Recap: Rockies 5, Padres 3
Turning point: Chris Iannetta dunked a single into right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning. Brad Hawpe and Troy Tulowitzki scored easily to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead. With the pitcher due up next, Ian Stewart, who was running on the play, was waved home to try to score all the way from first but was thrown out to end the inning.
At the plate: Clint Barmes hit a home run in his second consecutive game, this time a solo shot in the first inning . . . The Rockies loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but the only run scored that inning was by Barmes on his home run . . . Brad Hawpe, who sat out Thursday night to rest after the All-Star Game, was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored . . . Troy Tulowitzki had two hits to extend his hitting streak to eight games . . . Chris Iannetta and Ian Stewart each drove in two runs, Iannetta with his third-inning single and Stewart with a double in the fifth.
On the mound: Ubaldo Jimenez was very good but for one inning, the fifth. Jimenez struck out Luis Rodriguez to get the first out in the inning, but then allowed two runs on a walk to Kyle Banks, a triple to Everth Cabrera and a wild pitch. Beyond that, Jimenez was very good, allowing three runs in his seven innings and striking out a season-high 10 batters to win for the first time since June 18 . . . Frankin Morales pitched a solid eighth inning. The only runner who reached base did so on a Dexter Fowler error when the Rockies center fielder tried to make a basket catch on an easy fly ball . . . Huston Street saved his 23rd game — and 15th consecutive — with a 1-2-3 ninth . . . Padres starter Josh Geer threw 105 pitches in four innings. He left the game in the fifth inning with two runners, both of whom scored.
On the farm: Esmil Rogers, making his second start for Triple-A Colorado Springs, took the loss to Fresno. He allowed seven hits and four walks in five innings . . . Jhoulys Chacin pitched eight shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six at Double-A Tulsa.
I really hope Fowler learned his lesson tonight. It was only a matter of time until that happened to him. I’m just glad it didn’t hurt the team as badly as it could have.
If it happens again, Tracy needs to remove him on the spot. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him ride the pine on Saturday either. Can’t be tolerated. There’s no reason to put your teammates in that position.
Aside from that, great win. Gotta love what Morales is bringing to the bullpen.
Dexter absolutely needs to be benched for Saturday. That is not Rockies baseball. If he wants to do that crap he can go play for the Mets.
He is young however, so after the benching his slate should be wiped clean. He needs to be punished, learn his lesson, and then everyone move on. Managers who let this kind of error linger take away from a players morale.
Ubaldo is so frustrating. His stuff is as good as anyones in the league yet he looses focus. I think it happens when he tries to strike people out instead of just letting it happen naturally. That Blanks kid had no shot at hitting his good fastball yet he threw him three different breaking balls.
Great defense by the infield! I am biased, but I would have to say that it is the best defensive infield in baseball when Ian is at third. Makes it even more frustrating when Ubaldo starts walking people.
Why on Earth would Tracy bench Fowler after that one mistake? It makes absolutely no sense. Dex plays the game the right way and has played as hard as anyone. It is an 162 game season and believe it or not a player will make a mistake. Helton, Tulo, Barmes and every other player in the league will make a bad play.It is a part of the game. You could tell by his expression that he was upset with himself and Tracy pulled him aside in the dugout to talk to him. So just move on.
“Managers who let this kind of error linger take away from a players morale.” – N Wagner
What would Fowler’s morale be if he were to get benched and know that if he makes even ONE mistake he will get benched?
One bad play does not make a bad player. Give Dex a break.
Drew,
No one is calling Dexter Fowler a bad player. It’s just, that was NOT the FIRST time he’s approached catching a baseball in that arrogant a manner, it’s the first time he actually dropped it. He’s gotten away with it several times in the past — each time it made me cringe.
I’m fine with however the Rockies handle or handled it. I just want to know that he’s learned from it and that he’ll never ever take that approach again. It’s unprofessional, immature, and above all else, selfish. Leave that nonsense to the Cubs and the other underachieving teams.
Dexter should be playing everyday; he is our future. Just becuase he made one bad play doesnt mean he should be benched. Im glad Cargo was finally benched, he is not ready and Seth Smith is playing much better than him. We cant afford a .200 hundred hitter in our lineup right now when we are in the hunt for the wildcard.
Go DEX!
Don’t misunderstand my suggestion for Benching Dexter. He is a young player and he will make physical mistakes. Those are always going to be part of the game. However, baseball players are consistently trained to limit the number of mental mistakes they make over the course of their careers. I wasn’t upset that Dexter dropped the ball, I was upset that he jogged to the spot and didn’t get himself in the proper position to make the play. His mistake was mental. Whether he lost focus or was trying to turn the play into a highlight, he dropped the ball because of laziness. Just like a parent correcting a child’s misbehavior, one of the responsibilities of the manager is to correct a player–especially a young player–when they make a mistake of this nature.
There is a difference between punishing a child who spills his juice and punishing a child who does not clean the juice up after he spills it. In this case Dexter forgot to clean the juice up. Not correcting him would be a mistake. I love Dexter and how he plays most of the time as well. But that was unacceptable… that is unacceptable even at the high school level.
Hey if Clint Hurdle was still the manager, you would expect a benching. Look what he did to Clint Barmes.It seems like every time he played and didn’t get a hit, he would be on the bench the next day. These players are not robots and are not perfect.Dex is just a rookie, so cut him some slack. Cargo should be sent down and Matt Murton should be called up.
