Thankfully, the Rox were able to salvage 1 game at Citi Field against the Mets.  Melvin Mora’s 8^th inning grand slam led the Rockies to a 6-2 win on Wednesday night.  Unfortunately, the Mets’ Johan Santana brought his A game and shut down the Rockies 4-0 in the rubber game.

The Rockies return to the Mile High City to take on the Brewers in a quick 3 game homestand before traveling to LA and Phoenix.  The Beermakers play almost as well away as they do at home:  they have a 28-31 mark at home, compared to 26-31 on the road. 

Probable Starters

De La Rosa (4-3, 5.01) vs. Gallardo (11-5, 2.86)

Rogers (2-2, 4.79) vs. Narveson (9-7, 5.62)

TBA vs. Parra (3-9, 5.46)

Three Questions

1.  Will the Rox continue their success at home?  There’s no reason to think the Rockies can’t take 2 games in this series.  With a tough trip to LA looming, it would be nice for the Rox to win a couple games at home and hit the southwest with some momentum.
2. Can the Rox get and stay hot for a late season run?  It’s about that time of the year for the Rox, but they must start winning games at some point.  A three game mid-August set against the disappointing Brewers sounds like a good place to start a pennant run.  Ready, go.
3. Who will win the pitching matchup on Friday night?  On paper, De La Rosa vs. Gallardo doesn’t seem like a great matchup for the Rox, but De La Rosa has been way better at home than on the road.  His home WHIP is 1.306, compared to 1.780 on the road.  Gallardo has been dominant on the road, posting a .211 BAA on the road, compared to .256 at home.  Something has to give here.

Series to Watch

The Padres travel to San Francisco this weekend.  Rox fans should root for the Pads to hold off the Giants.  The Rox need to catch one team at a time in the pennant race, and the Giants are next on the list.

Wow, so much for the offense making the trip to the Big Apple. After plating 21 runs in the last 3 games of the Pirates series, the Rox were held scoreless by Mike Pelfrey and two Mets relievers. Name Ubaldo Jimenez – Jimenez has regained his first half form after a couple tough starts. He threw 7 innings of 1 run ball, struck out 8, and only gave up 4 hits. The 4 walks were a bit many, and contributed to his relatively high pitch count, but overall this was another dominating performance. Number 4 – Rockies hitters were limited to 4 hits on the evening. Mike Pelfrey was dominating on the mound, and the Rockies struggled when they did have chances, going 0-7 with runners in scoring position. Noteworthy Rally Time – Just when the offense was starting to roll away from Coors, Pelfrey and Co. shut it down. Can the Rox bats rebound in the remaining 2 games in this series against two tough pitchers in Nease and Santana? Let’s hope so, because a 2-5 road trip is exactly what this team needs to avoid.

Probable Starters

 Jimenez (17-2, 2.61) vs. Pelfrey (10-6, 4.16)

Francis (4-4, 4.67) vs. Niese (7-5, 3.63)

Hammel (8-6, 4.38) vs. Santana (9-6, 3.06)

After splitting a 4 game series in the ‘Burgh, the Rockies travel to New York to meet the Mets. Winning at least one game in this series is important for the Rox, both from a mental standpoint and in the Wild Card chase.

Three Questions

1. Who will win the starting pitching matchups? The Rox drew three good starters in this series. Pelfrey and Niese are both quality starters, and Santana is capable of shutting down a lineup any time out. However, the Rox counter with three solid pitchers. On paper, Jimenez and Santana both look like favorites to win in their respective starts, while the Francis-Niese matchup seems like a toss-up. If Jimenez and Francis can continue their run of quality starts, look for the Rox to take these two games.

2. How long can CarGo carry the offense? It was great to see the Rockies put up some runs in Pittsburgh. Carlos Gonzalez has continued his hot hitting on the road, and needs to keep producing against the tough Mets pitchers. Like many Rox hitters, CarGo has struggled on the road, but the Pirates series may have boosted his confidence at the plate.

3. Can the Mets maintain home field advantage? Like the Rockies, the Mets have been way better at home than on the road. The Mets are 33-19 at home, while the Rockies are 22-34 on the road. In my opinion, the Rox just need to avoid a sweep to make this road trip satisfactory. Winning 2 would be outstanding, but Rox fans should be pleased with one win in a tough series. I think the Rockies will win 1 game in this series, and head home satisfied with an ok road trip.

Series to Watch

Rox fans should keep an eye on the Dodgers-Phillies series. Both teams are in the Wild Card race, but Rockies fans should root for the Dodgers in this series. The Rockies only meet the Phillies for 1 more game this year, but see the Dodgers 12 more times. Let’s hope the Dodgers can help the Rox out by beating the Phillies. The Rockies have plenty of opportunities to take care of the Dodgers later this season.

