Well, I'm back from Chicago, and I couldn't have picked a better time to take a few days off from the Rockies beat. Colorado finished a miserable 2-7 road trip against the NL's California teams with two low-scoring losses against the Padres, squandering good pitching performances by Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis and continuing to hit like...well, the Rockies, pretty much. Was Colorado's amazing road offensive production the first few weeks of the season a complete mirage? Boy, I hope not. On the other hand, they're still hovering above .500 in what looks to be a real mother of a division (surprise!) and they'll have ample opportunities to make up lost ground in upcoming home series against the Marlins and Pirates.

Speaking of mirages, is it the beginning of the end for the Tigers? Detroit has lost four in a row and will lose Mike Maroth to arthroscopic elbow surgery. What's impressed about Tigers pitching this season isn't just the individual performances of guys like Maroth but the top-to-bottom depth they've demonstrated, so we'll see if they can right the ship. The fact that the next three teams they play after one more against the Yankees tonight are Boston, the White Sox, and Toronto will make it challenging.

If you live in the Denver/Boulder area and have absolutely nothing better to do (but the Rockies are off tonight, so maybe you don't) my rock group's CD release show is tonight at Trilogy in Boulder.