Jamie Moyer is officially the oldest pitcher to win a major league game as a starting pitcher. There was still some drama along the way to the historic win, with two errors by Tulo bringing his total to six for the season. Tulowitzki only had six errors all of last season, so he is for sure working on some fielding issues.
On the second Tulo error the Rockies were up 3-0 and a ball hit right at Tulo, tailor-made double play ball, skidded under his glove and into left allowing the Jesus Guzman to score.
Thankfully the team got two insurance runs in the 8th thanks to a Cuddyer double and a Rosario sac fly that plated Todd, all off of our previous closer Huston Street.
The last three outs were as nerve-racking as ever. Betancourt didn’t make it easy, giving up a solo shot to Nick Hundley to begin the ninth and almost giving up a 2 run shot that was only short because the extreme wind kept it in the park.
But at the end of the night it was all Moyer, who pitched masterfully going seven innings, six hits and no earned runs. This was the best showing of a Rockies pitcher this year and we are all very thankful and relieved!!!
CONGRATS JAMIE, THANKS FOR MAKING THE ROCKIES YOUR HOME!
EXCELLENT STATS FROM MARC STOUT
1.) MOYER is now 4-2/3.23 (an ERA exactly 1 run lower than his career ERA) in his 6 career starts on April the 17th.
The first happened in 1991 w/STL; he pitched on this day 3 times w/SEA…1x w/PHI…and yesterday.
2.) MOYER beat SD for the 10th time for career win #268.
He now has exactly 10 or more wins against 15 of baseball’s 30 franchises.
He has at least ONE win vs every franchise, with his fewest, ONE, against Colorado.
3.) Tuesday marked MOYER’S first EVER win @ Coors Field.
He has a victory in 42 different ballparks…13 of which are no longer in use.
The 49 year old has pitched in a total of 49 different ballparks…7 in which he has never won (3 of the 7 are still in use – CINCY/NY-Citit Field/SF)
4.) JOE WEST was behind the plate Tuesday night.
MOYER now has his most career wins, 9, with WEST calling balls and strikes.
In 12 JOE WEST umped starts; MOYER is 9-2 with a spectacular 2.45 ERA
5.) JIM TRACY is the 13th man to manage MOYER.
MOYER has a victory under 12 of the 13…he went winless in 8 appearances for STL in 1991 with JOE TORRE managing.
6.) MOYER picked off CHRIS DENORFIA in the 2nd inning.
It was the 50TH PICK OFF of his career.
7.) By my count there were 16 managers, coaches, and/or broadcasters in the ball park last night that either played with or against or where active MLB’ers during MOYER’S career.
SD:
Bud Black
Daryl Akerfelds
Glenn Hoffman
Phil Plantier (0-1)
Alonzo Powell (1-3)
Dave Roberts (1-8)
Rich Renteria
COL:
Vinny Castilla (1-7)
Glenallen Hill (4-22)
Carney Lansford (2-4)
Tom Runnells
BROADCASTERS:
Mark Grant (0-2)
Bob Scanlan
Mark Sweeney (1-3)
Jeff Huson (1-2)
George Frazier
COMBINED BA = (11-52) – .212
OTHER HISTORIC BASEBALL NOTES FROM 4/17:
1820:
ALEXANDER CARTWRIGHT, sometimes referred to as the “father of baseball”, is born.
1869:
The Cincinnati Red Stockings play the first “professional” game of baseball.
Team captain and HOF’er HARRY WRIGHT had all of his players “under contract”
1951:
19 year old right fielder, and future HOF’er, MICKEY MANTLE, goes 1-4 in his big league debut with NYY
1955:
20 year old right fielder, and future HOF’er, ROBERTO CLEMENTE, singles in his first big league at bat with PITT
1976:
Future HOF’er MIKE SCMIDT hits 4 homers in a game at Wrigley Field.
SCHMIDT would hit .444 off of MOYER in his career.
2001:
BARRY BONDS hits his 500th career HR.
5 of which had come against JAMIE MOYER.
2010:
UBALDO JIMENEZ throws the first no-hitter in Rockies’ history
Congrats Jamie!!! Tulo is killing this team though…it’s borderline ridiculous…
Congrats to Jamie! Was fearful for a moment that Tulo’s error would cost him the win. Agree with Neil….I would sit Tulo for a game or two.
