Rockies Lineup, June 28 2012: Riding Hot Hand With Colvin

The disappointments of this season have taken various forms. Among the most difficult to watch or comprehend are the struggles of the face of the franchise, Todd Helton. Recently acquired Tyler Colvin has shown explosiveness since spring training, forcing the Rockies to create playing time for him. As the San Diego Padres come to town this weekend and manager Jim Tracy tries to find at-bats for him, it makes the most sense to sit Helton rather than, say, Dexter Fowler (who should bat leadoff always, no questions asked).

It’s not that simple though. Say this sentence out loud: if somebody needs to sit tonight, it should be Todd Helton. That’s brutal, right? I winced typing it, but sadly it’s true at the moment. As Troy Renck points out, if Colvin stays hot, the Toddfather stands to lose at-bats. Of course, the other option might eventually be to explore trading Michael Cuddyer. We’ll deal with that another day. In the meantime, Cuddyer is at first base, Colvin is in right field and Helton is out.

Here is the rest of manager Jim Tracy’s lineup:

Dexter Fowler CF
Marco Scutaro SS
Carlos Gonzalez LF
Michael Cuddyer 1B
Tyler Colvin RF
Jordan Pacheco 3B
Chris Nelson 2B
Wilin Rosario C
Jeff Francis P

Francis looks to build on his previous outing, in which he went 5 innings and was very effective against the Washington Nationals. With Nelson swinging a hot bat, he leapfrogs Rosario and lands in the 7th spot.

The San Diego Padres enter this weekend series, somehow, some way, with a worse record than the Rockies. They are in last place in the NL West with a 28-49 record. Manager Bud Black dispatches the following lineup for tonight’s series opener:

Chris Denorfia RF
Logan Forsythe 2B
Chase Headley 3B
Carlos Quentin LF
Yonder Alonso 1B
Cameron Maybin CF
Everth Cabrera SS
John Baker C
Jason Marquis P

Yes, that Jason Marquis. So this game is at home, against the Padres, with Jason Marquis pitching. It seems to me that tonight will either mark a golden opportunity for this struggling bunch to win a game or the point that they truly hit rock bottom.

Headley finds himself in the heart of trade rumors as the summer wears on. With Quentin and Alonso as protection, this weekend would seem to be a great opportunity for him to pad his value. Put yourself in his shoes: I would sure like my chances if I was facing Jeff Francis, Christian Friedrich, and an unknown starter in a weekend series at Coors Field. Wouldn’t you? The Padres front office can thank us later.