, edging the one time Jack Cust strode to the plate to “Oh Boy” by Cam’ron.
2. Ozzy Osborne, “Crazy Train” (Larry Walker) – Need I say more? The only reason it isn’t number one is because…
1. Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer” (Dante Bichette) - …I LOVE Peter Gabriel, and I’m such a Bichette fan that I still own and wear a #10 home jersey. This was the perfect music for Bichette in his prime.
***
Here’s a scary thought I’ve been battling lately: what if Troy Tulowitzki’s already as good as he’s going to be?
This wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’ll still take his defensive skills over any shortstop in the National League. But as a hitter, I’m wondering if that .291/.359/.479/24/99 he threw up as a rookie was his peak, rather than a sign of things to come. Tulo’s out to a good start power-wise, with three homers in the first two weeks, but he’s striking out a ton (he and everyone else) and hitting just .196. He looks lost against sliders and still isn’t laying off the high fastball.
I think Tulo’s a hard enough worker that if there are correctable flaws in his game, he’ll correct them. His reputation as a baseball rat has preceded him since he was drafted. But over the last two seasons – the injury marred 2008 and this one so far – his approach at the plate has been concerning. And I think I tend to worry about Tulo because I believe this franchise is fated to go as he goes. The minute he stepped on the scene as a rookie, he had the feel of a Jeter-esque force of nature that could lead a team and put up All Star seasons. And I’ve hitched my hopes for the future of Rockies baseball to Tulo’s wagon, praying that the wagon wasn’t so flawed as to collapse under its weight.
At the very worst, Tulo’s an .750+ OPS hitter with Gold Glove caliber defense. That’s a good, valuable player. But for the Rockies to provide us with more Rocktober memories in years to come, Tulo’s got to be great. And like Tulo needs to lay off that hard slider from time to time, maybe I too have to show some patience.
Monday, April 6, 2009
4/6/09 - COL 8, @ ARI 9 - "First Impressions"
It felt like an old-school Rockies game today, one of those where unless the Rox took a 10-run lead you felt absolutely certain it wasn’t going to last. And, sure enough, it didn’t, as for every punch the Rockies threw today, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a counterpunch. The only bizarre thing about it was that it took place in Phoenix and not in Denver.
Aside from the stinkbomb from Aaron Cook and one bad pitch thrown by Jason Grilli, though, today was pretty much everything a Rockies fan could ask for. Can Troy Tulowitzki get out to a hot start? He crushed a first-pitch bomb off Brandon Webb in the fourth. Is Chris Iannetta worthy of all the hype we’re giving him? His 440-foot shot off Webb immediately following Tulo’s jack could serve to answer that question. Can Seth Smith hit in the bigs? He tied the game with a homer – off a lefty, no less – in the seventh.
There were plenty of thrills at the plate, and as many cringe-worthy moments on the mound. These are the Rockies I remember.
We’ve all got pretty high expectations for our Rox this year, mostly as a response to everyone else expecting so little. The consensus seems to be a fourth place finish and something in the neighborhood of 72 wins. This sounds preposterous to all but the most pessimistic Rockies fans. The 74 wins last season were a result of injury and underperformance, not a representation of that team’s talent level. And yes, losing Matt Holliday hurts, but if you look at all the other spots on the roster where the Rockies figured to make gains on last year’s performance, it really doesn’t seem unreasonable to figure that the team can get better.
This Rockies roster, as presently constructed, doesn’t necessarily feel like a playoff team to me. The Dodgers are probably better, and the Diamondbacks and Giants almost certainly have better starting pitching. But with a few breaks – and I’m not asking for anything more outlandish than passable performance from the rotation’s back end, a comeback season for Todd Helton, and improved outfield defense – this could be a really fun summer.
There was a lot to like today. There was also a lot not to like – first and foremost, apparently I’m blacked out of watching the Rockies in HD here in Wyoming (if any Dish Network people can explain this to me, please leave me a comment, because when I called customer support, ‘Summer’ and ‘James’ from Mumbai sure couldn’t). Also, Jeff Huson couldn’t stop gushing about how awesome it was to be broadcasting the game from down at dugout level – dude, you played in the bigs, act like you’ve been in a dugout before! (This is not the last time I’ll gripe about the Rockies TV broadcast team, believe me.) Also, I hate losing to the damn Diamondbacks and will probably wake up in a cold sweat tonight imagining Chad Tracy waiting on a hanging slider from a faceless hurler wearing purple pinstripes.
But I remember last year, winning the opener in St. Louis but looking like crap in the process, and then promptly losing the next five. So I’m not overreacting tonight, not gnashing my teeth over Tracy’s deciding homer off Grilli. Nope, I’m ready to see what Ubaldo Jimenez takes to the bump tomorrow and hoping to see more of Ian Stewart at second base.
Thanks for reading. I’ll find a groove with this thing as we go along.
Aside from the stinkbomb from Aaron Cook and one bad pitch thrown by Jason Grilli, though, today was pretty much everything a Rockies fan could ask for. Can Troy Tulowitzki get out to a hot start? He crushed a first-pitch bomb off Brandon Webb in the fourth. Is Chris Iannetta worthy of all the hype we’re giving him? His 440-foot shot off Webb immediately following Tulo’s jack could serve to answer that question. Can Seth Smith hit in the bigs? He tied the game with a homer – off a lefty, no less – in the seventh.
There were plenty of thrills at the plate, and as many cringe-worthy moments on the mound. These are the Rockies I remember.
We’ve all got pretty high expectations for our Rox this year, mostly as a response to everyone else expecting so little. The consensus seems to be a fourth place finish and something in the neighborhood of 72 wins. This sounds preposterous to all but the most pessimistic Rockies fans. The 74 wins last season were a result of injury and underperformance, not a representation of that team’s talent level. And yes, losing Matt Holliday hurts, but if you look at all the other spots on the roster where the Rockies figured to make gains on last year’s performance, it really doesn’t seem unreasonable to figure that the team can get better.
This Rockies roster, as presently constructed, doesn’t necessarily feel like a playoff team to me. The Dodgers are probably better, and the Diamondbacks and Giants almost certainly have better starting pitching. But with a few breaks – and I’m not asking for anything more outlandish than passable performance from the rotation’s back end, a comeback season for Todd Helton, and improved outfield defense – this could be a really fun summer.
There was a lot to like today. There was also a lot not to like – first and foremost, apparently I’m blacked out of watching the Rockies in HD here in Wyoming (if any Dish Network people can explain this to me, please leave me a comment, because when I called customer support, ‘Summer’ and ‘James’ from Mumbai sure couldn’t). Also, Jeff Huson couldn’t stop gushing about how awesome it was to be broadcasting the game from down at dugout level – dude, you played in the bigs, act like you’ve been in a dugout before! (This is not the last time I’ll gripe about the Rockies TV broadcast team, believe me.) Also, I hate losing to the damn Diamondbacks and will probably wake up in a cold sweat tonight imagining Chad Tracy waiting on a hanging slider from a faceless hurler wearing purple pinstripes.
But I remember last year, winning the opener in St. Louis but looking like crap in the process, and then promptly losing the next five. So I’m not overreacting tonight, not gnashing my teeth over Tracy’s deciding homer off Grilli. Nope, I’m ready to see what Ubaldo Jimenez takes to the bump tomorrow and hoping to see more of Ian Stewart at second base.
Thanks for reading. I’ll find a groove with this thing as we go along.
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