Moyer was great. Actually he’s pitched well all season. Tulo needs tomorrow off and with Thursday an off day, maybe he’ll get back in the groove by Friday night. Tracy is always about giving a guy a day off, well Tulo needs it. Maybe his errors are tied to getting hit by Ubaldo?
Fun game to be at. Congrats to Jamie!
Congratulations to Jamie Moyer. This was pretty special. Hopefully it is the 1st of say 10 or so more this season.
Left hand pitchers rock especially when they are 49.
We just got back from the game. We were sitting in Sect 128 (behind HP), row 16. Awesome seats!!! I was living the dream tonight.
Great all round game by the Rockies. Even “Bill Buckner” Tulowitzki managed to contribute by waking and scoring the eventual winning run. I really like Cuddyer and Scutaro on this team.
A few general comments.
* Moyer looked great. He really had SD off balance – everyone except Denorfia that is who went 4-4. I could just imagine the SD fans moaning about how their bats finally came alive the other night only to be beaten by a soft throwing lefty. Sound familiar?
* Tulo needs to get his head out of his ass! Not only the 2 errors, but what about the 30 ft grounder his first AB that he didn’t even bother to run on?
* Does anybody want 2 $1 hot-dog coupons? I stood in line at the concession stand for almost a whole inning (missed Dex’s HR) only to find out they had run out. They would not substitute regular hot dogs either. What a rip off! I finally got the cashier to give me $2 off my order.
* It was nice to see the hittable version of Huston Street playing for someone else.
* Betancourt’s inning… Well it wouldn’t be Rockies baseball without some drama at the end.
* I’m nitpicking here, but why PH Colvin instead of Giambi? Giambi has finally been getting some AB’s, presumably for this kind of situation, so why not put him in there to turn the knife when you have them on the ropes? I suppose JT’s plan is to not use Giambi for a while and let him rust again.
* More nitpicking – why have Cuddyer steal 3B? You potentially have a strike-out throw-out DP with the third out made at third base, which is a cardinal sin in baseball.
My last 2 points didn’t end up affecting the game, but they fit the pattern of questionable moves by our Perennial Manager.
Interesting reading, Miketober. I’m really loving Cuddy – I knew he was a solid favorite in Minn. and got to see him some on the MLB package, but this guy is just what the Rockies needed. I hope Tulo is not hurt and hiding it. Or developing Steve Blass Disease (!). I didn’t catch him not-running on one of his grounders; that’s disturbing. The night was about a fine achievement by a man who seems like a genuine good guy, and that’s golden in my book.
Pfft…the Mothership showed Nats ‘Stros highlights before Moyer on Sportscenter.
Pfffft. Oops, I forgot, the Rockies barely exist. Even when historical achievement is center stage.
That is strange it was a Nats ‘Stros and not a Mothership darling like the Red Sox/Yankees…huh, weird…
I suppose they also had to remind everybody about 20 times that the NFL schedule just came out and the Broncos have the second toughest schedule blah blah blah and New England has an easy schedule blah blah blah.
Great moment for Moyer after the game Mark Stout interviewed him and I thought he was going to cry you can tell he really loves the game like he said its all he knows. To bad more players cant put the effort in like Moyer but I guess that is what makes some players special and others just others.
I’ve been wanting to throw this point out for some time, and will make it now after reading about Betancourt’s drama according to Miketober (I missed the game last night). Betancourt supposedly had a rough ninth inning in the opener in Houston. However, I contend that had Tulo not homered in the top of the ninth, all other factors being equal it would have been a 1-2-3 inning. With two outs and nobody on the Houston batter doubled on a ground ball into the left field corner, the ball passing third base well inside the line. Had the Rockies not had a two run lead, Nelson would have been guarding the line to prevent a double (or he should have been) and the ball would have been hit right at him. Assuming he fields and throws cleanly (no easy chore with this team) it’s game over without some much as a wimper from the Astros. One of those finer details of baseball that keeps us so riveted.
I have always believed that to win consistantly, a team must have above average fielding. It shortens the game for the pitchers and takes a lot of unnecessary pressure off the offense. The 2007 season is a perfect example of record setting defense leading to the team’s best pitching efforts statistically and it’s WS appearance. I agree with some of you that so far we do have too small a sample size for the numbers to mean much, but this fielding so far is alarmingly bad. It alone can make or break this season.
All that said, way to go Jamie!!!
