[jksander]

OOC: I underestimated how awkward this was going to be slow-playing this out against the backdrop of the real-life Rockies, who are continuing to play at a level even OOTP is unable to properly simulate. So I am going to continue to play out the games, but simulating half an inning at a time, and posting about developments in larger chunks, writing in more (or less) detail as events warrant.

5/23: vs. Yankees ... L 2-8 -- was tied 2-2 after three and within two runs until four runs scored in top of the eighth.
5/24: vs. Yankees ... L 3-9 ... Antonio Senzatela was injured after second inning, burned through six relievers.
5/25: vs. Yankees ... W 5-4 ... broke a tie in the bottom of the seventh with RBI doubles for Beck, Amador and Bouchard, then held on for dear life.

After the game on the 25th we learned that Senzatela is out for at least a year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, which is terrible news considering he is on contract for two more seasons and is definitely iffy to return from this kind of surgery. We put him on the 60-day IL and called up Chase Dollander from the Isotopes to replace him. We also optioned 1B Aaron Schunk back to AAA and brought up an extra bullpen arm, closer Wellinton Herrera ahead of the Cubs series.

5/26: at Cubs ... L 0-3 ... Noah Syndergaard pitched seven innings with four hits and five strikeouts, but gave up all three runs. They outhit us 4-3.
5/27: at Cubs ... L 2-8 ... was never close, Cubs led 2-0 after three and never looked back.
5/28: at Cubs ... L 2-3 (10th) ... took the lead in the top of the seventh, lost it in the bottom of the 10th with a wild pitch scoring the pinch runner.
5/30: at Mets ... L 3-12 ... gave up seven runs in the third to blow a 2-0 lead, and they outhit us 11-5. Was never in doubt.
5/31: at Mets ... L 1-3 ... Bullpen took the loss with two runs in the sixth, got outhit 9-4 ... even when we look like we have a chance, we don’t.
6/1: at Mets ... L 6-14 ... was 5-6 when we went into the stretch, gave them eight unanswered from there to turn it into a rout.

We head into the month of June with a miserable 12-47 record, but at this point we’ve dug our graves and now we have to lie in them. At 28 games back in the division there’s no hope this year of anything but avoiding abject mediocrity ... getting 29 more wins over the last 103 games of the season would keep us from beating the mark of last year’s White Sox, which at this point has to be our main focus. We can’t wind up worse than them. We’ve signed a few minor league reinforcements in injury anticipation, but none of them are really worthy of a promotion, they’re just desperation moves at this point.