Jhoulys Chacin is the new Ubaldo Jimenez.
Charlie Blackmon is the new Dexter Fowler.
Chris Nelson is the new Ian Stewart.
And so it goes for the Rockies. For every newcomer stepping up, there’s a former newcomer stepping back.
As the marquee stars with the big new contracts, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez take much of the flak for the Rockies’ underachievement, but the bigger issue is the abject failure of the supporting cast, which is now being rebuilt on the fly out of necessity.
The constant refrain is that the Rocks will go as far as Tulo and CarGo carry them. It’s appealing in its simplicity. But it also largely misses the point.
“Everybody wants to say that we’re not having a good year,” Tulowitzki said the other day. “The numbers will be there. I’ve said it from the beginning. But at the same time, everybody wants to point fingers at us.”
Tulowitzki is on a pace to put up 31 home runs and 107 RBIs. Gonzalez is on a pace for 21 and 88, well below last year’s 34 and 117, but if he’s going to bat leadoff, as he is now, that’s not too shabby.
The larger problem for the Rocks has been everybody else coming up small, all over. That’s why there’s palpable excitement over Blackmon, Nelson and Chacin — because they might produce what the disappointments were supposed to. Two years ago, Stewart, Fowler and Jimenez carried at least as much promise.
“If you have a weakness in your game, other teams find it real quick,” veteran Jason Giambi said. “In the old days it took a year or maybe two. Now it’s very apparent how quick it happens. You have to be able to adjust when they adjust.
“Charlie’s doing a great job taking nice at-bats, and they’re going to start to change. Like I told him, ‘You’ve got to be ready. They might start trying to jam you now because you’ve been hitting some balls the other way. So you’ve got to be ready to change.’ “
Although Chacin has emerged as a legitimate No. 1 starter, Jimenez’s collapse has obviously had an enormous impact.
“I think they just have to get to the bottom of what’s going on with him,” Giambi said. “I know a lot of people say it’s his location. He’s not throwing 100 anymore. You don’t have to locate when you’re throwing 100. I don’t think he’s always been a location pitcher. He’s always been a guy that has lived on his velocity. I think you have to determine what’s really going on before you can fix that.”
The offensive power positions in the big leagues are supposed to be in the corners — first base, third base, left field, right field. With CarGo moving from left to center to take Fowler’s place, the Rocks don’t have a major run-producer in any of those spots. Todd Helton, on a pace to put up 21 homers and 71 RBIs at age 37, is the best of the lot.
As encouraging as Seth Smith’s approach and batting average have been, his run production has been subpar for a corner outfielder. The revolving door at third has been well-documented. The Rocks desperately hope Blackmon can fill the bill in left.
So Wednesday’s big inning against the Padres — seven singles producing five runs — may have been a message. Two of the batters who didn’t have hits in the inning were Tulo and CarGo. Sometimes, somebody else has to carry the load. It’s still a team game.
“All we want those two guys to do is be who they are and not ever feel in any particular situation like you have to pick this team up and carry it by yourself, because it won’t work,” manager Jim Tracy said. “And we won’t be successful trying to do it that way.”
In fact, the pressure on those two to provide all the offense may well have contributed to their early struggles.
“Skipper and I talked about this,” Giambi said. “You’ve got to play on the fly. When CarGo and Tulo were struggling batting third and fourth, we talked about separating them, let CarGo go to leadoff, because they’re kind of both the same hitter. They’re aggressive and they swing the bat. But unfortunately, when they’re not hot, they’re a bad combo together.
“Now, they’ve heated up and they’re kind of playing off of each other. Our lineup is longer, where we can drive in runs from the leadoff spot all the way to the bottom of the lineup.”
The big names with the big contracts are easy targets, but if the Rocks are going to get back in the hunt, it’s the supporting cast that will have to pick up its game.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297, dkrieger@denverpost.com or
