Atlanta – The free spirit they call Spilly made a mess of Chuck James’ pitching line. Ryan Spilborghs notched his second two-home run game of the season, with his nine home runs tying him with Todd Helton.
Spilborghs has provided frighteningly efficient production. He has 43 hits and 39 RBIs, a performance that has made him the starting right fielder against left-handers.
“It was a good day for me,” said Spilborghs, who is batting .323 in 133 at-bats.
Spilborghs’ importance continues to grow when analyzing the Rockies’ reserves, a group that could change with catcher Chris Iannetta’s anticipated demotion today in favor of Edwin Bellorin. Colorado’s pinch hitters rank 18th in baseball with a .207 average. And that’s with Spilborghs going 8-for-22 (.364) in that role.
The Rockies used three pinch hitters in Sunday’s loss, and all struck out.
“I think we have enough on our bench. Guys will produce,” Spilborghs said. “It’s a tough job.”
Iannetta tuneup likely
All signs point toward Iannetta being optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs today to regain his confidence offensively after Bellorin was scratched from the Sky Sox lineup Sunday night. Bellorin, signed as a minor-league free agent during the winter, is hitting .326 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs.
Iannetta has one hit in his past 32 at-bats and was pinch-hit for Sunday as his average dropped to .179. Manager Clint Hurdle explained he was walking a fine line regarding whether Iannetta needed a minor-league refresher. Asked bluntly Sunday if Iannetta would be demoted, Hurdle said, “I am not going to answer that question right now.”
Needing a second wind
Brad Hawpe has cleared hurdles in his career, but two remain: hitting left-handed pitching, which is why he’s platooning with Spilborghs, and finishing a season with a flurry.
Hawpe is a career .230 hitter after the all-star break, and is batting .183 in the second half with 24 strikeouts in 60 at-bats this year.
“This is only my second second half, so I wouldn’t say it’s a trend. I haven’t been swinging the bat well,” Hawpe said. “But if you have one bad week in a 162-game season, you can’t dwell on it.”
Footnotes
Franklin Morales continues to inch toward the big leagues. He allowed one run and struck out seven in his Triple-A debut Friday. The bad news is that he issued five walks. … Rodrigo Lopez will undergo a second medical exam on his torn right flexor tendon today in Los Angeles. Lopez doesn’t anticipate pitching again this season.
