D ear Colorado Rockies,

Here we are again. Why do we always end up this way? I had such high hopes for us back in the spring. Maybe I was blinded by the glitter of the sunshine, and the smell of the fresh grass. Perhaps I got caught up in the excitement of another year of baseball. Whatever it was, I let it get the best of me. Sure, we’ve had our fair share of ups and downs in the past. We’ve seen rock bottom on more than one occasion. But, I thought this time would be different.

You lied to me, period. There’s no other way around it. Back in March you told me things would be different. And I fell for it. I actually believed that you would give it everything you had, not for a few magical weeks or one or two unbelievable months, but for the entire season.

Boy, did you prove me wrong. Instead, I was left feeling empty and stupid for falling for your silver-tongued promises. I would love to say, “It’s not you, it’s me.” But, that would be the easy way out. It is you. It’s always you. Year after year, you get my hopes up, and year after year, you leave me tattered and ashamed.

So many times before, I’ve come crawling back. Not this time. It’s going to be a while before I can trust you again. You’re going to have to earn it. I need some time to myself. About five months or so. Don’t worry, I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied. I can finally learn the ins and outs of the new Facebook setup. My fantasy football team needs managing. I’ll find ways to take my mind off of the painful memories of this summer.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all bad. Todd Helton seemingly clawed his way back from oblivion to return to being somewhat productive. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez still provided plenty of excitement throughout the season. We saw glimpses of excellence from the young arms of Jhoulys Chacin, Rex Brothers, and Juan Nicasio.

Speaking of Nicasio, I can’t focus all of the blame on you. It seemed as though our deal with the devil from 2007 finally came to collect this year. We saw Jorge De La Rosa’s season cut short back in May, lost to Tommy John surgery. Juan suffered that freak accident when a line drive to the head led to a broken C1 vertabrae, an injury unheard of in baseball. Once again, CarGo couldn’t avoid an annual meeting with the outfield fence, rendering him useless for weeks at a time with a nagging wrist injury. And what was it with you guys and doors this year?! First Aaron Cook forgets to remove his fingers from the front door of the house before slamming it shut, landing him on the disabled list (I know, SHOCKER!), and then little Johnny Herrera learns the hard way that an innocent game of Hide-And-Seek can result in a broken digit or two.

There I go making excuses for you again. I promised myself I wouldn’t do that. Regardless of the freak accidents and seemingly impossible injuries, it doesn’t excuse your actions on the field… or, more accurately, the lack thereof. Let me just make it this easy: catcher, pitcher, second base, third base, center field, bench. Those were all areas of this team that lacked any kind of consistent performance. Ian Stewart went from possible break out star to, well, I’m sure there’s even a term to describe how awful he was this year. I’ve seen hotel front doors that don’t revolve as much as the lineup at second base did this summer. I’m surprised you didn’t start grabbing random strangers out of the stands to see if they could play out there. And Dexter Fowler. Perhaps one of the best all around athletes to walk the clubhouse halls in years, yet he couldn’t find his way from one base to the next without a map and a personalized GPS system! There’s no excuse for someone with his kind of speed and agility making that many mistakes on the basepaths!

To make matters worse, we couldn’t even find a small amount of solace at home. A place that last year you guys ruled like kings of old, this year you allowed the enemy to storm the gates, burning and pillaging your lands. You had no pride in yourself, and in turn, I no longer have any pride in you.

Listen, I’m not walking away forever. I still care about you. That’s why I’m asking you to change, because I want to see you grow and flourish. I care about you too much to watch you squander it all away on poor decisions (yes, I’m talking to you, Dan O’Dowd). Let’s take a little time this winter to get our priorities straight. If you want to see me back here next spring, then you’re going to have to prove it to me. You will always be my first love, the one that introduced me to the beautiful world that baseball has to offer. But, I can only take so much heartache and embarrassment. Call me next February, and we’ll see how things stand. Until then, good luck. You’ve got a lot of thinking to do.

See you next year,

– Chris “Bull” Brom

Chris Brom is a local radio DJ and lifelong baseball fan.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ryan Vogelsong has heard the critical words all year: One-hit wonder. Fluke.

It fueled him every fifth day. It will fuel him for the next four months.

Vogelsong wrapped up his extraordinary, improbable comeback season with one final gem for the home Giants crowd.

The All-Star right-hander pitched seven shutout innings, Mike Fontenot hit a two-run triple and San Francisco beat the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on Monday night.

This winter, at last, Vogelsong will allow himself some time to reflect on his remarkable 2011 run — as he sits on his couch and watches reruns of “The Franchise.”

