Box Score Bytes - Game 96

- Game 31 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 11-20.  Rox AA prospect, Edwar Cabrera, got his second start of the year and basically showed that he is not ready for the BIGS.  He went 3.1 innings giving up two runs.  Starter's record is now 4-15 with 12 no decisions and a bullpen record of 7-5.


- Rox fought and loss against another lefty.  D-Backs Saunders went seven innings giving up 3 hits, one to reliever Josh Roenicke and two homers to Cuddyer.  Rox are 9-20 against south paws.


- Cuddyer accounted for both runs.  Second time this year he has had multiple homers in one game. Eighth time in his career.  


- If Rox can salvage at least one game in this series then the season series would be 6-5 in favor of the D-Backs.  Not bad considering...

Box Score Bytes - Game 95

- Game 30 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 11-19.  New comer Jonathon Sanchez was thrown into the mix going 4 innings giving up 5 runs.  Hmmm jersey changed but same results.  Starter's record is now 4-14 with 12 no decisions and a bullpen record of 7-5.

- Rutledge hit his first career HR and since being called up has had eight extra-base hits along with four singles.  Drafted in the 3rd round in 2010, he is the third member of that draft round to reach the bigs.

- This season just seems like a broken record.  Every game seems to be a carbon copy of what we continue to see.  When will this team find anything to build on?

Box Score Bytes - Game 56

- How is it a team can go from on fire, a blazing to frozen popsicles so quickly?  One run, nine runs in the last two games and 23 strikeouts.  Wow 62 runs and only 48 strikeouts in the previous  eight games and then Rox come crashing down.  Which team is showing up against the Angels this weekend?  Think Pujols is salivating to get back to the NL?

- Got to love Kirk Gibson and his quote on Goldschmidt, "His swing is good".  Understatement of the game yesterday

- I got nothing today so I will leave with this quote from Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame).  "Everybody seeks happiness! Not me, though! That’s the difference between me and the rest of the world. Happiness isn’t good enough for me! I demand euphoria!"

Box Score Bytes - Game 55

- 16 strikeouts pretty much tells you everything you need to know about Rox dismal offensive output last night. 16 K is a rare event.  Chart below shows total number of games per Ks since 2008.

- While D-Backs starter, Ian Kennedy, has rediscovered his pitch, Rox starter, Guthrie, has not.  In another awful outing Rox starter allowed seven runs on 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings.  Now the owner of a 6.35 ERA, Guthrie has been a big disappointment.  Another questionable deal by our front office.

- On Monday night Helton collected his 952nd extra base hit, moving him into a tie with Mickey Mantle.

Box Score Bytes - Game 54

- Rox get their first pitching performance of the year.  Friedrich goes 7 innings of four hit baseball and pitches a shut out.  His game score of 71 is tops this year for the Rox.  Rox, last team to get a shutout.  First Rox to win 4 of his first six games.

- Rox are within a half game of taking over 3rd place in the division.  Rox are 4-2 against D-Backs so far this year.  Rox are 13-13 against the division so far this year.  Not too bad considering since 2000 Rox have a .456 winning percentage against division foes (vs .476 against rest of league and interleague).

- Dex has a nine game hitting streak.  Let the game off again with a triple.  Dex is so tantalizing but can Rox really deal with a player who doesn't start hitting until June every year?

- It will be interesting to see if Rosario can get any ROY consideration.  I believe he leads all rookies with 9 home runs.  Can a Rox catching prospect actually live up to expectations?

- Interesting oddity last night and that was Friedrich who did not have one swinging strike last night.  He has averaged 11 up to last night's game

Box Score Bytes - Game 37

- That was one of those cringe worthy games.  To have the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 9th and have no players left on the bench then throw up a pitcher who is then told not even to swing the bat?  That was another Tracy bone head move...come on, someone suicide squeeze or something.  Get the one run home and take an out at 2nd or 1st, you'd still have a guy on 3rd.  Realize the run expectancy for bases loaded no outs is 2.417 runs...Rox get none!!!!!

- Again in a situation like that you got to be bold, what are you going to lose?  Your 8.5 games out of first place going nowhere and you choose to be conservative, "I didn't want him hitting into a double play"  Just read that as I am a wimp with no imagination and I wasn't playing for the win!

- B.J. freaking Upton...

- Biggest buzz of the game:

- Both teams issued a total of 15 walks and gave up 25 hits...

- Rox threw 222 pitches in the game, that probably isn't good...

- Tracy used 21 players today and even his magic he didn't save one for a critical at bat...disappointing, loss #2 of you (and well the bullpen too)

- How ugly was the bullpen?  Gave up 11 hits, 8 runs, 4 walks, and threw 116 pitches...that is good stuff

Box Score Bytes - Game 36

- Moyer made his 636th start against Patrick Corbin who was making his 4th!


