Let’s talk about starts.
You don’t have to use rosin for deodorant or pine tar for lipstick to know it’s important to begin a season well. It creates a positive vibe, lures fans into the tent, prevents radio talk-show panic.
Which brings us to the Rockies.
It’s always dangerous to read too much into April. It’s one month, nothing more. The significance lies in the timing. People are watching closely. A team goes 2-9 in June and nobody blinks. Do it out of the gate, especially in Boston, and ledges become standing room only.
The Rockies have been baseball’s best team for the better part of a week. For those familiar with the team’s history, this is not easily dismissed. Aprils have been about as much fun for them as an audit. Only five times have they had a winning record in April. Last season, they went 11-12. They equaled that win total Friday.
What does it mean? Everybody likes the miracle finish — it creates good copy and after-school movies. But it’s no way to make a living. That point was driven home emphatically last September. The Rockies were 82-66, staring down an NL West title.
Then they stepped on the gas pedal, and the transmission dropped.
It could be traced to a poor launch. Too much energy was expended getting back into the race, and nothing was left to win it.
The Rockies vowed not to be in that position again, knowing their state-of- the-art facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., provided the perfect vehicle to reinvent themselves.
Anyone watching at Salt River Fields knew the Rockies wouldn’t be April fools. The attention to detail was straight out of a boot camp. Even their cleats were shiny. For once, they could spend more time on the practice fields and in batting cages than on buses. That’s a perfect marriage, given manager Jim Tracy’s love for teaching and strategizing.
More important, his players actually, you know, played together. That wasn’t possible in Tucson, where the first time guys took the field as a 25-man roster was opening day.
The unity created an attitude, an edge that was discussed frequently in team meetings in the theater room. (No, Hi Corbett Field didn’t have a TV, much less a conference area.)
“We would sit around and talk and remind each other that we are a good team,” first baseman Jason Giambi said. “It was time for us to prove it. We all know we are built to win now. We have the team to do it.”
The depth has already been tested. Remarkably, the Rockies sit atop their division despite zero contributions from Ubaldo Jimenez, who returns Tuesday, Ian Stewart and Aaron Cook.
Even Carlos Gonzalez hasn’t even begun to simmer offensively.
A year ago, the Rockies couldn’t win when Troy Tulowitzki and Gonzalez didn’t perform. The fast start testifies that they are beyond that.
Now comes the hard part: making April relevant by dealing with expectations that have never been higher.
Third and short.
Ian Stewart knows the situation. He must take advantage of limited opportunities or face a Triple-A demotion. The talent is there, but urgency is clouding the matter. The next two weeks are critical. Neither Jose Lopez nor Ty Wigginton is raking, so Stewart has a chance to get back into the rotation. Despite fans’ venom, the Rockies are a better team if he’s on it because of his defense and athleticism on the bases. But he can’t occupy a roster spot if he doesn’t hit.
Red Sox, red faces.
Boston is in trouble. Yes, it’s early, but some of their issues aren’t going to dissipate with time. Daisuke Matsuzaka is a train wreck. He’s won a third of his past 39 starts, prompting talk that they could eventually designate him for assignment. Doubt that will happen. But he looks lost. And he might be better than John Lackey, who has been a complete bust since signing as a free agent. The Red Sox are going to hit. The lack of pitching suggests that they will be clawing for a wild-card berth come September.
Footnotes.
The Yankees could relish the Red Sox’s problems if they didn’t have a huge one of their own. The curious case of Phil Hughes’ disappearing velocity landed him on the disabled list. Bartolo Colon has pitched well but isn’t a long-term solution. . . . Albert Pujols insists he’s not distracted, but for the first time in his career, he’s clearly pressing at the plate and expanding his strike zone. . . . Tweet of the week: “I don’t watch much baseball, but when I do, I watch Sam Fuld!” — Rays starter David Price, on the growing legend of the Rays’ diminutive outfielder.
THREE UP
1. Rockies: Took them 18 road games to win seven games last year. They did that on first trip of season.
2. Rangers: Alexi Ogando profiles as a reliever but has been a revelation for the rotation.
3. Indians: Shin-Soo Choo’s pregame Sheen shirt sums it up, “Winning, duh!”
THREE DOWN
1. Mets: As they finished 1-6 homestands, a smattering of fans chanted, “Sell the team!”
2. Red Sox: John Lackey and his 15.58 ERA will be skipped in the rotation.
3. Astros: Hunter Pence appropriately said of team’s start, “Not acceptable.”
EYE ON
RF Lance Berkman, Cardinals
Background: Watching Berkman as a Yankee was difficult. One of the most accomplished hitters over the last decade, Berkman wasn’t himself. It looked like it was time to dim the lights on his career. Berkman told anyone who would listen last winter that his struggles were health-related, not the natural decline of a 35-year-old.
What’s up: Berkman is Batman. Again. After hitting just one home run in 106 at-bats with the Yankees, he has six home runs on the Cardinals’ current road trip. Not that he’s hot or anything, but it’s no lock that Troy Tulowitzki wins NL player of the week. With Albert Pujols slogging through April and starter Adam Wainwright lost for the season, Berkman has been a rudder for a boat that’s been taking on water for weeks. He’s also added levity to a Cardinals clubhouse that can be a clenched fist at times.
Renck’s take: The Rockies made a strong play to sign Berkman last winter. It made sense. They were looking for a big bat, and Berkman told me that he was really interested in playing in Colorado. The courtship quickly ended when the Cardinals doubled Colorado’s offer, and the Rockies couldn’t guarantee him a starting job. St. Louis is gambling that Berkman’s legs can withstand regular right-field duty. So far, it hasn’t been an issue. Then again, he is the “Puma.” As St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Derrick Goold recounted this week, Berkman gave himself the nickname. He was doing a radio interview several years ago and joked, “I’m sleek and fast, powerful and secretive, like a puma.” It was better than Fat Elvis. And Puma stuck. Three weeks into the season, he’s hitting like the Rockies’ former Big Cat.
AT ISSUE
Hamilton’s injury raises question about sliding headfirst
What: Josh Hamilton’s injury brings sliding issue to a head.
When: Tuesday at Comerica Park as the Rangers outfielder tagged up on a popup in front of the Tigers’ dugout. Hamilton, against his better judgment, raced home and dived headfirst to avoid catcher Victor Martinez’s tag. Hamilton broke a bone in his upper right arm, sidelining him for about six weeks. Hamilton called the decision to send him “a stupid play” by the third-base coach before apologizing the next day. It raised the question of whether players should be leading with hands instead of their feet.
Background: Sliding headfirst grew in popularity with Rickey Henderson’s assault on stolen base records in the 1980s. When teams, including the Rockies, practice sliding at spring training, it’s never headfirst. The reason is simple: It’s more dangerous. Managers, though, have different views. Yankees boss Joe Girardi tells players not to go headfirst. He doesn’t believe it’s worth the risk. But the Orioles’ Buck Showalter and the Rockies’ Jim Tracy are among those who are flexible. Both understand the perils of the headfirst slide, but as Tracy said, “You don’t want to take away a player’s aggressiveness.”
Renck’s take: It’s easy to show that going headfirst is a fingers-crossed venture. Hands can get stepped on, fingers and arms can get broken. The Dodgers’ Rafael Furcal fractured his thumb stealing third last week. That said, I would never tell a player he can’t do it. Baseball is a game built on bursts of energy, quick reactions. Instincts take over. Players like the control and direction of going headfirst, especially when avoiding a tag. I would discourage it at home and first, where getting cleated is a strong possibility. It comes down to this: If a player wants to lead with his head, that’s fine. He just has to understand the decision will be second-guessed.
