Ok Rockies fans, time is running out for you to enter the State Farm Call Your Shot promotion. It only takes a couple of minutes to sign up, and one you see the prize list, you will definately want to sign up!

What could be better then taking a free trip for four people to New York City for the All Star game? Staying in a great hotel, getting spending money, free tickets to the game and even a broadway show is exactly what you will get if you are selected as the grand prize winner of the Call Your Shot Promo. Take two minutes right now and enter the promo!

The grand prize winner will also get the chance to pick a spot to which two of the Home Run Derby players must compete to try to hit a ball. If the first player hits the ball to the called spot, the promotion ends. If either player succeeds, the fan receives a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid vehicle and a 2009 season-ticket package for any team.

Additionally, 10 fans will win first place prizes consisting of a $300 MLB.com gift card and 25 second place prize winners will receive $100 MLB.com gift cards.

Remember, time is running out and you have nothing to lose! Also, remember to vote for your favorite Rockies players to be in the All Star game!

After sweeping the Indians, the Rockies couldn’t win against the Mets; final score 7-2. It has been hard for the Rockies to get wins this year, and after coming off a sweep the team was looking forward to playing the Mets; but tonight they couldn’t get it done.

Aaron Cook was not looking like his usual self (a 10-4 record after tonight.) He gave up six runs on twelve hits in seven innings. Cook looked good in the first with two ground ball outs and a strikeout, but he lost it in the second. The wind started to kick up in Coors Field and so did Cook’s pitches. He couldn’t keep his pitches down and the Mets capitalized, scoring five of their seven runs. He also gave up a homerun to Trot Nixon in the third. It was not a good night for the Rockies ace who got the loss.

One guy for the Rockies who has really been on fire is Jeff Baker. He homered in the second to give the Rockies a two run lead. This was his fourth homerun in four games. And even though he is not a true second baseman, he has really stepped up defensively and proved himself worthy. Baker was two for four and drove in the only Rockies runs in the game. It doesn’t look like he is going to be headed down to AAA any time soon with the way he is playing. Maybe his success can rub off on some of the other guys on the team.

Troy Tulowitzki had his first game back since being injured on April 29th. He was 0 for four but had two hard hits that the Mets made spectacular plays on. He was in a slump before the injury and hopefully being away will help out his .150 batting average. The fans were excited to see Tulowitzki back in the line up, but I refuse to do the Tulo cheer until he gets a hit. Tulowitzki needs to get himself back up to major league caliber.

Both Todd Helton and Garrett Atkins struggled tonight. Helton went 0 for four with a strikeout and two pop-ups. Atkins also went 0 for four with three ground balls and a strikeout. The Rockies win when the heart of the lineup gets hits and tonight that wasn’t happening; John Maine struck them down.

Tomorrow the Rockies face Pedro Martinez. Hopefully it will be a better showing for the Rockies offense. 

ROCKSTAR of the game: JEFF BAKER

The Rockies have been the only National League team dominating the American League this year. Tonight’s 6-3 win against the Indians was for the sweep and although the Rockies have won four of their last series it  was the first sweep of the season. The Rockies have won their last five games. 

Jorge De La Rosa got the start tonight and pitched a good game with three runs on four hits in six innings. He stayed calm after giving up 2 runs in the first off of a Francisco homerun. The next run wouldn’t come until the sixth off of a Blake homerun. He also had a career high number of strikeouts tonight with ten. His work on the mound was a huge part in the win.

Another player who was once again a huge part in the win was Jeff Baker. He hit the go-ahead run in the sixth with a bomb out to left center field. Baker even got his first intentional walk of the season. His defense on first base could use some work but he definitely made up for it in offense. Matt Holliday had an RBI tonight along with Brad Hawpe who had two. 

The man of the night was Doug Bernier who was brought up from AAA for only three games. Tonight was his first major league start and although he didn’t get that elusive first hit he played some good defense. He assisted Yorvit Torrealba on a pick off play in the third and got the first out in the ninth by running out to center and making a catch. He must have been good luck for the Rockies, who won every game he was brought up for. He will most likely go back down tomorrow but it was a nice cup of coffee for Bernier, who has spent seven years making his way to the show. 

The Rockies start a series with the Mets tomorrow at Coors Field and hopefully the Rockies can keep up the winning. 

In other news the Rockies signed their first round draft pick, Christian Friedrich, today. 

ROCKSTAR of the game: JEFF BAKER and DOUG BERNIER

The Rockies are playing some good baseball; they have won their last four series (unless you count that one game against the Braves as a series then it’s four out of five). They are finding ways to win and  are catching up in the NL West. The Rockies took game two of the Indians series winning 4-2 tonight.

