The Colorado Rockies 2011 Season will be spent monitoring not who is manning the sprawling lawn at Coors Field, but rather how well these young outfielders develop beyond their 2010 performances at the plate.
Both the Giants and the Rockies did ok, not great. The Giants got the hits with people on base while the Rockies couldn’t find the ball with people on base. Cook had one unlucky inning and one bad inning, and that was enough for the loss. Enough for Zito to work with.
Ubaldo Jimenez didn’t need to pitch 6 Innings of 2-hit baseball on Tuesday night… but he did anyway. U-Ball grabbed his 5th win of the season without breaking a sweat, as the Rockies’ re-shuffled lineup brutalized troubled Arizona starter Edwin Jackson for 10 runs in 2 1/3 Innings.
On a night when the Rockies were recovering from two of the most dreadful performances this team has seen in a while, Ubaldo Jimenez simply didn’t believe this team was in trouble – even if it meant he had to carry them on his back. And carry them he did Saturday night in Atlanta, striking out 7 on his way to tossing the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies franchise history.
In most cases, the term “youth movement” is a sign that a team has fallen from its peak and is ready to rebuild. Not so for the Colorado Rockies. The outfield has gotten even younger with Dexter Fowler looking to patrol centerfield, and breakout sensation Carlos Gonzales penciled in as the probable starting left fielder.
With the signings this week of closer Huston Street and reliever Rafael Betancourt, Colorado is a step closer to becoming a consistent playoff contender. You read that right; the Monforts are paying for pitching again.
