Thursday, April 22, 2010

Rock Solid Kissing Of Ubaldo's Backside Recap

Rockies 2, Nationals 0

I know Rockies fans in and around the Denver area were shut out of watching Ubaldo pitch today. You folks didn't miss a no-hitter or anything, you just missed a really strong 7 1/3 innings of awesomeness with a handful of cheap hits mixed in.

Mhm... that's all.

Winning Player: Ubaldo Jimenez

This kid is just rolling. He was never really threatened at any point. The pitch count climbed pretty high again thanks to some quality Washington ABs. That makes me nervous for the later months, especially if Jim Tracy can't show better restraint with him, but there's no reason to worry about that just yet.

Running Thoughts: Jimenez vs. Hernandez

Pretty strange start time for getaway day on the east coast.  It worked just perfect for my schedule today, but I'm sure there are plenty of Rockies fans who are annoyed by this.  I doubt many Washington are pissed about it though, because judging from last night's crowd, not many people in Washington are even aware there's a team playing in town.

Brad Hawpe gets another rest this afternoon.  Though it's not Seth Smith taking his spot against the righty Hernandez.  Ryan Spilborghs gets the nod, plays left and hits 6th, moving Gonzalez to right.

Looks like I'm stuck with the Washington feed today.  Oh joy.

Looking Ahead: To Ubaldo's Encore

Actually, I don't think any of us will be too picky about Ubaldo's encore performance as long as it results in a victory for the ballclub.

Am I right?

Old friend Livan Hernandez takes the mound for Washington. Folks, Livan hasn't allowed a run yet this season in two starts. His ERA currently sits at freaking 0.00.

I'm going to go on out on a limb here and guarantee that changes today. Livan Hernandez will allow a run. In fact, Livan will allow about 4-5 runs.

Giambi Spring Plan A Failure?

The Rockies made a conscious decision this Spring Trainng to limit the playing time of Todd Helton and Jason Giambi. Neither man appeared in game until two weeks into ST, and after that the two of them were sharing time with spring sensations Michael Paulk and Brad Eldred.

It seemed like the thing to do at the time. Keep the old guys fresh and healthy. Let the youngster Paulk and the veteran Eldred get some work in, see how they could help the team going forward if needed. I didn't have a problem with that plan at that time.

Now though, as I look at what's taking place on the field, I look back at Spring Training and wonder if maybe Jason Giambi could have used the whole spring to get his game on track.