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Rank Relief: The one where Heath Bell actually gets a win

April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Wilton Lopez scratches his shoulder when he gives up game winning runs

The Rockies have been one of the surprises of the season so far and we still aren’t quite sure how they’re doing it.  But whatever it is, today they did not do it.  Wilton Lopez entered into the 9th looking to collect the save for the Rockies with them only up one run.  They were at Colorado so I guess we should have known a 4-3 final score was too low.  This is what Wilton did with his time on the bump:

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These are probably the least sexy ways to give up the tying and go-ahead runs, but they still count.  The tally:  3 hits and 2 runs.  As stated in the title, the weirdest part of this is that a rank relief regular, Heath Bell, ended up backing into a win.  Good for him.  We’ll be seeing him soon I’m sure.

Filed Under: Colorado Rockies Tagged With: ,

Colorado Rockies 2013 Team Preview

February 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

troy-tulowitzki

Barring something unforeseen taking place, the Colorado Rockies won’t get a ton of posts on this blog this season. Please enjoy this one.

The reason I don’t think the Rockies are due for a lot of run-time is because they have a pitching staff with flies circling it, and a lineup that is in dire need of another true threat.

The Rockies have a double edged sword in the way of a ballpark. They can dress a few Joe Random’s up and generate decent stats if the guy has an ounce of talent with the bat. But Coors Field; with all it’s beauty, does no favors to help an organization build a pitching staff. I’m of the belief that talented arms enter the Rockies rotation each year and slowly have their confidence chipped away because of the home park they make roughly half their starts in. I know the Rockies have had a few good runs, but it’s hard to ever sustain consistency without anything solid in the starting staff each year.

I guess at least Walt Weiss is the manager. Anyone remember how much Peter Gammons used to wash Walt Weiss’ balls on the old school Baseball Tonight? He loved the guy. He used to waste air-time to tell us Walt Weiss had cabbage stew for lunch and then went 2 for 4, like that somehow correlated to Walt Weiss’ ‘huge’ offensive output. I don’t know, he has to be better then Jim Tracy. Tracy was a nice guy I’m told from several friends that have spent time with the man and I always tried to have his back on a count of that. It’s just that, most baseball people thought he was a horrible manager.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Diamond Hoggers Season Previews, Colorado Rockies Tagged With: , , , , , ,

We Are All Todd Helton

February 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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This past week Todd Helton got picked up for DUI while buying a couple lottery tickets. While we in no way condone driving under the influence (at least since our early twenties), what more could a Major Leaguer do to prove he’s just like the rest of us?

Helton has accrued over $150 million in career earnings. We find it amusing that he crushed 8 or 10 Coors–you know it had to be Coors Original–and then headed to the local Citgo to buy himself a few scratch off’s. He was probably using the beer bottle top as his lucky scratcher.

The only thing Helton could have done to prove he was more like the everyman was buy a few of those condement station ”chalupas” that twist all night on the turner in the middle of the gas station.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

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Bryce Harper’s Coors Field Blast Grants Fans Bonus Baseball

June 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Harper’s 8th career home run off Rafael Betancourt in the top of the 9th inning.

I knew Bryce Harper couldn’t get out of town without dialing one long distance in Colorado. He waited until his final at-bat in the four game series to put another notch in his belt. This one tied the game at 10-10 off Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt. The Rockies escaped with an 11-10 victory in 10 innings.

It was almost 100 degrees in Colorado. Factor in the altitude; do you think that everyone was happy to see Harper serve one off the AT&T sign in the back of the Rockies bullpen and silently announce that more baseball was to be played?

Filed Under: bonus baseball, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals Tagged With: , ,

Jamie Moyer took the senior citizen flight out of Cincinnati on Jay Bruce Day

May 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Before the game began today, we told you to expect a Jay Bruce bomb and a Reds win.

Bruce took a hanging Jamie Moyer pitch into the seats in the right field Sun Deck for a bomb, giving the Reds a 2-1 lead. The first place buzzsaw continued to do their thing, winning by a final of 7-5.

Another Jay Bruce day has come and gone, and the Reds remain undefeated on this day. Jay Bruce remains like Babe Ruth on May 27th, and for another night; all is right with the baseball world.

Five years in the Show, 111 career big league bombs. We remember about every one of them.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Jay Bruce Day Tagged With: ,

VIDEO: Giancarlo Stanton Vandalizes his Home Stadium & Jamie Moyer with a Granny Bomb

May 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

When you’re getting ESPN alert text messages to let you know that ‘ESPN MLB – Giancarlo Stanton hit HR of LF video board knocking off portion of digital display at Marlins Park’ (I actually got the text twice, for some reason) you know it’s a bomb you better get to a computer and see somehow.

Giancarlo didn’t disappoint, taking old man Moyer’s pitch to Biscayne Bay on this full count offering.

Moyer has now pitched in 50 big league stadiums. I can guarantee you he’s never seen a swing destroy things like that in any of them.

As for Stanton, love this guy. He’s obviously playing on a bad wheel and it doesn’t matter. He’s just that good. Mammoth power down in Vice City where he fits right in. What a time to live and die in Miami.

Filed Under: Colorado Rockies, everyone digs the long ball, Florida Marlins, Old Pitchers Tagged With: ,

Going down fighting

August 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

 

Nice 2-1 win this afternoon for the Redlegs down at Great American Ball Park on a cool and perfect weathered getaway day.

You cannot help but recognize the fact that this is the way this team was built to operate. Playing sound defense, getting a few timely hits from guys in the middle of the order, and getting great starting pitching.

Johnny Cueto goes 7 shutout innings striking out 9 for the win, Aroldis Chapman adds a scoreless 8th for the hold, and Coco Cordero waltzes out to give up a bomb but narrowly hang on in the ninth.

