Rox Fall 2-1 As Bats Continue to Slumber
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. The Rockies trailing the Red Sox 2-0 in this World Series has nothing to do with ‘inexperience’, or being ‘starstruck’, or not being ready for prime time, or the team’s 8-day layoff between the NLCS and the start of the Series. If you’re looking for reasons why the Rox are heading back to Denver down 2-zip, here they are:
1. The offense has been on hiatus since the fourth inning of Game 1 of the NLCS (with the exception of the fourth inning of Game 4 of that series).
2. Boston has played better baseball.
There’s really nothing at all tricky about it. Boston is executing better in all facets. They did so tonight in their 2-1 win, putting the Rockies with their backs closer to the wall than they have been all October.
The Rockies had plenty of opportunities to get back to Coors Field with a split in hand. They had the leadoff man aboard five times in the six innings that Boston starter Curt Schilling started in his tenure on the mound. With runners at second and third with one out in the first inning and Todd Helton coming to the plate, the Rox could have made a major statement early. But Helton had to settle for an RBI groundout, and the Rockies would score no more.
In the NLCS, the Rockies were able to neutralize the strength of Arizona’s bullpen stars by getting out to early leads and making them stand up into the late innings. They made the D-Backs pen a non-factor. They are going to have to follow that formula if they want to win this Series, but they couldn’t manage it in Game 2. Once Schilling left the ballgame, Hideki Okajima and Jon Papelbon came on and did what they’ve done all season long – dominate.
Game 2 was frustrating in exactly the opposite way that Game 1 was. The first game was over before the Rockies ever had a chance. Game 2 was over because the Rockies didn’t take advantage of the chances they did have. Matt Holliday getting picked off first with two outs in the eighth as he represented the tying run stands as the enduring symbol of this game – Holliday desperately diving back to the bag, reaching for safety, and Kevin Youkilis and the Sox denying him.
Ubaldo Jimenez couldn’t make it through the fifth inning, giving up the eventual game-winning hit to Mike Lowell in that frame. Jimenez was solid through the first three frames but lost his fastball command in the fourth (Baseball Prospectus’s Will Carroll noticed that U-Ball simply lost his release point). He wriggled off the hook in that inning, but could not finish the fifth, allowing an RBI double to Lowell after walking David Ortiz and allowing a single to Manny Ramirez with two outs. Boston continued their trend of putting together runs with two outs, a trait that the Rockies have utilized earlier this postseason.
Things will change on Saturday night. The scene shifts to Coors Field, which will be electric. Boston will have to make a lineup decision that will weaken their offense and their defense. The Rox will return to familiar, friendlier turf. And if there’s one thing these Rockies have shown time and time again this season, it’s that they won’t roll over at home.
The return home should be just what the doctor ordered for the bats. The Rockies hitters really are better than this. If they don’t start showing it, it won’t matter how deep Rockies starters go, or how well the bullpen pitches (Matt Herges and Brian Fuentes were splendid tonight). This series rests on the shoulders of Colorado’s big boppers, and aside from Holliday’s 4-for-4, they went AWOL tonight.
To win four, the Rockies have to win one. Saturday night in Denver is a good place to start. The Germans may have bombed Pearl Harbor, but it wasn’t over then, and it isn’t over now.
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18 Responses to “Rox Fall 2-1 As Bats Continue to Slumber”
October 26th, 2007 at 2:31 am
“To win four, the Rockies have to win one. Saturday night in Denver is a good place to start. The Germans may have bombed Pearl Harbor, but it wasn’t over then, and it isn’t over now.”
Seriously? The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
October 26th, 2007 at 3:07 am
You just got beat by a 40 year old pitcher that has lost his fastball. Outside of Matt and Todd you have no bats. Your leadoff man is brutally bad. And, if the Sox take one of the next two games you might as well write this series off as a loss, because you won’t be beating Beckett.
ICKIMORE
P.S. Go back to school or watch the movie or something. The German navy was in the Atlantic, Hawaii is in the Pacific.
October 26th, 2007 at 5:07 am
Sounds like a significant tone change from your ‘Rox are better than the Sox’ (can’t remember the exact title) post prior to the series. I don’t understand how you could have watched the last two games and not come to the conclusion that it is in fact the bright lights and lack of experience that have the Rox out of sync. Clearly they are a good ball club but can not put together a clutch hit and have starters that get ahead of themselves. To say that experience is not part of the equation is simply not accurate…
October 26th, 2007 at 5:34 am
Apparently Mark missed the Animal House reference in there…
October 26th, 2007 at 5:39 am
I guess nobody’s familiar with the film career of John Belushi…
Seriously though… Ashley, experience has nothing to do with it. You’re either getting it done or you aren’t and the Rockies aren’t.
Ickimore, you already got banned from Purple Row for being a total d-bag. Similar behavior here will get your comments removed.
October 26th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Last night was a pitcher’s game. Both teams had opportunities to break the game wide open, but stranded runners in the end. Still can’t get over Papi’s near 3 run shot last night that wound up 2′ wide of Pesky Pole.
Jiminez. On the whole, I was impressed. He’s got talent, but he got wild in the 4th and the Sox began to wear him down. Still, your bullpen came in and kept the lid on. The problem is, the Sox did the same thing. As solid as Schilling was in innings 2 - 5, Okajima was the hero last night snuffing out the Rockies in the 6th.
Moving back to Coors Field could shift the momentum back to the Rockies. The Sox will have to sit Lowell, Youk or Papi (or some combination) and the Sox pitchers throw a lot of flyballs. Plus, Manny’s limited range will be exposed. He’s got a strong arm and has learned to play the Monster as well as Yaz and Greenwell, but in Coors he’ll be a liability (defensively - I’ll still take his bat over any bat on the Yankees including Holliday’s).
