The Rockies bullpen loves to make history. Last year closer Brian Fuentes became the first reliever in the modern era to blow four consecutive save opportunities, taking the losses in each of the four games. With their embarrassing ‘splosion this week blowing four straight games in which the Rox held leads in the 8th inning or later, they became only the second team in the last 100 years to accomplish that dubious honor. Forgive the Rockies if they don’t make a DVD of those highlights. What would they call it? 21 Days Later?
1) The club will look a bit different at least for the next few weeks. Manny Corpas is out as closer after blowing 3 straight save opportunities and only going 4 of 8 on the year. His 7.50 ERA wasn’t helping his case either. Brian Fuentes is back. Staind never sounded so beautiful…as if that was even possible. T Rex looked hella good in his first opportunity against the Cubbies, taking the heart of their order down 1-2-3 with 2 k’s including a knee-buckling 3 pitch, 3 slider strikeout of the hottest Japanese sensation since the art of Japanimation, Kosuke Fukudome. (By the way, is there a man with a more obscene name in the big leagues? Fuk-u-do-me. That’s just inappropriate.) Rex is back where he always wanted to be and yesterday he looked to be pitching with a purpose. I don’t care who gets it done just as long as someone does because as I’ve said before, there is nothing more demoralizing to a team than thinking you have a game won only to lose it late. Then multiply that by 4. Since I can’t do math, I’ll leave that to you guys, but I can hypothesize that the solution isn’t awesome.
2) What more can you say about Cookie so far this year? He’s 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA and all 3 of his wins have come after Rockies losses. We’re paying him big bucks to do exactly what he’s been doing, being efficient with his pitches, pitching deep into ballgames, and throwing ground ball after ground ball. He also contributed 2 hits to help his cause as he’s been the best pitcher on the Rockies’ staff by far this season. He’s got the stuff to sustain a roll like this for a while longer with that heavy sinker and his newfound cut fastball.
3) Chris Iannetta hit his first home run of the year yesterday, a high fly ball that reached the glove of the fans in the first row, or as they’d call it in Philadelphia, an upper deck blast. More importantly though, it broke a 1 all tie and swelled the hearts of Frost Brewed Baseball contributors everywhere, ok, just Eric and me, but it was still nice to see.
The Rox head to the West Coast once again to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (pronounced “los Los An-yay-lace Doy-ers). After his last start, Clint Hurdle took Ubaldo Jimenez aside and told him that they actually do play a full 9 innings in every Major League game as he was under the impression that anything after 6 was considered extra innings. Also, his arrogant trick of walking a bunch of guys just to prove he can get out of trouble wasn’t flying with the skipper. Starship Troopers is awesome and everyone should stop reading this and go watch it right now.
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