Seth Smith becomes the latest victim (or winner?) in the Get Rid of Underperforming Young Talent Sweepstakes. The Rockies have almost completed their 180 degree turn, having already given up on Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Chris Iannetta, Greg Reynolds and Ian Stewart.
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.
Seth powered a 2-2 split-finger fastball over the right field scoreboard for a 3-run game-winner. Smith’s shot completed the biggest 9th Inning comeback in Rockies history and the largest come-from-behind 9th in Major League Baseball since 1918.
The Diamondbacks won the first game in this series 5-3, a contest in which the Rockies squandered plenty of offensive opportunities. The series balancing on today’s afternoon slugfest, Arizona opened up with a 6-run salvo in the 1st Inning to chase troubled Colorado starter Greg Smith. The Rockies responded with 1 run in the 2nd, 6 in the 3rd, and 4 in the 4th before the offense dried up.
Nearing the end of April, the Colorado Rockies are 20 games into the season. Yet, after 180 innings of baseball, the team and its direction remain an enigma and the Rox find themselves searching for answers.
It was the third inning that saw the Rockies offense open up for 6 runs, and they never looked back. Led by Seth Smith’s three-run homer, the Rockies offense came alive after struggling to put runs across early in the season.
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.
