SB Nation - Edwin Bellorin

Saturday Pebble Report: Asheville clinches 2nd half Southern division pennant in the Sally

Russ Oates — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:29:05 -0000

Colorado Springs, L 6-9
The Sky Sox attempted a comeback over the last three innings of the game, but ultimately fell short by a few runs. Greg Smith was roughed up for seven runs in four innings, five of the seven coming the the third inning.

Mike McCoy hit two doubles and Edwin Bellorin drove in three runs.

Tulsa, L 2-3
Chaz Roe allowed eight hits but he saw only two runs cross home plate. Tommy Baumgardner and Edgmer Escalona pitched three innings of scoreless relief, with the former striking out two, the latter three. Andrew Johnston lost the game after starting the inning with a wild pitch, watching Dayton Buller allow a ball passed him, and then a ground-rule double after an out and a walk.

Modesto, L 5-17
Brutal game for Ethan Hollingsworth: 4.1 IP, 14 H,11 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 1 HR. There wasn't an inning he pitched in that was scoreless. And Chris Malone didn't stop the bleeding in the fifth inning, or even after that inning. He allowed two inherited runners to score and saw six more runs score over the last innings of the game.

Modesto batters combined to strike out 15 times and had their best inning in the third when Scott Beerer hit an RBI double and two runs scored on a fielding error.

Asheville, W 4-0
Dan Houston threw seven innings of three-hit ball. He walked three and struck out six. Michael Marbry picked up the save after pitching 1 2/3 innings and striking out two.

Delta Cleary had no hits in one AB, but walked three times. He drove in a run, along with Scott Robinson (who stole his 44th base), Kiel Roling (who had two hits), and Mike Zuanich. Everyone in the lineup struck out at least once to combine for a total of 12 K's.

With the win, Asheville went one game above .500 and secured a spot in the SAL playoffs.

Tri-City, W 7-3
Dan Perkins allowed three runs in the fourth inning, his last inning of work. He also struck out four. Eric Federico, Paul Bargas, and Charlie Ruiz held Boise scoreless and to only three hits over the last five innings.

Kent Matthes hit his fifth homer of the season, and Tim Wheeler and Leonardo Reyes each hit a double. Those were the only extra bases hits for Tri-City last night. Joe Scott struck out four times.

Casper had its game postponed.

Wednesday Rockpile: Ruminations on Seth Smith and Jose Contreras

Jabberwocky — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:34:18 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

For the love of all that is holy, Tracy, play Seth Smith!

Browse more photos »

The Rockies not only ended a five game losing streak with a 8-3 victory over the Mets last night, but they also surged a game ahead over the Giants in the Wild Card race--a lead that I surmise Colorado will not relinquish the rest of the year.

In very related news Seth Smith was in the starting lineup for the Rockies, only his third start in eight games (and with Dexter Fowler on the DL). Smith's 3-4 game raised his wOBA to .394, behind only Todd Helton. Dixie also has the third highest WAR total on the team in limited action.

Despite the glut of outfielders on the Rockies roster, Smith really needs to play more. If that playing time comes at the expense of Brad Hawpe and Ryan Spilborghs, so be it. My hope is that with Jason Giambi on the roster as a left-handed bat off the bench, Jim Tracy will look for Smith to provide more of a starting role.

Speaking of Giambi, the 38 year old slugger made quite an entrance into the Rockies clubhouse. Colorado killed the Mets with their patience last night, drawing seven walks--including two with the bases juiced (an unfortunate idiom for Giambi, who drew one of them). The Rockies are excited about what Giambi brings to the club.

Garrett Atkins got a rare start against a right hander last night and took advantage, going 2-3 with another bases loaded walk. He was only starting because Ian Stewart's wife was giving birth to their first child--congratulations to the Stewart family! Also noted in Renck's article is the fact that Greg Reynolds and Greg Smith were both placed on the 60 day DL to make room for Giambi and Paul Phillips on the 40 man roster.

Contreras Talk

Within this Renck article is news that Aaron Cook expects to throw again in the regular season, though not for another 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, Jose Contreras will get the chance to prove his worth to the Rockies. To make room for Contreras, the Rockies designated catcher Edwin Bellorin for assignment.

ESPN Insider's Keith Law reviews the Contreras deal, liking the move from Colorado's side. His opinion mirrors mine, especially with this money quote:

It's no guarantee, but with Contreras the Rockies at least get the possibility of a few strong outings down the stretch in a race that might be decided by just a game or two.

Buster Olney writes about waiver warfare and while he refers to the Red Sox and Yankees, the NL West performed their own form of an arms race at the waiver trading deadline.

The Rockies were purportedly unfazed by this trading flurry, though I'm not sure I buy that. What I do think is that of the three NL West teams, the Rockies got the best players (if not necessarily the best deals).

