Rockies lineup vs. Padres, 7/30
The Colorado Rockies lineup Saturday against San Diego Padres right-hander Aaron Harang:
LF Eric Young Jr.
CF Dexter Fowler
1B Todd Helton
SS Troy Tulowitzki
RF Seth Smith
2B Chris Nelson
3B Ian Stewart
C Eliezer Alfonzo
SP Ubaldo Jimenez
Sometimes I laugh at myself for the expectations I had early in the season … how many teams that ultimately compete for a championship roll out a team that has 5 position players that have spent decent chunk of the season in AAA ?
Boo on me
I don’t want UJ to go so do I want him to pitch lights out, on par, or do I want him to get lit up? Either way, sure hope he stays.
Good question Timo. Either way it seems better if he pitches well. It either gives him and ballclub confidence going forward or brings back more (potentially) in a trade.
Ellis, Wiggy, Iannetta aren’t playing tonight. Is that mean that they are being traded or is Tracy playing 2nd string tonight so he can play first string on Sunday and finally break out of the Sunday slump.
And if a deal was close for Ubaldo would he pitch tonight? Going out and will probably miss at least the first five innings or so. Maybe the entire game.
I’m a former ball player so I’m superstitious. The ’5 things I want to see’ list worked last night, so lets try it again:
1. Stewart: get another RBI
2. Dex: steal a bag
3. Team: score a run after the 7th
4. Tracy: 3 instances of small ball
5. Ubaldo: pitch in purple and black next week
Go Rox
Marc,
I think that a lot of us laugh/curse at ourselves re: those expectations. The season seems lost, and yet, I find myself checking the updates a couple of times a day hoping that something/anything will be done to improve the team. Pretty quiet thus far…oh, and you can include the local NFL bunch for their similar lack of action, as well.
Iannetta has been reduced to playing only 2 out of every 3 games. Sometimes only every other game. I hope for everyone’s sake he is traded because this is ridiculous.
Uhh. Rumbles out there that Ubaldo deal is just about done…I think Jim Tracy should be fired before we start trading core pieces.
HERE WE GO!!! 3 IN A ROW!!! I like this lineup! Would love it if Wiggs was at 3rd and Iannetta was catching.
Right there with you Steve
THATS WHAT SPEED DOES!
Matt G, I think at beginning of the season we all hoped for all of those variables, but like RMH report cards, we have all graded this team as a frustrating failure of those.
Hoping Ubaldo shows poise now and is able to come through with a focused game and either shows team it should keep him or it shows teams that want him that price is firm.
If he fails tonight, team has no pressure from anyone to move a team friendly contract that has a live arm.
I am not interested in more potential we could get on July 29 of this year, I want players that are going to show up now and do the job they are asked to do as major leaguers. No perfect world where that truly exists in any industry, so we as fans just sit back and get to be armchairs. It’s fun and part of why we are fans, but also why we have the right to change the channel or not buy a ticket this year. Hope this team moves past being a bunch of ‘nice guys’ that all get along with a lot of potential and develop a bulldog approach to the game and some accountability. My opinion that starts with the leaders of the team being leaders and not excuse makers (Tracy) or poor examples as hot heads (Tulo) and become what we all thought they were in March and early April.
Sorry for the rant, but it’s been a bit since I have posted so I am due and my wife is 9 months pregnant, so this little diversion of a game is good for me and I hope the same for all of you. Let’s hope for a good game now.
I think they mishandled tonight. No way Ubaldo should start if trade rumors are circulating. There is nothing to gain. If he is not traded, then you start him tomorrow…what’s the big deal there? Instead you put a guy in who has it in his head he’s gone…and then 1st inning you put Esmil in the BP warming up. How awkward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prog…I agree. this is one of the stranger things I’ve seen in baseball. Not fair to anyone out there.
What a joke. Left hand (Tracy) doesn’t know what right hand (O’Dowd) is doing. Start Ubaldo with so much uncertainty. Added pressure. I’ve honestly never seen Ubaldo this bad. FOOLS! FOOLS! FOOLS! FOOLS!
If I was Cleveland or Boston I hang up right now and say “obviously he can’t handle pressure, we don’t want him” or cut the offer in half just based on this inning alone…because now the Rockies are in scramble mode.
WOW!! Ubaldo’s head is not in this game! Why would it be? Stupid move to start him either way!
Who knows what impact this start has on Ubaldo long term. They are always so careful with young pitchers. He isn’t young anymore, but when you’re chain is yanked around and you are mistreated like he was tonight, it has an impact.
I hope he goes to whoever and tears it up and shows that he is a great pitcher.
As it was, they did a disservice to Ubaldo and to the team tonight.
Playing games with whoever is dealing for Jimenez might have just cost the Rockies a win. How dumb!
Not the way to do business. Don’t have the replacement warming up at the same time, show a little class – either start him or don’t, but don’t look this amatuer. Sad day – if they trade the ace, I hope to heck they dismantle anyone with value – Wig, Ianetta, Ellis, Betancourt, Street, Lindstrom etal.
Prog, this start does not show what Ubaldo cannot handle the pressure – he has already pitched in the playoffs and done well. His head was not in the game and cannot imagine too many pitchers who would have when you have another guy just warming up on the side while you wait for a sign to put your house up for sale and all. The deal was not done at game time, and if Ubaldo was not going to get dealt he needed to throw in his scheduled spot. I think this is just a case of bad timing and the difficulty in getting the deal done (I understand that another team jumped in at hte end and the return on the trade may have gotten better).
The guys on the tv made the point that there turned out to be more holes on this team than they believed in ST, and that guys simply didn’t get it done.
