Slippery Slope to Climb after a Uninspiring Homestand

The Colorado Rockies think they got what it takes to make it to the playoffs, and rightfully so.  The team continues to woo fans one minute and leave them in disappointment another minute later.

This recent ten game homestead was the best opportunity for the Rockies to gauge where they stand heading into the homestretch of the regular season.  When the homestand began, they were sitting at 46-51, sitting 5.5 back of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Things got off to a decent start for the Rox against the Chicago Cubs as they took two of three in the series. 

Then came the Miami Marlins, the team that is sitting with the second worst record in the MLB.  Coming into the series against the Rockies, the Marlins hit a eight game stretch without sending in a run.  The Marlins found the remedy in pitcher Drew Promeranz.  Promeranz continues to struggle since being called up from AAA Colorado Springs.  Promeranz went 4.1 innings deep, giving up three runs, including two in the first inning to let the Marlins win 3-1. 

In the sweet confines of Coors Field, against the talent-depleted Marlins squad, the Rockies struggled to get the bats warmed up, scoring more than two runs only once in the series.  The back end of the rotation continues to be a problem.  Juan Nicasio has come around, since being shelled by the Red Sox, Nicasio has pitched nineteen innings, giving up eight hits, one run with fifteen strikeouts. 

Pomeranz hasn't done anything to show that he deserves to be up in the big leagues right now, Roy Oswalt has struggled since being called up from AA Tulsa, and Jeff Francis on occasion was able to limit his runs given up to less than two on few occasions.  Despite the fact that when they do get solid pitching from the back end (i.e. Nicasio) they don't get the support needed by the bats.

In Jhoulys Chacin's last outing, he gave up three runs in eight innings.  The Rox offense did little to help out their own guy.  Carlos Gonzales, Troy Tulowitzki, Michael Cuddyer and Todd Helton went a combined 2-15.  As a result, the Rox lost on a day where Chacin would have used some reinforcements, but none were found in a 4-2 loss to the Fins.

As a result, the Rox finish their homestand 5-5 where realistically, they could have and needed to finish 7-3.  Had they done so, they would be sitting at .500, and sitting at four games out of the lead.  Now they sit at 51-55 and six games back.  Given the teams stance on making impact moves to get talent, where they currently sit, don't bank on the Rox to either buy or sell.  They will continue to hope their own talent will work out and not expand the payroll to get better talent to help compete with the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, a division that is still open for anyone to win.

Colorado Rockies traveling down a "Rocky Road"

The Colorado Rockies come into the last series before the All-Star break at 46-50.  The first half of the season started off with a bang with the Rox storming out of the gates with a 13-4 record.  Let's be honest, the record caught everyone off guard, especially experts who saw this as a team that was in complete disarray when they let Jim Tracy go, brought in former Rockie and high school coach Walt Weiss to manage the team, along with the fact they we bringing back arguably one of the shakiest rotations in the MLB, and even for the Rox, in team history as well.

After hanging around the top of the standings in the NL West for the longest time, the team has hit some rough times recently.  Hopes were riding high that after the hot start, they could find someway to win the west for the first time in club history and make the postseason.  But going off just what was recently observed with what this team was working with coming into this season, there had to be realistic goal(s).

The main goal for this team was to just improve from last season.  Easier said than done right, YES  Last season, the Rox had an atrocious pitching staff.  Worst ERA (5.22), BAA(.290) .OBP(.357) and the least amount of quality starts at 27, the next worst was 73.  The club stuck with young and/or pitchers in Jhoulys Chacin, Juan Nicasio and Tyler Chatwood.  The three pitchers were a combined 10-14 and a ERA just north of five.

Thus far, the trio has done much better.  Chacin is 9-4, given the team 18 QS and has dropped his ERA by almost a full point.  Chatwood, after being sent down to the minors came back up early in the 2013 season and has made significant improvements, the biggest being his ERA dropping from 5.28 to 2.58. Lastly is Nicasio, although he threw a gem against the resurgent LA Dodgers, going 7 innings deep and holding the Dodgers scoreless, he still still boasts a 4.89 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.

The top of this resurgent staff though is one that was absent last season is Jorge De La Rosa.  He suffered a torn ligament in his elbow late in 2011 causing him to have Tommy John surgery and sit out most of the 2012 season.  This season, De La Rosa is posting some of his best numbers of his career and flashing the talent he was showing before he got injured in 2011.

The offense has been inconsistent, and that is due in part to a ever changing lineup.  This is a result of injuries early and often to the team.  This team is powered through the bats of Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer.  They have only seen the lineup together at most for 64 games out of the 94 played thus far.  Its no secret that this is a offense when healthy can be dangerous, they sit in the top ten in .AVG, Runs, .OBP and Slugging Percentage.  Fowler had suffered a bone bruise and Gonzalez suffering upper back and finger injuries in late June while Tulowitzki was out roughly six weeks with a broken rib.

Going into the home stretch for the Rox will be to get some reinforcements for their starting rotation.  The back end has been rough.  Colorado signed Roy Oswalt to a minor league deal and brought him up in June.  His first start had mixed results. Even though he struck out eleven, he gave up nine hits and 4 earned runs.  Since then he's given up eleven runs with twelve strikeouts. His ERA is north of seven and has a goose egg in the win column.  Nicasio still hasn't proven to be a solid back end of the rotation solution, and Oswalt hasn't picked up the slack from Jeff Francis.  The team still lacks a true No.1 pitcher.  The Rockies missed out on Ricky Nolasco due in part to not willing to pick up a portion or all of his contract from the Miami Marlins.

They are going to have to possibly shell out some cash and give up some prospects in hope of getting a top pitcher that is on the market.  Given the way the organization runs, it may be tough for them to come up with enough cash to satisfy the needs of another team or player to make a trade happen.  Most likely they will have to look for another back end rotational pitcher and hope to power their way through at the plate to win games.