Sure, Jim Thome is great at hitting, but he won't be able to play in the field at all (Rob Neyer wonders why he was signed) while Jon Garland and Brad Penny don't have the potential that Contreras brings to the table, Cuban octogenarian or not. So you could say that I'm one of the few brave souls drinking the Contreras Kool-Aid (have some, it's terrific). I guess Ronnie Belliard could tip the scales in LA's favor, you know, if you're into Ronnie Belliard.

Tracy Ringolsby offers a quick and dirty Contreras-Penny comparison for those who remain unconvinced--and there are many of you.

Playoff Odds

Coolstandings (55.4%)

Baseball Prospectus Original/PECOTA/ELO (62.9/54.7/59.6)

Sportsclubstats (Graphical--63.0%) Most likely record is from 89-92 wins according to simulation.

Power Rankings

CBSSports--because I'm sure that somebody wants to read them.

Poll

Who got the best of the waiver trading deadline arms race?

Dodgers: Jim Thome is the best bat and Jon Garland is a workhorse that throws strikes. Plus, Ronnie Belliard!

95 votes

Giants: Brad Penny came cheaply and he has pitched well in the NL West in the past.

55 votes

Rockies: Jason Giambi is no slouch with the bat and offers defensive utility while Jose Contreras has the highest ceiling of the pitchers.

117 votes

267 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday Pebble Report: Jhoulys Chacin and three others combine for a no-hitter

Russ Oates — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:30:34 -0000

PuRPs Discussion Thread: - Purple Row
Don't forget to join in on the pre-PuRPs voting discussion.

Colorado Springs, W 5-0
No-hitter. That's what happened last night for Jhoulys Chacin, Joel Peralta, Juan Rincon, and Randy Flores. Chacin pitched the first 5 1/3 innings of the game, striking out three, but walking three at the same time. Peralta finished the sixth inning, Rincon struck out three over the next two, and Flores struck out two in the ninth.

Chacin used 68 pitches, 38 of which went for a strike. He had an 8-4 GO-FO. And this was his first start at the Triple A level.

The Sky Sox did most of their damage in the sixth inning through a Matt Murton RBI single, a Christian Colonel two-run single, and an Edwin Bellorin RBI double.

Tulsa had the night off.

Modesto, L 1-2 in 11 innings
Bruce Billings (who's still on a pitch count) allowed one run in the second inning, which was the only run Stockton scored in regular innings. Billings wound up pitching in four innings, allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out five. Sean Jarrett, Austin Chambliss, and Joey Williamson allowed no runs over the next six innings before Chris Malone entered the game in the 11th. He loaded the bases on two walks and a single and then saw a single win the game for the Ports.

Jason Van Kooten went 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored the only Modesto run. Lars David put him across the plate in the sixth inning.

Asheville, L 9-10
The Tourists made a valiant attempt at a comeback in the top of the ninth, but those pesky eight-run innings that the Tourist pitchers encounter often prove too much. Juan Nicasio allowed all 10 runs (eight earned), two in the fourth and eight in the fifth. Kurt Yacko struck out four over two innings, Rex Brothers had a clean line on the scorecard after his one inning pitched, and Michael Marbry finished the game.

The offense managed nine runs on seven hits. Jordan Pacheco managed to get two of them, one a solo homer (13) in the first and a two-run single in the ninth. Kiel Roling knocked in two in the fourth inning on his 16th homer. Delta Cleary and Scott Robinson drove in the other two runs, the former's coming on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.

Tri-City, L 1-2
Jose Gonzalez hit into a force out to drive in the Dust Devils' only run of the game in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Hungerman and Bo Bowman committed back-to-back errors that eventually led to both runs scoring that inning. Bowman missed a catch on a throw by Joe Sanders, and then Josh Hungerman made a bad throw on a single that allowed the runner on first to score. Another single after that scored the second and winning run of the game.

Casper, W 7-4
Clint Tilford allowed two run on five hits and three walks in three innings. Five more pitchers entered the game after Tilford, and four of the five allowed no runs. Leuris Gomez allowed two runs in the seventh.

Nathan Hines hit his sixth homer; Chandler Laurent collected three hits and three RBI; and Nick Valdez had three hits and an RBI. Eliezer Mesa stole his 10th base.

Sunday Pebble Report: Sky Sox earn a walkoff win, Modesto's pen blows up (so does Tri-City's offense), more

theoldgrizzlybear — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:48:15 -0000

Colorado Springs: W 6-5

Matt Murton hit a walkoff two-run double in the bottom of the 11th to cap off a 3-for-6 evening, and the Sky Sox also got multi-hit games from Jon Herrera, Matt Miller, Christian Colonel, and Edwin Bellorin. Brandon Hynick's sixth inning single raised his batting average to .357. On the mound, Hynick turned in a quality start, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings. He was troubled by walks though, as issued four of them. Mike Timlin allowed a run in an inning of work and struck out two, and Randy Flores and Matt Herges held serve until Joel Peralta came in and allowed a tiebreaking homer to Carlos Corporan in the top half of the 11th.

