Box Score Bytes - Game 145

- With the recent announcement in yesterday's Sunday Denver Post the great experiment appears to be over.    In reality with the addition of Chacin to the rotation at Game 121 the experiment was effectively over as the rotation effectively since then has been Chacin, Francis, Chatwood, Pomernanz, and White.  This has been steady over the last 25 games.  Although through these 25 games, starter's have still averaged 76 pitches and average 4.1 innings of work so although the 4-man rotation experiment was done it appears we've morphed into a 5-man pitch limited piggyback rotation which I believe is theoretically still limiting the starter from getting seen a third time around in the rotation.

- 643 games have been played at Petco.  This is the first time both teams scored 10 plus in a 9 inning game.

- Homer milestones galore in this game as McBride hit his first homer, Rutledge hit his first grand slam, and White hit his second homer in as many games.  White is the first pitcher to homer in back to back games since 2009.

- History repeats?  This time Padres won the game on a throw to the plate...maybe!

Box Score Bytes - Game 132

- Game 67 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 30-37.  As well as Chacin pitches yesterday, Francis laid an egg going only 3.2 innings and allowing 6 runs (5 earned).  Of course best case scenario didn't imagine Francis being your second best starter!  Starter's record is now 12-28 with 2 7no decisions and bullpen record of 18-9. 

- Whew wan't that a fun one?  Seems like every year Coors has some epic see saw battle.  Think after scoring 7 runs in the third would be enough but Padres chipped away and made it a ball game.

- Nothing like scoring 10 runs and outhit your opponent by 9 hits and still lose the game by a run!

- Pacheco has a 11 game hit streak.

- With three games left against the Padres they lead the season series 8-7.

Box Score Bytes - Game 131

- Game 66 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 29-37.  Chacin pitches a gem.  Best start by a Rox starter in 2012.  Goes 7 innings, throws 74 pitches, and gets the W.  Last time a starter when that far in a game was June 4th.  Starter's record is now 12-28 with 26 no decisions and bullpen record of 17-9.

- Dex hits his first MLB Grand Slam.

- Colvin has had a sneaky good year.  Has 16 homers so far this season.

- Rox welcome back Giambi from the DL.  

Box Score Bytes - Game 130

- Game 65 of the Great Tracy Experiment (Train Wreck): Record 28-37. Rox have now played at least half their games this year with the 4 man rotation.  Their record before the experiment was 25-40 with the starter's going 13-29 with 23 no decisions and a bullpen record 12-11.  Pundits would like to claim that this has been a success but with 3 more wins I hardly think this new rotation thingee has really mattered.  Starter's record is now 11-28 with 26 no decisions and bullpen record of 17-9.

- Three home runs by our Rox and all we got was a lousy loss...

- Alex White is looking like that AAAA type pitcher.  He can handle the AAA but can't handle the majors.  Rox have collected 3 wins this year from the Ubaldo trade last year.  Not exactly what fans like to see.

Box Score Bytes - Game 94

- Game 29 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 11-18.  Friedrich pitched through 5 innings.  Threw 82 pitches and left with a tie game.  Starter's record is now 4-13 with 12 no decisions and a bullpen record of 7-5.


- Another series loss.  San Diego leads the season series 7-5.  Tough as Padres are one of the few teams Rox have been able to beat on a consistent basis.  

- Pacheco got his first start behind the plate due to mounting injuries.  While this season will be looked upon as the collapse at the mound, injuries have also played a significant part with the havoc it can play with lineup consistency.  

Box Score Bytes - Game 93

- Game 28 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 11-17.  Francis gets through 5 innings.  Threw 80 pitches and at least gives the team a chance.  For all the talk of the 4 man rotation, Francis has probably been the most consistent.  He has had 2-1 record in seven games.   He has gone 5 innings at least in every start.  Of the 4 no decisions the team has gone on to win four times.  So since the start of this experiment Francis has been a part of over half the team's wins.  Starter's record is now 4-13 with 11 no decisions and a bullpen record of 7-4.

- Hopefully in a couple of years when we look back at this season and have found some success, the cornerstone of success will be Pacheco.  He has had a quietly good season.  He is batting .306 and based on his teammates he is batting beyond his years.  Now whether this continues is anyone's guess but for the Rox I hope they find some diamonds this year.

- Bullpen pitched seven innings and allowed only one run.  Unbelievable the pen has any left after 93 games but they continue to be a bright spot.

- At least Rox didn't get beat by Kip Wells for the second time this year...

