The  future may be sooner than anyone thought.

Don’t look now, but the Colorado Rockies just won another series. This one was a big home series against division rival, the San Francisco Giants.

Since June 11th, the Rockies are 14-9. That’s not amazing, and it’s still not enough winning.

I could mention how the Rockies need to gain ground if they hope to make the playoffs. They need to win more than the Padres and the Dodgers (Rockies actually lost a game on both the last 10 games even beating the Padres two out of three).

That’s not what this article is about.

The Rockies, while not racking up amazing win totals, are still starting to win.

They are playing like every game matters.

Earlier in the season many of them looked like they had better places to be than the ballpark. They gave up games. They gave up at bats. Many times they looked punch-less. For much of the season, they were dead last in batting average and scoring in the National League after the sixth inning.

I wrote an article about players having to step up when there is an injury. That’s not news. That’s the story of every team in every sport when there is an injury to a star player.

I suggested that Ian Stewart and Brad Hawpe were the two I thought needed to step up. So who has stepped up? And does it actually cause some line-up questions in the future?

Who out there picked Clint Barmes as the hero? Anyone? Didn’t think so.

Clint Barmes is every Rockies fans’ favorite whipping boy. He’s the weak link. He’s the guy that needs to be benched. He’s the reason a blockbuster trade for Dan Uggla, Brian Roberts, or Bobby Grich needs to go down to replace him.

Clint Barmes has been known to be streaky hitter over his career. He’s on a hot streak now. Over the last 30 days, he is tied for the most hits (30), tied for the most runs scored,15, and second on the team with 15 RBI. He’s also had the most doubles (7) and tied for third on the team with three home runs.

I really didn’t see this coming, but it seems like Clint is embracing his moment in the spotlight. He still has a tendency to chase sliders out of the zone. However, he’s able to hit pitches in the zone and make them drop.

On the flip side of Barmes is Ian Stewart.

Stewart has almost completely disappeared. His line over the last 30 days is .185/.312/.323/.635 He’s had only one double, and two home runs, and only five RBI. He’s also struck out 24 times in only 63 at bats! He’s starting to lose playing time to Melvin Mora, who hasn’t been lighting it up himself, only batting .215 over the last 30 days.

Many Rockies fans have wanted a trade at second base. I’ll say they don’t need to trade for a second baseman. I say the Rockies need to upgrade at third base, and that upgrade is in-house already.

It’s Troy Tulowitzki.

Yeah, you read that right.

When Tulo returns, he needs to be moved to third. Stewart needs to be benched. Barmes needs to start at shortstop. But, but, but…. isn’t Tulo the greatest fielding shortstop ever?

Not this year.

His UZR is 3.2, which is pretty amazing compared to Barmes at short who’s still a strong 1.9. However, if you look at RZR which measures handing balls in a normal fielding zone, Barmes is higher with a .877 rating against Tulo’s .838 rating.

In other words, yes. Tulo is an amazing shortstop. So is Clint Barmes.

I’m giving up on Ian Stewart.

I don’t think he can hit major league pitching. This was the year for him to step forward. However, he’s just another young power hitter that can’t make that adjustment to the major leagues. In fact, he’s gone backward.

He has a career batting average of .241. This year, he’s still above that even with his slide at .250 for 2010.

In ’09 Stewart hit 25 home runs. This year he’s on pace to hit only 17.

Strikeouts have been a problem with Stewart, as they are with many young left-handed sluggers. Instead of going down, he’s on pace to have near 150 K’s after having 134 in ’09.

It’s time the Rockies look at their roster and play players that are performing. Bench those that aren’t.

That means it’s time to end the experiment with Stewart.

I think he still has an option year. Maybe he could use a refresher course in AAA, like Dexter Fowler which worked out great, or Chris Iannetta, which wasn’t as great on his return to the majors.

But I move Tulo and not Barmes to third for a couple of reasons.

Tulo has the bat to be respectable as a third baseman.

Barmes didn’t get hot until he was put at shortstop. You can see watching the game that short is his natural position. He feels comfortable there when starting there.

Tulowitzki is the closest the Rockies have to a major league third baseman in their system. His size and his hitting profile him as a third baseman. Moving to third, would allow him to bulk up as he gets older, when we could assume his range will go down as well.

Tulo has been compared to Cal Ripken Jr. many times in his young career. Ripken also had to move to third as he got older.