Good comments Bob. I’m with you on the fielding being somewhat alarming. The sample size is small as some suggest but I also subscribe to the saying “You can’t win the division in April but you sure can lose it.”
Even though the names have changed maybe it’s the typical Rockies April start?
Wonder if Tulo got too muscle bound bulking up with Giambi? He doesn’t look as smooth/fluid as in years past.I was on pins and needles pulling for Moyer.Reminded me of how exciting Jack Nicklaus’ charge to win the Masters at age 48 was.The fact that Jamie is far and away the best starter right now is great and also horrifying!
I thought it strangely touching that Moyer seemed most bewildered, + I mean this in a good way, that his feat occurred for the Colorado Rockies in Denver, Colorado at Coors Field. It was kind of like inevitable he would get the win, but HERE? Where he’s played for less than 3 weeks? For a team that didn’t even exist when he debuted in ’86? Way to go, “Ace.”
Moyer is officially the Rockies Ace! Way to step up Moyer and Congrats!
Maybe Ubaldo put a curse on Tulo when he hit him in ST.
I do wonder if maybe he is hurt and trying to work through it…hit throws to first are usually spot on and very fast…they haven’t been that way this season…
They did say he has been having the same issues with his hips (?)…not sure if that is it…
It looks to me like he is trying to do that sweeping side-arm throw, the one where he ranges deep into the hole, does a spinning jump, and fires side-arm to 1B. Except he is doing it on routine plays. The other night we all blamed it on the rain. But last night he tried the same throw with the same result.
Fortunately SD returned the favor after the between-the-legs-error. Helton’s pop-up was being blown in by the wind. The flags in LF were really blowing in, and right after that play I felt the sudden gust of wind. Todd couldn’t have timed it better. So the Baseball Gods were watching out for Moyer.
It was a fun game to be at. Moyer looked great while making the Padres look awful at the plate. I think MLB hitters try and swing too hard to hit him. It was hilarious to watch the kids swinging out of their shoes to try and crush the ball; the guys who hit him (Denorfia, especially) just tried to make contact. If he keeps up this pace, I think he’ll get us 10 wins.
CT, I think he gets us 10+, but probably the only one.
I was listening to the beginning of the game instead of watching it and because there were so many comments on the Tulo not running out the hit I had to go back and see it…on the radio they were saying it hit the bat twice and after watching the video I gotta say that I don’t feel he deserves the “should have run it out” thrown at him the way it is being said because it sounds like he just jogged to first, not caring about making them force a throw…
But the replay shows that he didn’t even move from the batters box, knowing the ball hit his bat twice (which is a dead ball)…so, he feels it hit his bat and stands there thinking that it is dead, only to be told it is live…no chance to run it out at that point, so his choice was to just stay and argue the call…
I do believe a player should go until they are told to stop (what the Padres learned on the triple-play fiasco), but sometimes it is better to stand your ground and make your case (knowing you aren’t going to make it to first or whatever anyway) because it proves you feel you are right…
So, I don’t fault him for what he did at all…as far as the error, i only saw the one go through his legs and that is so not like him that I will take 6+ years of watching him play over the last few weeks/errors to keep me firmly on his side – he is in a “fielding slump” right now and i think that, as with dex, the talent is there but the mind isn’t…he just needs to get past the mental part of it and back to being himself…
UNLESS he is injured and not saying anything…they did say, i believe opening day, that his hip flexor is acting up again, but that he knows how to deal with it…that is concerning because it is something he has been dealing with for a while now and I don’t know that it will ever go away…he’s got the money, should get the best treatment plan possible and follow it – even if it means being out for several weeks to “rehab” it the right way…i’d rather he got it under control and fixed then “work through it”…
I see several areas that’s bothering Tulo:
1. The shine from the Gold Gloves and Silver Bats seems to be affecting him.
2. He probably spent too much time with Giambi getting ready for the season. He should have taken more of a break.
3. He needs to loosen up, he looks tight as hell.
BTW
Any player knows that the ball is fair until the ump says it isn’t
#1 – I don’t think that is fair saying his success if making him a bad player…that and those saying his contract is the problem, i don’t buy that for one minute…he works way to hard to be seen as someone just living off his money and trophies
#2 – This might be true, but we can’t have it both ways – getting on guys cases for not working hard in the off season and then getting on others case for working too hard…remember, he had Camp Tulo in 2010 as well and didn’t have these issues last year.