Box Score Bytes - Game 92

- Game 27 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 10-17.  Pomeranz struggles through 3 innings.  Throws 53 pitches and gives up 7 runs.  For some the 4 man rotation is not providing the required recovery that most pitchers expect.  As fate would have it Rox traded one disappointment for another.  Sending Guthrie to KC and receiving Sanchez in return.  Guthrie sees the light and Sanchez probably feels he has gone from the frying pan to the fire.  Starter's record is now 4-13 with 10 no decisions and a bullpen record of 6-4.

- Tough night all around for team that is struggling and also has to hear about a far worse struggle with the shootings that took place the night before.  With the fires, the shootings, and the Rox it can be fair to say that this Colorado summer will not be remembered fondly.  With the real world around us maybe we make too much of the Rox and their miserable team.  In the context of all things it is really irreverent what our favorite team does.  While we do pay a part in all of this when it comes down to it, it's the Monforts and company that are paying out over $85 million for a team on pace for 100 losses.  Why should we really care other than Colorado deserves better and could use a nice diversion this Summer with the losses we have had.  Nice not to have your local team add to those losses.

- On the bright side, Rox lone All Star did have a grand slam, the second of his career.

- How unlucky are the Rox?  On a night when opposition commits 3 errors we still lose...

Box Score Bytes - Game 78

- It's come to this...Kip Wells, who had been toiling in the minors until recently, threw 7 shut out innings in yesterday's victory at Coors.

- Game 13 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 5-8.  Pomeranz returned from exile to the mix today (although I wonder if he doesn't wish he was still in the Cleveland system after this debacle?) and threw 80 pitches in six innings and got a lost due to Rox inability to hit a washed up, out of baseball starter from San Diego.  Pomeranz is now 0-3

- CarGo was named to his first All-Star team as a reserve.

Box Score Bytes - Game 77

- Game 12 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 5-7.  Friedrich threw 74 pitches in five innings and got a no decision.  Friedrich was in line for the win leaving with the score at 2-1 but of course Guthrie came in and threw batting practice, gave up two homers and received the loss.  He is now 3-7

- Rox finish the month of June at 9-18.  In the past June as usually been a good month for Rox records but this month (and year) as been a struggle.  The only other time Rox only won 9 games was in 2004...

- Fireworks would explain the 49,000 people who came out to see the Padres hit the fireworks! - Yasmani Grandal was the first player to homer from both sides of the plate for his first two major league hits according Elias Sports Bureau. Another infamous Coors Field fact...

Box Score Bytes - Game 76

- Back to back wins!  First time since June 3/4.

- First win by a Starter since June 4.

- As bad as the Rox are...Padres are probably worse...funny how Rox have Coors, hitter friendly park who can't find pitchers and Padres have Petco, pitcher friendly park who can't find hitters!

- Can't go wrong with Black uniforms.  Rox are 8-8 with black, best record by far this year.

- Game 11 of the Great Tracy Experiment: Record 5-6.  Francis threw 82 pitches in six innings but got the win.

- On a side note, former Rox Aaron Cook threw a 2-hit shutout for Boston tonight with only 81 pitches!

Box Score Bytes - Game 30

- Rox Win, Rox Win!

- Rox first round pick in 2008 finally gets his first big league win.  2008 wasn't a great draft year (see here for picks).  Not like 2007 when we could have gotten Bumgarner or 2006 when we could have gotten Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw, or Tim Lincecum.  Think for a moment we could have had Longoria and Tulo on the left side of the infield...thanks O'Dowd, your fantastic, not

- Two doubles off the top of the wall, with both being reviewed by the umpire crew, how wacky is that and at Petco or as I like to affectionally like to call the Litter Box

- Kind of frustrating that we were only 1-2 against the Padres.  Through 2011 we are 158-145 against the Padres...the only winning record we have against a team in the NL West.  523-625 against our NL West foes.  Next up is LA in which we have a 129-174 record against all time through 2011.

Box Score Bytes - Game 29

- What is it with cagey veterans? Moyer at 49 bewitches batters and now 37 year old Suppan, who seems to be a lot older, bewilders our Rox. The guy spent all of last year in AAA. San Diego might become the place where old pitchers retire... - Second game in a row where it just seemed the offense was pressing. We had men on the bases we just simply couldn't get them home... - A much different White on the mound versus what we saw last year. Rox are really keeping their fingers crossed on White and Pomeranz. Not a good position to be in. - Really what is up with our defense? Is it really tied to long pitched innings and having the Defense be on their heels?

Box Score Bytes - Game 28

-  Go figure Pomeranz gets his first homer of the season at Petco.  Hits it 395 feet which is the 3rd longest by a pitcher at Petco

- With the win Padres become the last team in the Majors to reach 10 wins...are we pathetic or what?

