Lost in the losing and the front-office shuffle is Rockies rookie shortstop Josh Rutledge’s stunning debut.
His sizzling July has him in contention for National League rookie of the month. After making his major-league debut July 13, Rutledge batted .381 with three homers, six doubles and 11 RBIs.
“In the short period of time he’s been here, it’s been quite striking,” manager Jim Tracy said. “We’ve seen really good speed on the bases, we’ve seen range and know-how in (the field), and we’ve seen his ability to handle a bat.”
Tracy reiterated that Rutledge will soon begin getting playing time at second base in anticipation of Troy Tulo witzki’s return from injury.
White to start Thursday. As expected, right-hander Alex White will be recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs and will start Thursday night’s series finale against the Cardinals. He’ll fill in for lefty Christian Friedrich, whose start was pushed back to Sunday because of soreness in his lower back.
Footnotes. After rest and a healthy dose of antibiotics, veteran first baseman Jason Giambi returned to Coors Field to resume baseball activities. The 41-year-old was placed on the 15-day disabled list July 21 with a viral infection. … The flulike symptoms that benched Dexter Fowler on Tuesday kept Todd Helton out of the lineup Wednesday. … Michael Cuddyer, slowed by a strained right oblique, was also kept out of the starting lineup.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming Pitching Matchups
Thursday: Cardinals’ Lance Lynn (13-4, 3.42 ERA) at Rockies’ Alex White (2-6, 6.45), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Friday: Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong (8-5, 2.22) at Rockies’ Jonathan Sanchez (1-8, 8.32), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Saturday: Giants’ Madison Bumgarner (11-6, 3.09) at Rockies’ Jeff Francis (3-3, 5.43), 6:10 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Giants’ Tim Lincecum (5-11, 5.67) at Rockies’ Christian Friedrich (5-8, 6.17), 1:10 p.m., ROOT
