San Diego – The leather hints of September.
Minor-league call-ups Zach Day, Ryan Shealy and Eddy Garabito and rehabilitated starters Clint Barmes, Brad Hawpe and Larry Bigbie will bolster the roster this week. Hawpe’s arrival will leave the Rockies’ top home run hitter, Dustan Mohr, without a home.
That explains why outfielder Mohr is wearing a first baseman’s glove and taking groundballs during batting practice, hoping to squeeze in playing time if Todd Helton ever takes a day off.
“I will do anything they ask to get in there,” said Mohr, who has 16 home runs. “I will play infield, catch, I don’t care.”
For the second consecutive year, the Rockies may lose their home run leader to free agency. Jeromy Burnitz defected to the Chicago Cubs for a bigger contract. Colorado general manager Dan O’Dowd said he “absolutely” wants Mohr back, but at the right price for a swing outfielder. The Rockies will decline Mohr’s $1.5 million mutual option.
“When I signed, it wasn’t for one season,” Mohr said. “I want to be here, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Mohr has revived his statistics with a strong second half. But when Hawpe and Bigbie return from the disabled list, they will get the majority of playing time in right and center.
Manager Clint Hurdle wants to keep Mohr involved, saying he has earned at-bats, which is why he asked him to take groundballs at first.
HURRICANE CONCERNS ROCKIES: Reliever Scott Dohmann and catcher Danny Ardoin spent Sunday on their cellphones, concerned about Louisiana family members in the path of Hurricane Katrina. Relatives living in the center of the state sit in danger if the storm doesn’t head north. “You get worried when you can’t reach anyone. I called 20 times before I got through,” Dohmann said.
FOOTNOTE: Hurdle seemed lukewarm, at best, to the idea of adding infielder Jeff Baker to the list of September call-ups. “There is merit involved,” said Hurdle, alluding to Baker’s inability to stay healthy. The team would like Baker to play winter baseball.