- Five hits from three players and one hit was a home run from your pitcher.  So tell me besides Scutaro and CarGo who deserves a paycheck from last night's game?  In an interesting world a player would only get paid for his contribution on the field...that would make things interesting don't you think?

- Think maybe Rox were trying to hard last night?  In the second two runners were thrown out at second attempting to steal.  In the sixth runner on second with one out and two strikeouts by Helton and Cuddyer (that hurts).  Not one runner on base after the sixth inning.

- Someone needs to tell Tulo its May and that he can start hitting again.  Two more Ks for De(k)ter.  Helton is only batting 0.233, that's not good

Box Score Bytes - Game 11

- 49 years, 150 days young Jamie Moyer won his 268th game last night becoming the oldest pitcher ever to win a MLB game.

Fun Facts (for me anyway):
1) He has faced 23 Hall of Famers (see link).  Struck out Nolan Ryan 5 times.  Faced Mike Schmidt 33 times. Faced Jim Rice and Don Sutton (Yikes he is old!)
2)  Barry Bonds faced him 42 times and has 0.216 batting average against him
3)  Dodgers manager Don Mattingly faced him 23 times and has six hits and one strikeout, White Sox manager Robin Ventura faced him 18 times and had 5 hits and 4 strikeouts, Yankees manager Joe Girardi faced him 13 times with one hit and 4 strikeouts, D-Backs manager Kirk Gibson faced him 10 times with 4 hits and one strikeout, Angels manager Mike Scioscia faced him 9 times with two hits, and San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy faced him 8 times with one hit.
4)  Todd Helton has 22 at bats with 5 hits
5)  He faced Bo Jackson 17 times
6) Faced Eric Young and Eric Young, Jr (Junior has one more hit than dad did), faced Prince and Cecil Fielder (Prince is batting 0.200 and his dad 0.189), Buddy and David Bell, and Bob, Bret, and Aaron Boone, to name a few...
7)  Faced the three Molina brothers (Yadier, Jose, and Bengie) although one has never caught for him
8) Faced Rox pitching coach Carney Lansford (2 hits and 2 strikeouts) and first base coach Glenallen Hill (only 4 hits in 25 plate appearances)
9)  One good reason Moyer joined the Rox?  He is 1-5 against us lifetime (his worse record against any team, owns the Nats though at 13-4)
10)  Loves Bank One and Petco (6-0 lifetime) but hates AT&T and Dodger Stadium (1-6 lifetime).  Has pitched in 49 different parks
11) Starting salary in 1986 at age 23 was $60,000 and made $8M at 47 with Phillies in 2010.
12) Made first All Star team when he was 40.
13) Has never hit a homerun, never stolen a base, been hit by one pitch, and has collected 49 hits

-  Fun game all around last night although what does Tulo have against Moyer?  In his 3 starts, Tulo has like 6 errors...

-  Dex leads the team with two home runs...team only has 9 home runs to this point (but 7 triples)

-  Beautiful double play turned by Brothers in the 8th.  Wow he was quick off the mound.  Bang bang play.

-  First game I have sat through a Huston Street pitching performance in like 2 years, of course it helps with him on the other team.

-  Crazy winds late in the game.  Couple of at bats the ball really flew off the bat only to die in the air (except for right field...jet stream over there)

Box Score Bytes - Game 10

- We have only played 10 games (remind myself again), we have only played 10 games (that is 6.2% of the season), we have only played 10 games (5 and half months until the playoffs start)...it's OK, I promise it will be OK...

-  I am just going to assume that last night didn't happen, that we didn't get beat by 6 runs to the worst team in baseball, a team that supposedly can't hit a ball out of a paper bag, and a team that just hit half of their hits for doubles...

-  How may times am I going to say this?  How is it that we continually get brutalized by teams coming into our park...this isn't how it is suppose to be.  Opponent's pitchers have no fear at Coors anymore.  Why is it other teams feast on the thin air and we are sucking wind?  After seven games this year we have been outscored 37-44 (throw out the  17-8 game and we have been outscored 20 - 36).

-  One problem might be the fact of the 10 games Rox have played in they have been behind in 8 of them fairly early.  Below is the sad fact that Rox are barely into the game and already having to press to catch up.  Not easy having to come from behind all the time...

Game 1 Down 1-0 in 1st
Game 2  Down 1-0 in 1st
Game 4  Down 2-0 in 3rd
Game 6  Down 1-0 in 3rd
Game 7  Down 2-1 in 1st
Game 8  Down 1-0 in 1st
Game 9  Down 2-0 in 1st
Game 10 Down 2-0 in 1st

-  I hate to tell Marketing but Rox were 15-24 last year wearing purple and are 0-2 this year.  Don't think Purple Mondays is going to last...

