Tuesday’s First Pitch

Leading Off

Today is the 20^th anniversary of the Rockies being granted a franchise. The Rockies have obviously come a long way since then, and this past holiday weekend was a tribute to how far the franchise has come. Yesterday was the first time Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched in Turner Field since his no-hitter back in April of 2010. However, neither Troy Tulowitzki nor Carlos Gonzalez will be playing today. Tulowitzki after leaving yesterday’s game because of tightness in his right quad.

The Good

Despite a 4-1 loss, Jimenez’s pitching was looking closer to how he was pitching last year before the All-Star Break. In five and a third innings Ubaldo struck out nine. The game was not a bad game for the Rockies. The team was able to make plays and hold the Braves as much as possible.

The Bad

With both Gonzalez and Tulowitzki gone in the game, there were times it would have been nice to have the two in the game. Notably, in the sixth inning a fly was hit out to Spilborghs and he thought the ball was going to fall shorter than it did and on the relay to Herrera, Herrera dropped the ball on a transfer that could have prevented Atlanta’s third run to score. Herrera got an error on the play, and the only error for the game.

The Ugly

Despite a few missing holes, the Rockies played well. The biggest problem was the Braves were better. The Braves were able to make plays when needed and allowed only four hits all game. The Rockies left six runners on base, unable to get the big hits when needed.

On Deck

Game 2 versus the Braves