Recap: Astros 5, Rockies 3
Turning point
The Astros hit one ball out of the infield and scored three runs in the first inning, two of the runs unearned due to two errors by third baseman Garrett Atkins. He made a throwing error on Kazuo Matsui’s bunt single to open the game and after a bunt single by Michael Bourn, Atkins bobbled a ball hit by Lance Berkman. In what manager Clint Hurdle called his team’s worst defensive inning of the year, “no doubt about it,” the Rockies allowed the Astros to pull off a double steal with Bourn scoring an Lee taking second. He scored on a single by Hunter Pence, the only balll to leave the infield. Pence took second when center fielder Ryan Spilborghs also overthrew the cutoff man but was stranded there.
At the plate
The Rockies were held to five hits, none after their three-run fourth when Todd Helton and Brad Hawpe each doubled home a run, and Garrett Atkins had a run-scoring single. After Atkins’ single, the next 15 Rockies were retired before pinch hitter Seth Smith walked with two out in the ninth. …The Rockies struck out 13 times, one shy of their season-high 14 strikeouts April 15 at Chicago. …Alan Embree took the mound in the eighth and on his first pitch, yielded a homer to Carlos Lee….Miguel Tejada’s sacrifice fly in the third scored Bourn. He led off with a single and advaned to third on shortstop Clint Barmes‘ error with one out, making the run unearned.
On the mound
Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez had a career-high 11 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings, throwing 77 of 113 pitches for strikes. …Jason Hammel pitched 5 1/3 innings in his fourth start and longest outing with the Rockies and allowed four runs, three of them unearned.
Numbers game
3 errors by the Rockies matched their season-high. They also made three errors May 7 against the Giants in an 8-3 loss.
Another reason Atkins doesn’t deserve to be on the field. His track record isn’t producing right now so sit him on the bench please!! Even the light hitting Quintanilla can hit better than Atkins is right now. He would be a huge upgrade defensively at the absolute worst. Put him at 2nd and Stew at 3rd. Or Barmes at 2nd.
And some more stats to prove how bad of a team the Rox are: 2-12 in 1 and 2 run games. I will root everyday for a turnaround and hope everyday for a turnaround but this team isn’t going anywhere! Not until 2010 at the earliest!
I have a question. I will give Atkins the benefit of doubt if somebody can give me a good explanation. Matsui leads off with the bunt and Atkins makes the throwing error. So Matsui goes to 2nd. Then Jeff Huson and Drew Goodman both make the comment about Bourn bunting to at the very least get Matsui to 3rd. So it’s obvious enough of a bunt situation for the announcers to say something about bunting but yet Atkins was still on the edge of the grass. Edge of the grass for a slow runner is one thing but with Bourn’s speed don’t you think you need to play in further?? So sure enough, Bourn bunts and beats it out easily cuz Atkins was so far back. Technically not an error but isn’t it really a mental error? So does that make 3 errors on Atkins in the first 3 batters of the game? Somebody, please explain and tell me I’m wrong.
Derrek,
Garrett has taken his offensive troubles with him on defense. He was never a very good defense player and never will be. His offense has carried him. As to why he was playing back in a bunting situation, the defense comes from the bench. I thought Bergman should have bunted as well. His first pitch was down and away and Atkins was way back. I was at the game and it looked as if he fumbled the Bergman ball which screwed up the throw to first pulling Todd. I was thinking of leaving after the fiasco in the first. It is time for changes. Who can continue to watch this? The road trip will bury them. The pitching was not that bad. Helton had two hits and the rest of the team 3 hits for a grand total of 5. This team needs new leadership they are to good for this. The way Stewart was hitting lefthanders, He was in the 8 hole behind Torrealba where he couldn’t get anything to hit with the pitcher hitting behind him. Go figure.
The road trip will bury them.
I was looking at the schedule…Detroit, hmm. Economy’s really bad, attendance is down, but hey! Interleague games are coming. That’s gotta help, right? Oh, it’s the Rockies…
I also wondered why Stewart was batting 8th. I know he is LH and th pitcher was LH, but Hurdle is overthinking. Just put your best 8 players on the field every day, mix in the subs once in a great while, and go for it. They are subs for a reason; it’s because they are not good enough to play a lot. He tries to “play the percentages” too often and sometimes you have to go against the grain. Murton struck out 3 times, why not start Fowler in CF and Spilly in LF? It would not surprise me if an announcement is made later tonight or tomorrow morning that Hurdle was fired and replaced by Jim Tracy. But, then again, it would surprise me as the Monfort’s don’t really care.
Why do guys like Tulowitzki and Stewart have what Hurdle calls “work days” and guys like Garrett Atkins is penciled into the lineup every single day.
This is no slump…his bat is slowing down. He has lost it. The problem is, I don’t think that he really cares one way or another.
The Rockies were really in a catch 22 with him this offseason. If they had dealt both Holliday and Atkins in the same winter, they would have been crucified by the fans at the box office. Instead they are stuck with a has been at third base who can’t field or hit the ball in the air.
Murton was living proof against Wandy Rodriguez of what any stat geek will tell you. He got the start because he “eats up Wandy Rodriguez.” 6-16 with 2 HRs against Rodriguez in his career.
Well. 3 strikeouts this time around. And what is it that stat geeks will tell you? That hitter v. batter stats have no predictive value whatsoever. Clint Hurdle doesn’t know this. Matt Murton now does.
David, in Hurdles defense, he did give Atkins the “work day” a week or so ago. He missed 2 games actually. But I totally agree, he needs to have a “work week” right now with the way he is playing.
Atkins had his work days May 7 and 8.
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