With a franchise-best 11-4 interleague record already deposited, and a 42-39 record in the books to mark the first half of the season, the Rockies have turned their attention to winning the National League West.
Monday, as they opened a three-game series against San Francisco, the Rockies’ confidence was palpable. Indeed, before their 9-6 loss to the Giants at Coors Field, they were feeling a little chippy, having already dispelled theories that they can’t win on the road or that they wouldn’t recover from a 12-16 slump in May.
“I don’t think it really matters what a lot of the naysayers have been talking about,” said closer Brian Fuentes, selected to his second straight All-Star Game. “It’s been one thing said after another, but all that really matters is what the guys believe in here.”
Added all-star left fielder Matt Holliday: “I think that, come late September, people are going to be waiting for us to fall apart. Which is fine with us, because I don’t think anybody is this clubhouse cares about that thinking.”
Yet buried beneath the feel-good atmosphere surrounding the Rockies lay some sobering statistics. With five home games left against NL West teams before the all-star break (two more with the Giants, followed by three against Arizona) the Rockies are just 13-18 against their NL West rivals.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the Rockies’ biggest nemesis. The Dodgers hold a 7-2 advantage – including a 3-0 mark at Dodger Stadium, where they have outscored Colorado 21-3.
“We eventually have to take a series or two from the Dodgers,” starting pitcher Jason Jennings said. “And we might have to take a series at their place, which has always been a tough place for us. But I think we are capable of that.
“I think the division’s wide open. I think it’s just waiting for somebody to get hot. I think if somebody can run together nine or 10 games, they might separate themselves from the middle of the pack. But I’m assuming it’s going to be tight the whole way through the season.”
Gonzo up, Spilborghs down
The Rockies recalled infielder Luis Gonzalez from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday night and optioned outfielder Ryan Spilborghs to Triple-A. Earlier Monday, manager Clint Hurdle squelched the idea of dropping a pitcher from the roster to add a position player.
“It’s something we talked about, but we put that to bed,” Hurdle said.
Gonzalez was on the Rockies’ season-opening roster, but was placed on the 15-day disabled list May 28 (retro- active to May 27) because of inflammation in his wrists. He was the Rockies’ opening-day second baseman, but that job is firmly in the grasp of Jamey Carroll. At Triple-A, Gonzalez hit .236 with two homers and eight RBIs in 24 games. But he heated up recently, going 10-for-33 (.303) in his past nine games.
Footnotes
Holliday still is waiting to hear if he will be a participant in the All-Star Game’s home run derby next week in Pittsburgh. If he does get to take his cuts, he’s going to have his brother, Josh, a hitting coach at Georgia Tech, do the pitching. … A trade involving Colorado Springs first baseman Ryan Shealy still is possible, but Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd discounted a report that said a trade with Toronto was imminent. … Veteran catcher Danny Ardoin, coming back from a strained left knee, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Modesto (Calif.) on Wednesday. … The Rockies signed right-handed pitcher Ricardo Ferrer of Venezuela to a 2007 contract. The 16-year-old will work out of the Rockies’ facility in the Dominican Republic.
Rockies recap
Earth no longer trembles when San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds plods to the plate, but that doesn’t mean opposing teams don’t respect him.
Asked if there is a perception Bonds is more vulnerable than in seasons past, and that teams are pitching to him more, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said, “Oh, yeah…the numbers say as much. I think you can watch videotape, and I think Barry would be the first one to tell you. But it’s also like messing with a rattlesnake.”
HELTON’S STREAK: When Todd Helton walked in the fourth inning Monday, it marked the 33rd consecutive game in which he reached base safely via a hit, walk or hit by pitch. Helton is two games behind former Rockies star Larry Walker, who reached base a team-record 35 consecutive games from April 27 to June 8, 2002.