Tulsa: W 1-0

Ryan Harvey hit an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning, and although it was one of just four hits for the Drillers, it was enough to win the ball game because of the pitching performance of Brandon Durden. Durden pitched 7.1 innings of six-hit shutout ball, striking out two and putting up a 14:6 groundout-to-flyout ratio. Edgmer Escalona and Andrew Johnston (who picked up his 28th save) slammed the door on Springfield.

Modesto: L 11-4

Kenneth Durst pitched quite well in 6.1 innings, striking out 6 batters while allowing three runs, but the bullpen had a serious meltdown - something we fortunately don't see a whole lot throughout the organization - and the offense wasn't able to make up for it. Sean Jarrett, Austin Chambliss, and Randall Taylor allowed a combined 8 runs, and the Nuts' hitters were held without an extra base hit. Jay Cox had a couple of singles, and Charlie Blackmon walked twice.

Asheville: W 6-2

Kiel Roling (2 hits, HR) and Mike Zuanich (3 hits, HR) carried the load offensively for the Tourists, and Dan Houston turned in a shaky start (5 innings, 5 walks) before turning it over to the bullpen combination of Kurt Yacko (3 K's in 1.2 IP) and Michael Marbry, who were able to preserve the victory.

Tri-City: W 9-2

The Dust Devils punched out 18 hits in the game, and despite allowing too many walks, they were able to minimize the damage on the pitching side, as Spokane only had 5 hits. Six different Tri-City hitters had multi-hit games, led by Tim Wheeler (3-for-5), Jeremiah Sammy (4 hits, 2 RBI), and Dallas Tarleton (3-for-5).

Casper: L 6-2

The Ghosts experienced quite a bit of failure with runners in scoring position (2-for-14), as they had 11 hits - 6 for extra bases - but only came away with 2 runs. Nolan Arenado (2-for-5), Brandon Whitby (2-for-4), and Angelys Nina (3-for-3) were the stars offensively for Casper. Kyle Hancock took a hard luck loss, as he gave up just two hits in four innings and didn't walk anybody, but was a victim of bad defense, as he allowed three unearned runs. He also struck out seven batters. Trevor Gibson pitched a scoreless eighth, and struck out two.

Friday Pebble Report: Buster Posey can't hit Greg Smith's 88 mph FB, Joe Table's nephew putting on the hits with Casper,

Rox Girl — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:52:00 -0000

Colorado Springs: L 6-7

I guess the thing to look at in last night's box score was the work of the MLB experienced pitchers that may help the Rockies later. Greg Smith had a decent start, Jason Hirsh struggled in his second relief appearance of the season, and Ryan Speier pitched well. Smith's performance along with that of Brandon Hynick with the Sky Sox thus far is decent to keep in the back of your head in case an injury bug hits our rotation. These guys aren't going to meet the level of our current starters at their best, but they aren't going to damage us terribly at the bottom end. The other good news from this game was despite the loss, our pitchers made Buster Posey look bad in his AAA debut:

Fresno Top 1st

Buster Posey grounds out like a weak four year old girl, shortstop Mike McCoy to first baseman Edwin Bellorin.

Fresno Top 4th

Buster Posey grounds out, third baseman Kenny Perez to first baseman Edwin Bellorin and starts crying. Buster Posey moves to time out on the play.

Fresno Top 6th

Buster Posey out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Daniel Ortmeier. Eugenio Velez scores. Buster Posey given lollipop and pat on head by Grizzlies manager.

Fresno Top 8th

Buster Posey grounds out, shortstop Mike McCoy to first baseman Edwin Bellorin. Right side of Sky Sox infield gets jealous.

Fresno Top 10th

Buster Posey merely flies out to center fielder Chris Frey in Colorado Springs, where even Kenny Perez can hit dingerz.

Well, that's how I read it anyway. Demoralizing the enemy at the minor league level probably doesn't help us win the wild card, but it makes me feel happy.

Tulsa: Postponed

Modesto: W 3-1

Connor Graham continues to be just good enough to be a legit prospect right outside the elites of the Rockies system, but not good enough to get into that next level. At this point given his age, his stuff and the starting depth that the Rockies already have, I have to think his role with the MLB team in two or three seasons will be in relief, and he's going to be good at it.

Charlie Blackmon had three hits and a walk to once again lead the Nuts offense. Rhadames Nazario also pitched in two hits.

