Los Angeles – For some major-league players, September is the cruelest month.
They ride the bench for days, play occasionally, pinch-hit here and there, and then wonder if they’ll figure in their team’s future plans. For players such as the Rockies’ Larry Bigbie, Dustan Mohr and Aaron Miles, it’s a life in limbo.
In the case of Bigbie, the situation is especially tough.
Ahead of him is center fielder Cory Sullivan, who continues to play the role of hero. Wednesday night, Sullivan had his second four-hit game of the month and hit a two-run homer in the eighth to lift the Rockies to an 8-7 win over the Dodgers. More and more, Sullivan is looking like the Rockies’ center fielder of the future.
Sullivan’s homer came on the heels of Garrett Atkins’ grand slam in the fifth that got the Rockies back into a game the Dodgers led 5-0 after four innings. The slam was Atkins’ second of the summer and helped propel the Rockies to their seventh win in their past eight games over the Dodgers.
Colorado’s blueprint for 2006 may or may not include Mohr, Bigbie or Miles. It’s a late-season situation that puts manager Clint Hurdle in a quandary. He must choose between getting a long look at his players and evaluating them for the future, or filling out a lineup card that gives his steadily improving team its best chance to win.
After being traded to the Rockies from Baltimore in late July, Bigbie was given an extended tryout in center field. While his .237 average wasn’t impressive, his fielding was. But then he missed 13 games with an Achilles tendon injury.
That gave Sullivan a chance to shine in center. After being sternly challenged by Hurdle to improve at the plate and in the field, Sullivan has responded. The past 21 games Sullivan has hit .347, with five doubles, two triples and two home runs. He’s hitting .283 for the season.
Hurdle was recently asked if it was time to sit Sullivan so the Rockies could get a better look at Bigbie.
“What would you do?” Hurdle shot back. “I just challenged (Sullivan), and he responded. I can’t just sit him down two weeks later.”
Bigbie, who said his Achilles is about 80 percent healed, said he understands Hurdle’s point of view.
“I want to play, and I want to play for Colorado next year, but you have to go with the guy who is hot,” he said. “When I was in Baltimore, there were a couple of times when I was playing well and they took me out for somebody else. Then I’d have to sit and I’d lose my rhythm.”
For Mohr, sitting behind rookie right fielder Brad Hawpe has been difficult.
“It’s very tough, especially given the fact that this hasn’t been my best year,” Mohr said. “It is frustrating because I want to play. I love to play baseball. Heck, even if I’m not playing every day, I’d at least like to be considered a valuable piece of the team. Right now, I don’t really feel like I have any role.”
Mohr – whose 16 homers rank second on the team behind Todd Helton’s 17, but who also has 87 strikeouts in 243 at-bats – got a rare start against the Dodgers on Tuesday night. But he was back on the bench Wednesday as Hawpe took his spot in right field.
Hurdle, who had to deal with coming off the bench as a player, said it’s a tough but unavoidable part of life in the big leagues.
“One of the things that I made sure that I didn’t do was say, ‘Well, I didn’t get any hits because I haven’t played in a while,”‘ Hurdle said. “Well, there is usually a reason why you haven’t played in a while if you are honest in evaluating things. It’s one of the hardest things in sports, to be a part-time player, but you just have to go out and play.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
