Box Score Bytes - Game 123

- Game 58 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 25-33.   Starter's record is now 9-25 with 24 no decisions and bullpen record of 16-8. 

- Rox have gotten owned on the mound the last two games and yet still came out on top.  What's the story?  Previous months Rox would have just played dead and moved on.  Amazing what some confidence and wins do for a team.  

- At 50-73 do the Rox make this season respectable?  With 39 games to play, Rox would have to finish 31-8 to finish at .500 (which was there preseason over/under).  To make playoff chase interesting Rox would need about 86 wins so what do you say 36-3 down the stretch?

- Colorado finishes the season series taking a 5-2 lead.

- How impressive is a 4 game sweep?  In Rox history they are now 18-52-25 in 4 game series on the road.  

Box Score Bytes - Game 122

- Game 57 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 24-33.   Francis pitches an honest days work as always.  His 15th start of the year for Rox and Rox are now 10-5 in his starts.  He goes 5 innings gives up 5 hits and 1 run and leaves with 82 pitches.  Starter's record is now 9-25 with 23 no decisions and bullpen record of 15-8. 

- It is once again unfortunate that 1) Rox stink and 2) Rox are stuck in TV no man's land because Rosario is having a series run at Rookie of the Year.  He goes deep for his 20th homer tonight.  While his defense has been shaky he certainly garners more attention than he probably will get which is a shame.  Of course Todd Helton missed out on RoY considerations so it doesn't mean everything!

- Rox get their seventh straight victory at Citi Field.  They swept 4 games there last year as well.  They are also winners of 8 of the last 11 games.

- According to ESPN.com research notes the Astros, Indians, Mets, Blue Jays, and Cubs have the worse record since the All Star Break.  Rox are 16-21.  If Rox can finish strong I think that will be huge going into next year!

Box Score Bytes - Game 121

- Game 56 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 23-33.   Chacin returns and looks like the Chacin of old.  Some rust but nice to see a pitcher that deserves to be starting.  He goes 6 innings gives up 4 hits and 1 run and only throws 73 pitches.  Great start for his first win this year and first start since May 1.  Starter's record is now 9-25 with 22 no decisions and bullpen record of 14-8. 

- Rox have won 10 of 15 with a lot of young players.  Interestingly this is being done without the presence of that "veteran" leadership, maybe that is a whole bunch of bunk, and maybe you just need some ballers. 

-  Sixth straight win at Citi Field which is helping to bury the nightmare that was Shea Stadium for our Rox

- Before sac fly in the 7th, the Rox had an 18 inning scoreless streak, again where would we be without this year's bullpen?

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Box Score Bytes - Game 120

- Game 55 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 22-33.     White struggles but controls his wildness and gets through 4 innings.  Goes a bit deeper as five starters are on the roster and throws 83 pitches.  Starter's record is now 8-25 with 22 no decisions and bullpen record of 14-8. 

- Colvin, playing first because everyone else is injured, made a game saving grab with bases loaded in the 8th to preserve the lead.  Big night for him at the plate as well as his first homer in 105 at bats tied the game.

- Some love for Herrera.  In the eighth he bunted and then got to second on an errant throw to first, then got to third on a sac, and then scored on a passed ball.  Got to love small ball!

- Nice to get a win against one of the better starting pitchers this year especially with a lineup straight out of AAA:  Blackmon, Pacheco, Fowler, Brown, Rosario, Colvin, LeMahieu, Herrera, and White


- The umpire calling balls and strikes tonight was Fieldin Culbreth, now that is a baseball name...

Box Score Bytes - Game 21

- Last year I was curious about game number and win/loss records.  After 19 years you would think that the record on any given game number would be close to 0.500 give or take except if you look below you see an outlier...and that would be Game 21.  Rox can't win when they play Game 21.  Today's loss adds to the futility as they are now 1-19 all time on Game 21.  Their only win came in 2010 against the D-Backs at home.  Thirteen of these games were on the road but still their second worst day they have at least won 3 games on Game 120 and Game 161.  Their best day?  14-5 on Game 93 (the year of their birth...)

- Rox came pretty close today rallying in the 8th and 10th only to see the Mets score in the Top of the 11th to go on to win.

- Old man Helton, who must have gotten pumped up with Peyton Manning's visit, hit his second pinch hit homer of the season and collected his 6th grand slam of his career.  Helton will probably take over Giambi's roll in another few years.  The way he can work counts is magic.  He is a special player, a true Rox Star.

- Not a good start to the home stand especially with the best player in baseball coming to town.  If I was Tracy I would intentional walk Kemp every time comes to the plate.  Rox might need to bring up an extra relief pitcher for the rest of the week to make it.

- Did some one turn off the humidor?

- Santana has now thrown 22 innings against Rox without allowing a run.  Rox had their chances as they had a runner on third 3 separate innings only to allow Santana to wiggle away.  And come on Giambi in the bottom of the 4th with CarGo on third with two outs and the shift on in a major way with Wright playing a shallow shortstop why couldn't you just bunt up the 3rd base line?  

- First time Cuddyer has faced his old team mate in Santana.  They were 22 year olds on the 2001 Minnesota Twins.

Box Score Bytes - Game 20

- Add bicycle riding to one of the weirder causes for putting a player on the DL,  Guthrie loses his change goes over the bike and bangs up the shoulder.  Moscoso gets the emergency start.

- Todd gets his 560th double, 22nd all time.

- Another triple that makes 10 for season, leading the NL.  They only have 22 homers.  Wonder why the triples this year?  Are outfield defenses shifted to such a degree that anything in the gaps cause the ball to roll forever?

- Rox aren't going to have a bullpen by July.  We sure can score but so can the other guys!

Box Score Bytes - Game 19

-  On any normal day if your opponent gets 9 runs on 17 hits and one of your players hits for the cycle you probably be pretty happy with the win, unless you commit 6 errors and your opponent scores 18 runs!

-  Yikes two games this year the Rox have scored 17 and 18 runs.  In the previous 19 years Rox scored 17 runs five times and 18 runs four times.

- Both times this happened EY Jr got two at bats in the same inning as a pinch hitter

- Rox got their first grand slam of the year by Hernandez

- The clock has started on Fowler.  With him dropped to 8th in the lineup it is time to put up or shut up.

- Eleven runs in the 5th, some teams don't score that many runs in a series let alone a single inning!

- I love when CarGo gets it all...it is such a sweet swing

- 11th time in Coors history that a player has hit for the cycle (5 by opponents and 6 by Rox).  According to Elias the cycle came with the largest margin of defeat by the team having the cycle since 1900.