O'Dowd deserves credit for Francis

Dan O'Dowd found pitching

Who thought Dan O'Dowd's acquisition of former Rockie Jeff Francis would be anything other than wishful thinking that the soft-tossing lefthander would help a poor pitching staff? Well, O'Dowd looks smart now, at least regarding this move.

While he could not have known for certain Francis was capable of pitching like he is now, he still was the man to sign him to a contract.

Francis held the Cardinals to two runs over five innings Tuesday in his latest impressive outing.

Francis' ERA of 5.16 is not attractive but he's strung together four-straight quality starts, allowing only five runs in 21 innings for an ERA of 2.14. He's struck out only 11 during that time but he's walked just two.

What's greater now - O'Dowd's signing of Francis or the lefty's apparent career resurrection?

By the way - the recommendation still stands. Gauge Tyler Colvin's (another home run Tuesday) value on the trade market and if the return on investment is strong, a deal should be struck. If not, you keep Colvin and hope he's one answer to the puzzle for the Rockies.