Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, mired in a deep early season slump, started Thursday’s game against the Padres on the bench.. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)
The numbers scream slump: .179 batting average, .217 on-base percentage, three walks and 10 strikeouts in 56 at-bats. He has one home run and five RBIs in 14 games.
He started Thursday’s game against the Padres on the bench.
Carlos Gonzalez, being CarGo. was not happy he was not playing. But his boss thought it was time.
“I’ve been picking days for guys and I’ve been wanting to give CarGo one for the last few days,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “But Dickey (Corey Dickerson) was banged up and we were short-handed. So I thought a day game after a night game was a good spot for it.”
Weiss said, first and foremost, he’s trying to get Gonzalez off his feet and give his surgically repaired left knee a rest. Weiss, however, acknowledged that a break just might help lift CarGo out of his funk.
“Sometimes we all need a break mentally, so it serves both purposes,” Weiss said.
Who’s on first. With backup first baseman Wilin Rosario sent down to Triple-A, utility infielder Daniel Descalso, the star of Colorado’s 5-4 victory Wednesday night, got the call Thursday. Regular first baseman Justin Morneau got a planned day off.
“I feel very comfortable at first,” Descalso said. “I take some reps there before almost every game.”
Descalso’s bases-loaded single won the game in the ninth Wednesday night — the first walk-off hit of his career.
Hawkins update. Former closer LaTroy Hawkins, at age 42 the oldest active player in the majors, landed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday because of biceps tendinitis in his right arm. He said he needs some time off from throwing.
“It hurts right now like a bad tooth ache,” he said. “And it was taking me forever to get warm. It took me 45 pitches the other day to get warm. That’s way too long.”
Hawkins said the biceps tendon first started barking about the middle of spring training and gradually got worse.
“Hopefully, rest will help it,” he said “I haven’t had this in a long time. The last time I had biceps tendinitis like this, most of these guys were in high school.”
Hawkins has announced that he will retired at the end of the season.
Tags: Carlos Gonzalez, Daniel Descalso, LaTroy Hawkins, Walt Weiss
