The Rockies snapped their eight-game losing streak today with a shutout victory in Houston. Jeff Francis stifled the Astros' Texas League lineup and defeated former Colorado star Jason Jennings, who was fairly effective in allowing three runs in seven innings. Francis, LaTroy Hawkins, and Jeremy Affeldt combined to keep the Astros off the board and just like that, we're on a one-game winning streak. Hooray!

Only I was kind of enjoying the losing, in a perverse way. At least the Rockies weren't boring for a stretch there. If they go back now to simply losing every series two games to one like they did for the first two months of the season I will be very disappointed.

The worst thing about this losing streak is that the very guy contributing the most to the Rockies' woes is the one we were most counting on to bring us back a bounty in trade, once we played our way safely out of contention. I think that for both competitive and PR reasons the Rockies need to make a good-faith effort to re-sign Matt Holliday, but Brian Fuentes should be trade bait this year. Too bad he's a basket case right now, having had a week-long run of blown save opportunities that would give Fausto Carmona wobbly knees. Fuentes is out as closer, at least temporarily, Clint Hurdle says. As of right now we don't have any single affirmed name as replacement but knowing Hurdle the first guy to get a chance and not blow it will likely keep getting the call. Until such time as he does blow it. Might be Manny Corpas, might be Jorge Julio, might be Hawkins. First we must wait until the Rockies present their bullpen with a save situation. We'll see how long that will be.