Thread: The Official Colorado Rockies thread--Now with extra awesome!!

Gotta love the Cubbies and getting us back into the winning ways. What about the 8th inning on Friday night?! Talk about insane!

http://www.denverpost.com//ci_15676662

The Rockies are hitting the road. And if you've followed their fortunes this season, you know that's never a good thing.

That's why they needed to win today. Combine that with the fact that the wild card-leading Giants were in the third-base dugout at Coors Field, and an important win became a borderline must win.

True, there are no must wins in August, not literally. But a loss to San Francisco and the Rockies would have fallen 7 1/2 games behind in the wild-card chase with a seven-game Pittsburgh-to-New York roadie staring them in the face.

But there would be no loss on this day. Not with Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound. That nasty stretch of six starts in which Jimenez allowed 28 earned runs in 33 innings from late June to late July? Ancient history.

Jimenez pitched seven innings and allowed four hits and one run, just as he had in his last outing, as the Rockies beat the Giants 6-1. Jimenez thus became the first 17-game winner in the majors and lowered his ERA to 2.61 from 2.67. The 17 wins matched the franchise record held by Kevin Ritz, Pedro Astacio and Jeff Francis.

The comparisons to this start and Jimenez's previous one end there, with the numbers. His previous outing was against the hapless Pirates. This time, it was the Giants, the hottest team in baseball since the all-star break.

The Giants were 15-4 since the break and 15-5 since Buster Posey moved into the cleanup spot. Not only that, they had beaten the Rockies 10-0 the night before.

It didn't matter against Jimenez. He took a shutout into the sixth and struck out nine, matching his highest total since Memorial Day, when he shut out the Giants on four hits in San Francisco.

Jimenez also helped the Rockies at the plate, hitting a dribbler to second base in the second that went for an infield single. Moments later, he scored the game's second run on a Ryan Spilborghs double.

The hitting star of the game, though, was Carlos Gonzalez.

He homered twice, his first multi-homer game, giving him six home runs and 10 RBIs during an eight-game homestand in which the Rockies finished 15-3.

With the victory, the Rockies improved their home record to an N.L. West-best 36-19. Now for the fine print on their season: They're 20-32 on the road, where they've hit .229 compared to the .300 home mark they took into today's game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300804127

DENVER -- Ubaldo Jimenez normally baffles teams with his pitching, but he also used his legs to cool off the streaking San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Jimenez won his major league-leading 17th game and scored the decisive run from first base as the Colorado Rockies beat San Francisco 6-1. The Giants had been 10-2 against the NL West since the All-Star break.

"Ooh, that was a long way," Jimenez said, only half-joking. "I couldn't get my breath again until the fifth inning. I was really tired."

Carlos Gonzalez homered twice and Troy Tulowitzki also went deep for the streaking Rockies, who have won five of six and also played their best baseball of the season since the break.

Jimenez (17-2) became the fourth Rockies pitcher to win 17 games and the first since Jeff Francis did it in 2007, when Colorado reached the World Series. Kevin Ritz (1996) and Pedro Astacio (1999) were the other pitchers to win 17 games in a season for the franchise.

"It's not easy to win 17 games here. I really take pride in what I've been able to accomplish," Jimenez said. "I'm honored to be on that list."

The Rockies' ace rebounded from a rare poor start against San Francisco on July 3, when he allowed seven runs in the third inning in an 11-8 loss. This time, he allowed only one run and four hits while striking out nine in seven dazzling innings.

"It's his best start since the All-Star break," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "He was in command and control of everything today."

San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy agreed.

"He had his pitches going today and put them where he wanted," Bochy said.

Jimenez helped his own cause, too, when the Rockies took the lead a 2-0 lead the second.

Chris Iannetta led off with a single and moved to third on Jimenez's two-out infield single. Ryan Spilborghs followed with a double to the gap in left-center field and Jimenez raced around the bases as his helmet flew off. He said he was ready to slide until Giants first baseman Travis Ishikawa cut off the relay to throw out Spilborghs at third.

"I saw Posey was in front of home plate and I was like, 'Uh-oh,'" Jimenez said. "That ball was in the gap so I'm supposed to score."

His teammates were impressed with his quick recovery.

"When we have to run from first to home and go out to the outfield, for me it's tough," Gonzalez said. "He's a really good athlete and he was able to come back."

Jimenez came back to strike out the side in the top of the third.

Gonzalez looked overmatched in his first two at-bats against Madison Bumgarner (4-4). He struck out twice, first on a 75-mph curveball and then a ball in the dirt, before hitting a two-run homer in the fifth inning to make it 4-0.

"It was hard for me to pick up the ball at the beginning of the game," Gonzalez said. "He throws sidearm sometimes and it's tough for lefty-lefty. I made the adjustment in my third at-bat and hit the home run."

He notched his first career multihomer game when he hit his 23rd off reliever Denny Bautista with two outs in the sixth. Tulowitzki followed with his 10th homer, the fifth time Colorado has hit back-to-back home runs this season. Gonzalez has been part of four of them.