Asheville: L 2-7

Kiel Roling had two hits including a double and Tyler Massey also had a pair of hits. Ethan Hollingsworth had one of his least efficient starts of the season, but still managed to put up some pretty impressive numbers, striking out ten while walking two. He gave up three runs on seven hits in five and two thirds innings.

Tri-City: W 3-2

Rod Scurry got one of those wins that detractors of the stat point to as a reason it's fundamentally flawed, as Scurry gave up the most runs of any Dust Devil pitcher to throw last night (2), in the least amount of time (one third of an inning), but because the offense rallied to save his tail in the next inning, he got the W rather than Sheng An Kuo, who allowed zero runs in five and two thirds or one of the other relievers. Speaking of those other relievers, we haven't talked about Kyle Walker much this season, but he is showing some nascent lefty specialist skills. Walker threw 1.2 innings last night in the win. On offense, Ben Paulsen, Orlando Sandoval and Jeremiah Sammy each had two hits.

Casper: W 8-1

Eliezer Mesa had a 4 for 5 night for the Ghosts, he has ten hits in his last four games and is now seven hits ahead of Angelys Nina for tops on the team. Trying to figure out how Mesa measures as a prospect, if at all, is kind of difficult. The obvious cons:

He's repeating the level
He doesn't walk
He doesn't hit for power (4 out of 27 hits for extra bases in an easy power environment)
He doesn't steal enough for a speedster
When he signed, we were told he may wind up in a corner, which makes cons one through four worse.

Honestly, this should be enough to write him off, and it's why we don't really talk about him much in our Pebble Reports. However, it's not quite that simple as there are reasons not to totally dismiss him just yet.

The pros:

Still at least somewhat young (21 in November)
Pro bloodlines. Don't discount this as an X-factor as a familial professional resource has helped several otherwise midgrade prospects hone their skills to the point that they actually deserved MLB jobs. EY2 would be a prime example.
He gets hits. Contact is king at the lower levels and Mesa isn't striking out very much, particularly lately. If you subscribe to the theory that power develops late, why not keep him around and see what happens?
He's playing center field right now and playing it pretty decently.

Chances are he stays what he is as another decent average, no power outfielder that will have difficulty cracking a AAA squad let alone an MLB team. There's little chance he cracks our top 30 prospect list anytime soon, but that doesn't mean we're completely ignoring him. Mesa's in a look but don't touch phase of development, still just an egg.

Thursday Pebble Report: Three Driller hurlers shine in Texas League All-Star Game

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:48:06 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Just like the parent club, four Rox farm teams suffered close and disappointing losses last night.

Browse more photos »

AAA Colorado Springs, L 6-7 - (46-33, 1st)

Jason Hirsh could not keep the momentum going after his fantastic previous start. He was rocked for 6 runs (5 earned) in the first three innings by the Sacramento Bees (Angels), putting the Sky Sox in a hole they could not recover from. Hirsh has allowed 5+ ER in 3 of his last 4 starts and 5 of 7.

The Sox did most of their damage off Francisco Rodriguez (not K-Rod) in the sixth. Daniel Ortmeier and Christian Colonel walked, then Chris Frey dobled to plate two and Eric Young Jr. singled him home. They loaded the bases down two with one out in the ninth. Edwin Bellorin brought them within one with a walk, but Frey grounded out, forcing Jonathan Herrera at home and EYJ couldn't come through in the clutch.

Matt Miller reached base four times and Daniel Ortmeier scored three times. Every slot in the order got a hit except Mike McCoy - starting DH Jeff Baker was 0-3, but Mark Bellhorn singled while pinch-hitting for him (perhaps after the news of Baker being traded?) in the ninth.

Tonight's game pits Alan Johnson (7-3, 5.87) against Shane Loux (0-1, 3.86) at 7:05MDT at Secutiry Service Field.

AA Tulsa, Off Day - (2-3, 2.0 GB)

The Drillers had their second straight off day, but five Drillers played in the Texas League All-Star Game, helping the North defeat the South 2-1. Esmil Rogers, Jhoulys Chacin and Andrew Johnston each threw a scoreless inning - Johnston earned the "save." Jeff Kindel went 0-4 as the starting first baseman, and starting shortstop Daniel Mayora was 0-2.

Tulsa will travel to Corpus Christi to take on the Hooks (Astros) at 6:05MDT tonight. Chaz Roe (2-1, 2.55) earned his first loss in his last stat despite not allowing an earned run; in avenging hs loss, he'll be opposed by Sergio Perez (6-6, 4.60 ERA).

Get to know one of the top catching prospects in the organization - 20 Questions with Michael McKenry. Interesting note: he threw out the first pitch at age 5 for one of Michael Jordan's minor league games.

