If starting pitching is the biggest concern for fan and team alike, then the past two days should ease that pain a bit. Yesterdays performance by Alex White was only upstaged in impressiveness by today’s major league debut of Christian Friedrich.
Friedrich, the Rockies 1st round draft pick (25th) took the mound and turned a page in his progression from troubled pitcher to potential long-term starter. His transformation in the game was almost as dramatic. Friedrich shook off the game jitters and a disappointing first inning that saw him give up a lead off single to Denorfia, a walk to Headley and then after getting Alonso to pop out, another single to Guzman that scored Denorfia. Once he struck out Hundley to end the inning, and left the field, it seemed like his first game jitters were past him. The second inning saw him get the first two of seven strikeouts for the day (a team season high), fanning Parrino and Bass back to back.
His final line was very impressive: Six innings, five hits and one earned. The seven strike out and only one walk issued were, perhaps, the most impressive part of all when compared to his struggles on the road to The Show.
I guess it’s a dream come true…I struggled the last two years. To come up here and have some success, I know it’s only one, but it feels great. It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders. Now I can go out and there and do my thing.
If Friedrich isn’t a part of the rotation going forward, it isn’t because of his work on the mound today.
Brothers, on the other hand, didn’t have a very successful outing at all. His “truncated” day lasted only a 1/3 of an inning, being pulled after giving up a single to Parrino and walking Venable he was replaced by Matt Belisle. Tracy wasn’t about to let things get out of hand while sitting back and watching the lead slip away. He pointed to the pen and one Matt Belisle, the second of the three Killer B’s.
Belisle was masterful in bailing out Brothers. Back to back ground-outs and he was ready to head to the dugout, possibly to remind Brothers that he owed him diner for the bailout.
Matt did get into a little bit of trouble in the 8th, but nothing he couldn’t handle. After two one out singles he induced a fly from Hundley to center and then struck out a swinging Hudson.
Something sorely missing the past couple of games has been the offense. Today, everyone but Tyler Colvin got into the fun. Part of the excitement came with two VERY close doubles, each bouncing off the top of the padding in the outfield fence. The first blast, by Giambi, was to dead center plating one. Because the ball bounced straight back to Maybin and because of the perfect relay, Cuddyer was taken out at the plate.
The second blast that bounced off the wall was thanks to Wilin Rosario. This time the ball bounced past Guzman, but again went right to Maybin for the throw home. Thankfully, Anthony Bass brain cramped and cutoff the throw allowing Giambi to slide in safely at home in what would have been a very close play at the plate.
Both hits were reviewed by the umpiring crew and both were, correctly, called doubles. Giambi’s was a one run double, Rosario’s a two run double.
Before the game Tracy had a closed-door meeting with the players and encouraged them to take better, shorter swings and longer at bats. Not sure if the shorter swing message came completely through with the two long doubles, but something woke up a lineup that previously seemed asleep. Their season high 13 hits almost matched the previous two games 14 combined hits. Chris Nelson seemed to take the message to heart, going 2-4 with 2 RBI’s.
Betancourt put in a perfect ninth, striking out Parrino and Venable and then a popup by Kotsay sealed the deal. Game over, Rockies win!
Great result, and great summary jaredean. Since I didn’t get to see this one (and only heard an inning or two on the radio), I appreciate the detailed game notes!
Friedrich certainly seems like he has the tools to succeed. In fact, both White and Friedrich were very impressive. Pomeranz has been o.k., but he’s looking a lot more like a less polished Jeff Francis (not an insult — Francis was a good pitcher pre-injury) and less like a Madison Bumgarner. So I’m a little disappointed in him so far. But at least we can see a way forward now with the pitching, which we really couldn’t, oh, 4 days ago.
CarGo seems to be taking some collateral damage along with the Tulo bashing, so I’ll remind everyone that he had yet another good game, 2-5 with 2 runs. He’s been carrying the team lately, but of course he can’t do it alone.
