Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon will be gone fishing during the all-star break, but he’s recently been playing like he belongs at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night.
Blackmon, a first-time all-star last year, batted 3-for-5 with four RBIs on Sunday. Before the game, Blackmon was only 1-for-17 in his career with the bases loaded, but he delivered a bases-loaded, two-run single in the second inning as the Rockies took a 3-0 lead over the Atlanta Braves.
Since June 1, Blackmon is hitting .331 with nine doubles, three triples, four homers, 21 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He has raised his average from .254 to .291.
“He had a couple of really big, clutch hits today,” manager Walt Weiss said. “Charlie has had a heck of a first half.”
That first half includes 23 stolen bases, ranking third in the National League. Blackmon had 28 last season.
“It’s directly tied to the amount of work he puts in — studying pitchers,” Weiss explained. “He’s hungry to steal bases, you can see it. It kills him to be at one base for just two or three pitches. He’s turned himself into a very good base-stealer.”
Jon Gray could make big-league debut after all-star break
The full picture isn’t painted yet, but Weiss said left-hander Jorge De La Rosa and right-hander Chad Bettis will start the first two games when the Rockies begin the second half in San Diego on Friday.
The Rockies have only four healthy pitchers in their rotation, the other two being right-hander Kyle Kendrick and lefty Chris Rusin. Right-hander David Hale is on the disabled list because of a mild left groin strain.
There has been a lot of speculation that top prospect Jon Gray could be called up after the all-star break to make his big-league debut. Over his previous 10 starts with Triple-A Albuquerque, he was 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA and had yielded two runs or fewer in seven of those outings. But he allowed four runs on six hits in three innings Sunday at El Paso. Also, he has been plagued by high pitch counts, reaching triple digits in five of his past eight starts.
“We’re in the process of setting the rotation up,” Weiss said. “It’s not finalized yet. Matchups are probably one of the bigger factors for me.”
Yohan Flande and Gonzalez Germen could be part-time fill-in starters if Gray is not called up.