High-A Modesto, L 0-2 - (2-5, 3.5 GB)

In just his fourth start of the season, Ryan Tatsuko (2-2, 3.06) of the Bakersfield Blaze was just two outs from a no-hitter when Hector Gomez stepped in the box in the ninth inning. In his third game since returning from injury, Gomez laced a line drive single to center for what would be the only Nut hit. Kenny Durst (2-7, 5.10) took the loss despite pitching his longest game of the year (Jason Hammel anyone?), going 7.1 IP, allowing both Blaze runs.

The Nuts take on the Blaze again tonight at 8:05 MDT.

Low-A Asheville, L 1-3 - (4-2, 1st)

The Savannah Sand Gnats (Mets) ended Asheville's three game winning streak in spite of three errors and only three hits. All the damage came on Raul Reyes' third home run, a three-run shot. Whew - Larry Walker would be proud. Jonnathan Aristil (0-5, 5.01) allowed all three hits and runs. Tyler Massey and Ryan Peisel hit consecutive doubles for the lone Tourist run. Peisel added another double and Scott Robinson singled to wrap up the Tourists' offense for the night. Beau Seabury struck out with two runners in scoring position to end the game.

The two teams face off tonight at 5:00MDT, starting pitchers TBA.

SS A Tri-City, W 6-4 - (10-2, 1st)

In yesterday's Rockpile comments, Rox Girl noted the power surge of Mike Zuanich. No jinx there. Zuanich hit his 6th home run in just 32 AB's for the Dust Devils this season while Kevin Clark hit his first home run of the season against the Boise Hawks (Cubs). Clark started the season in Modesto but dropped to Tri-City June 22. A Joey Wong double and Tim Wheeler single was all the DDevils could muster, but they took advantage of walks and errors to push across six runs.

The teams meet up again tonight at 8:15 MDT.

Rookie Casper, L 5-6, W 4-3 (9 inn) - (2-7, 5 GB)

The Ghosts played a double header against Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals) to make up for the rainout June 26. In Game 1, Casper wasted 2-hit games by CF Eliezer Mesa, LF Chandler Laurent (I want to call him Ralph), C Dustin Garneau and RF Avery Barnes but blowing a 4-1 lead in the final two innings. David Born and Clinton McKinney combined to allow five runs in sixth and seventh.

In Game 2, C Brandon Whitby hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the seventh at midnight to send the game to extra innings with a 2-2 score. After Alejandro Barraza gave the Chukars the lead by yielding a triple and sac fly in the top of the 9th, the Ghosts stormed back for a walkoff win. Whiby singled, Laurent doubled him home and then scored the final run on a Mesa fielder's choice. The game ended at almost 1:00AM local time.

The Ghosts play the Chukars again tonight at 7:15 MDT.

Wednesday Pebble Report: Tulsa needs playoff game to win 1st half title; Casper starts season with a dud

Russ Oates — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:56:23 -0000

Colorado Springs, L 2-4
Matt Miller had a sac fly to score Colorado Springs' only run and Edwin Bellorin drove in Dan Ortmeier in the ninth. Eric Young Jr. stole his 43rd base. Alan Johnson allowed four runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Tulsa, W 13-1
Anthony Jackson surprisingly hit a three-run homer as part of the offensive onslaught by the Drillers last night. Cole Garner had a solo homer (6). Michael McKenry went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Brad Corley and Rex Rundgren had two hits each and drove in two and three runs, respectively.

Esmil Rogers allowed a run on eight hits in eight innings. He struck out seven. Seventy-six of his 111 pitches went for strikes.

There will be a one-game playoff on Friday to decide the North Division title between Tulsa and Springfield.

Modesto had the day off due to the California League-Carolina League All-Star Game.

SAL All-Star Game
Scott Robinson went 0-for-5 with 3 strikeouts, and Jimmy Cesario and Jordan Pacheco went hitless in their lone ABs.

Tri-City, W 3-2
Kent Matthes hit a two-run double in the first inning and was thrown out at third on the play while trying to stretch it to a triple. He then had a sac fly in the sixth. Scott Beerer went 0-for-4.

Daniel Perkins started and allowed one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five before leaving as a result of his 75-pitch count. Charlie Ruiz picked up his first save, and Joey Wong went 2-for-3.

Tim Wheeler will make his debut tonight.

Casper, L 1-10
Kyle Hancock probably wants a mulligan after last night's start. He went 4 1/3 innings, allowed eight runs on ten hits, and threw a WP. His GO-FO was 5-5. Chad Rose struck out three in 1 2/3 innings. Juan Rodriguez had a problem with the strike zone, walking five batters.

2B Angelys Nina had a double and RG Chandler Laurent hit a triple. The team went 0-for-11 with RISP.