Tulo doesn’t have to make that move now as he’s still a great shortstop. However, it’s inevitable he’ll end up there eventually. Might as well make it now and keep Barmes in his comfort role.

Injuries to stars force fans and team management to look at their players in a new light. Some step up. Some don’t. Clint Barmes has stepped up. Johnathon Herrera has stepped up. Ian Stewart has disappeared. If this trend continues, the Rockies should be thinking about trading or benching Stewart, and not Barmes when Tulowitzki returns.

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Huston Street is back.  Sort of.  Street was activated from the disabled list on Tuesday as Juan Rincon was designated for assignment, making room on the roster.

I assume the Rockies hopes Rincon passes through waivers, but I doubt he will, as several teams, including the Marlins, are struggling with their bullpens. However, Rincon has passed through waivers once, and his latest stint with the Rockies didn’t exactly increase his value, as he only appeared in two big league games.  Additionally, in 24 appearances in AAA Colorado Springs, he had an ERA of 7.25.

So the Rockies finally have their closer back.  Hip hip Jorge! 

Wait…not so fast there.

With Manuel (don’t call him Manny, damn it!) Corpas struggling over this weekend, giving up eight runs in two appearances and only recording two outs, the Rockies now have an opening and a need for a closer.

But the Rockies won’t be throwing Huston Street to the wolves, just yet. His shoulder is still tender, and he hasn’t built up arm strength yet.  In fact in his last outing at the Springs on Saturday, Street gave up three runs in 1.1 innings, and during his rehab stint, Street had an ERA of 10.29. Those stats clearly show that he’s not ready to take over the closing role for the Rockies.

So who will be the Rockies closer?

Eventually it will be Street. 

Even Rockies manager Jim Tracy has said so.  Street is getting paid a lot of money ($7.2 million in 2010), and he’s not going to be a sixth or seventh inning guy with that kind of a salary. 

But that time isn’t now. 

Right now, the game plan has the Rockies using Street in the setup role, as he gets use to the Major League game speed and builds his arm up.  

Jim Tracy said that the closer will be a “mix and match” situation right now.  You will notice that Tracy didn’t use the dreaded “C” word.  But that is what it is. 

Committee…..I said it!  Can you say, “Closer by Committee”?  Yeah, I knew you could, and I know you don’t like it any more then I do.

“Closer by committee” means the Rockies don’t have one closer, and if you don’t have one closer, you don’t have a closer. We’ll see Matt Belisle, Manuel (he really does hate being called Manny!) Corpas, and even Franklin Morales in the ninth.

I can’t think of any team, especially one with playoff hopes and aspirations, that successfully handled a closer by committee situation. Players, including bullpen pitchers, want to know their role.  Mentally they need to know how and when they are going to be used to be at their best.

Until Huston Street is ready, Corpas should be the closer.  He’s not lights out, that’s for sure.  But before this weekend, Corpas had recorded six straight appearances with out giving up a run, recording four saves in that span.  

Jim Tracy though will now go nuts, with another area of the game with which he can tinker and micro-manage with his “mixing and matching”, but he will be wrong. 

Tracy needs to name a closer and  that closer should be Manuel Corpas.

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As you all know by now, Troy Tulowitzki has a broken bone in his hand and was put on the disabled list on Friday, and could be out for about six weeks.  The good news is there was no ligament damage, which would have made his time away much longer.

Now, how does a team with hopes of making a playoff run, which has been struggling to score runs, hope to keep going now that they just lost their best hitter, their clubhouse leader and their cleanup hitter? (Granted as cleanup hitters go, Tulo really isn’t that great.  Hey, nine homers on the year doesn’t scream cleanup basher, even in the post steroid era).

There are few ways. One would be to make a trade and add talent from outside the organization.  This option really doesn’t hold up.  There are few players available that would make a difference.  Plus teams looking to trade talent want to trade fading broken down players, or huge contracts that usually don’t match a players performance.  They also want to get back young, cheap prospects as well, as salary relief.  But the key in making a trade work is to UPGRADE a position over what the Rockies currently have at that position.

Complicating the matters of making a trade is at what position would the Rockies look to upgrade?  If you look at players that are under-performing, you get right fielder Brad Hawpe, first baseman in Todd Helton, and third baseman Ian Stewart.  Second base would be another obvious position.

