Rockies eliminated by Phillies

The Colorado Rockies postseason magic ran out before Halloween as they were eliminated from the postseason by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Rockies scored three times to take a 4-2 lead.

It seemed like the two teams were heading for a decisive Game 5 back in Philadelphia when the unthinkable happened.

The Phillies themselves rallied back in the top of the ninth inning, scoring three runs to retake the lead, 5-4.

Colorado could not scrounge up a run in the bottom of the ninth, and Rocktober went quietly into the night.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 7:37 pm by steve

Rockies Take Game 2, Tie NLDS

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels showed none of the form he had last year when he won the World Series MVP, and the Colorado Rockies lit Hamels up for four runs in five innings for a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yorvit Torrealba hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, who opened up a 4-0 lead before the Phillies started battling back. Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook pitched well into the sixth inning, only allowing three runs and seven hits. The Rockies kept the shutout going into the sixth inning, when Ryan Howard began battling back with a RBI double, followed by a two-RBI single by Raul Ibanez.

“It was definitely a huge game for us,” Cook said. “It’s huge to go back home with the series tied.”

Huston Street saved the Rockies from some potential trouble in the ninth to steal home field advantage away from the Phillies. Street had Shane Victorino line out to center, leaving pinch runner Cliff Lee, who represented the tying run, stranded on base.

The series now shifts back to Colorado on Saturday night, where the Rockies’ Jason Hammel (10-8) will take on either Joe Blanton or Pedro Martinez of the Phillies. J.A. Happ was in consideration for the Game 3 starting pitching job, before a liner knocked him out of Game 2.

Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 9:56 pm by bryan

Rockies without De La Rosa

The Colorado Rockies will be without a key part of their starting rotation for the postseason.

Jorge De La Rosa has been left off of the team’s playoff roster because of an injured left groin muscle.

The training staff worked hard on him in recent days but said they saw little to no improvement.

The Rockies already aren’t known for their starting pitching, so this is a huge blow to their postseason hopes.

He was one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, having won a league-high 16 games since June 1.

at 7:25 pm by steve

Rockies Lose Game 1 of NLDS

The Phillies’ ace Cliff Lee regained his Cy Young form, just in the nick of time.

Lee pitched a 6-hit complete game against the Rockies in Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series on Wednesday afternoon, leading Philadelphia to a 5-1 win in their playoff debut.

Lee, a playoff rookie, pitched around the Rockies potent lineup masterfully, striking out five, issuing no walks, and retiring 16 straight batters at one point in the game.

Troy Tulowitzki provided the only Colorado highlight, doubling in the top of the 9th inning to guarantee that the Rockies would get on the board. But their rally ended there, as Lee retired the side and finished the complete game.

The Rockies and Phillies are back in action tomorrow, with Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels going up against the Rockies’ Aaron Cook. Rockies’ pitcher Jorge De La Rosa was left off the first round playoff roster, as he continues to rehabilitate an injured left groin.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 9:56 pm by bryan

Lee shuts down Rockies in Game 1

“Rocktober” got off to a slow start for the Colorado Rockies, thanks to Cliff Lee.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ ace, and arguably the biggest trade-deadline acquisition of the season, silenced the Rockies bats in Game 1 of the NLDS, pitching a six-hitter in a 5-1 win. In the first postseason start of his career, Lee surrendered the lone run with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth before closing it out.

Colorado ace Ubaldo Jiminez went pitch-for-pitch with Lee for four innings, but the league’s top-ranked offense broke through in the fifth for two runs, and then added three more in the sixth to run him before he could record a single out.

Game 1 illustrates the key problem for the Rockies in this series: They struggle to hit left-handed pitching. With a team batting average hovering just above .250 against southpaws and Philadelphia sporting two great lefty starters in Lee and Cole Hamels (not to mention J.A. Haap coming out of the bullpen), Colorado knew it faced an uphill climb before the series even began. A short series doesn’t do the club any favors, either. It will have to solve one of the two in order to have any chance of advancing.

at 7:42 pm by Raj Sethi

Rockies to Open Playoffs Against Phillies

The month of Rocktober kicks off with the defending World Series champions.