- At home this year Colorado is batting 0.282 with 6.5 runs per game.  On the road they have a 0.219 average and score 3.2 runs a game!


- Not for sure what was more impressive - Moyer beating out a dribbler in no man's land or Dexter on the same play scoring from second?


-  Moyer first 2 RBI game since 2004.  In his almost 25 years of baseball he doesn't remember ever seeing a 2 run infield RBI...


- So with Corbin on the mound at a young age of 22 the 26 years separating the two pitchers was the 4th largest differential according to Elias.  Have to wonder when Moyer gets to face Bryce Harper...


- Dex was a homer shy of a cycle...

Box Score Bytes - Game 9

- Well Pomeranz can officially say he now has a book out on him...one thing he is going to have to correct is stolen bases...D-Backs stole four bases off of him today

- Pomeranz didn't exactly have a great day on the mound.  Got 13 outs with 100 pitches allowing 9 hits and 5 runs.  During the Spring he went 3-0 with 0.53 ERA.  He now as an astronomical 10.38 ERA.  Welcome to the Bigs kid...

- This might work early but come September this will be the club's Achilles heel.  For this series Rox starters worked a total of 11 innings and the bullpen has pitched 35 innings in 9 games.  Rox have pitched a total of 79 total innings this year!

- First series win against the D-Backs since 2010.  Last year went 5-13 against the Snakes.  Rox need to study the film and figure out how to get these guys out.  Montero, Parra, and Young just ate Rox pitching up this weekend...

- On paper the Rox Sunday lineup looked formable but yikes 6 hits and once again Rox are 0-2 on Sundays.  Cuddyer could probably use a day off going 0-3 today.  Herrera had a nice game collecting 3 of the 6 Rox hits.

-  Could lightning strike for the third time in this series?  Nope but bases were loaded with two outs and Tracy sent in Hernandez to pinch hit...come on Jimbo send in Helton...this was his series to win!   Would that not have been the best series ever?  Grand Slam in the bottom of 8th would have put us up 6-5 with Betancourt in for the save...if you believe in multiple universes this outcome did happen, somewhere ;)

- O/U was 9.5.  Total scored was 7.

Box Score Bytes - Game 8

- Nothing like a walk off early in the season to make baseball exciting.  Todd's 7th career walk off.  While baseball is a younger man's game Todd still means a lot to this team.  For example this year when Rox win he is 7/15 and 0/9 in losses (through 7 games).

- In 19 years, Rox have had 70 wins after entering the 9 inning losing.

- Back to Back by Colvin and Hernandez.  Last down almost a year ago by CarGo and Tulo.  With playing games at Coors this should happen a whole lot more!

- Cuddyer is quietly putting together a nice April.  Batting 0.406 after last night with a 0.441 OBP.  Maybe he was worth the extra $.  What I like was his hustle in the third inning beating a throw to first and allowing Fowler to score from second.  Also of note was how D-Backs shifted on him with the 1B almost  playing second base!

- O/U was 9.5.  15 total runs scored.

Box Score Bytes - Game 7

-  Looked real ugly at the start.  Another thrashing by our arch nemesis the D-Backs, but bullpen kept the offense into the late innings and we found a way.

- Wicked wind or something tonight.  Balls were taking off on the right fielders especially.  Not for sure what it is with flyballs but our outfielder's mitts should all be examined for holes in them!

- This was Todd's 557th double all time moving him into 24th with Jeff Kent and Eddie Murray sitting in 22nd place with 560.

- First night to wear the sleeveless black uniforms...gotta go back to the miracle 2007 season when black was wins!  Remember how D-Backs busted out their black uniforms just so Rox had to change?

- Nice night for the middle of the line up....CarGo, Tulo, Helton went 8/14 with 4 runs.  Problem is the bookends as Scuturo/Fowler and Nelson/Pitcher just aren't doing a whole lot.

- Has Dex ever homered into the right field seats?

- 3-10 with RISP and 11 men left on base...wow!

- O/U was 8.5.  Scored 13 runs

Box Score Bytes - Game 143

1) Rox finished their 2011 campaign against the D-Backs going 5-13.  If D-Backs go on to the playoffs then Rox deserve a share of the credit.  Seemingly the Rox have always had troubles with Arizona.  In 14 years of playing them they have only had 4 winning seasons against them (1999, 2004, 2007, 2009).  At least we didn't go 3-15 against them like we did in 2008.  Below is my attempt to gauge Rox record against our division foes.  The axis is based on win percentage.

Season Records Against NL West Foes

2) Three solo homers was the sum total of the Rox run producton.  Newcomer Rosario notched his first homer and pitcher Millwood got into the action and knocked one out.  His first homer since 2002.  CarGo got his 25th which is a nice complement to Tulo's 30th.  Look at the NL leader board for homers and guess who else has 30 homers?  That would be our failed acquisition in Lance Berkman.  How nice that would have been!

