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Well, it's been ten minutes since my last KTE on the Rox. Let's check in and see if they're up to anything new.
Still in it? Barely, by N.L. West standards: 7-1/2 out in fourth place, a tick behind the Giants, and we saw what the Giants could do.
Still lousy? By conventional standards. They are 15 under and have been outscored by 77 runs to date. They lead the N.L. West in runs but also runs allowed. Nobody in that division has differential of better than +6. Pythagorean weeps.
Still hitting? You might recall the fireworks from the Fourth of July at Coors when they pulled that 18-17 thriller off over the Marlins, coming back from 13-4. They followed up by smashing the Fish 12-6. In the five games since, they've scored 21 runs; most of that was in Milwaukee (eight in one game), so away from Coors, they're vulnerable.
Still healthy? Not so much. Tulo and Spilborghs on DL. Jeff Francis, too. The Mets haven't seen the Rox at full strength in their myriad battles with them. Neither, one supposes, has the N.L.
Still on Holliday? Matt the All-Star (and feverishly rumored future Met) had a quiet series in Milwaukee, but is batting .343 and leads the Rox in HR and OBP, just behind Atkins with 51 RBI (Garrett has 54). Wow, those are pretty low power numbers to lead a team that plays in Coors.
Still fast? Willy Taveras is. He's got 39 bags. But only 41 runs. By comparison Jose Reyes has stolen 32 bases but has scored 67 times.
Yorvit Torrealba still suck? Yes. I need no evidence to back up that assertion.
Still pitching? Aaron Cook is, intermittently. The All-Star of anonymity threw a shutout at the Padres two starts ago before getting lit up at the end of that Marlin series (lit up, a relative phrase in Coors). 11-6, 3.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP -- he's one of the good ones this year. He's good at Shea most years. He shut us down in May, we got to him in June. Ubaldo Jimenez is, too. He started rounding into form against Pedro and has stayed there. His last two starts have seen him go at least 6 IP and he's won both (though he walked five Brewers last time out). Career seat filler Mark Redman hasn't been dazzling anyone of late. He beat the Marlins with a respectable outing the night before the 18-17 thrill ride but has mostly been Glendon Rusching it out there. Come to think of it, Rusch is a Rockie these days.
Pitching matchups Ollie vs. Cook Friday; Pedro vs. Jimenez Saturday; Redman vs. Pelfrey (with a 20% chance of Santana) Sunday.
Past history Mets won thriller on Endy drag bunt then the Rockies dispatched in the next two they played at Shea. Year before Mets swept 'em, highlighted by '86 reunion night. Year before Mets won final Thu-Sat, lost season finale but nobody cared 'cause it was Mike Piazza's final game as a Met. Mets seem to find ways to ignore the Rockies. It caught up with them last year. But the Rockies aren't what they were last year and the Mets are becoming more than they've been this year. (More on COL @ SHEA history this weekend, I hope.)
Final word From "Rox Girl" at Purple Row during the Rockies series in Milwaukee:
| ]I always thought that the Brewers, Cardinals and Rockies should have some sort of award - similar to the Commander in Chief trophy given to the winner of the Air Force/Navy/Army football duels - for the team with the best overall record in the season series between the clubs with beer vendors as their stadium sponsors. So in my imagined world, this would be a great opportunity to pick up points in the Brewmaster's Keg series. |
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