Let’s take a look at the positions.  Right fielder Brad Hawpe was the Rockies All-Star last year. Hawpe has one more year on his contract in 2011 for $11 million dollars, but there is a club buyout of $500,000 and it’s assumed the Rockies will use that buy out.  Hawpe is a career .283 hitter, and usually finishes right around 100 RBIs and 25 home runs.  This year he’s battled injuries but he’s now batting right at his career BA at .281, but has only had four home runs.

There is no reason to upgrade right field in 2010.  There is no one available that will greatly improve over Hawpe’s numbers, assuming he goes on a hot streak and regains some power.   Next year, Hawpe will be gone, Carlos Gonzales will be in right, and Dexter Fowler will back in center field for the Rockies, and it will be a cheaper outfield, as well as a better one.

Todd Helton has been awful this year, there is no doubt about it.  We are watching a player in full decline.  It’s sad to see the Todd-father as a shell of his once great Hall of Fame self.  (yeah, I said it…he’s a Hall of Famer)  But, his contract is massive.  No team will want to take that on, especially with Helton’s line of .243/.341/.318/.659.  So unless the Rockies plan on putting Todd on the bench, they aren’t going to replace him.  Helton at least still plays a solid first base with the glove, and will be in the lineup.

Second base, has been an area where Rockies fans have wanted an upgrade over Clint Barmes.  Many of us looked at Eric Young Jr’s minor league numbers and his speed, and thought he would/could be an upgrade.  There are of course concerns with EY2’s defense, but from what I’ve seen, at second, it’s adequate.  (But he damn sure isn’t an outfielder).  However, EY2 is injured with a broken leg (stress fracture, right tibia) and hasn’t begun anything beyond riding a stationary bike. 

But second is a position the Rockies could upgrade at.  But there is a catch. 

The Rockies also have depth coming up in the minor leagues at second.  Chris Nelson who was just promoted was a Rockies first-round draft pick. Hector Gomez is a shortstop and currently one of the top-rated prospects in the Rockies system.  However, Gomez has battled injuries, and is currently hurt right now.  Jonathan Herrera has been on the Rockies roster since Dexter Fowler was sent down.  Herrera is considered as a utility player.

The Rockies also have Kaz Matsui in AAA Colorado Springs to play second.  He’s not setting the Pacific Coast League on fire, right now, and the Rockies want him to get some more time there before calling him to the majors.  As much as I love Kaz, and I personally consider him a key cog in the 2007 World Series team, this is 2010, and Matsui, like the rest of us, is three years older.

What players are out there that the Rockies could trade for at second that would be an upgrade over their current stable of players?  Names suggested include Adam Everett, Cesar Izturis, Craig Counsell, Julio Lugo, Omar Vizquel, and Ryan Theriot.  I’d argue that none of these names are better long term than Eric Young Jr and/or Hector Gomez.  I’m not sure if any of these players right now are much of an upgrade over Chris Nelson or Jonathan Herrera.  And none of these name are worth giving up a prospect like a Hector Gomez or an Eric Young Jr to get.

There are two names that have come up that may or may not be available.  Toronto’s Aaron Hill, and Florida’s Dan Uggla. But neither the Jays nor the Marlins have given any indication they are willing to trade/sell, and both of these players will come with price tags in terms of prospects that I’m not sure the Rockies could pay.  Uggla also comes with a pretty good salary as well, making $7.8 million in 2010, and he has one more arbitration year before becoming a free agent.

Aaron Hill has a much better contract at $4 million in 2010, $5 million in 2011, and option years after that.  This doesn’t make him more affordable, in fact it increases his value in terms of prospects the Rockies would have to give up.  I’d say off the top of my head, the Rockies would have to give up Jhoulys Chacin, Christian Friedrich, and Hector Gomez at the very least to get him.  That’s a high price tag.

Which leaves us one position left the Rockies can upgrade at:  Third base, and Ian Stewart.  And that upgrade…is in house.  It’s in fact already on the Rockies roster now.  And his name is Ian Stewart.  Troy Renck of the Denver Post talked about Stewart stepping up in the Sunday Post today.  I totally agree with this well written article.  If there is one player the Rockies need in 2010 to live up to potential it’s Ian Stewart.

