Even
With the unexpectedly easy victory last night over Josh Beckett and the Red Sox, our beloved team has reached the even .500 mark for the first time this season since April 13 when they were 5-5. The point where things really turned around was May 22. The Rockies had just started a six-game road trip with a loss to Arizona after losing two of three to Kansas City at CF. Spirits were down. The mood was lousy and Rockies' fans were, in general, grumpy. Somehow, and for some reason, this team just started playing a different type of baseball. Since then they've played seven series and won six of them and split the other. Four of those series have been on the road where the Rockies now have more wins than losses.
During the periods where the Rockies' struggled, it wasn't just one element that cost them games. The starting pitching wasn't awful, but it by no means was a strength. The bullpen woes were mighty and even the dedicated fan needed a pre-game roster analysis to determine which relievers were here and which had been sent away. The hitting was inconsistent and unreliable, especially in scoring and clutch situations. Conversely, since May 22 every element has seen vast improvements and each have contributed to this stretch of good baseball. The team ERA since May 22 is 3.36. At the time the team ERA was 5.00. The starters and relievers have equally solidified their portions of the pitching staff. Relievers that were terrible (Affeldt, Martin, Hawkins) have actually become worthy of a call when the game is tight and on the line. Likewise, our hitting has seen improvements also. On May 22 the team batting average was .253. Since then our average is .288, but the real improvement has been hitting with runners in scoring position and in situations where a single at bat can dictate the outcome of the game. Tavarez, Matsui, Holliday and Hawpe have really been the driving forces of the offense recently, with Tulo adding his flare when it really counts.
Granted, it is only .500 and there's a long way to go in this season, but the turnaround is impressive no matter how you want to look at it, especially since winning the series in Boston. It doesn't get easy though. Tonight the Rox face another unbeaten starter and the Devil Rays and then the hottest team in baseball next week in the Yankees.
In an unfortunate turn of events, the Los Angeles Dodgers have fired Eddie Murray as their hitting coach. As a kid growing up, Murray was one of my favorite players.
Correction: Yesterday I said that the Rox had signed 19 of their draft picks when they have actually signed 27. The part about the draft file being updated is, however, still correct.
Until next time, go Rockies!
During the periods where the Rockies' struggled, it wasn't just one element that cost them games. The starting pitching wasn't awful, but it by no means was a strength. The bullpen woes were mighty and even the dedicated fan needed a pre-game roster analysis to determine which relievers were here and which had been sent away. The hitting was inconsistent and unreliable, especially in scoring and clutch situations. Conversely, since May 22 every element has seen vast improvements and each have contributed to this stretch of good baseball. The team ERA since May 22 is 3.36. At the time the team ERA was 5.00. The starters and relievers have equally solidified their portions of the pitching staff. Relievers that were terrible (Affeldt, Martin, Hawkins) have actually become worthy of a call when the game is tight and on the line. Likewise, our hitting has seen improvements also. On May 22 the team batting average was .253. Since then our average is .288, but the real improvement has been hitting with runners in scoring position and in situations where a single at bat can dictate the outcome of the game. Tavarez, Matsui, Holliday and Hawpe have really been the driving forces of the offense recently, with Tulo adding his flare when it really counts.
Granted, it is only .500 and there's a long way to go in this season, but the turnaround is impressive no matter how you want to look at it, especially since winning the series in Boston. It doesn't get easy though. Tonight the Rox face another unbeaten starter and the Devil Rays and then the hottest team in baseball next week in the Yankees.
In an unfortunate turn of events, the Los Angeles Dodgers have fired Eddie Murray as their hitting coach. As a kid growing up, Murray was one of my favorite players.
Correction: Yesterday I said that the Rox had signed 19 of their draft picks when they have actually signed 27. The part about the draft file being updated is, however, still correct.
Until next time, go Rockies!
Labels: 2007 Season, Eddie Murray
posted by Todd Nikkel | 6:59 AM
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