I think Sox fans are just looking to steal one. We’ve got Beckett going in game 5 and the Rockies haven’t seen either Dice-K or Lester so that may confer an advantage.
We’ll see. Good game last night.
October 26th, 2007 at 6:25 am
Need to have an edit feature.
Yankees should read Rockies. Freudian slip.
October 26th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Sox fan here. Please don’t shoot.
Yesterday was a winnable game for both clubs. You guys did a nice job making Schill work to a degree, we did the same with Jimenez - who, by the way, is an ace in the making. That kid has tremendous stuff; if he can just iron out his delivery, you’ve got the real deal there. Much more impressed with him than I’ve ever been with Francis.
Listen, this series is far from over. I fully expect the Rockies to take advantage of Coors and win the next two; I can’t see either Matsuzaka or Lester faring too well, Matsuzaka because his breaking stuff won’t be as effective and Lester because his wildness in addition to the altitude will probably result in a couple homers with men on. This series will probably come back to Boston. I have to like the Sox’ chances, but I hope you guys aren’t preparing to jump off any cliffs yet - lot of ball left.
I really want to see the Rockies do well - fun club, and nice to see a fanbase come back to life. I hope they lose, obviously, but a couple wins would be a great thing to see.
October 26th, 2007 at 6:54 am
And Ashley, seems to me that people only talk about experience when the inexperienced team is losing. When they’re winning, it’s because “they’re too young to know how big this is” or whatever. Sports commentators have cliches available for every circumstance, and this is just another one. The Rockies have all been playing baseball for a while now; the rules don’t change in the World Series. Experience isn’t the issue; their lack of offense is.
October 26th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Nice post, Andrew. Good to see there’s still a few Sox fans left who have a memory and haven’t turned into Yankee pod people post-2004.
Last time I was rooting for a team against the Sox in the Series THEY went down 2-0 too, on their OWN field. That one worked out pretty good. And since I’ve been insisting all year that the Rox are the 21st-century version of THAT team (granted, I think they got here a year ahead of schedule because of that freakish run), ain’t no reason to give up yet.
Granted, Okajima & Papelbon aren’t Nippert & Schiraldi. But the real Rockies haven’t shown up for this Series yet.
I have to disagree with the original post on that one: They DO still seem a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. You could see that even in the Game 1 intro — the Sox were very loose and smiling, the Rox were VERY formal and kinda tight, and we’re still seeing some of that. Clint needs to give them the Hoosiers speech — you know, make them measure the baselines, et al. — and remind them that these are still GAMES.
Anyway, I’m still confident they’ll find their legs again at Coors, for all the reasons you give above. Dice-K’s already gassed; having him suck wind another 5,000 above sea level won’t help that OR his trick pitches.
October 26th, 2007 at 9:00 am
[…] • Rox Fall 2-1 As Bats Continue To Slumber. The return home should be just what the doctor ordered for the bats. The Rockies hitters really are better than this. If they don’t start showing it, it won’t matter how deep Rockies starters go, or how well the bullpen pitches (Matt Herges and Brian Fuentes were splendid tonight). This series rests on the shoulders of Colorado’s big boppers, and aside from Holliday’s 4-for-4, they went AWOL tonight. [Up In The Rockies] […]
October 26th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Another Sox fan here. Last night was a great ball game that really was a bloop or a base hit or two away. But, thankfully for us, Schill was on his game. (Oh, and Matt Holliday scares me). And, as a Sox fan, being up 2-0 and going to Colorado was just what I was hoping for. Because I think it’s going to be really tough up there for our boys. I think Coors will wake up the Rox offense. I think being home will loosen them up.
That said, I hope they don’t. Because it’s a great offense.
Anyway, keep up the great work. Saturday should be fun. Good luck the rest of the way.
(And please remember, there IS a minority of us Sox fans who don’t act like complete douchebags… and HAVE watched Animal House)
Go Sox!
October 26th, 2007 at 11:48 am
I agree with Andrew. I don’t see Dice-K winning. His fastball is hittable, and he’ll have to resort to it. If he can jam the Rockies effectively, he’ll win. But I don’t think he’ll be able to put the fastball where he needs to.
October 26th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
>> But I don’t think he’ll be able to put the fastball where he needs to.
Eh?? After good blogs, this?? You don’t _think_?? Will you please explain, why?
October 27th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Germans? Forget it. He’s rolling.
October 28th, 2007 at 6:47 am
For Dan: You said, “Seriously though… Ashley, experience has nothing to do with it.” To say that experience has nothing to do with the way the Rox are playing is inaccurate. It clearly has SOMETHING to do with it.
For Andrew: By experience I don’t mean how long a player has been playing, I mean his experience with a club and the club’s management experience in big games. Anytime you here a comment like the problem is this or that, it usually turns out to be a little of both. Bottom line is that they are still out of sync and it isn’t ALL Red Sox pitching.
What a great site. I have been turned off by most of the high speed sites like cbs and fox because they routinely exercise some form of bias. MVN doesn’t pretend to have that type of forum and the contributors, real people with original ideas, seem more informed and definitive, even if you miss a few… But we all do from time to time.
October 28th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Ashley… this blog article pretty much sums up why I completely disagree with you: http://www.firejoemorgan.com/2007/10/only-reason-teams-lose-inexperience.html
October 28th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Good article, like stated above, not talking about individual players but a club in general. The ability to hold players together and rally. I understand you believe the blogs theme but not content. Otherwise, you would have never asserted that the Rox were better in your original article.
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