Thursday Pebble Report: Springs, Tulsa and Modesto inch closer to division lead

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:17:45 -0000

AAA Colorado Springs, W 8-6 - (37-29, 0.5 GB)

The Sky Sox overcame another rocky start from Alan Johnson, who gave up six runs on twelve hits in five innings to the Salt Lake Bees (Angels). He has given up 5+ ER in six of his last eight starts but got the win yesterday to improve to 7-2 with a 6.21 ERA, thanks to an 8-run, 15 hit offensive attack by the Springs.

The Sky Sox version of Ben Zobrist - Mike McCoy - started in CF, finished in LF, and collected three hits and a double. Christian Colonel hit a home run (4) and Edwin Bellorin rapped three singles as every player got a hit except Mark Bellhorn.

Colorado Springs travels to Fresno to open up a four game set with the Grizzlies (Giants) tonight at 7:05 MDT.

AA Tulsa, W 11-2 - (34-30, 1.0 GB)

Tulsa drilled the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) by piling on 12 hits and 11 runs, 10 of which came in innings 5-7. Jeff Kindel homered (3) and drove in four runs, Cole Garner doubvled twice and singled, Danny Sandoval singled three times and Anthony Jackson walked four times on his 25th birthday.

Keith Weiser (5-5, 4.24) got his fifth win by allowing justone hit on three runs in six innings. With the win, Tulsa pulled one game ahead of NW Arkansas for second place and within one game of Springfield for the Texas League North Division lead with six games left to play.

Esmil Rogers (5-2, 2.82) will take his sparkly ERA to Arkansas to take on the Travelers (Angels) and Barret Browning (0-4, 3.22) tonight at 6:10 MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 6-2 - (38-28, 1.0 GB)

Connor Graham (4-3, 3.13) twirled a gem against the Stockton Ports (A's) while protecting a one run lead for most of the game, allowing no runs on four hits in 6.2 IP. Graham has quietly been the best starter on the Nuts' staff, and his 3.89 tRA suggest it isn't a fluke. He has allowed 9 runs in his past five starts, and five of them came in his previous start June 12.

The Nuts finally broke through with a five-run inning in the sixth, providing the necessary breathing room. The inning started with a Maikol Gonzalez single followed by a 2-run HR from Jay Cox (9). Matt Repec tripled and scored on a Jeffrey Cunningham single. Radames Nazario doubled him to third, then both scored on a Brian Rike double. Every Nut got a hit except Wilin Rosario, who is in a 2-for-14 slide with 6 strikeouts.

Modesto sits one game behind California League North leaders Visalia and San Jose with just four games left before the All-Star Game. They will have a good chance to be division champs as the face the CAL cellar dwelling Lancaster Jet Hawks (Astros) for four games, starting tonight at 8:05 MDT.

Low-A Asheville, L 1-5 - (25-41, 13.0 GB)

Usually, giving up four hits is a good recipe for a win, but not when you get one less than that yourselves. David Christensen singled in the first, then Delta Cleary doubled and scored on a Jordan Pacheco single in the third for a short-lived 1-0 lead against the Greenville Drive (Red Sox).

Jonnathan Aristil (0-3, 4.95) allowed all four hits and five runs in the game shortened to five innings. His fourth-inning meltdown started with a walk and Ryan Peisel error in trying to turn a double play. Aristil then gave up a single and double before retiring two men before David Mailman delivered a 2-out 3-run home run.

Parker Frazier (2-5, 5.69) will close out the 3-game set with the drive tonight in Asheville at 5:05 MDT.

Tuesday Rockpile: Draft Day 1, and Ian Stewart is now your 3B

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:54:36 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Aaron Cook represents the only pitcher on the Rockies roster that they drafted out of high school, and that was 12 years ago. Will they stick to their MO and pick a safe college arm or go the prep route?

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It's getting drafty

The Rockies' struggles to begin the 2009 season made us long for Rocktober past. Their present success certainly yields optimism, if only held close to the chest. But today is about the future, as the first day of the MLB amateur draft starts tonight. The Rockies' first pick is 11th, the franchise's second lowest pick of the decade, but we also have 3 of the top 34 picks. Only four othe teams have two first-round picks.

The draft will air on MLB Network starting at 4:00pm MDT today and will go through the 50th round on Thursday. If you are without the Network, follow it using MLB.com's 2009 DraftCentral or their 2009 DraftTracker. As you might have expected, you can follow the MLB Draft (MLBDraft) on Twitter as well, and we will have a live draft thread here later in the day.

Renck: Rockies need to avoid the safe pick - The Denver Post Troy Renck practically pleads "Just don't play it safe. Open the wallet and take a chance." That's probably a plea in vain, but is shared with many fans. His particular favorite pick at 11 would be HS RHP Matt Hobgood. Rex Brothers, Mike Leake, Alex White and Tim Wheeler have also been listed as possibilities that Renck notes the Rockies have interest in.

