I watched a couple innings of the Dodgers/Rockies game on Monday night, and I realized just how bad things have gotten in Colorado. The Dodgers had Jose Cruz Jr. on second, and Mike Edwards hit a base hit to left field. The left-fielder, Matt Holliday, threw the ball in towards home plate, and because Cruz was not attempting to score, the infielder cut the ball off. You know, a standard “hit the cutoff man” play that players have practiced since they were six years old. Well, you wouldn’t know it by the reaction of the Rockies broadcaster on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (is it still George Frazier? I think so). He promptly began gushing about what a great play it was by Holliday, how wonderful it was that he hit the cutoff man, etc.
I was commenting to my wife how sad it was that the Rockies have sunk so low that the announcers get excited about hitting the cutoff man, but before I could get the sentence out, Dioner Navarro hit a flyout to Cory Sullivan in center field. It was pretty shallow, so Cruz didn’t have a chance to score, so he didn’t try. But Sullivan’s throw went right to Todd Helton, who was standing on the mound playing cutoff man. Golly, did George Frazier ever love that! Two plays in a row that the Rockies outfielders saved the day by doing what they are expected to do!
Even if it hadn’t been the Dodgers, I would have been very pleased when the next batter, Jayson Werth, drove in both Cruz and Edwards with a double. Cut that off, George Frazier.