I can’t tell you how great it is to have electricity again. After high winds knocked out power for most of Monday, Tuesday was back to normal…although there was just one game available on television: the White Sox vs. Rockies from Tucson.
* Kind of an interesting day for White Sox starter Javier Vazquez. The veteran right-hander took the mound at Tucson Electric Park against the Colorado Rockies and did not look good at all, allowing a pair of runs in both the first and second innings before settling down a bit to pitch a perfect third.
* But during the fourth inning, it was learned that Vazquez may have been a bit preoccupied during this start. After all, if you had just signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension wouldn’t you have your mind on how you could best go about spending that money?
* Vazquez had two outs and no one on in the top of the second before hurting himself with his glove. He allowed back-to-back infield singles to Chris Ianetta and Willy Taveras but he got a glove on both and should have gotten an out on either ball. As you’d expect, the next hitter – Kaz Matsui – tripled down the right field line to make it a 4-0 game.
* Call me crazy, but I just can’t see the marriage of Rodrigo Lopez and Coors Field working out so well. Lopez allowed opponents to hit him at a .302 clip in 2006…not exactly the type of numbers that will spell success in Colorado.
* Lopez had been cruising along until the third, when he allowed a single by Darin Erstad, an RBI double by Juan Uribe…and a long, line drive home run to right by A.J. Pierzynski on a changeup left up in the zone.
* Got a good look at Rockies’ #1 prospect Troy Tulowitzki in this game, as he played shortstop and hit eighth in the order. Tulowitzki struck out against Vazquez in the second inning and then swung and missed at a 1-2 curveball from left-hander Matt Thornton in the fourth. In the sixth, Tulowitzki ripped an 0-1 curve from Adam Russell into left for a solid double to finish the day 1-for-3.
* Rockies catcher Chris Ianetta, the team’s #8 prospect, according to Baseball America, singled off of Vazquez in the second, but was overmatched by Thornton in the fourth inning, striking out on three pitches. In the sixth, Ianetta worked a walk off of Adam Russell and finished the day 1-for-2 with a run scored.
* Yet another Rockies prospect – right-hander Jason Hirsh – also made an appearance in this game and was very impressive. Hirsh came over to Colorado along with Willy Taveras in the deal with Houston for Jason Jennings, and Hirsh currently ranks as Colorado’s #3 prospect, according to BA. Hirsh pitched three scoreless innings and allowed just one hit. In his first inning of work, Hirsh retired the side in order on a pair of pop-ups and a grounder. Then in the fifth, Hirsh retired the first two hitters before allowing a two-out single by Junior Spivey, who was quickly erased attempting to steal. Hirsh finished his day by retiring the White Sox in order in the sixth and showed off a hard slider that fooled several hitters.
* 6’8” right-hander Adam Russell, the White Sox #8 overall prospect according to Baseball America, came into the game in the fifth and pitched two innings for Chicago. Russell pitched a 1-2-3 fifth, but then struggled in the sixth. Russell allowed an infield single to Matt Holliday and then gave up a monster home run over the batter’s eye in center field to Brad Hawpe. Russell did show an above-average pickoff move, nearly picking off Holliday just before allowing the long home run.
* MLB.TV provided a glimpse of the Padres and Diamondbacks earlier this evening, in a game where both Chris Young and Brandon Webb pitched three innings. Arizona’s Scott Hairston touched up Young for a two-run home run in the second, but nothing else of note happened in the four innings I saw.
* Three televised games are on tap for tomorrow but I may not have time to watch them and post a blog entry. My first draft of the season takes place tomorrow night – the FantasyAuctioneer.com AL-only experts league…where I’m looking to get back in the winner’s circle. Much like the White Sox, I had a great 2005 – winning a championship – but I was unable to repeat in ’06.
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