Weekly Link Round-Up

Super-sized round-up this week, combining everything we published on Rox Pile with everything else I thought worthy of being read around the web!

• The Rockies could really do without bad things happening right now, but that didn’t stop Ramon Hernandez from getting himself put on the DL.

• I miss Rex Brothers, even though I have to admit Adam Ottavino has been quite an excellent replacement so far.

• I posted the lineup card for last Sunday’s series finale against the Mariners, and begged the Rockies not to get swept.

• Of course, they didn’t listen. At least we had Bryan Kilpatrick’s entertaining recap to help ease the pain.

• And here’s mine if you’re interested in a second opinion.

• I know that as a Rockies fan I’m supposed to hate teams like the Yankees but I’ve always been a fan of theirs, somewhat in spite of myself. (Full disclosure: I’m also the girlfriend of a diehard Yankees fan, which makes them substantially easier to like.) So their struggles out of the gate this season are quite surprising and disappointing, especially since they’re making it much harder to enjoy the Red Sox’ travails.

• Blaine Blontz of Call to the Pen examined the possibility that Jeremy Guthrie could be traded by the midseason deadline.

• Purple Row’s Jeff Aberle makes a sadly convincing argument that the Rockies are the worst team in baseball.

• If the choice is between a universal DH and no DH at all, please, please no DH at all!!

• Yet another reason to believe Dodgers fans are the worst people in the entire world.

• Prior to the Rockies-Marlins series early last week, I chatted with Marlin Maniac editor Ehsan Kassim about the things we expected to see happen. Apparently I was a little too optimistic.

• Curtis posted the lineup card for Monday’s series opener against the Marlins.

• Logan Burdine thinks it’s time to burn these Rockies down and start from scratch. He uses his own experience with TCU football as a model for how the culture needs to change.

• David Martin is rightly critical of the Rockies’ front office and the way they handled things this offseason. If the guys who were shipped off are really to blame for the club’s failures in 2011, things would be different now.

• Some good news! Okay, sort of good. Nolan Arenado’s call-up has been somewhat delayed relative to preseason predictions, but don’t worry, he’s still pretty awesome. Fangraphs has the story.

• I recapped the Rockies’ loss to the Mariners on Monday, thanks to a Giancarlo Stanton grand slam.

• Hayden provided the Rockies’ brass with a number of good traits Esmil Rogers has that might aid them in their efforts to trade him.

• Curtis posted the lineup card for Tuesday‘s Ricky Nolasco-Juan Nicasio match-up in Miami.

• There are so, so many reasons to make sure you include Mark Townsend’s blog among your daily reading material, but certainly one of the best is the screengrabs he includes in his recaps. Worth the price of admission.

• Everybody had an opinion about Dick Monfort’s statement to the press/virtual admission of insanity last week. David Martin’s analysis may have been the most lucid.

• We all dislike umpires, but absolutely nobody insults them as hilariously as Justin Klugh.

• I recapped Tuesday’s loss to the Marlins, which tied the Rockies for worse record in baseball.

• Curtis posted the lineup card for Wednesday’s series finale with the Marlins in Miami.

• I recapped the Rockies’ surprising win over the Marlins last Wednesday, and avoidance of another sweep.

• Fangraphs’ Paul Swydan wrote an article whose title speaks for itself: The Rockies’ Wretched Pitching.

• Jhoulys Chacin has not been good this season, but recent revelations of a pectoral injury may at least partially explain why.

• I posted the lineup card for Friday’s series opener against the Reds.

• I recapped that game, which resulted in back-to-back wins for the Rockies, and a phenomenal performance from Todd Helton.

• I posted the lineup card for Saturday’s game in Cincinnati, featuring the Rockies’ debut of Wil Nieves.

• And then I recapped that game, a loss that was hopefully one of Jeremy Guthrie’s last as a Rockie.