MIAMI — Wednesday afternoon, the Rockies had a rare chance to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, finish off their 10-game homestand 6-4 and hit the road running.
Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, swinging his hottest bat of the season, was not in the lineup, and the Rockies lost, 4-2. Eyebrows were raised and plenty of Rockies fans howled, but manager Walt Weiss stands by his decision.
“Tulo didn’t play and we lost, but it’s not as simple as saying if he’d have played we would have won that game,” Weiss said Friday. “It’s not that black and white.”
Weiss and Tulowitzki had an agreement entering the season that Tulo would rest on a regular basis, a concession to his injury history and the fact that Tulowitzki had surgery last August to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.
When Tulowitzki strained his leg quadriceps during a game at the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 15, Weiss made up his mind that he would be even more strict in regard to resting his shortstop.
“We communicate consistently,” Weiss said. “A few weeks ago, when he was battling through some things, I told him, ‘I want you to feel like you can take your best shot when ever you are out there.’ He wasn’t able to do that at the time.
“He was out there kind of guarded, so I said, ‘I am going to start giving you more days off, so when you are out there, you can go all out and play the way you want to play.’ Because it was getting in his head, too. That’s the biggest reason I’ve been sitting him.”
Tulowitzki said there was another reason why he didn’t play against the Cardinals.
“We traveled that night to get to (Miami) and I knew I wouldn’t get much sleep,” he said, noting that the club arrived at its hotel at about 2 a.m. “I think that was a factor in the decision. Plus, we had just played the Cardinals the night before (Wednesday’s) game.”
For the record, in the 11 games in which Tulowitzki has not started, the Rockies are 7-4. Entering Friday night’s game against the Marlins, Colorado was 20-28 in the games Tulo was in the starting lineup.
“When Tulo’s been out, the guys, especially Daniel Descaslo, have gone out and done a nice job,” Weiss said. “So that allows you to do things like that, and give Tulo the rest he needs.”
Add Tulo. Tulowitzki entered Friday’s game with a 10-game hitting streak, during which he’s hit .475 (19-for-40) with a .900 slugging percentage, five homers and 14 RBIs. He’s raised his batting average from .266 to .309 during that span.
Who’s on first? Usual first base coach Eric Young moved over to third base Friday night and bench coach Tom Runnells took Young’s spot at first. In the bullpen, Pedro Astacio, a part-time assistant, called the shots.
Why the change? Usual bullpen coach Darren Holmes and everyday third base coach Stu Cole are absent this weekend as they attend their children’s graduation ceremonies.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
