Rockies blow early lead, drop second straight series
The Colorado Rockies dropped a second consecutive series, falling 6-4 in 10 innings to the Chicago White Sox after squandering a 3-0 lead provided by a Troy Tulowitzki home run.
Rockies pitchers were unable to hold the lead and, as has been the case all season, the Rockies’ inability to add on or come through with a big hit again proved costly:
- In the third inning, Jonathan Herrera and Todd Helton singled with one out, and Tulowitzki walked to load the bases. Seth Smith grounded into what should have been an inning-ending double play to first base, but Adam Dunn did not touch the bag before throwing home to force Herrera. Given a second chance, the Rockies couldn’t capitalize as Ty Wigginton lined out to center.
- In the seventh, Carlos Gonzalez led off a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Herrera and stole third with Todd Helton batting. But Helton struck out, and after walks to Tulowtizki and Smith, Wigginton grounded out to end the inning.
- In both the eighth and ninth, with the game now tied 4-4, the Rockies got the leadoff hitter on — Charlie Blackmon on a single in the eighth, Herrera on a walk in ninth — but failed to score.
The only run the Rockies’ scored after Tulowitzki’s home run came from the No. 8 hitter, Matt Pagnozzi, who, after Blackmon was intentionally walked with two outs in the sixth, singled to score Smith.
Aaron Cook was solid in six innings, allowing only one run, but it was a run that never should have scored. Cook walked three in the inning — including pitcher Jake Peavy — and a batter in the inning. The inning’s only run scored on a wild pitch with Peavy at the plate. Despite the bad inning that could have been even worse, Cook left for a pinch-hitter after six innings with a 4-1 lead, having allowed five hits and four walks while striking out one.
Rafael Betancourt allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in the seventh, Gordon Beckham to make the game 4-2. Beckham again hurt the Rockies in the eighth when he drove in another White Sox run with the third of back-to-back-to-back singles off Matt Lindstrom. Juan Pierre tied the game 4-4 later in the inning with a sacrifice fly. Pierre finished off the Rockies in the 10th when, after Clayton Mortensen allowed a double and a single to start the inning and loaded the bases with an error on a sacrifice bunt, he singled off the scoreboard in right to score two runs.
The Rockies have lost five of seven and have fallen three games below .500.
Wow, how uninspiring can these guys get? Oh, wait! They just traded for Mark Ellis, the A’s .217 batting average second baseman!
If only we could have pulled off that blockbuster of a trade one day sooner….
When EY is pinch hitting there is a problem, heck there is even a problem if he is on your big league roster. EY probably had a little trade value in the minors when the season began, but all of that is long gone, way to go O’Dumb.
NO HEART
Looking into my crystal ball….. I see a downward spiral coming which will end in the long overdue firing of Jim Tracy
This team is going nowhere…..fast
Sorry for all that negativity, I’m just real frustrated at this team
Almost everything on this team is going like dirt, but bless their hearts, what great guys we have!
I can write an essay with what was wrong with this team. But I just will say, “whatever”.
After today’s loss, I will try to echo everyone else so far…
At this point, this is a team in which it is becoming increasingly hard to invest emotionally. I’m just a person in rural Colorado who watches on TV or listens on radio. I can’t go to games.I am a baseball fan and will remain so. But when you know how much the baseball guys get paid, most people around me are struggling economically, and these Rox can’t seem to accept opportunity or protect advantages, how much more can I invest in them? I know it’s just a game…but it’s America’s game, and I WANT to be emotionally involved.
Maybe I’ll just not watch/listen to games, work harder to pay my bills, and just read the box scores the next day.
Apologies for the rant.
Bless their hearts, but this last week since last friday’s win has been abysmal and that’s putting it nicely since many a time I have tried to spin positively.
This is a business and the failure of this team has got to cost someone. Can’t fire all of the players and many have already been replaced as the issue.
Or do the Monforts accept a nice hometown crowd through the 4th of July holiday and just accept mediocrity.
Pinch hitting EY Jr in 8th with one out instead of Giambi just grates on me in so many ways, might be my last straw with JT.
Sorry.
It’s okay. Games in June don’t count as much as games in September. The Rox will get hot in the second half and cancel out games like this by the dozen, bless their hearts.