Are we back to the bad old days at Coors Field?
Park Factors measure the ratio of runs (or HRs, or doubles, or walks, or whatever offensive stat you’d like) at a home park vs. at a road park. In the last decade we’ve seen this for the Coors runs park factor:
2001-2005 (pre-humidor): 1.25-1.45 range
2006-2009: 1.13 to 1.15
2009: 1.25
2010-2011: 1.35
2012 so far: 1.90 (!)
The trend is back toward Coors as an extreme, far outlier hitter’s park. And so we’re back to the days in which we really worry about pitchers burning out their arms through overwork, and hitters are developing really bad habits all over again (the theory is that Coors tends to reward “bad” hitting habits like uppercut swings/swinging for the fences; those same habits result in lots of routine flyballs on the road). I think we’re seeing that in spades this season as the Rockies’ pitchers look perfectly fine on the road and horrible at home, whereas the opposite is true for the hitters.
We’re still in very small sample size territory. You usually need about 3 years of park factors to really tell how a park is playing. But something’s going on here. The Great Moderation of 2006-2009 appears to be over, and Coors may be once again that dreaded home of the 13-11 slugfest. Back in the pre-humidor days we used to speculate about whether you could build a winning team in such an extreme home park environment. Are we there again? Is there a super humidor out there?
An issue I never hear discussed is that the humidor shouldn’t come into play until later in the season. Teams get fresh baseballs at the start of the season. The problem was that the Rockies stored their balls pre-humidor on shelving that allowed the balls to dry out, shrink slightly, and get slick…at least in comparison to the specs of the original manufacture.
It seems to me that the balls this early in the season would be minimally affected by the humidor as they would not have dried out yet. I’m assuming here that they would not take an immediate change but would gradually deteriorate over the course of the season.
A bigger factor may be the weather. I haven’t paid close attention to Denver, but we have had an unusually warm April in the east. If it’s been anything like that in Denver, it may be that we are seeing summer game conditions where the ball carries farther naturally. Regardless, I agree with Agbayani that the splits have been very discouraging so far this year. Of course, back out the 35 runs scored in those two games against the Giants and Mets and the stats may be a lot less out-of-whack.
The biggest question is why am I up writing all this at 4am?
It was a win, and I don’t necessarily want to nit pick every call Jim Tracy ever makes, but it seemed weird to me that Brothers relieved Friedrich. Didn’t think pitch count was that high, it was a lefty for a lefty, and aren’t we trying to rest the pen?
I would have let him pitch another inning or at least let him face the lefties that were up next.
prog, his pitch count was up around 95 give or take. I’m sure that JT was worried about over extending him in his 1st outing. Pull him on a positive note and not wait and let him get into to trouble.
Like I mentioned to Julian in the other thread. It was a great job by Friedrich but it was in Petco. Let’s see how he does in ATT against the Giants. Then we can worry about Coors.
He certainly looked good yesterday
Bob in WV– “The biggest question is why am I up writing all this at 4am?” Classic!
If this team didn’t give us some sleepless nights, we wouldn’t be fans! God knows I’ve been kept up thinking about a tough loss more than a few times!!
Go Rockies!
Sorry I keep lamenting on the Tulo bashing, but another (unfair) reason for it may be the following. Consider what the 2-man wrecking crew of Kemp-Ethier did for the Dodgers in April. Now our very own CarGo is red-hot. It sure would be nice if Tulo heated up at the same time. That’s not Troy’s fault – a player cannot pick his hot streaks. But to some of us that seems like a wasted opportunity. I think that adds to the frustration.
Yeah, it would be nice if they were both hot at the same time…my massive missives were only trying to point out the fact that he is cold, it sucks, but he is still an asset to this team and to call for his head on a plate is premature…apparently i am quite alone in that thought because there are several “plus” votes for getting Tulo’s head and negative votes for mine
Unless you count the thumbs up I gave myself!
This is a copy from an older thread so I thought to move it here to the latest thread.
