SAN DIEGO — Those two acrobatic plays Ian Stewart made at third base Friday night? He pulled them off with an injured left leg.
That gives you an indication of Stewart’s arm strength.
Two hours before Saturday night’s game, his leg was encased in bandages and ice. He says it’s not a big deal, but the tightness and soreness in his lower left hamstring (just behind the knee) was enough to raise warning flags and keep him out of the starting lineup.
“I’ve been getting a lot of treatment on it the last few days, trying to stay ahead of it and get it better,” Stewart said. “I think it’s going to be fine.”
He originally tweaked the hamstring making another diving play in a game against the Braves last week.
“It’s not to the point that Ian can’t be used, but it’s in our best interest to give him a day and get this thing quieted down,” manager Jim Tracy said. “I think he’ll be back in there tomorrow. We want to put this behind us. I was worried that if we continued to push the envelope, this might be something he has to carry with him.”
Although Stewart is hitting a disappointing .220, he entered Saturday with 16 homers, tied with Troy Tulowitzki for the team lead. Stewart has shown more patience at the plate lately, and holds a .375 on-base percentage in July.
But it’s his 24-karat defense that has been even more eye- opening than his powerful homers. Stewart said he has never felt more confident at third.
“It’s like I expect to make those diving plays now,” Stewart said. “It’s like if I dive for a ball and it goes off my glove, it should be an error. I know it’s not, but to me it’s an error. If I don’t make those kinds of plays, I’m ticked off at myself.”
Fine-tuning.
Catcher Chris Iannetta’s swing is still not quite right. That’s reflected in his .227 average, 49 strikeouts in 185 at-bats (26 percent of the time) and no home runs in his last 52 at-bats. So rather than start Saturday, Iannetta worked overtime in the cage with hitting coach Don Baylor.
“There are times when Chris’ body gets too fast,” Tracy said. “He’s got a very short, powerful swing, and he needs to do things to get behind the ball. That big-time early commitment on a pitch can get you in deep trouble.”
Footnotes.
The middle infield duo of Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes packs a punch. Their combined slugging percentage is .902, fourth in the majors. . . . Ubaldo Jimenez, 25, is already making his mark in the Rockies’ record book. In his first 70 games, he has five games with 10 or more strikeouts. That ranks second in franchise history, trailing only Pedro Astacio, who had 10 strikeouts or more 15 times (in 130 games).
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