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The Rox split a 4 game set with the Pirates in Pittsburgh and travel to New York to take on the Mets for three games.  After the Rox road woes, a split against the lowly Pirates looks pretty good.  If the Rox can take 2 from the Mets, this will be a great road trip.  Even if they only win 1, the road trip will still be acceptable.  This team needs to stay around .500 on the road and continue to win at home in order to stay relevant in the playoff race.  After the position players met with Jim Tracy, the Rockies took 2 of the last 3 games in the series, and the loss came in extra innings after the Rox took a lead in the top of the 10^th.  The starting pitching and offense were generally good in this series, and Rockies fans have to love seeing the Rox put up some runs away from Coors.  Let’s hope the team can generate some momentum and beat the Mets in a tough road series.

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The Rox split a 2 game set with the Giants before heading on a road trip to Pittsburgh for 4 games and New York for 3.  After getting shut out 10-0 on Tuesday night, the Rockies rebounded with a 6-1 win on Wednesday.  Aaron Cook struggled, giving up 5 runs in 3 innings, and the offense could only muster 3 hits on the evening.  Ubaldo Jimenez had a strong outing throwing 7 strong innings, the offense was led by Carlos Gonzalez who hit his 22^nd and 23^rd homers of the year, and the Rox cruised to an easy victory.  This will be a great road trip if the Rox can keep the offense going.  Realistically, the Rox should be able to take 3 of 4 in Pittsburgh, and at least 1 of 3 in New York.  If the Rockies struggle as mightily as they did on their last venture east, they may fall too far back in the division to catch the Padres and Giants.

The Rox held on to sweep the Cubs, but unfortunately Dexter Fowler may be heading to the DL after hurting his ribs making a game saving catch in the 9^th.  The catch was huge, and turned a probable game tying homer from Alfonso Soriano into a sacrifice fly.  Todd Helton may replace Fowler on the active roster.

Name

Jorge De La Rosa – 6.2 innings of 3 run ball was good enough to earn the win.  De La Rosa scattered 8 hits and 2 walks, and got into and out of trouble in most innings.  His next start will come in Pittsburgh against a light-hitting Pirates squad.  De La Rosa has been much better at home than on the road, but a start in Pittsburgh should help him fix his road woes.

Number

31 – The Rockies scored 31 runs against the Cubs in this series.  This marks the most runs the Rox have scored in a three game series all season. 

Noteworthy

Homeboys – The Rockies are 35-18 at Coors this year.  This is the fifth best home record in the Majors.  Only the Cardinals, Braves, Yankees, and Tigers are better at home.  The Rockies have 28 of their remaining 57 games at home, but need to win some road series to climb back into playoff consideration.

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The Rox stood pat at the trade deadline, but other NL West squads made some moves.  The grades are for the short term impact on the rest of this season.   

Arizona Diamondbacks – Incomplete

Get: Daniel Hudson, David Holmberg, Rafael Rodriguez, Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin

Lost: Edwin Jackson, Dan Haren

The D-Backs unloaded some talent and salary, as this season is a lost cause for the Phoenix faithful.  The prospects could help down the road, but these moves were clearly made with the long term future of the organization in mind.  It will be tough to measure the impact of these trades for a couple of years, so the D-Backs earn an incomplete.  Unloading Haren and Jackson helps the Rox, since they have 9 more games against Arizona this year and won’t have to face these two.

Los Angeles Dodgers – B+

Get: Octavio Dotel, Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot

Lost: James McDonald, Andrew Lambo, Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, Kyle Smit

The Dodgers got a couple pieces to help on their pennant run.  This team has underperformed all year, and some new faces be what it takes to get the Dodgers going.  Dotel will be a big boost for a bullpen that has struggled, Lilly is a nice middle of the rotation complement, and Theriot is a nice pickup.  The Dodgers could’ve added another bullpen arm.  These improvements could hurt the Rox, since the two teams will meet 12 more times this year.   

San Francisco Giants – D

No Transactions

The Giants missed out on a chance to add another bat to the lineup.  With the Dodgers and Padres upgrading their lineups, the Giants may not be able to keep pace.  The Rockies will see the Giants 8 more times this year, with 5 meetings coming at Coors Field.    

San Diego Padres – B-

Get: Miguel Tejada, Ryan Ludwick

Lost: Wynn Pelzer, Nick Greenwood, Corey Kluber

Giving up young pitching is always tough, but the Padres addressed needs by adding a couple bats to the lineup in Tejada and Ludwick.  Ludwick particularly provides the extra power bat in the lineup that the Pads need.  The Padres did well, but could have tried to add a better hitter than Tejada.  The Rox only see the Padres 6 more times this season. 

Colorado Rockies – B

No Transactions

Like the Giants, the Rockies didn’t add any new players.  However, in this case I think the Rox made a good call. 

The Rox will rely on Tulowitzki, Francis, and De La Rosa, who have all recently returned from injuries, in lieu of adding new players.  This is equivalent to getting an All Star SS and two solid middle of the rotation pitchers without giving up any prospects.

On Tuesday, I though another bullpen arm might be a priority, depending on Huston Street’s health.  Fortunately, Street was fine and the Rox have to feel comfortable with their current bullpen.  Another bat at first or in the outfield may have helped, but the Rox bats are all coming alive lately, and the team should feel comfortable with the offense as is, barring any injuries or extended slumps.