The Colorado Rockies open their playoffs at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, as the Rockies will play the Phillies in the 5-game NLDS. Cliff Lee, the All-Star export the Phillies received from the Cleveland Indians right before the trade deadline, will be starting on the mound for the Phils in Game 1.

The Phillies, who did not lose a game at home en route to the World Series title last year, still face questions about their closer. With World Series hero Brad Lidge officially sidelined after blowing double digit saves this year, the Phils are left with a gaping question at a position they didn’t expect to worry about this season.

On the Rockies’ side of the ball, they’re the only team in baseball with five 10-game winners, meaning they might have the hardest time of all teams trying to figure out a playoff pitching rotation. They have Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, and Jorge De La Rosa as four legitimate pitching options, with Cook having the most rest leading into Game 1.

The Rockies look to take advantage of a Phillies’ lineup that’s been facing more questions than answers lately, with Lee and Hamels both going through their own struggles this year. With J.A. Happ scheduled to start in the bullpen (and Joe Blanton to start Game 3), the Phillies must be left wondering whether they’re making the correct pitching decisions a day before the playoffs start.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 8:58 pm by bryan

Rockies Beat Dodgers, One Game Back

It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings, and the fat lady sure ain’t singing about the NL West yet.

In a too-close-to-believe division race, the Rockies chopped the Dodgers’ division lead in half, beating them 4-3 last night and moving within a game of the division lead.

The Rockies’ star shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, hit a two-run blast in the seventh inning to make it 4-1 Rockies, ultimately padding the Rockies’ lead with just enough runs to survive.

The Rockies have won five straight games, while the Dodgers are in the midst of a season-high losing streak of five games. Colorado is trying to become the first team in major league history to win a division after trailing by 15 games. (Remember, L.A. got off to a torrid start, while the Rockies floundered until manager Jim Tracy was hired in the early part of the season).

Clayton Kershaw will be throwing tonight for the Dodgers, while the Rockies will send Jorge De La Rosa out to the mound. If the Dodgers win either of the next two games, they’ll win the division outright; if the Rockies sweep the series, the NL West is theirs.

Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 9:46 am by bryan

Rockies Return to Postseason

Let Rocktober begin. The Rockies punched their ticket to the playoffs on Thursday night on the heels of a 9-2 thrashing of Milwaukee.

“I’ve never forgotten ‘07 and it’s great to experience it again. It never gets old,” said Rockies’ star SS Troy Tulowitzki.

Rockies’ pitcher Aaron Cook threw eight innings of four-hit ball in his second start after returning from a sore shoulder, and the Rockies threw out everything but the kitchen sink to lock up their second playoff spot in three years.

The surging Atlanta Braves were officially eliminated with the Rockies win last night, as they at least guaranteed themselves the NL Wild Card. In a slightly unbelievable development, the Rockies can still win the NL West outright if they sweep the L.A. Dodgers this weekend in L.A.

After a rocky start to the season (no pun intended), the Rockies brought in manager Jim Tracy to settle the clubhouse down and bring in some wins. Did they ever. Ever since Tracy’s hiring, the Rockies blazed a torrid 73-40 pace for the rest of the season, bringing back some memories of their unbelievable 2007 playoff run, where they only lost one game in the weeks leading up to the World Series.

“I’ve never had a better feeling than this in 33 years in professional baseball,” Tracy said.

Friday, October 2, 2009 at 10:57 pm by bryan

Rockies lock up wild card

The Colorado Rockies stayed strong down the stretch and locked up the National League wild card spot.

They were able to outlast the San Francisco Giants and a host of others to get back to the playoffs.

The Rockies reached the playoffs with the same timely hitting that we’ve seen from them during late season runs the past two years.

How they will fare in the playoffs is anyone’s guess. Just two years ago they streaked to the World Series to cap off an incredible, post All-Star break run.

Pitching will once again be the demise of the Rockies, and nowhere is that more important than in the postseason.

at 6:09 pm by steve