Jeff Francis was on the mound and pitched a great game. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings. The pitchers have really been stepping up lately for the Rockies, especially the starters. Francis got the win and now is 3-6, closing in on that 500 mark. With a rough start to the year, Francis is coming around and starting to look like the ace he was last year. 

The rest of the Rockies lineup is also starting to play like the National League champions. Jeff Baker and Omar Quintanilla both had another great game. Baker was 2 for 4 with a homerun in the 4th and Quintanilla was 2 for 3 with 2 of the Rockies RBI’s. These two created the winning run tonight in the 6th when Baker got on first with a fielder’s choice and, two batters later, Quintanilla singled to bring Baker home. It is going to be hard to decide who to send down to AAA when Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes come back with Quintanilla and Baker playing so well. 

The bullpen was once again doing its job. Jason Grilli, Taylor Buchholz, and Brain Fuentes all came out of the pen and kept the Indians at bay. Combined, they pitched 3 innings and gave up 0 runs on 1 hit. Fuentes only faced 3 batters, which is unheard of for him. The bullpen has really helped out the team lately and will hopefully keep this going. 

 The Rockies have really been shutting down the Indians. Well, most of the Indians. Former Rockie Jamie Carroll is playing like he is at his home field and, let me tell you, I wish he was.  We are still looking for  a true second baseman to take on a full time position. Carroll had two doubles tonight and batted in 1 run. 

The Rockies are going for the sweep tomorrow night, and this time it is going to happen. 

ROCKSTAR of the game: JEFF BAKER and OMAR QUINTANILLA

Greg Reynolds got his second win of the season tonight in the Rockies 10-2 win against the Cleveland Indians. He pitcheed 6 innings and gave up 1 earned run on 5 hits with no walks-which he has struggled with. He was looking like a totally different pitcher after his last game against the Giants. He seemed in control and in his element tonight. He wasn’t alone; the rest of the team helped out with some offense and outstanding defense. 

The Rockies got started in the 2nd when, after 2 outs,  Willy Taveras got on first with a fielders choice.  Then came something not many players get the chance of doing; Jeff Baker hit an inside the park homerun. Baker’s ball was hit right on the nose; in any other part of the field it would have been a traditional homerun, but this one hit the deepest part and then bounced off the fence into the middle of no man’s land in left center and Baker turned on the jets and made it into home with plenty of time. In the next inning Brad Hawpe homered and brought in Garrett Atkins for 2 more runs. 

The defense was also on it’s A game tonight. The biggest play in the game came in the top of the 6th when the score was 5-1 Rockies and the Indians loaded up the bases. Reynolds got the first out with a strikeout but the bases were still loaded and the tying run was at the plate. Choo was at bat and hit a screamer in Omar Quintanilla’s direction. Quintanilla backhanded a line drive and fired the ball to Baker and got the double play. It is going to be a webgem tonight if you want to check it out. 

After that great play in the field, the Rockies once again came out with their bats. In the bottom of the 6th they scored 2 runs on three hits. And in the 7th scored 3 runs on 4 hits. It was a night the Rockies should see a lot more of with some major players coming off the DL. Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes are supposed to be heading back to the show after rehabbing in the minors. 

Someone new was welcomed to the big leagues today; Doug Bernier made his major league debut today as a Rockie. The Rockies brought him up from AAA for three games until Tulowitzki makes his comeback. The Rockies made this move at a more reasonable hour than some other National League teams. 

The Rockies are going for another win against the Indians tomorrow. The Indians didn’t seem to have a problem with their pitchers batting today unlike an American League owner who blamed the NL for a pitcher’s injury, but you never know: tomorrow is another day. 

ROCKSTAR of the game: JEFF BAKER

Hello everyone, I wanted to let you know about a great promotion that Major League Baseball as well as State Farm Insurance are putting on. State Farm is giving away some great prizes and all you have to do is go to the Offical State Farm Call Your Shot website and register through June 24th. If you are the lucky winner we have listed out what the winner will all receive below. Now tell me if that isn’t one of the best prizes for a baseball family! Make sure you take a few minutes to register, you could be the winner! Also, don’t forget to vote for your favorite players to be in the All Star game!

• All-expense paid trip for four to the All-Star Game and State Farm Home Run Derby
• First class hotel accommodations in New York
• Tickets to a Broadway show
• $1,000 MasterCard gift card

The grand prize winner will also get the chance to pick a spot to which two of the Home Run Derby players must compete to try to hit a ball. If the first player hits the ball to the called spot, the promotion ends. If either player succeeds, the fan receives a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid vehicle and a 2009 season-ticket package for any team.