So the Rockies answer to how to get better in 2010 is not in a blockbuster trade.  It’s in having players step up and take a greater step forward in their career or more specifically in their year they are having so far.  It’s time for Stewart to be better than a career .243/.330/.446/.776 hitter, and better than he’s done in 2010 so far at .257 and only seven home runs. 

Stewart is/was project to be a .275-.280 hitter with around 30-35 home run power.  He needs to become that player, or the Rockies need to find a third baseman that can become that guy.

Stewart above all the other players is the key now. 

And remember Ian, the spinning ones…are sliders.

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I’ve been writing about the Rockies on several sites, including My Team Rivals , My own site, the Rockies Reporter , as well as the Bleacher Report .

At the Bleacher Report, I’m already moving up the list of top writers and eventually hope to be a featured columnist in the future.

I’ve also been contacted to cover the Rockies at several sites already in my short time doing this.

I’ve actually enjoyed writing about the Colorado Rockies so far, but I really want to do more, and have better stories.

One of my personal goals as a Rockies writer is to get press credentials.

It would give so much legitimacy to what I’m doing. It would also allow me to get access to better stories.

Stories that would help the Rockies connect to you the fans. Stories that would give you the fan and reader a better understanding of what is going on with the Colorado Rockies.

SO, I called the Rockies today, and got Irma Castañeda, Assistant to the Vice President, Communications/PR (whose information I got ONLINE!) I asked her about the steps of getting press credentials.

She was very rude. She was short when she said, “WELL….who are you with?”

I said, I write for three online sites covering the Rockies.

She said, that the Rockies do not and will not credential anyone that writes online. The only press credentials they will even consider, is through established mainstream media such as print or radio.

I said, “well, I understand you don’t really know how to handle all the online writers asking for credentials, but….” She cut me off, and said very bluntly, “WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT?!?!?! OH WE KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT……we don’t credential online writers……PERIOD!”

I was very pleasant, and asked, “Were you aware that the Washington Nationals credentialed several online writers?”

She said, “No, I was not aware of that, but the Rockies do not, and that’s what the Rockies have decided. I have to get ready for a game. Good-bye.”

It wasn’t the denial that bothered me. It wasn’t even the tone and attitude, though that did put me off a lot.

What I expected to hear, was, something like, “Where do you write? Let me get your information. We currently don’t give out press credentials for online writers, but we might, as it’s something we’ve talked about. I’ll let you know if your site is one we’d consider if we change our stance in the future. Thanks for calling.”

What I got was a complete denial that anyone that writes online doesn’t even exist and certainly adds nothing to the value of the Colorado Rockies.

That anyone writing online, was beneath the notice of the Colorado Rockies. That there was no value to anything anyone wrote if they did it online only.

I fully understand that handling online writers is an issue.  If everyone that wrote online were to get a press pass, literally every fan could throw up a site, and PRESTO…they would get a free press pass.

I understand that teams will have a hard time figuring out which writer is legit and trying to be a serious journalist from those that are not.

But has Major League Baseball missed the boat on the changing media world?

The world and the media is changing fast.  Newspapers and magazines in print form are dying out left and right. Locally, the Rocky Mountain News went under just last year.

What has stepped up to take the place has been the Internet, and bloggers.

The Democratic Committee at their National Convention here in Denver in 2008 allowed unprecedented access to online writers and bloggers giving credentials to over 200 “bloggers.”

The NFL just this year invited bloggers to their draft in New York, and many NFL teams have allowed online writers to receive press credentials and access just like their newspaper brethren.

But Major League Baseball has been slow to adapt.

Only the Washington Nationals, a team that is in need of exposure has allowed press credentials to online sites.

The Nationals granted press passes to five sites, just this year.  The Nationals are the only one that I’m aware of that has given press credentials.

Today’s media is not print.   I’d argue today’s media is NOT radio even though Denver has three sports talk radio stations. 

Today’s media certainly is not local TV stations whose local sports is five minutes in length, and they give no more than a score and one highlighted play.

Today’s media IS online, and will continue to only grow in importance. But media relations for MLB and the Colorado Rockies are stuck in 1950′s.

MLB, you need to join the NFL, and get behind the new media. You need to give out credentials to those actually covering the your teams. You need to support the writers that are actually writing about you.

For the record, I can understand turning ME down as I’m fairly new at writing online.

However, there are several legitimate sites, that do a great job covering the Rockies on a regular basis that deserve to have media credentials.