"He's just tough," Bumgarner said. "He's hot right now and he's a good hitter."

The Giants got their only run in the sixth when Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey hit consecutive two-out doubles to make it 4-1.

Game notes
Posey left the game in the seventh inning after taking a foul ball off his right shoulder. Bochy said Posey could have stayed in the game but the manager didn't want to take any chances. ... Bumgarner allowed four runs on nine hit in four-plus innings. ... Rockies third baseman Melvin Mora left the game with a left knee contusion after being hit by a pitch in the fifth. ... Posey was the NL player of the month for July, after hitting .417 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs. He led the league with 43 hits in the month. ... Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler came into the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement. It was his first action since bruising his ribs and left hip running into the wall against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Nl MVP!

Originally Posted by EMB6903

Nl MVP!

And Cy Young winner.

He is one of like 5 to get 17 wins in his first 22 starts, three of the others won the cy young that year!

A sweep against the Buckos in Pitt would be so sweet. I think SD is starting to fade and SF is playing over their heads right now. Posey is a great bat, but his defense is going to kill SF in the long run I think.

http://www.denverpost.com//ci_15684947

PITTSBURGH — Struggling Rockies starter Aaron Cook was placed on the 15-day disabled list today with a sprained right big toe, and the the Rockies promoted infielder Chris Nelson from Triple-A Colorado Springs to temporarily fill Cook's roster spot.

Nelson will likely only be with the team until Jhoulys Chacin takes Cook's rotation spot on Sunday against the Pirates.

According to trainer Keith Dugger, Cook's toe has been bothering him for a few weeks. It is the same injury he has had the last two seasons. He was forced on the DL last year with the same injury after hurt the toe backing up back third base during a game in Philadelphia. The injury is not related to his sore left foot which he hurt in batting practice last week.

Cook is 4-8 with a 5.34 ERA. He has a 13.98 ERA over his last three starts.

Nelson, who was up with the Rockies earlier this season, is hitting .329 with 11 homers, 12 doubles and 42 RBIs in 237 at-bats for the Sky Sox.

Wow, we make the Pirates look like the Yankees.

http://www.denverpost.com//ci_15800143

Brad Hawpe's days in Denver may be numbered.

Hawpe, according to Fox Sports, was placed on waivers Monday, starting the clock ticking on a 48-hour window for teams to claim him.

Putting players on waivers in August is commonplace, because teams have the ability to pull a player back if a claim is made. But the Rockies want to move Hawpe, who is owed about $2.2 million for the remainder of this season, so if he's claimed, they probably would try to work out a trade or simply let him go.

The Rockies have a $10 million club option on Hawpe for 2011 but have no plans to exercise it. Hawpe, hitting .252 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs, instead would receive a $500,000 buyout.

If no team claims him, the Rockies' options would be to keep him on the roster, release him or place him on the disabled list with a pre-existing rib injury.

Hawpe was on the team charter to Los Angeles on Monday. So was Jason Giambi, another candidate to leave the roster to make room for Jhoulys Chacin, who will start tonight's game at Dodger Stadium. One player who isn't going anywhere is Eric Young Jr., who is expected to get a lengthy audition as the team's new leadoff hitter.

"I'd like to see Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez come up with guys on base both at home and on the road," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "Is this going to solve the problem? I don't know, but it's worth a try. It's something you have to do to try to create an opportunity for us to plate a couple of more runs."

Rockies leadoff hitters, most notably Dexter Fowler and Gonzalez, have a .335 on-base percentage. Only the No. 8 hole, with a .304 OBP, has a lower mark among position players. The problem has been acute on the road, where Fowler is hitting .183. Young hit leadoff twice over the weekend after a 10-game stretch at Colorado Springs in which he hit .333 with a .415 on-base percentage.

Parker signs.

The Rockies, after the usual 11th-hour negotiating session, signed first-round draft pick Kyle Parker on Monday night to a contract that, according to Baseball America, includes a signing bonus of $1.4 million.

The bonus represented a compromise of sorts because Parker, a power-hitting outfielder, will be allowed to continue to play football at Clemson, where he is the starting quarterback. Parker, the 26th pick, had been seeking more than $2 million to forgo his football career.

The Rockies also signed their second pick, right-hander Peter Tago of Dana Hills, Calif., the 47th overall pick.

Helton coming around.

Todd Helton is hitting .300 (9-for-30) with two home runs since coming off the disabled list. As encouraged as the Rockies are by Helton's recent swings, he isn't about to play every day. Case in point: He homered Saturday night at Coors Field but was out of the starting lineup Sunday afternoon.

"We were doing a lot of searching early on, but he obviously got to a point where his legs fatigued," Tracy said. "So if we're mindful of what it was that sent him to the DL and we bring him back and push him, we're completely defeating the purpose."

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

http://www.denverpost.com//ci_15800143

Brad Hawpe's days in Denver may be numbered.

Hawpe, according to Fox Sports, was placed on waivers Monday, starting the clock ticking on a 48-hour window for teams to claim him.

