Dexter Fowler’s problems at the plate aren’t going to get fixed overnight. And they may well not get fixed in Denver, either.
Fowler is with Triple-A Colorado Springs on a rehabilitation assignment.
So what happens when he’s eligible to return to the Rockies?
“We told Dexter that . . . there are no guarantees that you’ll just go from rehab right to recall,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “He’s aware of that. There are some things that obviously all of us have had a lot of discussions about. . . . There are some things that obviously have to be ironed out.”
Fowler’s absence has created an opportunity for rookie Charlie Blackmon, who has energized the Rockies’ lineup with a .343 batting average and a stolen base in five consecutive games. Blackmon has taken over in left field, with Carlos Gonzalez replacing Fowler in center.
All signs point to the Rockies going forward with that combination and Fowler in Triple-A. Fowler, in 57 games, hit .238 with two stolen bases. And his strikeout rate — he was among the league leaders with 66 when he was disabled — was nothing short of alarming.
Rockies coaches have worked with Fowler on bunting, but he has yet to consistently incorporate it into his game. And his remarkable speed hasn’t translated into stolen bases. So, in all likelihood, he’ll stay in Triple-A to work on his game rather than be a backup with the Rockies.
“He may be back here in 72 hours; then again, maybe he won’t,” Tracy said, ” because ironing some of this stuff out that we need to iron out isn’t completed yet.”
Oh, Brothers.
Welcome to Rex Brothers’ deer-in-the- headlights moment.
Brothers had had two at-bats since high school, both at Colorado Springs with the Sky Sox, before the Rockies’ depleted bullpen forced Tracy to let him hit with the bases loaded Tuesday night. The results? Strike one, strike two, strike three against Ernesto Frieri, a sequence that Brothers watched without swinging.
“For some reason,” said Brothers, “the bat was stuck to my shoulders.”
Footnotes.
Esmil Rogers was shut down after experiencing pain in his left rib cage during Tuesday’s rehab start for Colorado Springs. He was to be examined Wednesday at Coors Field. . . . The Rockies had 13 hits, one for extra bases — Troy Tulowitzki’s second-inning double. . . . The Rockies’ five-run sixth was their eighth inning of five-plus runs, and their fourth in the first seven games of the homestand.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