They’ve won two 1-run ballgames in a row now. Things are getting weird. Win the next 8 games and we’ll climb back in this thing. Yes, I am hopeless.

Diamond Hoggers Classic Rock Song of the Game:

‘Since You’re Gone’ by our all-time favorite rock band, The Cars. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies Tagged With: , , ,

Tonight felt a little bit like last year–if only for one night

August 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Tonight’s 3-2 win finally saw things go the Reds way a little bit. Home runs from Bruce, Renteria, and Votto and a big couple of defensive plays late to hang onto the narrow victory.

The season’s gone, and we can’t love them like we would like to love them. And the victories of the now can’t be as sweet as they were. But for just a night–a perfect August summer night–they were as good as they always were.

This sport really has a way of sobering a fan.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies Tagged With: , ,

The night the Reds season flat-lined

August 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

[Box Score]

The Reds wasted a 3-run blast by Jay Bruce in the 1st inning; and four RBI overall by the right fielder to lose the game 10-7. This was another one of those countless games during this season where no matter what good the Reds did on the night–they were bound and determined to give it right back as soon as they could in the top frame of the next inning.

They’re now 10 games out behind Milwaukee. What a joke. I obviously think that this is a poorly constructed ball club. But they’re not this poorly constructed. A team with the reigning MVP, and ‘star’ prospects dotting the diamond, with a good mix of veterans and decent young pitching should not be underachieving by this stretch.

It’s inexcusable to be honest.

Think about it on it’s most basic plane. What are the Reds? They’re a sports team. Sports teams are meant to be a form of entertainment to us. They’re meant to distract us from the stresses of daily life. To enlighten us. These guys do anything but those things. They piss me off. Almost 4 to 5 times a week. Even the wins on many a night this season have come on a blown lead and they just barely nip and tuck at the end of the game to pull it out–sapping any form of enjoyment out of the game.

This season really has sucked in almost every way imaginable. The Reds should sit around and discuss amongst themselves the great angst they’ve caused their fan base and wonder what each of them has to do to change this course of action for next season. It’s one thing to lose ballgames; but to do it in the fashion that this bunch does it is not normal. It’s always something with these guys–they’re like a hypochondriac that has a new ailment as soon as the doctor gives them a clean bill of health.

Last night, the season truly ended. As if it hadn’t ended during those gut-wrenching losses in Milwaukee just before the All-Star break. Or losing the series to the Astros a week ago. Or losing 2 of 3 to Chicago over this past weekend. This was it. They’re done.

Filed Under: brutal fuckin' teams, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies Tagged With:

One final, mighty roar from Giambles

May 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment


You probably forgot that this guy even still played Major League Baseball, didn’t you? Tucked away on the Rockies roster, spelling Todd Helton from every now and then (some 750 odd career homers between them).

Jason Giambi hit three home runs tonight in Philadelphia. We’re gonna stop short of calling it a Ruthian performance. But there’s something about it that’s kind of cool, right?

Sure he had his run in’s with steroids, and parasites. Someone in every Major League town has a Giambi story through the years. But one of the great power hitters of our era took the field and hit three home runs tonight, showing us possibly one final glimpse of one of the most dominating guys of the decade before.

He’s got 419 career home runs now. There’s no telling how many more he can get before the wheel stops spinning for good. But for at least one more night, Jason Giambi was the most powerful man in baseball. Even at 40 years old.

Filed Under: 3-homer games, Colorado Rockies, Old Hitters Tagged With:

Colorado Rockies 2011 Season Preview

March 18, 2011 by 1 Comment

Leading up to the start of the 2011 Regular Season, Diamond Hoggers will preview each of MLB’s 30 teams . Today’s preview features the Colorado Rockies. Stay tuned as Diamond Hoggers previews every team division by division until the start of the regular season. [Read more...]

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January 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

CarGo is about to get paid big. Initially the Colorado-based media was pretty quiet about the possibility, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweeted that he “would be surprised if deal doesn’t get done” and pegged the details as $80 million for seven years. [Hardball Talk]

Filed Under: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies, long-term contracts, short hops

The Tulowitzski deal makes sense to me

December 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Rockies gave their shortstop a deal that will keep him for lifetime today. It was a 7-year, $134 million dollar deal that will keep Troy Tulowitzski in the Mile High City until 2020.

While the deal didn’t make sense to everyone, it made complete sense to me. I love it.

I think it’s a good deal. It’s win/win for both sides. And hopefully the Cincinnati Reds are taking note. I understand why you build around a guy at age 25 who is at a premium position who is of MVP caliber–and barring an on-field injury–is probable to have Hall of Fame numbers from the position.

Tom Tango agrees that it’s a good deal. There’s plenty of wiggle room for changing the assumptions, as Tom dutifully notes; but the point remains. When you consider the full range of possible outcomes, the Rockies and Tulo seem to have found a reasonable middle ground.

I’ve said it again and again. If you don’t commit and build around someone, then you’re really not giving your organization or fan base any direction. A deal like this gives an entire organization a basis to operate. It sends a message. It says that through all good times and all storms, this is our guy.

Filed Under: Colorado Rockies, Troy Tulowitzki
September 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Why Rockies Chris Nelson’s steal of home was more than a Nick Masset blunder“When Colorado Rockies rookie Chris Nelson stole home in the eighth inning of Thursday’s victory against the Cincinnati Reds, I found myself seated, and more than anything, confused about what had just happened. A rookie, stealing home—the 1st of his career, nonetheless—in a tie game, in the heart of a pennant race. Excweese me? Bacon Powder?But now, days later and after watching far too many replays, I can’t help but believe that Nick Masset set himself up failure.” [The Golden Sombrero]

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Nick Masset, short hops
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