3)  Reason 1 we don't have 40 man rosters...Tracy used seven relief pitchers to get 10 outs last night..nothing like a meaningless 3 and half hour game in September with a starting game time temperature of 57 degrees.

4)  And finally Tulo committed his 5th error last night, his first since the late June series in New York against the Yankees.  Rox fans should take note that Tulo is one of the greatest players ever to wear the Purple Pinstripes and possibly one of the greatest players of his generation especially for a SS.

Box Score Bytes - Game 142

1) Betancourt has only allowed 7 hits in the last 76 batters he has faced...one of the better O'Dowd trades...in 3 years he has gone 10-2 with 8 saves.  Has pitched 145 innings and has struck out 184 and allowed only 21 walks.

2)  Seth Smith has a two triple game?  Now has 9 for the year.  Team has 36 and ranks 3rd in the NL.

3)  Tulo hits his 30th homer.  What a monster year he has had, too bad the team isn't in contention otherwise he would be in the MVP talk.  With 20 games to go he could go on one of his streaks...remember last year's Babe Ruth September impression?

4)  The revolving door that has become the Rox bench added two new players to the mix as Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario got their first starts last night.  In 2011, 51 different players have worn the purple pinstripes.  I thought this was a bit excessive but average over the first 18 years is 47 players with low of 36 in 1995 and a high of 56 in 2007.

5) Belisle gets his 10th win!  Probably not a good sign when your middle reliever has 2nd highest win total on your team...

6)  Nice outing from Dr Jekyll, errr I mean Hammel...He is now 27-30 as a Rox. A serviceable starter and that is just what he is...

Box Score Bytes - Game 141

1)  Tulo has his first 100 RBI season...congrats

2)  Roger has given up 21 runs in the 1st inning and 6 home runs in 11 starts

3)  Don't run on CarGo...awesome putout in 3rd and his 11th assist this year

4)  Sitting at the ballpark and watching the crowd of 40,000 plus and I wonder if we haven't become Wrigley Field Lite?  Sure management paid good money on some nice players and yet here we are in September mired in 4th place and where is the rage?  Why aren't we more disappointed at this point.  D-Backs swept us last week and come in and beat us today and there you have it...

5)  How often do pitchers throw over to first in a game?

6)  Roger is batting 0.318, not bad for a former SS

7)  Since 1876 there have been 3,578,333 hits equaling 2,585,453 singles (72.3%), 601,320 doubles (16.8%), 127,448 triples (3.6%), and 264,112 home runs (7.4%).  So could you judge a batter based on his ratio?

8)  Dex still on a tear homers from both sides of the plate in the 1st and 9th inning

Box Score Bytes - Game 137

1) Is it over yet?  Being swept away by Arizona just stinks...maybe we can return the favor next weekend

2)  Dex goes deep for a second night in a row...just come him Mr August and September

3)  5th time this season being swept and are 1-5 on the road trip...

4) Tulo hates the Snakes too batting a whooping 6 for 52...yeah I would take the day off too

Box Score Bytes - Game 136

1) Dex ends his homer drought...went 382 at bats before finally homering

2) For August CarGo is batting 0.340 with 9 homers and 30 RBIs and Tulo is batting 0.360 with 8 homers and 21 RBIs and yet we are 13-15 for the month

3)  Cook's will go out with a whimper...hate to see time finally catch up with one of Rox best

4)  Go figure, Rox have 4 batters with three hits each and yet only score 4 runs, huh?

Box Score Bytes - Game 135

1) Carlos Gonzalez named the NL Player of the Week. In 6 games he hit .481 (13-27) w/ 3 HR, 10 RBI and .889 SLG.

2) White's second start reminded me a lot of Aaron Cook...functional but if his pitch ain't working then it will be a real long night

3) One lousy run...boy the run has not been nice 235 runs scored 67 games while at home they have scored 385 in 68 games

Box Score Bytes - Game 102

1) Gee think U-Ball has things on his mind...he gets shelled

2) Another loss on Sunday

3) Rox are now 3-10 in finales of three game series

Box Score Bytes - Game 101

1) Gee another bad start for Hammel...4-0 before recorded his first out. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!

2) From the obvious department, “It is somewhat of an insurmountable task when you spot the opposition seven runs in the first two innings of the game,” said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. “Actually, it’s somewhat unacceptable.”

3) From the you gotta be joking department,“It’s almost comical to me because tonight was the best I felt all year,” Hammel said.

4) Helton gets his 547th double tying him for 24th all time with Manny!

Box Score Bytes - Game 100

1) Cookie's first win of the season and franchise leading 70th win!

2) Fowler a home run short of the cycle

3) CarGo goes on 15 day disabled list