Morning Links: Rockies News 6/21

The Colorado Rockies have now lost four straight, and things do not get any easier with Stephen Strasburg pitching for the Washington Nationals tonight. Roy Oswalt struck out 11 in his debut but needed 101 pitches to get through just 5 innings in a 5-1 loss. The team is now in fourth place in the NL West with a 37-37 record. Here’s what else is happening with the Rockies and around the rest of the league:

The Rockies fell to the Nationals Thursday night. Image:

-USA TODAY Sports

From Troy Renck: Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler slow to heal from injured hand (Denver Post)

"An X-ray on his finger Thursday night came back negative, showing a deep bone bruise. Ross Detwiler‘s pitch hit Fowler’s knuckle on a bunt attempt, and the bat smashed into his finger.He can swing, but it’s uncomfortable. That became obvious in Monday’s loss, when bunting became his best option late in the game.”"

From Jonathan Bernhardt: The New Jays Rotation (Sports On Earth)

"As for Esmil Rogers, he’ll live or die as a starter on whether or not his sinker keeps working, and perhaps whether or not he can develop his changeup. The sinker is the pitch that Rogers is getting the most rave reviews about right now — he’s now throwing a slightly slower fastball with mean movement down in the zone to induce bad contact almost as much as his standard heater. We heard a similar version of this story with another former Rockies pitcher, Jason Hammel of the Baltimore Orioles, last year.”"

From RhodeIslandRoxFan: Tuesday Rockpile: The Troy Tulowitzki conundrum (Purple Row)

"In many ways, the Troy Tulowitzki story already has a happy ending. He could never play another game again and he’d easily be considered one of the greatest Rockies ever to put on the uniform. But at the same time, Troy Tulowitzki now faces a problem unlike any he’s faced before. The cruel and almost taunting reality that lies somewhere near the intersection of awesome and agonizing can be best summed up in the following two tables.”"