Sometimes one snapshot can reveal the big picture.
Case in point: ninth inning, Tuesday night, Dodger Stadium. With the Rockies trailing 8-2 with one out and no one on, Carlos Gonzalez thought he might finally see a fastball.
“I was oh-for-3 and they were beating us by a lot,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the ninth inning, no one is on, and the count is 1-1. Slider, slider, slider. It’s like they don’t want to give you anything, even when there’s no situation in front of you.”
Welcome to CarGo’s World 2011, which bears no resemblance to the place in which he found himself last season. You remember last season. If not, rest assured that National League pitchers do.
Gonzalez faced an inevitable adjustment period this season after winning the NL batting crown a season ago. And frankly, he hasn’t handled it very well. He isn’t alone, either. Troy Tulowitzki, the other half of the Rockies’ dynamic duo in the Nos. 3 and 4 holes, is struggling just as much as Gonzalez, which explains a lot about the Rockies’ free fall over the past month.
There is every reason to believe that both will eventually turn things around. Question is, when? And will it be in time to get the season back on the right track? The Rockies, who began May in first place and ended it in fourth, are in dire need of some firepower from their two stars.
“There’s no getting around the fact that we need them,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “We know what their capabilities are, and there’s more in the tank than what we’ve seen up to this point. Obviously, if we get to the point where we realize some of that, the dynamics will change quickly.”
Gonzalez finished third in the National League MVP voting a year ago, Tulowitzki fifth. Both have had flashes of brilliance this season, but rarely at the same time.
“There’s no doubt about it, I take a lot of blame for what’s going on,” Tulowitzki said. “Carlos and I know we’re a huge part of the lineup. When guys are on base in front of us, it makes it tougher to pitch to us. But when we go chase things and try to do too much, we aren’t very good.”
The two have taken so much extra batting practice and watched so much video that Tracy and hitting coach Carney Lansford took a new approach Wednesday night, canceling pregame batting practice against the Dodgers for the entire team and allowing players to show up later than usual.
The message was very clear to Tulowitzki and Gonzalez: Quit overanalyzing. Relax and play ball.
Said Tracy: “Let’s go out and find the ball and compete and maybe we have a day where both of them get to the point where they say, ‘The heck with it, I’m going to see the ball, I’m going to swing at it and I’m going to hit it hard.’ “
That’s easier said than done. Gonzalez said he’s not feeling any pressure, and he had a much better May than April. Tulowitzki takes it personally when the Rockies are struggling and wears his emotions on his sleeves.
Lansford? He believes there’s something very fundamental at work here. It’s called human nature.
“Honestly, I believe a lot of it is the pressure they feel from this being the first time signing this type of contract,” Lansford said. “They don’t feel like they’re living up to it. I went through that when I signed my first major contract with the A’s. At one point, I said, ‘Forget it, man, just compete.’ “
Gonzalez signed a seven- year, $80 million contract over the winter, and Tulo’s seven- year extension during the offseason guarantees him $157.75 million over the next decade.
“I don’t really care about the contract,” Gonzalez said. “I just feel like sometimes we get too anxious because it’s not what other people expect, it’s about winning ballgames. We want to be able to do something to help the team, and that’s why we get anxious.”
Tulo said: “If anything, the contract has helped me to relax and not think about any of that stuff. Right now, I could be coming up to arbitration where my numbers are a little bit down. I might be worried about, how much am I going to make in arbitration, and this and that. I don’t have to worry about that. It’s just about going out and playing.”
The two feel a tremendous sense of obligation to their teammates, but that can cut both ways. In tough times, the likes of which the Rockies are experiencing, it can manifest itself in swinging at bad pitches, something Gonzalez has been guilty of for much of the season.
“Tulo just needs to relax,” Lansford said. “He’s hit so many balls hard right at people, but he’s not getting results. So human nature is you press. That’s what he’s been doing.
“CarGo . . . I don’t have any idea what he’s doing, what his thought process is at the plate right now. He hasn’t adjusted to how they’re pitching him. They’re not going to throw him 2-0 or 3-1 fastballs. That’s called respect. When he starts making that adjustment, he’ll get back on track.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
FRIDAY: Rockies at Giants, 8:15 p.m., Root
Juan Nicasio (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will get another look after an impressive big- league debut against the Cardinals. Nicasio hit 96 to 98 mph, with a mid-80s slider. He’ll need to hit his spots with his changeup, though, since he doesn’t throw a curve. Matt Cain (3-4, 3.88) is a monster at home, where opposing hitters are .228 against him. He’ll try to get ahead with a 91-92 mph fastball and get hitters to chase his slider. Maybe Troy Tulowitzki (17-for-51, nine extra-base hits vs. Cain) gets healthy in this one. |Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Saturday: Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (5-4, 3.33 ERA) at Giants’ Madison Bumgarner (2-6, 3.66), 2:10 p.m., KDVR-31
Sunday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (3-5, 3.89) at Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong (3-1, 1.77), 2 p.m., Root
Monday: Rockies’ Clayton Mortensen (1-3, 3.69) at Padres’ Clayton Richard (2-6, 4.52), 8 p.m., Root
Tuesday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (1-5, 4.98) at Padres’ Tim Stauffer (1-4, 3.99), 8 p.m., Root
