Indians @ Rockies Game 2 "It's A New Day and A New Game"

[InSowersITrust]

Laffey VS Jeff Francis 9:05 Game Time

Yahoo Preview

The Colorado Rockies have played their best this season against American League opponents.

They look to continue that success Wednesday when they continue their three-game interleague set with the Cleveland Indians at Coors Field..

Colorado (29-42) improved to 5-2 versus the AL by totaling a season-high 17 hits in a 10-2, series-opening victory over Cleveland (33-38) on Tuesday.

Six Rockies starters finished with at least two hits, including infielder Jeff Baker, who hit an inside-the-park home run and drove in two runs to help the Rockies avert a third straight home loss and a sixth consecutive defeat to the Indians.

?It was a good effort (Tuesday night),? manager Clint Hurdle told the Rockies? official Web site. ?To put all three facets together like that with some consistency - being able to score some runners, being able to get some two-out hits, a lot of two-strike hits, staying on balls, moving the ball around the ballpark offensively.?
Series at a Glance

Brad Hawpe homered and drove in two runs, while Matt Holliday went 3-for-5 with two more RBIs for Colorado, which is 9-4 since its season-high eight-game slide May 26-June 2.

Tuesday?s win helped the Rockies improve to 17-17 at Coors Field, where Wednesday?s starter Jeff Francis (2-6, 5.49 ERA) is 1-4 with a 5.79 ERA in seven starts.

The Rockies have lost four of the left-hander?s last five outings overall - a span during which he is 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA. Francis came away without a decision on Friday, when he allowed four runs in six innings of a 5-4 road loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Francis has won three of his last four interleague starts. In his lone career appearance against the Indians, though, he allowed seven runs and eight hits over 5 2-3 innings of an 11-2 loss at Cleveland on June 14, 2005.

The Indians, meanwhile, failed to build off of their 4-2 homestand, and lost for the fifth time in seven interleague games this season.

Shortstop Jhonny Peralta was the only Cleveland batter to register more than one hit, going 3-for-4 in the series opener.

?It was one of those nights where we hit a lot of balls hard, but right at ?em,? manger Eric Wedge told the Indians? official Web site. ?We could have had 12, 13, or 14 hits tonight. I wasn?t disappointed with our at-bats at all. We just let them off the hook.?

The Indians hope to bounce back behind Aaron Laffey (4-3, 2.83), who has led them to three wins in his last four outings.

On Thursday, the left-hander limited Minnesota to one run and five hits over six innings of a 12-2 victory.

Laffey has never faced the Rockies, or any NL opponent.

[NewJerseyTribeFan]

To me this series is what the WS should have been from the start of the playoffs. I like seeing the two finally getting a chance to go at it, although Interleague play is the dumbest thing since the DH rule.

[InSowersITrust]

Oh come on the DH is amazing. It makes the game more interesting and allows great players play longer as a DH. Seeing pitchers bat as an AL team is fun b/c it doesn't happened in the AL. But most pitchers are bad hitters and its pathetic watching them go up and trying to hit. Not all of them are natural athletes like Jeremy Sowers 

I actually agree with Hank Steinbrenner... he lost his ace b/c Wang isn't a hitter and isn't used to hitting and running bases... I know if I were Shapiro I would pissed off beyond belief I lost CC to injury if say he were hit by a pitch or running the bases. The NL needs to get to the 21 century.

[Nate]

High schools even use the DH now.  It protects the pitcher and doesn't expose his arm during the game. 

[InSowersITrust]

another loss to the loss column

I hope this isn't like the last time we got hot then lost 6 or so games in a row

[NewJerseyTribeFan]

I just got back from my highschool graduation and I feel like total crap... but I really want to debate this DH shpeel when I start to feel better.

But can we please buy a win??