I never understand the bashing of Tulo as a baseball player. It is the equivalent of the bashing of Albert Pujols now, but no one is bashing Pujols. He probably continues to get the bashing only because of the poor late-close stats LAST year. This year he has been doing a lot better but it has been under the radar because nearly none of them has been go ahead or walk offs. But he has been getting on base and passing the baton to the next hitter. That was something he did not do last year. So stop bashing him please.
I get both sides of Tulo’s off the field behavior. Myself, I would NEVER approach him if I see him in public trying to enjoy his own private moments off the field. So the person(s) who approached Tulo at a restaurant table deserved the rude reply. Also, you cannot bash him about his off the field behavior when he does a lot of work for the charities; see his haircuts and what it does for charities.
My only criticism of Tulo is maybe he can thaw his relationship with fans a little bit by acknowledging fans with a tip of the hat or make occasional trips to the fans along side the foul line hoping for autographs before the game. But there’s nothing in the contract that says you are required to do it.
Tulo is a top player in the league…but he’s no Albert Pujols.
I suppose I disagree with most of what you said.
(Personally, I think Pujols deserves a lot of criticism from Angels fans. He hasn’t done squat for them yet. They don’t owe him leway. If he resigned with the Cards and then struggled, I might agree about giving him some room. But halo fans have a right to be disappointed.)
Tulo on the other hand, has still not provided a consistent MVP calibre season. Every season thus far has been marred with injuries or horrible opening months.
A real MVP calibre player comes out and plays consistently all year. They may not get it done every game, but they don’t disappear for entire Aprils or Mays.
As for not bashing him, are you worried he’s gonna read it and be offended or something? These guys aren’t saints or saviors. I don’t see a point in pretending they are perfect on or off the field. Referencing his haircut promotion…I mean charity, as a reason not to be offended by jerk behavior gave me a chuckle, to be honest. I suppose he doesn’t have to do anything, but its not like thats a difficult thing for him to do.
I will say, I’d never bother a star at a restaurant either, but I’m not a 7 year old kid anymore either. Sometimes parents will compromise their own thing to try to make their kid happy, right or wrong, I don’t know. But sometimes as a player you have to remember that the owners of the team wouldn’t be paying you if you played in front of empty stadiums. The sport is a business only because of the fans.
I watched most of the Rox game on the MLB.tv from the archives. I was looking to see how Friedrich pitched. He was pitching fast – no walking around the mound, rubbing his forehead, rubbing the balls, etc. Pitch, catch the return throw, and stand on the rubber ready to go again. No chance for negative thoughts. He did not have violent delivery. After running into a little traffic, his approach never changed – just challenge, challenge, challenge while repeating his deliveries perfectly. On top of that he stayed out of the middle of the plate hitting arm side and glove side of the strike zone. His sliders were excellent, he almost never hung them. What impressed me the most was that San Diego never got the ball barreled up; most hits even on the doubles were the results of defensive swings where the ball went into no man’s land. He’s here to stay as long as he stays consistent and stay ahead of the hitters in counts; he will give us quality starts at least 4 out of 5 starts.
Thanks for the analysis. Love those pitchers that don’t need to walk around the mound and do a lot of stupid things, writing in the dirt, kissing their gold chain, etc.
While a guy like Betancourt takes a long time on the mound, at least he is right there and focused.
That description reminds me of Steve Carlton. He wasted no time on the mound. I once saw him pitch a complete game in 1:45. Of course, the other pitcher had to have been equally quick to the plate. I don’t remember at all, but it was probably a 1-0 or 2-1 type game. You don’t see that anymore.
Just had one yesterday.2-1,Cubs/Braves I think right at 2 hrs.Greg Maddax used to be amazing in his prime.8/9 innings-85-95 pitches,complete game,under 2 hours.
