Rox Recap 7/23/08 (Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires, Big Daddy)

Last night I had this awesome dream that I was watching a Rockies game with Will Smith. I know I know, some of you may think I have a Will Smith "fetish," that I need "help," that I'm "slowly" going "crazy," but I'm serious. We were watching the Rockies playing the Dodgers. The Rockies were up 5-3 in the 8th inning with runners on second and third with only 1 out. Buchholz was pitching and even though he's been lights-out this year, this had all the makings of the classic Rockies baseball we've seen so far. So I bury my head in my hands, unable to watch us come apart once again when, in my dream, Will Smith puts his hand on my shoulder and says "Do not fret, my son. Fear no evil for thou art with me." And with that, I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes. I no longer felt impending doom upon me or the Rockies. Buchholz struck out the next two batters, Fuentes pitched an almost perfect 9th and we took 2 of 3 from the Dodgers to move within 6 games of first place.

1) Ian K Stewart's "K" no longer stands for "striKeout." With his ridiculous hot streak since being called up from the Springs, the K should stand for something more flattering like "King Stew" or "Kool guy." For seriously though since he was called up in the middle of the Pittsburgh series all he's done is go 11-20 with one home run and 11 rbi's in 5 games. He's also 7-9 off lefthanded pitchers which is almost as cool as the fact that he's only struck out 4 times since his callup. Seeing as how the guy struck out 28 times in 55 at bats in his previous stint with the big club, that's a telling stat to how hard he worked to improve himself when he was sent down.

2) Give it up for the much maligned Rockies bullpen! Whoo! Yeah! Give it up! Holla til you pass out! Trace Atkins could have provided the soundtrack for the Dodgers bats in the late innings yesterday with his number 1 smash hit "Swing batta batta swing batta batta swing batta batta swaaaaaaaaang." Habeas Corpas comes in in the 7th with men on base. Recipe for disaster? Hardly. Instead of his usual meatballs, Corpas served up some hot stinky cheese to Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier who both looked foolish as they struck out swinging. I already told you of my Will Smith-Taylor Buchholz prophecy, and in the 9th Fuentes shut 'er down once again to polish off the victory and put the finishing touches on a 6-1 homestand to start the second half.

3) Speaking of Fuentes...for real? He's been unbelievable lately. Though he gave up a single to Matt Kemp with 2 out in the 9th, he had retired 23 batters in a row in his previous 7 outings, a Rockies franchise record. He also recorded his 102nd career save on Wednesday tying him with the incomparable, the legendary Jose Jimenez for 1st on the Rockies all time list. I know the trade deadline's approaching and we're still 13 games under .500 and we could probably get someone good for him since first time contenders are likely to overpay for him (ahem, Rays), but right now I don't see how we can get rid of him. I know I shouldn't be optimistic about this season, but optimism is my fatal flaw. My only flaw, true, but it can be fatal.

This next 10 game road trip will let me know how far my optimism will take me. We have to win at least 6 games to really believe that we have a shot at the division.

Go Bruce Billings (no hitter for single-A Asheville)