LOS ANGELES —
No excuses. That’s the refrain I heard time and time again in the visitors clubhouse before the Rockies-Dodgers game Friday night.
I was trolling for answers to the age-old question: Why can’t the Rockies swing the bats better away from Coors Field?
Heading into the game, the Rockies’ road batting average was .226, 13th in the National League. Their average runs scored per game on the road was 3.17, worst in the NL.
I offered Troy Tulowitzki, Jason Giambi and Michael Cuddyer plenty of theories about the Rockies’ road woes.
For instance, the ball breaks more in places like Dodger Stadium, San Diego’s Petco Park or San Francisco’s AT&T Park. That’s reality.
And when the Rockies leave the friendly, high-altitude confines of Coors Field, they have trouble adjusting. That’s the long-held theory.
“As far as the ball breaking more in different parks and those sorts of things, you have to put that out of your head,” Tulo said. “You have to approach it as the same game.
“And to be honest, there is a difference, but if you hit a ball on a line like you are supposed to, it works out.”
I asked Giambi about the crazy home-and-road splits and he countered with a shake of his head.
“I think it is more of a mental block,” Giambi said. “I mean, it should be tougher for teams coming into Coors and playing at altitude than it is for us coming in and playing here at Dodger Stadium or wherever.”
As for the sea-level adjustment factor, Giambi said: “We are big-leaguers, so that should take one at-bat, or maybe two at-bats. It’s not like we play 81 straight games at home and then 81 straight on the road.”
Cuddyer said there a lot more to the disparity between home and road than simply looking at ballparks.
“Every team is going to hit better at home, because you are more comfortable,” said Cuddyer, who entered Friday hitting .299 at Coors vs. .262 on the road.
“You are used to your surroundings, you’re sleeping in your own bed, and you are with your family. I think that’s plays into it. You can’t just blame it on the ballpark.”
Error prone
Through the first 30 games of the season, the Rockies committed 26 errors and ranked 14th in the National League with a .978 fielding percentage. For a team that prides itself on its defense, that’s not good.
When center fielder Tyler Colvin booted a bouncing ball during Tuesday night’s game in San Diego, it was the eighth outfield error for the Rockies this season. That’s a big number. In 2011, Rockies outfielders committed 19 errors all season.
But manager Jim Tracy, calm and cool through the Rockies’ slow start, is not alarmed.
“Those are not mistakes anybody is trying to make,” Tracy said. “As a matter of fact, they’re trying to make an effort to make plays. If it’s blatant inability to be involved in the position it would be one thing, but we’re talking about bona-fide, big-time outfield guys with strong capabilities. I’m not really concerned about that. There are other things that are more important to get squared away.”
Friedrich’s debut
Lefty Christian Friedrich performance in his major-league debut Wednesday in San Diego was a big reason the Rockies decided to option lefty Drew Pomeranz to Triple-A on Friday.
Friedrich allowed just two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked just one and struck out seven en route to stopping the Rockies’ five-game losing streak.
And he made a little history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, over the last 10 seasons, only two other pitchers making their big-league debuts started and got the win after their team had lost at least the five previous games: Baltimore’s Brad Bergesen in 2009 and Pittsburgh’s Paul Maholm in 2005.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@
