Issue: The eight-day layoff
Background: Much of the talk leading into the World Series was whether the eight-day layoff the Rockies enjoyed would hurt their performance. Typically teams that sit for that long have a hard time regaining their timing or keeping their momentum. (See Detroit, 2006 World Series.) To combat the layoff, the Rockies held simulated games in Denver last weekend. A bigger concern for some Rockies fans was that their team would lose its mojo after the 21-of-22 streak.
Bottom line: For all the talk about the Rockies’ hitters struggling, the layoff seemed to affect Rockies starter Jeff Francis more than anyone else. Francis was brilliant in his first two postseason appearances, at Philadelphia and at Arizona. On Wednesday night, however, he was clearly rusty. A pitcher such as Francis, who lacks a dominating fastball, needs to have all of his pitches working, and the time off, 13 days for Francis between starts, could not have helped. He couldn’t locate his fastball or seem to get the feel necessary to spot his off-speed pitches. Rockies hitters might have been rusty, but it would be hard to tell – no one is hitting Josh Beckett these days. “We’re a no-excuse ballclub,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said afterward, saying he had no idea if the layoff hurt his team.
