Chacin of old returns and Rockies Prospects

Jhoulys Chacin masters Mets

Jhoulys Chacin was masterful. The Rockies have waited a long time to get their best pitcher back from injury and the wait was worth it.

Chacin threw six innings of one-run ball. Outstanding.

No walks. Almost unheard of for the oft-control-challenged righthander.

A lot of smiles from front-office executives and dugout.

For all his talent, the 24-year old Venezuelan has a career mark of 21 wins and 29 losses. Healthy again, he should greatly improve on that record. He can still be a force in a rotation but it's time, now that he's healthy, that he matures and uses his talent consistently, knocks out the sloppy work and becomes a star.

The Rockies have won 10 of their last 15 games.

Rockies' Prospects Spotlight

Joe Gardner

Double-A righthander Joe Gardner allowed only two runs over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight.

He was working in the bullpen but was put back into the starting rotation four games ago. His ERA since then has been a stellar 2.78. Consistency or a lack of it dogs Gardner. Is he starter or is he reliever. The Rockies still believe he's a starter-in-training.

Will Swanner hit home run no. 15 for Low-A Asheville. He also owns a .325 batting average.

His teammate, Ben Alsup, threw six shutout innings after throwing a complete-game one-hitter his last time out. He has a 1.32 ERA in four August starts. Since the All-Star break his ERA is 2.92. Finishing strong.

Catcher Wilfredo Rodriguez, a 2012 draft pick, singled three times at Grand Junction to raise his average to .354. Rodriguez is dominating in August, hitting at a .438 clip.

Tri-City catcher Tom Murphy, a 2012-draftee, played DH on Tuesday. He also homered and drove in three runs. His impressive debut season now shows a line of a .299 average with four homers and 28 RBI.