They deserve it more than the Woody Paiges, and the Mark Kizlas of the world.

I’m not as big of a fan of the Rockies as I was yesterday.

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Watching the Rockies and D-Backs game last night, and watching Ubaldo Jimenez pitch another masterful game, I couldn’t help noticing all the empty seats at Coors Field.

The weather was good in Denver yesterday, and the Rockies ACE was on the mound (man, I love to say the Rox have an ace!) so why all the empty seats? Are the empty seats at Coors Field a concern? Is Denver not excited about this Rockies team?

Predicted to win the N.L. West before the season started, they are currently only two games over .500, and have just moved past the Giants into third place. Has this slow and frustrating start dampened ticket sales?

Let’s look at attendance figures as we’ve hit the quarter point of the season.

Attendance across Major League Baseball is down as a whole, but even as a major league total, attendance is only off 570 people per game. That is a pretty small variance, when we are talking average game attendance is 28,383 people per game.

Of some concern is of baseball’s 30 teams, 20 have decreases in attendance.

The good news, is the Rockies are not one of those 20 teams. Perception of those empty seats does not match up with reality.

The Rockies are actually UP in attendance in 2010 over 2009. 2009 as you will recall was a terrible start to the season. So bad, it got Clint Hurdle fired, at this time last year.

The Rockies were also coming off a very disappointing 2008. In 2009, the Rockies average game attendance was 27,427 people through 20 home games.

The Rox have to date played exactly 20 games at home the same as in 2009, but the average attendance has been 28,752 or an increase per game of 1,325.

The Rockies currently rank sixth in all of baseball in average attendance change, with only five teams doing better on the season than the Rockies. In order one to five in attendance increase: Minnesota and their new ballpark, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, and San Francisco. But being sixth is pretty good, when you consider that there are 24 teams doing worse than the Rockies in attendance.

In 2009, the Rockies finished 12th in total attendance for the year among the major league teams. This year, the Rockies are ranked 11th in total attendance.

Also of note, the Sunday, May 16 game against the Washington Nationals, the Denver faithful turned out in droves. The Rockies had one of their biggest walk up ticket sales days of all time, and the attendance that Sunday afternoon was 42,874.

The love affair is not over. It’s just May. School will be out soon, and people will be taking vacations. People will come from the plains to see the mountains, and they’ll stop in Denver and take in a Rockies game. The locals will start paying attention, and spending their summer evenings at the ball park. The seats will be filled. The season tickets will be used.

So kids, the Rockies are doing just fine in attendance. There is no reason to panic. The Rockies aren’t going to have to slash payroll, or charge $10 a beer to cover Todd Helton’s salary. It turns out the Rockies will be just fine charging $7 a beer.

Or as Terrance Mann once said:

“They’ll arrive at COORS FIELD as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won’t mind if you look around, you’ll say. It’s only $20 per person. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon.

“They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters.

“The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come, Ray.”

And a nice pennant run will help get ‘em excited too!

God, I love baseball.

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Tuesday, the Colorado Rockies recalled Chris Iannetta from his stint at Colorado Springs.

Iannetta did well in his time in the Springs, batting .349/.447/.698/1.146 with five home runs and 21 runs batted in 63 at-bats in 17 games. Those numbers are a long way from his struggles to start the season with the Rockies, where he was .133/.235/.333/.569.

When Iannetta was sent down, there were eyebrows raised, and it even got some national press coverage. MLB Trade Rumors flipped out, and Rob Neyer of ESPN commented on Iannetta’s demotion .

Why all the handwringing over Iannetta’s demotion? Why is a catcher struggling to hit the weight of Alanna Rizzo a national concern, or of any notice at all?

Well, because Iannetta over his career has put up good numbers in one category: OPS, or On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage, which is the new favorite stat of some baseball numbers guys. They see this stat as the one great thing to be celebrated above all others. Iannetta’s career OPS is .799.

Where I disagree with those that point to OPS alone is that it’s like every other stat in baseball: It tells part of a picture, not the whole story. In the case of Iannetta’s OPS, it was SO far off his BA stat that to me it showed something was wrong with Iannetta’s swing or his approach at the plate.

I argued that Iannetta’s OPS wasn’t sustainable, as pitchers would not be afraid of him and would pitch to him more in the zone. He would either kill the pitchers for doing so or he would struggle, and his BA and OBP would go down, and that is what was happening this year.