Seriously? Trading for Ellis is going to improve this team?
GET RID OF TRACY!!!!!
Just got home from Coors Field. Stopped to watched some 11 year olds playing baseball in the rain on my way home. That’s real baseball.
Fire DOD, please. The Rockies are pathetic.
I’ve watched, or recorded and watched 90% of the games this year. Colorado born and raised. Passion for the Rockies. But y’all are right. It’s hard to waste my time hoping they’ll pull some of these games out and get on a streak.
Enough with the extra innings and one run losses… I’d feel better if they’d get blown out every game. Then I might not care so much and still believe. This is just a sloooooow death. Somebody in the office shit or get off the pot with a big move, or light a bonfire under these guys’ behinds.
There’s still time!!!!! I hope.
Deja vu all over again,including a trade for another retread.I’ll try to incite imagination and suggest we got Ellis to either-A.bundle him w/some of our retreads for pitching-B. use him at second for rest of season,and trade all our other second base pretenders for some PITCHING!!! One can always dream.
Can we all agree that Clay Mortensen is not a major league quality pitcher?
It was so bad I was glad that I was at work instead of watching the game on tv. Especially the runner on third and less than two outs situations. All that while the slap hitter on the other team (Juan Pierre) easily lifted the ball for a sac fly and even hit a ball off the wall in the 10th. Felt like I wanted to show the Rox how I feel about those situations by running on the field and throwing coolers, bats, helmets, and other equipment on the field myself. Show some passion.
If I was managing the team, I’d call early morning practice today at 7 am and call the entire Sky Sox pitching staff to come down to Coors Field. Hire an AAA umpire for a few hours to call ball/strikes behind the plate. Recreate runners on third situations. Let the Sky Sox pitch – a different pitcher for each pitch to make it hard to guess what kind of a pitch is coming as well as difficult to adjust to changing velocity. This is the deal – fail to bring the man home, $5,000 fine for the batter. Each batter will have 10 opportunities meaning maximum $50,000 fine. If it is that bad, we can use the fines collected to go out and get a real hitter that knows how to hit the ball out of the infield in these situations.
What a pathetic game yesterday. Glad I didn’t talk the wife into going to LODO. I’m not sure to be glad that Cook had a decent game or not. How can the smart guy leave his hottest pinch hitter on the bench and go with EY instead? If it wasn’t for Cargo finally getting his swing back this whole season would be a loss for me.
O D should just give up on the current regulars and go with a youth movement. Let Blackmon, Herrera, Nelson, etc struggle in the bigs until they have no hope of ever succeeding. Oh wait, he tried that once before. It was so much fun paying major league ticket prices to watch AA/AAA ball. How can this team still have so many holes (Catcher, SP, RP, 3B, 2B, LF) although it sounds like they have fixed 2B (yeah, right)
in march, vegas said rox over/under 84 games. thought they were CRAZY. guess they knew something.
Will the J Tracy AND DanO watch officially start now – if not when?
Did everyone else miss the fact that in game #2 of this series, that if Herrara sacrifies (aka bunts instead of DP), then Giambi hits a TWO run homer instead of a solo shot and that game and the potential outcome changes dramatically.
DanO the Ellis trade makes NO sense on SO many levels that it defies any possible rational explanation.
Hey guys, the trade is for defense because that is what is important up the middle not hitting. Why else did we get rid of Barmes? By the way I am reading something into all the bless their hearts I see now. Glad I could amuse the masses here we sure need something to smile about. This team is just too sad on too many levels to count. I like rockymountainhigh’s idea, but what happens when 10:00 rolls around and the guy is still on 3rd?
Liz, what a breath of fresh air. Thanks for bringing the humor.
Liz,
“but what happens when 10:00 rolls around and the guy is still on 3rd?”
I’ll start a bonfire and throw bats in it to keep the passion going. Bless them bats.
Me too, thanks Liz.
But Rocky’s favorite post of the day award goes to Chief…
“Oh wait, he tried that once before. It was so much fun paying major league ticket prices to watch AA/AAA ball. How can this team still have so many holes (Catcher, SP, RP, 3B, 2B, LF) although it sounds like they have fixed 2B (yeah, right)”
Love the dark sarcasm, made me smile.
oh, and bless DOD’s heart for bungling up the Rockies