- Rox have faced 5 lefties this year and are 1-4.  Last year they faced 49 lefties in 162 games.  They won 26 of those games

Box Score Bytes - Game 155

1)  Worse home stand in the history of the Rox...that says a lot...to think Rox had never been fully swept in their history and then to go down like this.  I've said it before but this team needs some home swagger...teams no longer fear Coors and sometimes I wonder if Rox fear their home more than others...

2)  In addition to the pathetic finish the Rox finished the year at home 38-43.  Heck they managed 39 wins during their first season in baseball!  Over 19 years they have won on average 44 games at home...

3)  The 439 runs scored is the second lowest total (2008 Rox scored 411).

4)  Quote I am tired of seeing, "Our center fielder is really starting to figure out who the heck he is..."  Yeah bring this back up next April...and of course you could take out center fielder and put in catcher and/or third base

5)  From Jim Armstrong this morning...Rox were 1-36 after 8 innings at Coors...where is that LoDo magic?

6)  Not quite the send off we had hoped for by Aaron Cook...Cookie deserves a spot on the Mt Rushmore of Rox pitching.  Anyone who can walk away from this game and say they lasted 10 seasons at Coors Field says something.

Box Score Bytes - Game 154

1)  From the yeah we know quote department, "It's an embarrassment.  This season has been an utter disappointment." - Dan O'Dowd, which leads me to wonder why this man still has a job?  Under his tenure Rox are 852-931 with an average place in the division at almost 4th.

2)  How important is it for Rox to figure out their own division?  27-40 in the division, 43-43 against everyone else...

3)  Not for sure if this was anything of note but 10 of the 19 strikeouts in the game last night were looking...Betancourt struck out the side in the 9th with three called strikeouts

4) Starting line up salaries for the Rox last night 1) EY Jr - minor league  2) Ellis - Some part of $6M 3) Fowler - $424,000 4) Smith - $429,000 5) Pacheco - minor league 6) Kouzmanoff - Some part of $4.75M 7) Rosario - minor league 8) Field - minor league 9) Chacin - $419,000  WOW cheap date last night

5)  Latos goes 123 pitches and an almost complete game...unheard of!

6)  Tommy Field made two great plays at short getting the third out each time...then promptly came to the plate...doesn't it seem like that happens a lot...Skip Carey, the former Braves announcer, use to always comment on that...

7)  Rox bottom of the 8th summed up the year...Man on 1st and 3rd, down by two runs, only one out and pinch hitter strikes out and EY ground outs to third...no runs :(

Box Score Bytes - Game 153

1)  When will it end?

2)  It seems to me other teams just fade away but with our Rox they seem to go down in a spectacular spiraling fiery death...last 5 home games Rox have given up 8, 9, 6, 12, and 8 runs to two teams who have been offensively challenged all season.

3)  Millwood would eventually come back to earth after a somewhat spectacular late season push for a possible starting role in 2012.

4)  Rox held to one hit for the second time this year...but this one was at Coors.  Last night was a 12 strikeout performance from our AA field team.  Where are you Don Baylor...oh yeah helping revitalize and soon to be NL West winning D-Backs.

5)  Rox will finish under 0.500 at home for only the 4th time in their history.  Rox have no swagger left at home anymore...teams come in loving it...and it seems Rox have forgotten their innate advantage.

6) Has management tried so hard to get a team more tailored to hit on the road and play small ball that it no longer has the tools to bash opponents at home?

7)  Rox are only 4 1/2 out of being in the NL West basement...at this rate let's shoot for real infamy!

Box Score Bytes - Game 140

1) Dex continues his late season tear including 3 more hits which included his 15th triple which sets a new team record

2) With Rox record at Petco this season at 6 and 9 have to wonder if maybe Rox are currently built for the wrong park.  Not that our team doesn't have power but have to wonder...

3)  And if Cook didn't already have a nail in the coffin as a Rox, today reaffirmed that Cook won't be in purple pinstripes next year.  Petco is Cook's savior (14-6, 2.98 career ERA) and yet allowed 3 runs and 4 walks

Box Score Bytes - Game 139

1) Since Fowler has returned he has 26 extra-base hits in 47 games.

2) Rox get their first win from their U-Ball trade...meanwhile U-Ball has gone 2-1 and the team has gone 3-3.

3) Betancourt got his 6th save in 10 chances.

4) Rox are 26-33 against the NL West and 32-34 against the rest of the NL.