Additionally, 10 fans will win first place prizes consisting of a $300 MLB.com gift card and 25 second place prize winners will receive $100 MLB.com gift cards.

As you can tell, this would be an amazing trip and prize package to win. So what are you waiting for? Go register for a trip of a lifetime!

Although the Rockies did not, once again, get the sweep, they took 2 out of 3 games against the White Sox. It would be nice for them to finish a series with 3 or 4 W’s but I will take just winning out right; beggars can’t be choosers. Today’s game was not won without drama.

Aaron Cook had another great outing on the mound. He pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 runs on 10 hits, 2 of  which came off of a Dye homerun in the 5th. Cook had some offensive help today from former White Sox Scott Podsednik who drove in 2 of the Rockies 4 runs. This was a key game for Podsednik who has struggled lately. The Rockies started out hot today scoring 2 runs in the first, with Podsednik bringing Willy Taveras home on a double and on the next pitch, Matt Holliday doubled in Podsednik.

After the White Sox tied up the game in the 5th off of Dye’s homerun, Brad Hawpe, who is an internet celebrity for his sewer pipes and instructional video (on youtube search Brad Hawpe), took Contreras deep in the 6th and gave the Rockies the winning run. Chris Iannetta added an insurance run in the 9th with a bomb off of Logan.

The bullpen threw another great game. Ryan Speier, Taylor Buchholz and Brain Fuentes all came in and combined threw 3 innings -each threw 1 full inning- and only gave up 1 hit. Fuentes’s outing was a little scary for the Rockies because he loaded the bases off of a single and 2 walks with 2 outs.

And that’s not all, Rockies fans cringed as Holliday and Omar Quintanilla both were running for the last out, a popup by Crede. At the last second Quintanilla dropped off and almost ran right into Holliday who by some miracle bobbled the ball and then caught it bare handed. It was an unconventional out but it counted and the Rockies won by 2 runs.

The win today was a good Father’s Day present for my dad, who sits and watches every game with me. I know that the Rockies were winning it for him and all their dad’s back home. Tomorrow is another day and the Rockies have a one game series- a make-up after the snowed out game in April- against the Braves. Chipper was cooling off today and hopefully the Rockies can bring him below .400.

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Jorge De La Rosa had an amazing start after his total bomb against the Phillies. The close games lately haven’t been going the Rockies way but today it was a different story. The Rockies finished the game with more offense than the White Sox and the pitching couldn’t be touched.

De La Rosa pitched 5 innings and only gave up 1 hit. Something just clicked tonight with De La Rosa and he looked like a true major league pitcher. It might have been less stressful for him being in the American League and not having to bat, but whatever it was he was a different player than his last start.

De La Rosa wasn’t the only pitcher for the Rockies shutting down the offense. Jason Grilli, Taylor Buchholz and Brian Fuentes all did their part to earn the team a much needed W. All together they gave up 2 hits and no earned runs. The bullpen was looking like it did last year, solid. If the bullpen can keep healthy and perform like they did today the Rockies should be getting closer to that 500 mark.

The offense wasn’t producing much tonight but thanks to the pitching that didn’t matter. Only one run was needed but the Rockies got a little insurance. The first run was scored in the top of the 7th with a ground rule double by Jeff Baker and a sac bunt by Yorvit Torrealba to move the the runner up, and with 2 outs a little blooper hit just beyond the second baseman by Willy Taveras brought Baker in for the winning run. Taveras had a great night tonight after being in a little slump. He went 2 for 4 and had 5 stolen bases, just short of the Rockies record of 6  by Eric Young. With Taveras getting back into the grove hopefully all the Rockies will follow suit and the team will break out of their losing record.

Tomorrow is Fathers Day and the final game of the series in Chicago and the Rockies will go for the win. I am banking on a Rockies win tomorrow because I haven’t gotten a present yet for my dad and a Rockies win would be perfect for my budget as a college student. So, GO ROCKIES!

Rockies Blog

Today was a day to forget for the Colorado ball club with a tough 10-7 loss against the Giants.  After winning the last two games against the Giants the Rockies couldn’t get the sweep.

Greg Reynolds started today’s game on a high after winning his first game against Milwaukee last week, but it was a different story for the young pitcher today. He looked good in the first only giving up one hit but couldn’t get the third out in the second until  4 runs were scored; 3 out of the 4 were on a 2 out homerun by Fred Lewis. Reynolds only lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up 10 hits.