Kyle Gibson, a No-brainer at No. 11 - Purple Row David Oh No stopped back in last night for the first time since I ever commented once here on the Row. In case you have missed it, he makes a compelling case as to why injured Mizzou RHP Kyle Gibson is the perfect fit for the Rockies at pick # 11. Russ profiled Gibson in February as well: Draft Profile: Kyle Gibson, RHP, University of Missouri - Purple Row

If you're curious about some of the top round talent with the bats, Beyond the Box Score has an in depth analysis on the 2009 MLB Draft's College Hitters Crop.

Here's a couple recent mock drafts from MLBDraftSite and MyMLBDraft.com. One site has the Rockies taking Gibson, and another Alex White, who in other mock drafts has gone as high as fourth.

Stewart tops area's prospects - The Denver Post Neil Devlin picks out a few Colorado prospects that could go in the draft. Fort Collins' own Jake Stewart tops the list despite signing a letter of intent with Stanford. C Justin Byrd (Arapahoe) and OF's Micah Green (Cherokee Trail) and Pat Hirschberg (Chaparral). Don't be surprised if the Rockies take a flyer on C Bennett Pickar (Eaton) either. He played with and just graduated with Dick Monfort's son Sterling on the Reds' undefeated 3A state championship team. I actually saw Pickar playing as early as fifth grade. The dude has been a grinder his whole life.

Other News

Stewart named NL Player of the Week : Ian Stewart was rewarded for his breakout week with not only a flurry to the fantasy wire but also the NL Player of the Week. Naturally, he went 0-for-5 with 2 K's in his next start after receiving the distinction.

Three-day draft has plenty of pitchers to pick from - The Denver Post
Troy Renck points out that the Rockies have hardly spent a dime on free agent pitchers in past years, so success from the hill will be built from the draft. Renck looks at some possibilities, but buried in the footnotes of the article was:

[Ian Stewart] is taking over for Garrett Atkins at third base. "But this is not the end for Garrett. I will look for matchups for him," Tracy said

You have to hand it to Tracy for making the decision and sticking with it, instead of jumping around all over the place. Given that Stewart mashes lefties with no mercy, those "matchups" may be hard to come by.

Iannetta due back Tuesday, Torrealba late in the week : The catcher quandry is coming back into focus. Chris Iannetta will return to the big club today, most likely at the expense of Edwin Bellorin. Yorvit Torrealba hopes to return by this weekend at the earliest, which will mean exposing Paul Phillips to waivers.

In case you haven't noticed, the Rockies are hot. I'm sure everyone has a heavy dose of optimism right now, so to temper it, here's two points. The last five games have been played at a ridiculously unsustainable level. Less sustainable than the giant pile of suck that was April and May. Then there's this:

National League Wild Card Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
New York	30	25	.545	-	Won 1
St. Louis	31	27	.534	0.5	Lost 4
Chicago	28	26	.518	1.5	Won 1
Cincinnati	29	27	.517	1.5	Lost 1
San Francisco	29	27	.517	1.5	Lost 1
Atlanta	28	28	.500	2.5	Won 2
Florida	28	31	.474	4	Won 1
San Diego	27	30	.473	4	Won 1
Pittsburgh	26	31	.456	5	Lost 2
Houston	25	30	.454	5	Won 1
Colorado	25	32	.438	6	Won 5
Arizona	25	33	.431	7	Lost 1
Washington	15	40	.272	15	Lost 1

(updated 6.9.2009 at 7:33 AM MDT)

Sure, six games is not a lot. But the ten teams ahead of the Rockies are. For them to lose, someone has to win, and two-thirds of those teams opponents are the very same as the ones we need to lose. Then consider that much of this upward movement would need to happen by the All-Star Break, or we would likely be sellers at the trade deadline, making the completion of a comeback practically impossible. Enjoy the hot streak, just don't set yourself up to get your heart broken.

Poll

Who are you hoping the Rockies select with pick #11?

Matt Hobgood

8 votes

Alex White

11 votes

Tim Wheeler

2 votes

Rex Brothers

3 votes

Kyle Gibson

18 votes

Grant Green

1 votes

Mike Leake

6 votes

Shelby Miller

1 votes

Stephen Strasburg LOL

23 votes

I like none of them. I'm just hoping that somehow, someway, Aaron Crow or Tanner Scheppers falls to us

11 votes

Other

3 votes

87 votes | Poll has closed

Rockies 10, Cardinals 1: Rox Cook up a mighty Stew of Redbirds again

Poseidon's Fist — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:06:01 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

Ian Stewart has been watching a lot of his flyballs land in the outfield seats lately.

Browse more photos »

Box Score

It's officially good to be a Rockies fan again. At least for now. Colorado bludgeoned St. Louis for the second straight day Saturday night, easily taking the W with a 10-1 win over Todd Wellemeyer (5-6, 5.32).

