I'm going out to Coors Field again tonight, and I have an opportunity in front of me I don't think I've had ever before in my long career of attending baseball games. Last Tuesday, I saw the Rockies win their seventh in a row in front of a tiny and indifferent crowd; this Saturday, I have an ideal opportunity to see them lose their fourth consecutive game in front of a crowd that might be indistinguishable in terms of size and attitude. There will certainly be fewer Reds fans there today than there were Cardinals fans out earlier in the week, but balancing that is the fact that since the end of the win streak regional enthusiasm for the local nine has started trending rapidly downwards again after a brief spike. You would have to be a very close Colorado baseball observer indeed to notice the minute difference between a rise in Rockies popularity, a dip, and no change, but what am I if not a very close Colorado baseball observer?

Matt Holliday bumped his head in the dugout and had to leave the loss yesterday. Apparently he was hopping down the stairs over something lying on one of the steps and cracked his noggin on the concrete roof. That smarts. He'll play today, however, despite a gash and a bump described by wordsmith teammate Todd Helton as "a cantaloupe, grapefruit, I don't know."

Today's starters are Jeff Francis and Kyle Lohse. You might think the Rockies would be better off against a known-quantity veteran like Lohse than they were facing Bobby Livingston in his second career start, but as luck would have it, Lohse has never pitched against Colorado. The Rockies have lost a lot of games lately to very green starters and it's a trend I have to come out firmly against.

Well, best get moving. Let's go, Francis Channel.