So the Rockies sent Chris Iannetta down to the Sky Sox, but what was the real story on Iannetta’s demotion? Not many established players get the hook or a demotion after only a few games and with as few at-bats as Chris did this year.

I have an inside source/contact that filled me in. I also heard this from another source in Colorado Springs that confirmed it as well and told a similar story, so I figured I could run with it now.

Iannetta was sent to Colorado Springs to fix his swing for sure, but that wasn’t the ONLY reason. He had developed a huge loop that was long. It was an uppercut swing that sent everything into the air.

This was NOT the swing the Rockies had tried to get Iannetta to have in spring training, where the Rockies emphasized hitting to the middle of the field by placing cones in a V shape on the field during batting practice all spring. This was, in fact, just the opposite.

Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor was trying to work with Iannetta to get him to correct the swing. This is where my contact told me the real reason Iannetta was sent to the minors: Iannetta was not listening. Chris thought he had no issues and thought if he continued to do what he was doing, everything would be just fine.

Iannetta’s hitting woes were also bleeding over to his catching duties. Being a catcher at the major league level is in itself a full-time job. Catchers have to study hitters, tendencies, and then have to use their heads to match that all up to the pitcher each day. Iannetta had work to do here as well. The Rockies staff viewed it as a mental focus issue and was concerned about Iannetta’s effort here.

Having a player work through issues is common and not an issue. But becoming hardheaded and un-coachable is a HUGE issue. Now having the label of un-coachable is a pretty bad label, and I’m not saying that’s where Iannetta was, but it was the next step. The Rockies needed to grab Iannetta’s attention before he got there.

The Rox thought Iannetta needed a wake-up call and eye-opener. They had talked to the point where Iannetta was no longer listening to the coaches. The Rockies needed to get Iannetta’s mental attention and focus.

Please don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying that Iannetta had a “bad attitude,” as that wasn’t Iannetta. Chris was just mentally stuck in the wrong place and heading down a wrong track in all areas of his game.

A telling and confirming of my story is almost every story from the Rockies’ beat writers from the spring on Iannetta mentions “his attitude.” For example, when Chris was recalled on Tuesday, Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said, “He has addressed his swing mechanics, shown a great attitude and done everything we have asked,” according to The Denver Post .

Welcome back Chris. Now…how much playing time will you get?

NOTES

* I asked my source if the Rockies sent Iannetta to the Springs to raise his trade value. His response was the Rockies would trade Chris for the right price, but this was about getting Iannetta right for the Rockies, not to raise his trade value.

AAA catching prospect Michael McKenry is close to ready. McKenry is looking like a good glove, great throwing catcher, but little hit guy. He’d be a solid backup catcher in the bigs, but as a hitter, he’s expected to struggle at the major league level. Expect McKenry in Denver, when the rosters expand in September.

Juicy part from my source: Iannetta is a big trade chip for the Rockies this offseason.

* The signing of Kaz Matsui is more than just a no-risk flier for the Rockies. The Rockies really need him to regain some form, and they hope he will help out at the major leagues.

From Dave Krieger and The Denver Post :

“O’Dowd blames himself for one structural issue that may need immediate attention. By signing two backup infielders better known for their bats than their gloves, he has left Tracy with few options. With Jason Giambi limited to first base and Melvin Mora largely limited to third after some horrific play at second, Tracy has no backup middle infielder. Second baseman Clint Barmes is struggling at the plate, batting .215, but Tracy doesn’t have the option of resting him unless he wants to risk Mora at second again.”

My source confirms this. My speculation is that if Matsui has anything left in the tank, either Giambi or Mora will be gone. I’ve written that I feel Giambi should go, but my source thinks Mora is really getting stiff and old fast, and I got the sense that Mora could very easily be released.

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The Rockies return home to Denver and Coors Field for a six game home stand with all 6 games against divisional rivals. The Rockies will play 3 games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then 3 games over the weekend with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Is this home stand a make or break critical six games for the Rockies and their chances of winning the National League West?

The Rockies have played some pretty bad baseball over the last month. They have lost some ugly games. But, as bad as Friday nights loss was, the Rockies didn’t quit and fold up. The Rox came back to beat the Kansas City Royals in two straight games. Sunday’s victory while not a great game, especially on the part of starter Aaron Cook was over the American League Cy Young winner, Zack Greinke. The Rockies bats came alive, and in a reverse of the season so far, it was the Rockies that made a Cy Young pitcher, look pedestrian.