The rest of the team tried to help Reynolds out with some offense, but  couldn’t bring in the runs. In the second inning Todd Helton lead off with a single and Garrett Atkins brought him home on a double.  Two batters later Yorvit Torrealba knocked in a run with a single.  After the Giants scored another 2 runs in the 3rd the Rockies came right back with 2 runs off of a Matt Holliday double. It looked as if the Rockies had a chance to come back, but couldn’t bring Holliday in from second.

The Giants came right back with 2 more runs in the 4th. In the 5th inning the Rockies had a chance of catching the Giants.  Jeff Baker swinging a hot bat singled to left to start the inning and was followed by a Holliday single.  Helton walked and the bases were loaded for Garrett Atkins who doubled to right and brought in 3 runs.  Atkins was left on second for 2 consecutive outs and was joined on first by Omar Quintanilla.  With 2 men on Ian Stewart couldn’t capitalize and struck out looking. Once again the Rockies left potential runs on base.

Again in the 7th the Rockies had a chance to reach the Giants. With 2 outs the Rockies loaded the bases with  singles by Torrealba and Quintanilla and a walk to Jonathan Herrera, but Ryan Spilborghs struck out looking.  In fact the Rockies struck out a total of 13 times, including 3 strikes by both Holliday and Hawpe.

The Rockies didn’t lose because they didn’t have the opportunities, they lost because they couldn’t finish. Reynolds threw only 3 2/3 innings; Manuel Corpas gave up 2 runs in the 7th with 2 outs- the Giants scored 5 runs with 2 outs-and the Rockies couldn’t clear the bases.

Today’s loss could have easily been a win if only the team could complete what they started. The only good to come from this loss is the 4 tacos for a dollar at Taco Bell tomorrow because the Rockies scored 7 runs.  The Rockies need to regroup and get ready for a quick road trip to the windy city for some interleague play against the White Sox. The Rockies have played well in interleague game it would be nice to get back to a winning streak.

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The Rockies 1-0 win today over the Giants was a big one.  Not just because they are in dire need of wins but because the entire team played a part.  The Rockies win when they play as a team. The playoff run in September of last year was spectacular because the team became a family.  Tonight’s win was a glimpse of what could turn out to be another close knit team with playoff potential.

It started off with Ubaldo Jimenez not giving up in the first.  He threw a total of 29 pitches but kept his confidence and got out of the inning unscathed.  Jimenez proved today that he belonged in the show.  In 7 innings he only walked one man and gave up 4 hits.  For a young guy struggling with control one walk is a big deal.  Although he personally didn’t get the W he was a key aspect for the club win.

The defense was some of the best I have seen from the Rockies all year. Willy Taveras, who has been off and onn defensively this year, was definitely on tonight with a spectacular catch in the 6th to give the Rockies the first out of a 1,2,3 inning.  He caught it over the back, reaching out, on the run in dead center field.  Taveras wasn’t the only one playing some defense, for a guy who was drafted as a third baseman,  Ian Stewart has proved that he can also play a pretty good second base, with 8 assists in 7 innings on the night.  His most impressive assist was in the first, with Lewis on second, Winn on first and  2 outs in the inning; with  a ball hit up the middle Stewart ran over and made an off balance perfect throw to get Rowand out at first for the third out. If he doesn’t make that play the score would have been 1-0 Giants in the first.

The defense was perfect tonight while the offense was dormant with the Giants ace Lincecum on the mound. It wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth inning that the first and last run was scored. Brian Fuentes earned his money tonight by getting three outs in the top of the ninth without a run, and earning himself a win which was his first of the season.

In the bottom of the ninth with Garrett Atkins occupying third, off of a walk and single by Brad Hawpe, and then Hawpe on second due to a passed ball, Chris Iannetta stepped up to the plate. He looked at a couple balls go by and then decided to swing, when he made contact the ball went off of his knee and he went down in pain.  It was a scary moment for the catcher who has had one of the best starts to the season on the team, but he finally got up and walked off the pain and made it to first with 4 balls.

The bases were loaded for Jeff Baker who flied out to Rowand in center; Atkins faked going in but made the right decision in going back as a good throw would have definitely caused an out.  Up off the bench then came Yorvit Torrealba who hit a  short fly ball right to Giants left fielder Lewis, who made a perfect catch and quickly threw the ball to Molina who was in perfect position on the plate.  The Ump called Atkins out but forgot to look for the ball that was rolling in the dirt in front of Molina.  Atkins was safe at home. Torrealba didn’t get the RBI but the only thing that matters is the club got the win.

It was an unselfish night for the Rockies that really paid off. They have won 6 of their last 7 games. The Rockies will go for a sweep tomorrow afternoon at Coors Field.

Rockies Blog