Denver, CO. The Colorado Rockies showed why they are in the NL West basement during their last series against the division leading San Francisco Giants. Poor pitching was once again the demise of the Rockies, not only last night, but in the series. Jeff Francis was lit up for 5 earned runs in the first inning and remains an enigma for the Rockies going forward. Francis pitched very effectively in his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies, but only lasted 3 innings for the Rockies last night.
As the season progresses, many players are auditioning for positions in 2013 including Jeff Francis. Wilin Rosario is a nightmare defensively, but is showing great power at the plate. With the season and potentially career ending injury to catcher Ramon Hernandez, Rosario will have more opportunities to improve his defense and may hit the 30 home run mark this season, which would be the most home runs by a Rockies rookie in the teams history. Jordan Pacheco will now be the back up catcher for the team, splitting time at first base. Tyler Colvin will now get more time at first with the injury to Hernandez, allowing him more playing time and more at bats. Look for Charlie Blackmon and Andrew Brown to see more playing time in the outfield to get them more experience in the Majors.
Pitching will continue to be questioned as the piggy back rotation starts to get a bit more exposed. Most of the starters for the Rockies are having trouble getting out of the third inning, evidenced by Francis’ struggles yesterday. Jhoulys Chacin has been the only starter that looks like he can pitch beyond the targeted fifth inning, and looks to be the best starter in the current rotation. Jorge De La Rosa may actually recover soon enough to make a couple of starts for the Rockies this September and will anchor the rotation in 2013. Bringing De La Rosa back to the club could give him some confidence going into the off-season. Facing big league hitters will just help build his confidence even if he isn’t very effective.
The Colorado Rockies are on target to finish with a record of 65-97, which would be the worst record in the history of the team. So what happens in the off-season? That is the question that remains to be answered. Without a total restructuring of this team, look for another losing season in 2013. It will, however, be a fun season to watch with Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Rutledge anchoring the infield.
Denver Sports Chat – Kris Loco
Recent Comments