With the series win against the Royals the Rockies again find themselves at .500. They are 22 up, and 22 down. They are in 4th place in the National League West at 4.0 games behind. The Dodgers who have been hot, finally lost a couple of games, and are one game behind the first place San Diego Padres. San Francisco Giants are in 3rd place and are only a half game ahead of the Rockies. The Giants have lost 5 straight games having just gotten swept by their bay area inter-league rivals the mighty Oakland A’s. Bringing up the rear is the D-backs who are 20 and 25 on the year, and 6 1/2 games behind the Padres.

The Rockies have looked at times terrible this year. The Rockies have played sloppy baseball, and have had poor fundamentals. They have been inconsistent in every area of baseball, with no area being solid. The Rockies have found many different ways in blowing games. It’s this inconsistency that is hard to get a hold of. Are the Rockies the really good team that managed to bounce back against the Royals after Friday night’s embarrassment? Or are they the sad joke, that lost games in Houston, and in KC on Friday?

I think the Rox are still the good team, that needs to put together those good games, and eliminate the mistakes. The Rockies need to start playing complete baseball, which means, good starting pitching, good hitting, good defense, and good solid relief pitching. The Rockies don’t need to be great, they just need to be solid and complete. They have shown that they can perform well in all the areas, just not consistently.

Which brings us back to this week and this up-coming home stand. It’s no secret that winning baseball teams win at home. They just do. Getting to bat last, and sleep in your own bed goes a long way to winning baseball games.

It’s also no secret that winning baseball teams usually win games in their division. Teams do play the teams in their division the most. If you want to win the division, math alone says a team has to beat the other divisional rivals.

So yes I think this is a critical home stand for the Rockies. If they want to win the division, and to make the playoffs, they have to start winning. They have to start winning at home, and they have to start beating the other teams in their division. All of which we have this week.

The Rockies also find this week, that they have a division foe whose record is worse than the Rockies. Another key to winning baseball, is to win the games against lesser teams. The Rockies need to take advantage of the Diamondback woes, and rack up some wins against a struggling team.

Later this week the Rockies also find themselves playing the Dodgers, who have gotten hot. Many picked the Dodgers to be the team the Rockies would have to beat to win the National League West. Right now, that is looking to be true. To be the best you have to beat the best, and, that means the Rockies have to beat the Dodgers. The Rockies can cool the Dodger down. Wins against LA will go along way for the Rockies to control their own future destiny.

What happens this week and on this home stand could determine the fate of the Rockies in 2010. If the Rockies win both series, they have a fighting chance to win the division. If the Rockies lose both series, you can write them off as an also ran. Losing this week means the Rockies start to slip away and they will start to get buried which will mean they would be needing that miracle run again to come from a hole they would find themselves buried in.

Almost as bad for the Rockies: Go 3-3 and stay .500. .500 teams don’t win divisions. .500 teams are the definition of mediocre. It would leave the Rockies thinking they are in something, they really aren’t in.

This is a big critical home stand for the Rockies. Weather should be good, so buy your tickets and support your Rox!

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The Rockies are in Houston to play the Astros. After the first game of the series, on Wednesday, the Houston Astros placed second baseman Kaz Matsui on waivers.

With the Rockies struggles at second, specifically Clint Barmes, and his line of .214/.273/.339/.612 plus his four errors already on the short season, many fans are wondering and dreaming about the glory days of 2007 and wondering if Kaz is an answer.

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Maybe.

Did anyone wonder why the Astros waited until after their first game to release Matsui?

It wasn’t a coincidence. The Astros and the Rockies were doing a little tire kicking on players. One of them was Kaz Matsui.

I have a contact/source that told me, the Rockies said, no way would they take Matsui and his contract, and wouldn’t even give a low-level prospect for him, even if the Astro’s picked up all of his salary.

The Astros were holding out hope, that the Rockies would be the one team that might be interested in Matsui. When the Rockies said no way, the Astros put him on waivers.

Why were the Rockies not interested in a trade for Matsui?

Scouts seem to think Kaz is aging hard and fast. His range is dropping. In fact, his dropping fielding ratings are scary close to Barmes.

