Non-news flash: Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki have been virtually unstoppable at the plate in recent weeks.
What’s an opposing manager to do? Simple, says Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker.
“How do you stop those two? You stop the guys hitting in front of them,” Baker said.
That would be Eric Young Jr. and Dexter Fowler, two promising young players whose presence on base ahead of the Rockies’ Nos. 3 and 4 hitters depends largely on what area code they’re in.
It’s all good in the 303. When that number changes, so do all the other numbers, as well as the Rockies’ playoff hopes unless those road numbers improve.
Young and Fowler are virtually the same player: Both provide speed and energy on the basepaths at Coors Field, and both struggle to get on base on the road.
Both are hitting over .300 at home; each is hitting .190 on the road. They’re certainly not the only reason for the Rockies’ 51-24 vs. 29-42 home-road split, but they’re on the long list.
Ask Rockies manager Jim Tracy about the team’s make-or-break six-game road trip that begins tonight in Los Angeles, and he’ll tell you it’s all about the L.A. traffic. No, not traffic on the 101 outside Dodger Stadium.
“Our whole key will be getting some traffic for Tulo and CarGo,” Tracy said. “Then it’s about picking up our fair share of hits when there’s traffic out there. That will put us in position to win.”
Young has made 35 starts in the leadoff spot. Fowler, who has settled into the two hole in the past month, has hit first or second 89 times. We only mention it because Gonzalez and Tulowitzki have combined for 16 home runs on the road, and have driven in Young or Fowler only once.
Tulowitzki, like virtually every other Rockies hitter through the years, is more productive at Coors Field than he is on the road. But he’s no average player away from the altitude; witness his .308 batting average and .510 slugging percentage on the road.
So why have 54 of his 82 RBIs come at home? In part, it’s because he comes to the plate on the road with fewer runners on base. To wit: He has produced 12 runs with his nine home runs on the road. At home, his 14 homers have accounted for 25 runs.
Gonzalez’s numbers paint a similar picture. Five of his seven road home runs have come with the bases empty. Of his 25 homers at Coors Field, 11 have come with men aboard, accounting for 37 RBIs.
The way Tulowitzki and Gonzalez have been hitting — Tulo is the reigning National League player of the week and CarGo is your basic Triple Crown candidate — a few more appearances on base by Young or Fowler could turn this into the road trip that lands the Rockies in the playoffs.
“It helps to have traffic out there, no doubt about it,” Tulowitzki said. “They know it, they’ve heard it. It’s just a matter of going out there and doing it. They’re young players and they’re coming to the end of a pennant race. The biggest thing is not to try too hard.
“That gets tough. You want to do it all by yourself. They need to let the game come to them and realize they’re at the top of the lineup for a reason.”
Young and Fowler combined to go 1-for-22 during the Rockies’ last stop at San Francisco at the beginning of the month. But they’ve had their moments, too.
“Every young player goes through peaks and valleys,” Young said. “When nobody is on base, pitchers can put all their concentration into pitching to CarGo and Tulo. We need to get on and be a distraction to give those guys an advantage at the plate.
“Home or away, baseball is baseball. Each day I’m going to give it the same effort. I’m just going to get better (at leadoff) and better.”
Said Fowler: “As young players, the more games we play on the road, the more comfortable we’re going to be. We’re making it more of a struggle than it really is. We just need to go out and relax on the road.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Disappearing act on the road
Eric Young Jr. and Dexter Fowler have ignited the Rockies’ offense at Coors Field but have struggled to get on base on the road. Rockies writer Jim Armstrong takes a look at each player’s home/road splits:
AB R H SB Avg. OBP
Home 93 21 30 10 .323 .376
Road 58 4 11 6 .190 .277
AB R H SB Avg. OBP
Home 192 44 60 6 .313 .405
Road 189 21 36 6 .190 .288
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Dodgers, 8:10 p.m., FSN
Ubaldo Jimenez (18-6, 2.75) makes his final kick for the Cy Young Award beginning tonight. The right-hander has pitched just once at Dodger Stadium this year, allowing two hits in seven innings. That’s in stark contrast to his career numbers at Chavez Ravine (2-2, 6.31). The Dodgers no longer have Manny Ramirez, but Jimenez must tread carefully with Ryan Theriot (6-for-16). Hiroki Kuroda (10-12, 3.32) is a groundball machine, blending a sinker with a splitter. Slumping Seth Smith is 5-for-9 against the right-hander.
Upcoming pitching matchups
Saturday: Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (8-9, 3.53) at Dodgers’ John Ely (4-7, 4.62), 2:10 p.m., no TV
Sunday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.45 ERA) at Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (12-10, 2.85), 2:10 p.m., FSN
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (8-4, 4.25) at Diamondbacks’ Joe Saunders (8-16, 4.71), 7:40 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (18-6, 2.75) at Diamondbacks’ Rodrigo Lopez (6-14, 4.98), 6:40 p.m., FSN
NL West chase
THURSDAY Rockies off
Cardinals 4, Padres 0
Giants 10, Dodgers 2
WHERE THINGS STAND
Team Record GB
San Fran. 83-64 —
San Diego 82-64 1/2
Colorado 80-66 2 1/2
TODAY
•Rockies (Jimenez 18-6) at L.A. Dodgers (Kuroda 10-12), 8:10 p.m.
• Padres (Latos 14-6) at Cardinals (Lohse 3-7), 6:15 p.m.
• Brewers (Ra. Wolf 11-11) at Giants (Bumgarner 5-5), 8:15 p.m.
