After a night of sleeping on it, I still can't believe Jim Tracy didn't take the blame for last night's loss. If you listened to the post game presser, Tracy found everyone else at fault for the loss. Ubaldo Jimenez told Tracy that he felt fine to start the eighth inning. Well of course U-Ball is going to say that! What pitcher wants to tell his manager that he doesn't feel up to it unless he just felt a twinge in his arm? Jimenez was at 114 pitches before the start of the eighth inning. Tracy needs to know that he can't keep throwing Ubaldo out there and hope all goes well. He needs to show some leadership and say, "U, you've done a good job, but the 'pen can handle this one."
↵Yes, Ubaldo Jimenez should take some blame for this because he faltered. Yes, Matt Belisle should take some blame because he allowed the grand slam. But Jim Tracy should also take the largest portion of blame for this loss because he can't keep trotting Jimenez out on the mound when he is well over 100 pitches.
↵Over at Purple Row, Rox Girl is also correct in arguing that the offense is to blame for this loss as well, but she writes from a predetermined standpoint when she states that the Rockies' two runs may not have been enough regardless of which Rockies pitcher started the inning. First, the Rockies didn't score their second run until after the Dodgers had their five-run inning. Second, a different pitcher to start the top of the eighth butterflies away the rest of what we saw in the eighth. This is also why so many alternate history novels fail to tell convincing stories.
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