Rockies Lineup – August 3, 2012: Scutaro vs. Sanchez

Neither the Rockies nor the Giants have really lived up to expectations the past couple seasons, though obviously the Giants have been far less disappointing. They are still very recently the world champs, however, so one would expect that they’d perform better within their own division than they have. They do lead it currently, but the Dodgers are creeping up behind, and San Fran has the lowest winning percentage of any division leader in baseball right now. They are vulnerable! Time to attack, Rockies, even if it will mean nothing for you in the standings.

The real show tonight will be which team looks dumber for trading away its token player. That player for the Giants is Jonathan Sanchez, who was something approaching brilliant in his years by the Bay, though since being sent to the Royals last season he has been a mess. For the Rockies, it’s Marco Scutaro, shipped off to the Giants just last week. He starts at third base tonight, a position he never played while in Colorado. Which player will make the receiving team look worse? I wish I could say my money’s on Scutaro, but it’s not.

Marco Scutaro returns to Coors tonight after being traded to the Giants.

We’ll get our first look at Hunter Pence as a Giant tonight. He’s only hit .120 this season against the Rockies, though, and he’s had 25 AB’s. I’m more frightened of Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey myself. Well, and of Sanchez. The Rox have undergone a bit of a lineup shift, with Tyler Colvin batting lead-off and Carlos Gonzalez handling clean-up. I’m not opposed to these changes per se, so we’ll just have to see how it pans out.

Tyler Colvin RF
Josh Rutledge SS
Dexter Fowler CF
Carlos Gonzalez LF
Jordan Pacheco 3B
Todd Helton 1B
Wilin Rosario C
DJ LeMahieu 2B
Jonathan Sanchez P

Angel Pagan CF
Ryan Theriot 2B
Melky Cabrera LF
Buster Posey C
Hunter Pence RF
Marco Scutaro 3B
Brett Pill 1B
Joaquin Arias SS
Ryan Vogelsong P