All you so-called “disciplinarians” chill for a moment. So Dexter doesn’t catch a ball and someone says he approached the play with “arrogance.” That tells me you have a problem, not Dexter and certainly not the Rockies. Dexter Fowler is a talented young man with confidence, not arrogance. Tracy handled the situation in the dugout. Dexter’s teammates will handle it in the clubhouse, i.e. the players’ “court” that imposes fines for mental mistakes. Fans don’t hear about this, for good reason. If Dexter is benched, it’s for theatrics. And THAT is not Rockies baseball.
For what it’s worth, Jim Tracy does not strike me as the sort of manager who would try to make an example of Fowler. Very few managers — for example, Bobby Cox, who has pulled players during an inning — are able to do that and still inspire loyalty from their team. During the game, when Fowler came into the dugout, Tracy called him over and talked to him for a few minutes. We’ll have to see the lineup tonight. There’s a chance that Fowler won’t be in it, but probably not only because of that play. He also was 0-for-4 (but did walk and steal a base) and had an all-around bad night. Ryan Spilborghs hasn’t started in a few days, and the Seth Smith/Carlos Gonzalez balancing act continues. Fowler’s a smart kid and a good kid who will never make a mistake like that again, but maybe he gets a night off for multiple reasons.
On another note, not sure how many were actually able to watch the game but Franklin Morales looked pretty good. A little wild maybe — he didn’t get a first-pitch strike on any of the four hitters he faced, and went 2-0 to two hitters — but he bounced back each time. If you haven’t read Jack’s story about Morales’ conversion to the bullpen, check it out here. The idea of Morales and Corpas mixing and matching in the eighth in front of Street is starting to look pretty good.
I agree with Drew, Geraldo and Steve F. (Steve: btw, I like the Independent, good work. I don’t know what sort of agreement there is between you, Jack and Tracy, but if no one minds, it wouldn’t hurt seeing all those Rockies articles linked here.)
As Steve described, Tracy didn’t let it slide, and while I’m certainly not privy to the behind the scenes action, Dexter appears to me to have a great attitude. Benching him would be an overreaction.
I’m not calling for Dexter’s head by any means. Benching him for one game to keep him accountable is not castrating him for goodness sake. Take him out of the lineup for one game, then be done with it. There is a big difference between Hurdle benching Barmes for not hitting and what I’m talking about.
Charlie Manuel did the same thing with Jimmy Rollins two years ago after he didn’t hustle out a ground ball. It’s not making an example out of Dexter, its not putting him on the shelf for a week, its just keeping him accountable for his play. Something like “tough love”. Dexter is a great kid, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t make mistakes, and when he makes mistakes of this nature he should be held accountable in some way. I agree that it doesn’t necessarily have to be by benching him, and I didn’t see Tracy pull him aside in the dugout, which makes me happy.
Morales makes me a little nervous in that set up role. However, he did face the heart of the Padres order including Adrian Gonzalez. He is still very young and fidgity on the mound. He just never seems to be comfortable–and neither do the hitters. Chris Iannetta continues to do a wonderful job calling the game for his pitching staff. Rarely did I see anyone shaking him off last nigh.
Iannetta seems to be struggling at the plate. How many multihit games does Dexter have? It seems like he gets on base via the walk or single all the time..I hardly see him hit any kind of extra base hit. Also..I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a 3 hit game for him..I’m just wondering. Barmes continues to impress. Helton and Hawpe look formidable in the middle of the lineup..dare I say I don’t see either of them falling into any kind of slump. Our defense is GREAT with Stewart, Tulo, Barmey and Todd..and then with Dex in the outfield. Hopefully yesterday was the beginning of Smith taking over in left field.
On another point..what do the Rockies do at the deadline? I’m starting to think we don’t NEEd to do anything..Speier should replace Rincon in the pen. That’s probably the only move I would like to see..oh and for us to go out and get Tyler Walker.
I’m a little shocked with the reaction to the Dexter Fowler play. I guess when you’re winning fans will tolerate more. I can only imagine the reaction if that play happened in May or the bases were loaded and it cost them a game. It wouldn’t nearly be this kind, no matter who did it.
Anyway, I absolutely play him tonight. If there’s ever a game he’ll come out with a chip on his shoulder, this is it. Might be a good way to find out what he’s made of.
Guys..I’m just throwing this out there..but for those of you who have Comcast and can’t watch the Rockies game because you’re out of the area..MLB Extra Innings has a free preview from now until the 22nd. The Rockies game is on channel 459. Just letting y’all know. GO ROCKIES!
Dylan–baseball reference is always a good resource for that sort of thing.
baseball-reference dot com. Search for his name, scroll down a bit to the “standard batting” table, then look at his 2009 game logs. He had a triple against Atlanta, and his sole 3-hit game this season was 4/26 vs. the Dodgers. He’s been on base 4 times (via hits+walks) on 3 occasions; 3 times on 15 occasions.
You’re right about Iannetta. It doesn’t even look like he’s drawing walks lately.
Hey posters,
Last night’s win was a good one.
Even though he’s obviously struggling at the plate, Chris Iannetta made a big contribution at just the right time (see Steve’s lead; the turning point).
Dexter Fowler made a rookie mistake. Benching him for it would send all the wrong signals.
I think he’s already learned the lesson — you could see it in his face. No hot-dogging allowed. Willie Mays would have pulled it off, and maybe somewhere down the line, Dexter will be able to, too.
It was also telling that the skipper came over to have a word or two afterward.
If you wanted to see frustration, it was in Oakland today. Yipes.
An hour till Round 3. Get out the popcorn. And a cold one. Or two.
Tony Benjamin,
Loveland
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