Matsui’s RZR rating for 2010 is .769 to Barmes’ .765. Both only have an OOZ rating of two.

For those that don’t understand these two fielding stats, those are both bad. Both struggle with balls in the zone, and both, have little to no range.

Matsui, also is going to get paid five million dollars for the season. I should point out that Kaz’s line for 2010 is: 141/.197/.155/.352 That’s a long way from 2007, which was three years ago.

Some baseball players have a short shelf life, and many are scouts are saying that Matsui is a shadow of his former self. He’s 34. All that added up to Matsui being too risky even for the best of deals.

Now for the interesting part.

If Matsui clears waivers, and everyone expects him to as no team is going to pick up that contract, the Rockies WOULD be interested in Matsui on a minor-league deal, according to my inside source.

If you remember, that is how they brought him over in 2006 from the Mets.

Some wonder if Kaz’s heart is still in baseball, and especially in playing in America. He could be a better fit in Japan, and many believe he will return to Japan.

But if the Matsui wants to keep playing here, and would give it a try at Colorado Springs, the Rockies would take a flier, if only for injury depth and old times sake’s.

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Finally!  Finally the Rockies got good starting pitching from someone not named Ubaldo.  In fact, they got two quality starts! 

Finally the Rockies picked up a timely hit. Finally the Rockies made productive outs.  Finally the Rockies didn’t have a good starting pitching outing blown by an over worked and out of place bullpen.  Finally, the SUN SHINED ON COORS FIELD! 

The Rockies won on Sunday, behind a solid outing by Jeff Francis.  He wasn’t dominant.  He will never, really be dominant.  But he can be very effective, and work out of jams.  He was vintage Francis. 

The win on Sunday by the Rockies was the 3rd win in a row!  This is the first time the Rockies have won 3 games in a row this season.  It also was the 4th win in 5 games for the Rox.   But don’t get too excited just yet.  These wins elevated the Rockies to a “winning” team, as their season record is 19-18.  But the Rockies are still in 4th place in the NL West.  The team in the rear-view mirror, well, they just blew past the Rockies, and that team is the suddenly hot LA Dodgers.  The Dodgers have won 9 out of their last 10 games.  Their only loss was to the Rockies last Saturday.

The Padres still lead the division, but they are slowing down, having dropped 3 in a row to the Dodgers.  See how that works?  One team wins, another loses.  The San Francisco Giants are in 2nd at 1/2 game behind the Padres, and the 2 teams play a 2 game set in San Francisco starting tonight.  The Dodgers are in 3rd place, 2 games off the pace.  They are followed, like I mentioned, by the Rockies who are a game behind the Dodgers and 3 games behind the Padres. The Diamondbacks are in free fall.  They are 2-8 over their last 10 games, and a full 7 1/2 games behind the Padres and 4 1/2 games behind the Rockies already this season.

Another finally, the Rockies FINALLY get to play a team with a losing record, as they travel to Chicago south-side to take on the 16-22 Cubs for 2 games, then down to Houston for 2 games against the Astros. The Astros are the worst team in the the National League, with only 13 wins to go against 24 L’s.

The Cubs series is very winnable for the Rockies.  Tonight (Monday), the Rockies have Aaron Cook who actually had a solid outing his last time out going against Randy Wells.  No one will mistake Wells for a Cy Young candidate.  He’s back of the Rotation filler (well, so is Aaron Cook if the Rockies fans take off their purple colored glasses). 

Tuesday’s game will match Jhoulys Chacin vs Carlos Silva.  This is an interesting match up.  Chacin has had 2 great starts, but his last one wasn’t so great.  That’s to be expected with any rookie.  The question is how will he bounce back? Carlos Silva has been arguably the Cub’s best starter on the year so far. Silva won’t strike out a lot of guys, with only 26 on the season in 42 innings pitched, but he isn’t walking many either, with only 9 on the year. Can Silva keep it going?

The key for the Rockies pitchers in this series will be to keep the struggling Cubs hitters struggling, especially Arimis Ramirez .167/.234/.268/.502 and Derrek Lee .238/.341/.367/.698.  It should be pointed out that Lee is starting to heat up, and has a 6 game hitting streak going on coming into this series and 3 of those games were multi-hit games. 

Finally, I think this Rockies team is pointing in the right direction.  Finally there is joy in Rox-ville in 2010.

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