Despite an injury to the squad's offensive spark plug, Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies pitching staff, led by ace Ubaldo Jimenez, is rolling along.
Russ Oates of PurpleRow.com offered his expert insight on all things Rockies.
NESN.com: The Sox are the hottest team in baseball right now, winning seven of their last eight and having a 38-19 record since April 20. What will the Rockies have to do to slow them down and win this series?
Russ Oates: The Rockies will need their offense to show up. Troy Tulowitzki is out, and with Clint Barmes sliding across the diamond, a platoon at second begins. Of course, even when Tulowitzki was in the lineup, the offense didn't always show up. But if those bats do wake up, the Red Sox might just see some L's.
NESN.com: Colorado received solid pitching performances from starters Jason Hammel and Jeff Francis against Milwaukee over the weekend. Is the starting rotation more than The Ubaldo Jimenez Show, or is it still a work in progress?
R.O.: If I had to list the five best starters for the Rockies this season, I would place Ubaldo Jimenez in the top four spots and Jason Hammel in the fifth one. Jimenez has simply pitched that well. Hammel has pitched 25 or so scoreless innings since the start of June, so he's turned things on after a lackluster start and a stint on the DL. Outside of those two, the staff is not that great. Jeff Francis looked sharp early and has been adequate lately. The rest of the rotation is so-so or on the DL. Aaron Cook falls in the former category and Jorge De La Rosa the latter. He may return by the All-Star Break.
NESN.com: David Ortiz struggled for the Red Sox in April, but seems to have found his stroke once again. Can you explain the woes of Todd Helton, who is another veteran having trouble at the plate?
R.O.: Helton recently started wearing contacts to correct a vision problem, but that has yet to help him at the plate and has been blamed for his fielding problems. At this point, his career seems close to Don Mattingly's: great at the start with good power, followed by back issues, and then several years of decline. It's a sad, sad day when we witness Todd Helton strike out four times in a game.
NESN.com: Who will replace Tulowitzki in the lineup, and what does that do to the team, both in the field and at the plate?
R.O.: Second baseman Clint Barmes moves back to the position at which he began his major league career. with Tulo's absence. This will be quite the decline for the offense, though it's not the end. Tulo was one of the few consistent bats in the lineup before his injury, so this offense will need to come from some other place. Maybe Ian Stewart will start to hit, or Barmes will hit like he did before the deer meat incident. A platoon of Melvin Mora, Johnny Herrera and recently called up Chris Nelson at second base will hopefully provide some jolt.
NESN.com: Boston has proved lately that it can win close, low-scoring games, but also has that ability to score runs in bunches. The Rockies seem to be the same way, as of late. Do you think this series will come down to who pitches the best or who scores the most runs?
R.O.: The team that pitches the best will win this series. With the Rockies' offense mostly dormant lately, the pitchers will keep them in the series. That is, unless Manny Corpas is pitching, as he allowed eight runs over Saturday and Sunday.
Pitching Probables
Tuesday: Jon Lester, LHP (8-2, 3.13 ERA) vs. Jhoulys Chacin, RHP (3-6, 4.00 ERA)
Wednesday: John Lackey, RHP (8-3, 4.53 ERA) vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP (13-1, 1.15 ERA)
Thursday: Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP (5-2, 4.59 ERA) vs. Jason Hammel, RHP (5-3, 4.03 ERA)
Thanks again to Russ Oates. Be sure to check out his Rockies blog, PurpleRow.com.
