Giants Sweep Rockies, Tie for Wild Card

The Colorado Rockies have fallen into a bit of a slump, at a point in the season where slumping could make or break a team’s playoff hopes.

The Rockies traveled to San Francisco for the weekend, leading them three games in the Wild Card race. They left tonight dead even, after losing their season-high fifth straight game to the Colorado Rockies, 9-5.

After the Rockies a game earlier this week against the Giants on a 14th inning grand slam, the G-men were looking for revenge, and SS Edgar Renteria delivered. In the top of the seventh inning, Renteria broke the game open with a grand slam of his own, giving the Giants a lead they would not relinquish.

The Rockies came to San Fran after losing 2 of 3 to the division leading L.A. Dodgers; both teams are now six games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.

The Rockies host the ailing New York Mets in a three-game series starting Tuesday.

Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 11:31 pm by bryan

Rockies, Umps Share Words, Could Share Penalties

Some umpires and Colorado Rockies players could be facing sanctions because they feuded during the Rockies’ 14-inning thriller with the Giants on Monday night.

Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson called the matter “serious” on Tuesday, telling the Associated Press that the MLB is looking further into the matter.

The Denver Post reported that second base umpire Bill Miller called catcher Yorvit Torrealba a derogatory name while he served as a baserunner late in the game. Both teams complained about the calls of the home plate umpire, Angel Campos, causing Miller’s comments to light the powder keg.

When the game ended, Torrealba let loose on Miller, chastising him for criticizing Torrealba’s body language. Miller reportedly told Torrealba that “he was out of line to show up Campos through his body language on calls he didn’t feel were going the Rockies’ way.”

“We are investigating,” Watson told the AP. “This is a serious matter and we will take a serious look at it. We’re looking at both players and umpires.”

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 8:08 pm by bryan

Rockies add Giambi

The Colorado Rockies have signed free agent first baseman Jason Giambi after he was released by the Oakland Athletics.

He really struggled with Oakland this year, batting under .200 with just 11 home runs and 40 RBI’s in 83 games.

Giambi is expected to report to a minor league affiliate and will then join the Rockies once rosters expand September 1.

The first baseman had been on the disabled list since July 22 because of a strained right quadriceps muscle. He was then released.

at 7:42 pm by steve

Rockies Continue Wild Ride, Beat Dodgers in 10

The Rockies continued their magical climb to the playoffs on Tuesday, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 in 10 innings and moving within two games of the Dodgers for the division lead in the NL West. The Rockies trailed the Dodgers by 15 ½ games on June 3.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning against James McDonald with one out and the bases loaded.

“We feel them coming. That is a good team,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “They keep playing. That’s what you want a team to do is keep playing. They are very dangerous because they keep coming at you.

After seeing his teammates mob Ryan Spilbroughs after his game-winning grand slam the night before, Tulowitzki ran straight towards center field after rounding first base, where only a few teammates tracked him down.

With closer Huston Street sidelined for the night, the Rockies gave up two runs in the top of the ninth, including Manny Ramirez’s two-out, two-strike RBI single that tied the game at four.

Colorado (72-54), who leads the NL Wild Card race, moved 18 games above .500 for the first time in team history.

at 5:59 pm by bryan

Rockies Walk Off With 14th Inning Slam

The Colorado Rockies couldn’t have asked for a much more thrilling conclusion to their decisive four-game series against the San Francisco Giants, as OF Ryan Spilborghs hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 14th inning of Monday night’s game to clinch the series for the Rockies.

Spilborghs missed an earlier opportunity to end the game when he grounded into a double play with a man on third during the 10th inning. He then misread a hit by Edgar Renteria that bounced off the outfield wall and turned into a triple, starting a three-run rally for the Giants in the 14th.

“I had a chance off [Brian] Wilson and missed my opportunity,” Spilborghs said. “And then I felt like I missed the ball with Renteria and he got a triple. I was almost shaking because I wanted a chance to redeem myself.”

Redeem himself he did, as he blasted reliever Merkin Valdez’s 96-mph fastball into the Colorado bullpen to secure the win for the Rockies.

Colorado won the last three games of the series against the Giants, bolstering their Wild Card lead on the Giants to four games. The Giants won’t have to wait long for their chance at revenge – after welcoming the Dodgers for a three-game series starting tonight, the Rockies head down to San Francisco on Friday for the end of the season series against the Giants.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 7:28 pm by bryan

Rocks Win Rubber Game Against Giants

After splitting the first two games of the series, the Colorado Rockies stormed back in a pitchers’ duel and furthered their lead on the Giants in the Wild Card race.