#3 – Amen to that…i do think he puts too much pressure on himself to do well…that is why i don’t buy #1 at all or anyone saying it is all about the contract, blah blah blah…the guy honestly cares and wants to be the best player that ever played the game…i love his fire, but wish he would just have fun and let it happen with his talent…
BTW
Already gave my opinion on that above, but I do think that it is baseball 101 to go until told stop…
i have watched that replay a dozen times and I can honestly say that I am 100% positive the ball hit the bat twice. West missed the call. I really think he is the worst umpire there is, especially on balls and strikes. He just seems lazy. But Tulo did hit the ball twice.
I agree – i saw it hit twice and know Tulo felt it…
Jaredean, I completely disagree. I’m helping coach my son’s little league team, and if I had a nickel for every time I said “run hard all the way to 1st base – don’t assume it’s foul or that guy is going to catch it”, and “get your glove all the way down so it doesn’t roll under it”, I’d be rich. And here is Tulo breaking rules that 12 year olds know. I guess it’s a teaching moment that no matter how good you think you are you have to stick with the fundamentals.
I’ve looked at my video of it several times, and while I can’t tell if it’s a double hit or not, Joe West gave no indication whatsoever that the ball was dead. Now we all saw the bogus triple play in LA. The Padres lived it and learned from it. It’s a mental error for Tulo to make the same mistake just a few days later.
I think Tulo is one of the best in baseball and will be there for us big time this season. But right now he is not in a good place.
as i said above, i personally think (and coach) that you need to run it out no matter what and hate seeing players not run full throttle to first (except for pitchers)…that is why i love Cuddy – he goes turbo to first…so, he should have gone to first, you are right…my point was that when i kept reading the phrase “he didn’t run it out” i was thinking he just jogged to first and that would have really made me mad – but he didn’t leave the batters box thinking it was a dead ball and that isn’t as bad in my mind…if he jogged to first I would have been pretty upset…just standing there, not so much…either way he should have gone full force until called back, but i gave him a pass…
I’m not liking what i’m seeing on Twitter, other blogs, etc. with people getting so down on Tulo – I really say people should give the guy some slack and recognize that he is human and this is most likely mental – i blew out my shoulder throwing too hard without warming up in college years ago and now that it is better I still get very nervous at times throwing and the ball goes all funky on my…if i don’t think about it and just throw like I used to it is straight and true – but bottom line, all mental!
Hey all, i updated the article above with some more of Marc’s sweet stats on Moyer and yesterdays date…Thanks again to Marc for his information!
JT obviously sees Tulo’s tightness too. Out of lineup tonight.
Clear your head, Tulo. We need ya and we love ya.
I gotta back Tulo up a bit. He’s in a slump. He’s human. He’ll get over it. I think he will press less once he gets away from Coors.
And yes he should have run in the first inning. But by the time he realized that Joe West got the call wrong the ball had already been picked. But the guy who was lazy was Joe West for A) not making the correct call and B) not asking the 1st or 3rd base ump for help. Ed the Ump might know if this is still true but back in the day another ump could not intervene unless he was asked. Really a stupid rule. But as Wayne mentioned above Joe West is a poor ump. His ball and strike calls were consistently inconsistent. He didn’t favor the Rocks or the Pads, the batter or the pitcher. Just seemed to make up calls. Funny timing. Yesterday afternoon on the Dave Logan show, Dave Kreiger was calling for a computer to make the ball and strike calls. According to him, they do it in tennis and it seems to work. I’m not sure if that’s true since I don’t watch much tennis and I’m not sure that the strike zone they show on TV is 100% correct, but the technology is there and frankly the ball-strike call is really the most important call umps make. I would guess Ed the Ump (and Bob Davidson) would be against this.
Hope they can win tonight and get back to .500. They usually play poorly in April and get better as the season goes along. Last year they started great and then played poorly. As for the lineup, I don’t think they really have a true cleanup hitter. Giambi comes close but doesn’t play enough. When he’s a DH against a RH pitcher he should bat 4th.
Bill, after Tulo was called out, Jim Tracy came out to argue. West told Tulo and JT to wait by home plate while all 4 umpires conferenced by the mound. Nobody else was on the field.After a brief conference, West turned to Tulo/JT and shrugged his shoulders and Tulo/JT walked off. So West did ask for help, but it was the strangest “argument” I’ve ever seen.