The season ended on a low note, being swept by the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
The Rockies put on quite an offensive show yesterday, tying the franchise record for extra-base hits in a game and coming one shy of tying the franchise record for hits and runs in a game. The majority of the damage was done in the first four innings, making it even more impressive. Since splitting a 4-game set with the Cardinals at the end of May, the Rox have won nine straight home series and have won 21 of 27 games at Coors Field. For a few years now we have talked about the Rockies getting that home-field advantage back, recalling how dominant we were here in the mid to late 90’s. Teams would leave Denver with their tails between their legs. Some opponenets literally HATED playing here, leaving with their bullpen in disarray and feeling like they’d just been beaten like a red-headed stepchild with a Louisville Slugger. The first evidence that this dominance was on the verge of returning was when the Yankees had just completed a three-game series here and had been swept. Joe Torre commented that he didn’t really care to ever come back. The Rox managed that sweep in a different fashion than the recent sweep of the Brewers, by outpitching the Yanks. One of the wonderful things about this team is that they can out pitch you OR out slug the opposition. Back in the day of the Bombers, about our only choice was to out slug the other team, and we did that pretty well. Back then, in the pre-humidor era, players and managers would complain that Coors Field was a joke and you couldn’t play “real baseball” here with the altitude. They wouldn’t have complained if they’d won. Now that the game has been “normalized” with the humidor and 12-11 games aren’t common anymore, they won’t be able to use the “real baseball” argument. When teams start to come in here afraid that the Rox will take batting practice off them and they can’t make a single mistake, then the LoDo Magic of the Bombers’ era will have officially returned. That advantage can go a long ways to making the Rockies a team to be reckoned with year in and year out. A side benefit of recapturing this advantage at home is the attendance. The crowds are noticably larger than even at the beginning of the season and certainly larger than we’ve typically seen the last two seasons. I’m not saying that the average Rockies’ fan goes to CF hoping to see a 19-4 drubbing or even a return of the “12-11, it’s not over ’till it’s over” type games, but they do want to know that the Rox have a pretty good chance of winning the game.
The Designation Committee met late yesterday afternoon and voted to restore CapR. A general criteria that the Committee had determined was necessary for CapR consideration was getting to five games over .500. With the Rox reaching that goal and in convincing fashion, the Committee voted unanimously. This time the chairman really is going on vacation, so hopefully there isn’t a need for any meetings in the near future.
Until next time, Go Rockies!
I turned on SportsCenter this morning and the first story was: the Rockies sweep of the Yankees. At first I thought it would just be about the Yankees and that stranger things have happened than them going into Coors Field and getting swept, scoring only five runs in the process. Yes, they did talk about the Yankees, quoting Torre as saying he didn’t expect this and didn’t care to see the Rockies again. But, they gave equal time to the Rockies, pointing out that since the Yankees got swept, the Rox did, in fact, do the sweeping. They didn’t stop there, delving into the basis for the Rox’ hot streak: better pitching and better hitting. Despite the fact that this streak has been an entire team effort without one or two players carrying the load, ESPN did single out Holliday. Buster Olney went so far as to say that he should be starting in the All-Star game and encouraged fans to stuff the ballot box to get him into the starting lineup. The bottom line is: the Rockies can’t be ignored any longer and are starting to draw attention. No matter what your feelings were about the buzz surrounding the series with the Yankees, it made a lot of people pay attention to the Rockies that wouldn’t have otherwise, both fans and media. You can just see the level confidence rising with this team. With the Padres losing the last two, the Rox are merely 3 1/2 games out of first. Success on a measurable scale is within their reach. Hopefully they take hold and don’t let go.
Here’s one thing that I don’t understand. Back in the day when the AL and NL had different umpires, there were minor differences in each league. When MLB went to one crew of umpires for the entire league many of these differences went away. One such difference was when a pitched ball hit the dirt. In the NL the umpire called time and replaced the ball. In the AL the ball remained in play. Now all umpires replace a ball that has hit the dirt. The reasoning behind replacing the ball is that the dirt could cause a smudge or discoloration on one area of the ball that would make it more difficult for the hitter to pick up the rotation, etc. So, with this in mind, what I don’t understand is why catchers volunteer the ball to the umpire when it would supposedly be to his pitchers’ advantage to keep the ball in play. My thinking would be that the catcher wouldn’t want the ball replaced and only give it up if asked. It’s certainly a minor thing that likely would have little or no impact on a game, but good, smart players should accept every advantage that is within the rules, no matter how small.
Until next time, go Rockies!
