Colorado Rockies: Three Opinions on Loss versus Rangers

The Colorado Rockies lost to the Texas Rangers by one run behind a brilliant pitching performance by Tyler Anderson and I give up on everything.

So, this is the hard part of being in the playoff hunt. Every loss hurts that much more and every mistake is that much more glaring. Maybe I liked it better when we were only mediocre.

Here are three opinions about tonight’s game:

1. Tyler Anderson is a stud.

I defy you to argue with this opinion, and if you are a human being with working eyesight, you will not. Anderson has been absolute nails since his call up in June, no matter what lineup he’s faced. Tonight he saw the always-frightening Rangers lineup, bolstered at the deadline with Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy, three times and allowed only three hits. He struck out five, induced almost a dozen ground balls, and out-game-scored Cole Hamels. Cole Hamels! I have no complaints about this man other than that I wish he could pitch every other day and/or be in the starting rotation as well as close every game. Which brings us to my second opinion.

2. Carlos Estevez has to go.

When Estevez first started closing games, people seemed really excited because he can throw 100 mph, and this is indisputably an impressive and potentially valuable skill to have. I have tried to listen to those who say that we need to be patient with him while he learns to command his pitches. Okay, well I have tried patience, and what it’s gotten me is two losses that should have been wins in the last four days, and a team making a playoff run does not have time for that.

I will have all the patience in the world when Jeff Bridich starts taking a serious look at whom he might trade this year to set the Rockies up for success next year, but if we are a win-now team, it makes no sense to continue sending Estevez to the mound with the game on the line. Bring Jake McGee back! I don’t even care, just please give Estevez a different job.

3. There is not much in the world that is worse than being a visiting fan in your own ballpark.

I hate, HATE, when I come to Coors Field to cheer on the home team and the visiting fans are louder. I cannot accurately express my hatred for this. I hate it more than losing. I’m not entirely sure why this is, though there are at least a couple of contributing factors.

One is that I went to a huge football school, UGA, and they didn’t lose a single home game my first two years. I will never forget that first loss, to Tennessee, and the way I felt as the game drew to a close. One of the best things about Georgia games up to that point was exiting the stadium amid the throng of victory. And I suddenly realized that this time, the throng would be made up of the enemy. There were thousands of Tennessee fans at the game, and they would all be celebrating on their way out of our house. I felt like I might be sick, and I left early because I could not bear to witness that. For the rest of my college career, I almost always left early when we lost.

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Another is that I lived on the East coast for 15 years as a Rockies fan, and I was the visiting fan a lot. I only went to a couple games at Coors in those years, so I know what it’s like to be far outnumbered by the visiting team’s fans. I have no interest in that now that I’m back in Denver.

Also, I really tried to be respectful of the home team’s experience at those games. I realize there are no rules for this sort of thing, but I do not think it’s cool to start a “Let’s go [visiting team]” chant. Maybe I’m wrong. I just know that I hate it and it puts me in a terrible mood. I will never forgive Red Sox fans for doing that at Todd Helton‘s last game, a time when we should have been able to enjoy and celebrate our own team without interference. We lost that game by a dozen or so runs, and the Red Sox won the World Series that year. Could their fans not give us even that one special moment?

Next: Colorado Rockies Have Many Options in the Outfield

Rant over. I promise to be a more sane version of myself for the next recap.