The story coming in was on Carlos Gonzalez first start in a Rockies uniform. He went 0-4 with a FO, GO (would have been an IF 1B if not for Albert Pujols), and 2 K's. Instead, another talented young lefty masher took center stage.

When Troy Tulowitzki got hurt June 2, Jim Tracy took it as an opportunity to put Ian Stewart in the lineup. Despite Tulowitzki being cleared to play, Tracy went with the hot-hitting Stewart again, and it paid off in a big way. Stewart smacked a 3-run 2-out HR in the 4th to give Colorado a commanding lead in a game that Aaron Cook's sinker was working. In his next at-bat, he roped a 2-run 2-out HR following a Brad Hawpe double. Both home runs came on breaking pitches, and the second was a display of pure strength by deposited the soft toss deep in the left-center field seats.

He also doubled down the left field line and turned a similar batted ball into an out with a highlight reel backhand and jump throw. After his ninth inning double, he scored from third base on a grounder to third when the throw bounced off his helmet. Practically everything the 2003 1st round pick did tonight was golden. I kid you not - the commentator during SportsCenter said called Stew "the best player in the world." The label is obviously in jest, but it will be tough for any player to top his game tonight.

In the four games since Tulowitzki's injury, Stewart has gone 10-for-17 with 4 HR and 12 RBIs in raising his batting average 57 points from .177 to .231.

Clint Barmes also hit a 3-run HR in the ninth off Blake Hawksworth (who was making his MLB debut) to give the Rox the winning 9-run margin.

23 - 32

Pace: 68-94

Pyth W-L: 27-28

Last Year: 20-35

Nearly lost in the offensive explosion was the whale of a ballgame pitched by Aaron Cook (4-3, 4.50), who went eight innings and allowed just four hits and a walk. The only run he allowed was a solo home run by Rick Ankiel that Carlos Gonzalez might have caught if not for a fan's grubby fingers. He faced 28 batters, got 15 ground balls and only allowed 5 batted balls to leave the ground. He has now gotten his ERA to a season low 4.50 and has allowed one or less runs in 4 of his last 7 starts.

Some juicy notes on the game:

The win gave Colorado its first three game win streak since Jason Marquis pitched the Rockies to a 3-1 record in the Home Opener. Ironically, Saturday's attendance was the largest to see a Rockies game since that home opener April 10.
The Rox scored 10+ runs for the third straight game. However, they failed to reach 10 hits in the last two games. Coming into the series, the Cardinals' staff had the best ERA in MLB. It's all Coors Field! Or not.
The last time the Rockies scored 10+ runs in three straight games was ironically also on the road, at Petco Park, April 7-9, 2006.
Eight of the 10 runs scored with two out.
Albert Pujols had his MLB record tying streak of reaching base 2+ times in a game broken Friday night. He did not reach base Saturday at all.
The Rockies hit three home runs for the second straight game. Two of them were three-run home runs. Colorado had zero 3-run HR the first two months of the season.
Colorado has outscored their opponents 31-8 in the last three days, giving them a perfectly even run differential on the season.
We are now on pace for 192 team HR. That's the most since 2004, the year Todd Helton, Vinny Castilla and Jeromy Burnitz combined for 104.
Ian Stewart is on pace to hit 34 HR and get 98 RBI despite not reaching 400 ABs. With a .221 average.

WPA Heroes:
Aaron Cook (.254) - 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 1 BB; 0-for-3, 1 K
Ian Stewart (.280) - 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R
Seth Smith (.029) - 2-for-4, BB, 2 R

WPA Zeroes:
Brad Hawpe (-.052) - 1-for-4, 2B, 2 R
Edwin Bellorin (-.033), 1-for-4

You know it was a good game when your worst two players by WPA each got a hit and one scored twice.

Quiet Star:
Matt Daley made his first appearance since being activated off of the disabled list in the ninth inning. As he toed the rubber, directly in front of him manning the third base was umpire Tim Welke, the same ump that sent Daley to the DL his last time on the field by throwing the bat under his foot. Daley retired all three men he faced on just eight pitches.

Rowbot Roll Call

biondino, WolfMarauder, Silverblood, Rockie4Ever, mkorpal, befizzle, Poseidon's Fist, djmbluemoon, Narcoleptico, OrangeTorpedo, Teekalong, ALrockies, oo_nrb, nodakroxfan, BroJB, walkoff59, coolopotamous, and RockiesMagicNumber witnessed the extraordinary game.

WolfMarauder was the only centurion again, but barely this time.

Comment of the night:

OH MY GOD THIS IS FREAKING FREAKING AWESOME

by Rockie4Ever on Jun 6, 2009 7:32 PM MDT