Tulo will find his swing he typically starts off cold and hots up toward the end, here is a great stat for you he’s hitting over .400 on outside pitches, he’s hit safely in 15 of the last 17 games he will get it going there is no question about that, lets not forget he’s the arguably the most talented SS since Jeter
Jeremy Guthrie line today in Modesto: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.
He is in line to start Tuesday in SF to be followed by Friedrich on Wednesday. That’s what it looks like on paper, but no official confirmation from Rockies.
I hope Moyer’s start on Friday will be his last before moving to long relief out of the bullpen. I cringe every time Moyer starts. He’s good for a few batters, then gives up a run of hits/walks. We can’t afford that in NL West games when it usually are pitching duels.
One person will be the odd one out once Guthrie returns: Guthrie, Nicasio, Pomeranz, White, Friedrich, Moyer. My two favorites now are Friedrich and Pomeranz. And my least favorite easily is Moyer.
Seems like wrist injuries is the latest fad. Chris Ianetta is the latest victim – will have surgery and be out six to eight weeks. On a related note, Jason Hammel has a minor knee injury that will cause him to miss his next start at minimum.
Regarding Tulo, he’ll be fine. There is no other shortstop I’d rather have on my team. However, his Alexander Haig style of “I’m in charge here” may not sit well with everyone on the team. I sometimes think he’s trying too hard to be the leader as he knows the team needs one. It may end up being a distraction for him.
Cargo has been off his game in one aspect all season long. Last year at this time he had already accumulated a highlight reel in the outfield. This year there has been none of that. I’m guessing its a result of trying to be a bit less aggressive to keep from having the injuries he suffered last year. I’d like to see him find a happy medium between last year and this year with his outfield play.
Hi Ed,
I have a rules question for you. Sorry about posting it here but I don’t think we have an “Ask Ed” section.
A batter/runner (with EYJ speed) hustles down the first base line trying to beat out an infield single. He reaches the bag just ahead of the throw, which sails over the 1B-man’s head and down the RF line. The batter/runner is a good 10-15 feet past 1B when he sees that the throw was bad, turns left and heads to 2B and beats the throw. But since his initial momentum carried him so far past 1B, his direct path to 2B is way out of the baseline. Is it allowed for him to be out of the basepath in this situation?
Thanks.
I second an “Ask Ed” segment….at least a couple times when watching a game (ANY game, not even our own Rockies) I think…wow…was IS that rule?
I just read this. Ed can you please confirm?
The “base path” refers to the runners chosen path to the next base. They can be deemed “out of the path” only when a tag is immenent. Until a play is being made on that runner, there is no reason they can’t wander.
Jim Bowden of ESPN has an article on 5 players to stop dreaming on. Dexter Fowler is one of those players:
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post?id=4019
Who are the other four for those of us without a subscription?
-Colorado’s own Luke Hochevar (KC)
- Cubs Giovanny Soto
-Seattle’s Justin Smoak (traded for Cliff Lee)
-Orioles Brian Matusz (drafted ahead of Buster Posey)
In case some of you aren’t ESPN insiders, here’s what Bowden had to say about Fowler:
“Fowler is an elite athlete with tremendous speed who can run down fly balls in the gap and flash some special leather. However, that speed does not translate well into stolen bases, as he does not get good reads or jumps. Further, many scouts thought he would eventually develop into a .300 hitter with 20 triples and 40 stolen bases annually. Instead he’s been a pretty steady .260 hitter with 15 stolen bases. His career high of 27 stolen bases in 2009 should easily have been a 40-stolen base campaign. Because he’s just 26 and baseball considers prime years between 27 and 31, there is still hope that he can improve. His defensive range is valuable, but unless he learns to get more infield hits and barrel up the ball better, there could come a point when the Rockies give up on his tools’ potential and accept him for what he is — just a great makeup/character guy with no power who can run it down in center field. “
Fowler is a Scott Boras client. In a way that benefits the Rockies’ management if Fowler doesn’t break through they can let him go to another team that will overpay him. And take away Rox’ ultra long leash they love to use and get TJ Wheeler up.