Clearly they needed another starter who has potential but is slready a #5 today. The team hoped that Reynolds might be that, they hoped that Freidrich would have forced his way here by now on the Jeff Francis schedule. And of course Ubaldo was hurt and then horrible through May. The team could not afford a slow start from CarGo, but that was what they got. Dex and Stewart should have used this year to establish themselves, and at least until after the AS break neither did anything to show they belong in the bigs. No minor leaguer did enough to show he could be a difference maker (EYJR, Nelson, Amezega). The one exception is Charlie Blackmon, who was showing he could be a regular here (and if he was healthy would Seth Smith be on the block tonight). He got hurt.
And in hindsight, when DLR blew out his elbow (I was there that day), we should have known this season was done (a team that needed another pitcher already lost #2 and was now searching for something, anything to fill those slots).
The thing is though, in the bigs today, especially in the NL, there are no great teams, and you don’t have to have all your holes covered to be a contender (does anyone really think the Giants are a great team?). The fact is that the Rox could have suvived some of those things happening, but not all of them.
There are 56 games counting this one right now to work out which holes can be fixed now and to make hard decisions for next year.
When I watch EYJR on the basebaths he does get you excited. Its that whole glove thing that makes me close my eyes.
Nice outing so far for Rogers, even if it is just the Pads. He has been sharp and focused.
As a whole, the team has played much better – as in better focus and better effort – since that game in LA. They can still pull this one out…though I cannot understand why they didnt just have EYJR still bunt.
Doc Chris, I agree that it should not be looked at as soft on Ubaldo’s part, but I do think the nation will consider it as such.
Great hit by Alfonzo for the Slam!
Wow and Wow! First someone gives an IB to Stewart and then we get our first GS of the year (really, we did not get it until almost August) and its our backup catcher! A few days back I asked whether you prefer a good D guy or a good bat guy as your backpu cathcer. Right now I vote good hitter!
We better win this one for Jiminez
Your probably right Prog. For U’s sake I hope he goes to Clevland and does a CC Sabathia run for them and dispells any myths that there are about him. I agree also that this was not the best set-up for him tonight, I don’t blame anyone, but would have been nice to just start the game with him on the bench and have him go Sunday if he stuck around. Guess Rodgers should come in to every game in teh 2nd inning.
Best Toyota Talk all year! Drew probably had to bite his tongue a 100 times. They don’t comment about the texts that criticize the way UJs start was handled.
I was out of the country when the Rox pulled the Ellis trade and sent Nelson back to AAA, but it seems like the more Nelson plays the more he looks like he belongs here.
Does it seem like we play better at PetCo than anywhere else aside from Coors?
I really hope that will be the last time we have to see Wigginton fail once again in the clutch, fanning with the bases loaded.
Sedin, I have to agree. I am hoping DOD has extra coffee so he can wheel and deal Wiggy, Lindstrom, and others.
Kinda stressed out and wondering what these people are thinking about, doing a trade on Ubaldo in the middle of a game, do they not relize this impacts the players and their performace in this game, not to mention they just changed his life forever and still expected him to play>????? what the heck are these ppl thinking! Good luck to ubaldo in his future!
why do they not trade tulowitzki. he always fails when the game is on the line. ulbaldo had so many games won but number 2 did not step up to the plate. if anyone one has to blame its tulowitzki.
I have to say pending this ninth inning I am really proud of how the rest of the team came through, especially Esmil. Probably go to bed after the game and look forward to more great comments and insight from everyone!
broncos must be stupid. they did not trade orton. but the rockies are really stupid. they let the only no hitter in the rockies history to leave bad mistake. what are u thinking.
Eagle, please take this in the best way, but are crazy? Tulo is a consensus top 10 player in the bigs, he hit a two run homer tonight, plays gold glove D, and has a contract that is untradable anyways. Yes, he needs to stop swinging for the fences in every AB, but he can stil learn a better 2K approach. I like Ubaldo a lot, and obviously hte Indians do because they just gave three of their top 10 prospects for him (the third pitcher seems like maybe an Aaron Cook replacement). Trade Tulo? I think everyteam in the bigs would be there to inquire…but you do not trade the best player at his position, and a likely all-star for the next 7-10 years.
Like I said earlier, hate to trade Ubaldo but if those two guys are as good as advertised, they will be part of starting 5 next year and either one has the chance to be as good (potential though, not yet realized) as U was, and they will make our starting 5 better tahn this year’s starting 5, even wtih the drop off at #1 from U to either DLR or Chacin.
i hope u are right. i love the rockies. i want them to win. i was so upset that the traded ubaldo i told my wife that i would never watch a rockies game again. i am going to trust u and watch. i pray that u are right.
I pray I am right as well :) So far most of the feedback is that the Rox got the far better of this deal. And as I have been saying lately, this tells you a lot about the confidence this team has in Chacin on being a #1 next year (recent struggles aside). I am going to miss that big smile a lot! Didnt want U to go, but wow, looking at the minor league evals, our farm system is not very strong and especially has seen its top pitchers hurt or ineffective (Friedrich, Matzek, and Reynolds along with Whethers). So we needed an infusion, and the only way to do that is give up my personal favourite player (like you, I would have been less upset if it was Tulo, but only on a personal emotional level).
Now for the purple-coloured glasses report – we have won 3 straight, its time to win on Sunday finally and sweep the Pads and…we are back to only 10 back with a home stand upcoming! There is still time to catch the Giants, but it will require Chacin returning to form and finally having someone get hot – oh and getting CarGo back soon.
ok lets see what happens. from this day i will watch. today is a new day. i pray that the rockies learn from this. the team failed him they as a team him down so they need to make it right.
Just wanted to give the Rockies players a Big shout out! Even after the emotional roller coaster they went through in this game, they still won! Even when they lost someone special like Ubaldo, he will be greatly missed! Hoping like everyone else it was worth the loss.