“I haven’t had much time to really think about it,” Vogelsong said. “Once I get home and melt down a little bit from the season, it’s going to be a lot of good thoughts and I’m probably going to realize how amazing it all is. It’s been fun, it really has. All I can hope for right now is that I keep it going, come back and do it again.”

Brett Pill had two hits and drove in a run and Pablo Sandoval added a pair of singles and his first career sacrifice bunt for the Giants, who ended a four-game losing streak with their fifth straight home win at soldout AT&T Park.

The switch-hitting Sandoval bunted left-handed because he couldn’t find his batting helmet to hit righty.

Mark Ellis — back in the Bay Area after being traded by the Oakland Athletics this summer — had two hits and drove in a run for the Rockies, who lost for the 10th time in 12 games and have dropped six in a row to the Giants. Seth Smith also had two hits.

Vogelsong (13-7) won his third consecutive start following a five-game losing streak and improved to 4-0 this year against Colorado. He allowed four hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. He retired 17 of 18 during one stretch.

The journeyman Vogelsong became an unlikely All-Star and among the most reliable pitchers for the reigning World Series champions — at age 34.

“My years in baseball, it’s the best story of a guy who has persevered like he did to get another shot at pitching in the big leagues,” manager Bruce Bochy said.

A non-roster invitee to spring training on a minor league deal, Vogelsong emerged during Barry Zito’s first stint on the disabled list. Vogelsong toiled through three seasons in the Japanese League before Triple-A stints last year for the Phillies and Angels. In the Bay Area with the team that originally drafted him in the fifth round in 1998.

“I’ve got a lot of motivation to come back and do this again and not be the one-hit wonder,” Vogelsong said. “I’ve heard the things through the season — ‘it’s going to end’ and ‘he’s a fluke’ — and that stuff drove me all year and it’s going to drive me through the offseason.”

Jhoulys Chacin (11-14) took the loss despite a solid outing. He gave up the two runs on eight hits over seven innings. Chacin walked one and struck out three.

Ellis’ RBI single in the eighth ended Sergio Romo’s 21 2-3 scoreless inning streak, a span of 29 games.

Romo got through the eighth, Javier Lopez got an out and Santiago Casilla finished off the game for his sixth save in seven chances.

Vogelsong allowed three or fewer runs in 23 of his 28 starts this season and increased his lead among Giants pitchers with his 12th hit.

Chacin lost his fourth straight start after not receiving any run support for the second straight game and fourth this year.

“I finished the season strong and healthy,” Chacin said. “I’d like to get 200 innings next year if I’m healthy.”

Chacin (11-14) gave up two runs on eight hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out three. Fontenot drilled a two-out, two-strike pitch from Chacin into the right-center field gap for a triple, driving in two runs in the third inning.

“It was a pitch I wanted to make but I guess I didn’t get it away enough for him to hit it that far,” Chacin said. “I was focusing on the glove and trying to hit the glove.”

Fontenot’s triple capped a two-out rally in the third after Vogelsong singled and Andres Torres walked ahead of him.

After stranding five runners in scoring position, Ellis’ two-out single in the eighth put the Rockies on the board.

Pill added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Bochy said closer Brian Wilson won’t pitch again this season in order to protect his troublesome elbow. Wilson didn’t seem happy about the decision after the game.

“I’m not going to talk about myself,” he said before making a quick exit.

NOTES: Vogelsong didn’t walk a batter for the first time since April 22 vs. Atlanta. … Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez had his injured right wrist examined by 49er team doctor Tim McAdams, who confirmed a deep bone bruise and tendon inflammation. … Colorado hitting coach Carney Lansford said he will likely undergo right hip replacement surgery sometime in October. … RHP Alex White (3-3, 7.04) will start Tuesday’s game for the Rockies. He’s lost his last two starts, giving up 11 runs in 10 1-3 innings. The Rockies won each of his first four starts and six of his first seven. … LHP Madison Bumgarner (12-13, 3.32) pitches for the Giants on Tuesday. He had a five-game winning streak snapped in his last start. He’s 1-3 in six career starts against the Rockies, but with a 2.43 ERA. … Rachael Flatt, the 2010 women’s national figure skating champion, and San Jose Sharks’ players Torey Mitchell and Logan Couture were among those in attendance. … Rockies’ manager Jim Tracy said he doesn’t expect to use Huston Street the rest of the way as the pitcher nurses a groin injury. Street experienced discomfort after his last throwing session. … The Giants set an all-time attendance record with 3,303,060.