One night after a thrilling 14-11 Colorado victory - one where the Giants held a 5-run lead at one point - both teams turned to their ace pitchers on Sunday.  The Rockies’  Ubaldo Jiminez - who has come on extremely hot as of late, sporting a 5-0 record in his last five starts - outdueled 2008 NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum in a 4-2 victory at Coors Field in Colorado.

The Giants struck early, scoring two in the second inning as Lincecum took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning.  Todd Helton broke the no hitter with a single off the glove of shortstop Edgar Renteria.  After walking Brad Hawpe with two outs, Lincecum gave up a RBI single to Ian Stewart that sliced the Giants’ lead in half.

It went from bad to worse quickly for Lincecum - in the seventh inning, he gave up a leadoff walk before allowing Seth Smith to belt a 2-run home run two batters later.

The Rockies extended their Wild Card lead over the Giants to three games, with one game left at Coors Field to play on Monday night.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 11:54 pm by bryan

Rockies Win in Barnburner

The Colorado Rockies ripped an incredible 14-11 win against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night, reopening a two-game lead in the NL Wild Card race against the Giants.

In the first 14 innings of the series against San Francisco, the Giants were having their way with Colorado.  Then Ian Stewart and Todd Helton chimed in with home runs in a seven-run sixth inning and the Rockies didn’t look back.

The Rocks scored 11 runs in the sixth and seventh inning to blow the game wide open, with the Giants scoring five runs in the last two innings to make the score at least appear respectable.

The Rockies’ Jorge De La Posa pitched six innings, allowing six runs on eight hits while striking out five, and Dexter Fowler tripled twice in the Rockies’ victory.

The Rockies still have two more games against the Giants on the weekend series; if they split the series, they leave two games up in the Wild Card race and comfortably cruising towards the postseason.  If the Giants sweep the rest of the series… call for panic in Colorado.

at 1:44 am by bryan

Rockies Drop Opener of Crucial Homestand

In a battle for the NL Wild Card lead this weekend, the Rockies lost the opening game to their hottest competition, the San Francisco Giants, by a score of 6 to 3. The loss pulled the Giants within a game of the NL Wild Card lead.

Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand smashed a 3-run homer and Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez got through a solid five innings of work, only allowing one unearned run on two hits while watching the Giants accumulate six runs in the early going.

The Rockies were without Troy Tulowitski, who sat out due to illness, and starting pitcher Aaron Cook headed to the locker room in the fourth inning with a sore right shoulder. He was tagged for four runs on three hits with four walks in the three innings that he pitched (he was removed in the fourth after giving up a leadoff walk).

With a win tomorrow, the Giants could tie the Rockies for the Wild Card lead, leaving two more games to play in this weekend’s series.

Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 12:48 am by bryan

Rockies split doubleheader

The Colorado Rockies split a doubleheader with the Florida Marlins, one of their biggest oppositions in the wild card race.
 
After losing the first game of the doubleheader, the Rockies bounced back behind Jorge De La Rosa to take the nightcap.
 
The win allowed the Rockies to split the doubleheader and more importantly avoid losing ground to the streaking Marlins.
 
The Rockies currently lead the wild card race but the Marlins have been on a roll over the past few weeks.

Monday, August 17, 2009 at 6:58 pm by steve

Tulowitzki Hits For Cycle

While the Colorado Rockies find themselves firmly in the Wild Card hunt, one of their players notched his own special accolade last week, as Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs in an 11-5 Rockies win over the Chicago Cubs last Monday.

Tulowitzki cites teammate Brad Hawpe as the only reason he actually hit for the cycle, as Hawpe had some inspirational words once Tulowitzki only needed a triple to complete his historic night.

“We were sitting on the bench together and he was telling me, ‘If you get anywhere close to getting a triple you better go,’” Tulowitzki said. “I honestly think if it weren’t for him I would have stopped at second.”

Tulowitzki slid head-first into third base during the 7th inning, completing his cycle and giving the Rockies their first in nine years (fifth ever).

“I thought I was going to be out, but I keep going back to Hawpe,” he said. “He said he would have been upset if I didn’t try.”

He had a chance at even more RBIs, but a potential grand slam in the second run was ruled foul in the first-ever video replay at Coors Field.

Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 11:27 pm by bryan