Putting players on waivers in August is commonplace, because teams have the ability to pull a player back if a claim is made. But the Rockies want to move Hawpe, who is owed about $2.2 million for the remainder of this season, so if he's claimed, they probably would try to work out a trade or simply let him go.

The Rockies have a $10 million club option on Hawpe for 2011 but have no plans to exercise it. Hawpe, hitting .252 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs, instead would receive a $500,000 buyout.

If no team claims him, the Rockies' options would be to keep him on the roster, release him or place him on the disabled list with a pre-existing rib injury.

Hawpe was on the team charter to Los Angeles on Monday. So was Jason Giambi, another candidate to leave the roster to make room for Jhoulys Chacin, who will start tonight's game at Dodger Stadium. One player who isn't going anywhere is Eric Young Jr., who is expected to get a lengthy audition as the team's new leadoff hitter.

"I'd like to see Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez come up with guys on base both at home and on the road," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "Is this going to solve the problem? I don't know, but it's worth a try. It's something you have to do to try to create an opportunity for us to plate a couple of more runs."

Rockies leadoff hitters, most notably Dexter Fowler and Gonzalez, have a .335 on-base percentage. Only the No. 8 hole, with a .304 OBP, has a lower mark among position players. The problem has been acute on the road, where Fowler is hitting .183. Young hit leadoff twice over the weekend after a 10-game stretch at Colorado Springs in which he hit .333 with a .415 on-base percentage.

Parker signs.

The Rockies, after the usual 11th-hour negotiating session, signed first-round draft pick Kyle Parker on Monday night to a contract that, according to Baseball America, includes a signing bonus of $1.4 million.

The bonus represented a compromise of sorts because Parker, a power-hitting outfielder, will be allowed to continue to play football at Clemson, where he is the starting quarterback. Parker, the 26th pick, had been seeking more than $2 million to forgo his football career.

The Rockies also signed their second pick, right-hander Peter Tago of Dana Hills, Calif., the 47th overall pick.

Helton coming around.

Todd Helton is hitting .300 (9-for-30) with two home runs since coming off the disabled list. As encouraged as the Rockies are by Helton's recent swings, he isn't about to play every day. Case in point: He homered Saturday night at Coors Field but was out of the starting lineup Sunday afternoon.

"We were doing a lot of searching early on, but he obviously got to a point where his legs fatigued," Tracy said. "So if we're mindful of what it was that sent him to the DL and we bring him back and push him, we're completely defeating the purpose."

i saw that earlier... Rocks must be cleaning house making room for the younger guys!
they should place Helton on waivers because Helton is HORRIBLE!!

Originally Posted by nbenallo33

i saw that earlier... Rocks must be cleaning house making room for the younger guys!
they should place Helton on waivers because Helton is HORRIBLE!!

Disagree - Helton is not horrible, and if you listen to the post game, the players have nothing but respect for him, and are very glad that his health is better.

GO ROCKIES - I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON THEM

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

DENVER -- The Rockies erased a nine-run deficit with a furious comeback that was capped by a two-out RBI single from Troy Tulowitzki as Colorado pulled off an incredible 12-10 victory against the Braves on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

Trailing, 10-8, in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded, left fielder Carlos Gonzalez smoked a line drive up the middle against Braves reliever Jonny Venters to tie the game at 10.

Gonzalez was followed by Tulowitzki, who drove in center fielder Dexter Fowler to tie a franchise-best comeback.

It was just the second time in Rockies history the club had come back to win from a nine-run deficit, after also having done so on July 4, 2008. In that game, the Rockies trailed, 13-4, before winning 18-17.

After Tulowitzki singled, first baseman Todd Helton drove another line drive up the middle to score Gonzalez, making it 12-10.

Reliever Matt Belisle, who came on in the eighth, earned the victory.

The rally erased dismal performances by Colorado starter Esmil Rogers and reliever Manuel Corpas, who were hammered for 10 runs and 12 hits in the first three innings.

The Braves jumped on top, 3-0, immediately with four hits in the first inning. Four more hits and a walk in the second boosted Atlanta's lead to 7-0 as Rogers exited after 1 2/3 innings. Corpas, who left in the fourth with right elbow soreness, allowed two doubles and a two-run homer in the third.

Once Corpas left, rookie southpaw Matt Reynolds finished the frame. In his fourth career outing, Reynolds threw three shutout innings to allow the comeback to take shape. Relievers Joe Beimel and Belisle also combined for three scoreless innings.

Seth Smith homered in the second and Ian Stewart drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make it 10-2. In the fifth, Fowler drove in two with a triple to left, then scored on a throwing error on Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

Down, 10-5, in the sixth, Helton tripled to center and Smith doubled him home to shorten the gap to 4. Then, as Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens gave way to reliever Peter Moylan, Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta walked and pinch-hitter Ryan Spilborghs smacked a two-run double to center to make it 10-8.

4.5 games out of the wildcard with around 40 to play. They have a shot. It's late August, time for the Rockies to catch fire and rattle of 20 some wins in a row.....

When I change my avatar, you will know that the Rox are done.