By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Baseball Writer

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Luebke took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, leading the San Diego Padres to an 8-2 victory against the slumping Rockies.

“He had a little bit extra on his fastball, a little bit more carry in the hitting area,” Colorado manager Jim Tracy said. “He did a pretty good job of wiggling out of several 3-0 counts and that didn’t help the situation just due to the fact that we weren’t able to get any runners on base.”

Cameron Maybin and Aaron Cunningham homered for San Diego, which has won three of four. Maybin, Cunningham and Jason Bartlett had two hits apiece.

Mark Ellis homered for Colorado’s only hit of the game. The Rockies have lost five straight and six of seven.

“We obviously don’t have some of our best players out there,” Ellis said. “The guys that are out there are playing hard. We’re not winning a lot of games.”

Luebke (6-9) struck out a career-high nine in seven innings, yielding two runs and one hit. The left-hander was 0-2 with a 5.48 ERA in nine career games against the Rockies before Monday night.

Tracy was quick to point out there were a different set of circumstances this time that left them vulnerable to Luebke.

“With what we have out there right now offensively, when you dig a seven-run hole, you can’t ask some of these young kids to do the things that are necessary when you get down that quickly,” Tracy said. “That is somewhat of an insurmountable task when you look around that field and see the number of young kids that we have out there.”

Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (left hip), first baseman Todd Helton (back) and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (right wrist) were out of the lineup.

The Padres have never thrown a no-hitter in their 43-year history, and 19 times they’ve held an opponent hitless into the eighth. The last time was July 9 when five pitchers held the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless through 8 2-3 innings before Juan Uribe broke it up with a double.

Luebke tried to become the first pitcher in franchise history to accomplish the feat. He retired 12 straight at one point through five innings. He got Chris Nelson to line out to open the sixth before walking Eric Young Jr.

Luebke momentarily preserved the no-hitter in the sixth when he slid to grab Dexter Fowler’s slow roller near the mound and threw out the speedy outfielder at first for the second out of the inning.

One batter later, Ellis belted a two-run drive to left-center that made it 8-2.

“Everybody knows he’s throwing a no-hitter,” Ellis said. “You don’t really think about it until you get to the seventh inning.”

Ernesto Frieri pitched two innings to finish the game.

The Padres jumped on Kevin Millwood (3-3) early. They grabbed the lead in the second on three straight singles and made it 3-0 in the fourth on RBI singles by Bartlett and Kyle Blanks.

San Diego broke it open in the fourth and chased Millwood. Jeremy Hermida led off with a walk and scored on Cunningham’s homer to left-center, his second.

One out later, Luebke singled to right and Maybin hit the first pitch he saw into the right-field bleachers for his ninth homer.

Jim Miller relieved Millwood and got the final two outs of the inning.

Millwood allowed seven runs, six earned, and nine hits.

“It was a bad night,” Millwood said. “I pitched bad.”

NOTES: Tulowitzki has missed six straight games and eight of the past 10. Helton has missed six consecutive games and 12 of the past 14. Gonzalez missed his fourth game in a row. … Padres INF Jesus Guzman (sore neck) was not in the lineup. … The Padres will send RHP Matt Latos to the mound against RHP Jhoulys Chacin in the second game of the series Tuesday.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: Mark Ellis (2B – COL), Kevin Millwood (P – COL), Cory Luebke (P – SDP), San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies will finish with a below-.500 record at Coors Field this season after Monday’ 8-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. Just as 2011 as has gone the last several weeks, the Rockies looked inept out there while playing in their 41st home loss.

Cory Luebke (6-9, 3.23 ERA) allowed his only hit of the game in the sixth inning when Mark Ellis hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Eric Young Jr. had reached base two batters earlier. Luebke struck out nine over seven innings. Ernesto Frieri struck out three Rockies over the final two innings of the game.

Kevin Millwood (3-3, 4.56 ERA) had his shortest and worst outing as a Rockie. The first three runs scored on singles in the second and things innings, but in the fourth Aaron Cunningham hit a two-run home run to make the game 5-0 in favor of the Padres. Cameron Maybin then followed in the dame inning with his own two-run home run. Jason Bartlett’s sacrifice fly made it 8-0 in favor of the Padres.

The Rockies (70-83, 38-41 home) have two more home games left. Jhoulys Chacin and Mat Latos take the mound on Tuesday evening.

For more on the Rockies, visit Purple Row. Check out Gaslamp Ball for more on the Padres.

