Swept
The Designation Committee met and decided to take away the capital R. Since the feeling was that no explanation was really necessary for the move, none was given and the meeting was adjourned.
The rox were swept this weekend in L.A. by the Dodgers. No surprise there. What was surprising is that the bullpen didn't implode and let the Dodgers break open a close game. No, the starters took care of that duty in two of the three games themselves. Yes, the 7th inning came in the 5th in Friday and Saturday's games. Jennings allowed four runs in the 5th on Friday and Kennedy allowed five on Saturday to essentially put close games out of reach. Sunday's game was close the duration, so none of the pitchers outright failed, for a change.
The fact is, the rox actually outhit the Dodgers in each game of the series: 7-5; 7-6; and 6-4, but were ourscored 6-3; 6-2; and 2-1. This was partially a result of timely hitting by the Dodgers, but more so 23 walks by the Rox' pitchers. I hate to sound like a bad record, but control continues to be a major issue for this pitching staff, almost in its' entirety. In the 22 games played so far, the rox have walked 10 or more three times and 7 or more nine times. Through Sunday they average 5.60 BB/9 innings. The rox have also hit 13 batters, tied for the NL lead with the Mets and Reds.
Couple all that with our general inability to hit consistently on the road and the outcome is bound to be unpleasant. We are now hitting 74 points lower on the road than at home. Although this is not an anomoly, it still leaves very little room for error for the staff on the road. Walking batters at the current rate absorbs what little room there is and has certainly led to disaster on more occassions than not. The bad news is we haven't won a game in California this season. The worse news is we head to San Diego for three starting tonight. In my estimation, our only good chance of leaving California with a win and avoiding a second 8-game skid this season is Tuesday with Wright vs. Redding. We go against Eaton and Peavy in the other two games.
In an effort to find anyone who will throw strikes and get outs on a consistent basis, the rox have talked to former rockie reliever (twice) Dan Miceli about a minor-league contract. The word is that Miceli wants to play in Colorado, apparently because compared to the rest of the pen, he'll look pretty darn good.
Francis vs. Eaton at 8:05 tonight.
The rox were swept this weekend in L.A. by the Dodgers. No surprise there. What was surprising is that the bullpen didn't implode and let the Dodgers break open a close game. No, the starters took care of that duty in two of the three games themselves. Yes, the 7th inning came in the 5th in Friday and Saturday's games. Jennings allowed four runs in the 5th on Friday and Kennedy allowed five on Saturday to essentially put close games out of reach. Sunday's game was close the duration, so none of the pitchers outright failed, for a change.
The fact is, the rox actually outhit the Dodgers in each game of the series: 7-5; 7-6; and 6-4, but were ourscored 6-3; 6-2; and 2-1. This was partially a result of timely hitting by the Dodgers, but more so 23 walks by the Rox' pitchers. I hate to sound like a bad record, but control continues to be a major issue for this pitching staff, almost in its' entirety. In the 22 games played so far, the rox have walked 10 or more three times and 7 or more nine times. Through Sunday they average 5.60 BB/9 innings. The rox have also hit 13 batters, tied for the NL lead with the Mets and Reds.
Couple all that with our general inability to hit consistently on the road and the outcome is bound to be unpleasant. We are now hitting 74 points lower on the road than at home. Although this is not an anomoly, it still leaves very little room for error for the staff on the road. Walking batters at the current rate absorbs what little room there is and has certainly led to disaster on more occassions than not. The bad news is we haven't won a game in California this season. The worse news is we head to San Diego for three starting tonight. In my estimation, our only good chance of leaving California with a win and avoiding a second 8-game skid this season is Tuesday with Wright vs. Redding. We go against Eaton and Peavy in the other two games.
In an effort to find anyone who will throw strikes and get outs on a consistent basis, the rox have talked to former rockie reliever (twice) Dan Miceli about a minor-league contract. The word is that Miceli wants to play in Colorado, apparently because compared to the rest of the pen, he'll look pretty darn good.
Francis vs. Eaton at 8:05 tonight.
posted by Todd Nikkel | 8:30 AM
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