Rockies? lone lineup change: Hawpe out, Spilborghs in

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One of Jim Tracy?s biggest strengths this season was bringing stability to the lineup. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that he?s not panicking after the Game 1 loss. While fans would have prefered a shakeup after the Game 1 loss, Tracy is sticking with same group, save for inserting Ryan Spilborghs in right field for Brad Hawpe. Third baseman Garrett Atkins also remains in the lineup.

As with every decision, Tracy has reason for his logic. Spilborghs is 2-for-3 with two doubles against today?s starter Cole Hamels. Garrett Atkins is also 2-for-3 lifetime against the left-hander. The Rockies are looking to score early and change their road luck against left-handed starters. They are 8-17 oon the road against them this season. The only other change is that Carlos Gonzalez, after getting two hits, moved up to the leadoff spot with Dexter Fowler dropping to second.

So will the plan be the same against Hamels as it was against Lee?

?Whatever the plan was against Lee didn?t work. We might want to do something different,? Todd Helton deadpanned this morning.

Charlie Manuel isn?t trying to overthink his lineup. He will go with the same look in Game 2. The Phillies? played according to their regular-season script in the Game 1 win. They blended speed ? they are going to run on the Rockies until they stop them ? and power (see big swings by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth). Aaron Cook has one of the faster times to home plate and is much better at holding runners than Ubaldo Jimenez. That should help slow the Phillies on the bases. But until they prove they can throw someone out, they will have the green light.

A look at the lineups:

Rockies (0-1)
LF Carlos Gonzalez
CF Dexter Fowler
1B Todd Helton
SS Troy Tulowitzki
3B Garrett Atkins
C Yorvit Torrealba
RF Ryan Spilborghs
2B Clint Barmes
RHP Aaron Cook

Phillies
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
RF Jayson Werth
LF Raul Ibanez
3B Pedro Feliz
C Carlos Ruiz
LHP Cole Hamels

 

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We still do not know the identity of the starter for Game 3 on Saturday in Colorado. J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton will both be available to pitch out of the bullpen again today. Righthander Pedro Martinez likely won't. Manager Charlie Manuel said Martinez is staying sharp, throwing on the side, and that if he does start a game this series, he thinks he will be capable of throwing up to 100 pitches. But Manuel said it is not safe to assume that J.A. Happ will start Game 3 if he does not appear as a reliever today. With high temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-30's and a chance of snow, Manuel said the weather could affect his decision on who to pitch. This is my own speculation, but I think Manuel would go with Blanton in poor conditions, since he seems to be the most low-maintenance starter. Happ and Martinez, both of whom have battled muscle strains over the past month, would not be ideal cold-weather starters.