DENVER (AP) — Pablo Sandoval tripled in the sixth inning to complete the first cycle of his career and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Thursday night to keep their slim postseason hopes alive. Ryan Vogelsong pitched effectively into the sixth inning and had two hits, and Brandon Belt homered for San Francisco. The Giants have won five straight and prevented Arizona from moving closer to clinching the NL West. The Diamondbacks lead the Giants by seven games with 12 to play. Sandoval homered in the first, doubled in the second and singled in the fifth. In the sixth he hit a fly ball to the base of the wall in right-center field and beat the throw to third for the triple to complete the cycle. The four hits all came against starter Jhoulys Chacin (11-12). Sandoval is the 25th Giant to hit for the cycle and the first since Fred Lewis accomplished the feat May 13, 2007, also at Coors Field. It is the 10th cycle recorded at Coors Field. Jordan Pacheco and Chris Iannetta homered for the Rockies. The Giants built an early lead on Sandoval’s bat and poor fielding by the Rockies. San Francisco took a 2-0 lead in the first when Carlos Beltran singled with two outs and Sandoval homered into the second deck in right, his 20th. The Giants used two Colorado errors to extend the lead in the second. Brandon Crawford scored on a throwing error by shortstop Tommy Field. Jeff Keppinger hit a sacrifice fly and Pacheco misplayed Beltran’s grounder at first, allowing Cody Ross to score from second to make it 5-0. The Rockies got one back in the third when Chacin scored from third on Mark Ellis’ single. Pacheco made it 5-2 when he led off the fourth with his second home run. San Francisco made it 7-2 in the sixth on an RBI double by Ross, who scored on a double play grounder by Beltran. Vogelsong (11-7) allowed two runs and four hits, walked four and struck out eight in 5 2-3 innings. Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Colorado scored three runs in the seventh on Iannetta’s 13th homer and RBI doubles by Chris Nelson and Eric Young Jr. Belt led off the ninth with his sixth homer to make it 8-5. Chacin gave up seven runs — four earned — and nine hits, walked four and struck out one in 5 2-3 innings. Notes: Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (hip) and 1B Todd Helton (back tightness) missed their second straight game. … Giants closer Brian Wilson (right elbow strain) threw a side session Thursday. … Left-hander Madison Bumgarner will face Colorado rookie right-hander Alex White on Friday in the second game of the four-game series. Bumgarner is 0-3 in five starts against the Rockies while White has never faced the Giants. (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

(Sports Network) – The Cincinnati Reds will resume their lengthy road trip
tonight with the first of three straight games against the Colorado Rockies at
Coors Field.

The Reds have lost 10 in a row in the Rocky Mountains and are 3-3 so far on a
nine-game trek through St. Louis, Chicago and now Colorado. They dropped two
of three to the Cubs at Wrigley Field and suffered a 6-3 setback in
Wednesday’s series finale.

Yonder Alonso had three hits and an RBI, while Joey Votto and Jay Bruce both
had two hits and knocked in a run for Cincinnati, which lost for the seventh
time in 10 tries.

Logan Ondrusek was handed the loss and starter Johnny Cueto gave up three runs
on seven hits with three strikeouts over seven innings.

“Anytime you have these games where they are close games, it’s tough,” said
Alonso. “You just have to move forward with it, learn from it and keep
playing.”

Homer Bailey draws the start for Cincinnati tonight and he’s 7-7 with a 4.57
ERA in 18 starts. Bailey is 0-2 in his past four outings and was beaten by St.
Louis in Saturday’s 6-4 loss at Busch Stadium, where he gave up five runs –
four earned — in only three innings.

Bailey, a right-hander, is only 2-4 in nine road assignments this season and
0-2 with a 7.23 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies.

Colorado has dropped three of four games and just lost two of three meetings
with Arizona at Coors Field. In Wednesday’s 5-3 loss in the series finale,
Kevin Millwood got the start for the Rockies and allowed four runs and 10 hits
in 5 2/3 innings for the loss.

Carlos Gonzalez, Wilin Rosario and Millwood all homered for the Rockies.

“They’ve been doing it all year. That’s why they have 82 wins right now,”
Rockies manager Jim Tracy said of Arizona.

Jhoulys Chacin gets the call for Colorado tonight and he’s 11-10 with a 3.60
ERA in 27 starts this season. He has won two straight and three of five
starts, including an Aug. 28 win at Los Angeles. Chacin survived for the win
even though he allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.

The righty lost at Cincinnati on Aug. 11 this season and is 1-1 with a 2.55
ERA in four career games (2 starts) against the Reds.

Cincinnati and Colorado have split four meetings this season — all at Great
American Ball Park.

The Sports Network