The dog days of summer find the Rockies in everybody’s doghouse.
Fans, sports radio talk-show hosts, newspaper columnists, bloggers and a certain beat writer have all been taking big bites out of the lads from LoDo.
With good reason. The Rockies’ pitching has been bad, their performance at the plate inconsistent and their base- running often sloppy.
Even after their crazy, 6-5, wild-pitch, walk-off win over the Reds on Friday night, the Rockies are on pace to lose 92 games. Their upcoming schedule, which includes road games at Chicago, St. Louis, Washington and New York, looms brutal on the horizon.
Yet there are things to celebrate about this Rockies team; things for baseball fans to hold on to as Broncomania overwhelms our sports landscape when training camp opens this week:
WATCH:
• Catcher Nick Hundley is having the best season of his career. He’s batting .351 over his past 21 games, lifting his average to .306 — 40 points above his career average. Yes, Hundley’s home-road splits are dramatic, but don’t dismiss his impact on the Rockies.
On a team in need of leadership, Hundley has stepped up and become a strong voice on the field and in the clubhouse. When embarrassed rookie pitcher Eddie Butler fell twice on the basepaths while trying to score Friday night, Hundley was the first one to put his arm around Butler and offer some encouraging words.
• Nobody, not even shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, works harder and studies more video than Charlie Blackmon. The center fielder has proven that last year’s trip to the All-Star Game was no fluke. Blackmon has hit safely in 12 of his past 15 games at a .426 clip, raising his average to .296.
The bearded one has made himself — make that willed himself — into a quality base-stealer. He already has 25 swipes, and is on the verge of wiping out the career-high 28 he had last year.
• Second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who entered Saturday night’s game carrying a 14-game hitting streak, has rebounded nicely after a tough stretch. He hit just .252 in June, but his .365 average in July has him back up to .313 overall.
More than that, the quiet, first-time all-star remains nearly flawless on the diamond. In the sixth inning of Friday night’s game, he robbed the Reds’ Ivan De Jesus of a base hit, saving a run.
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“DJ made a great play, all 6-foot-4 of him,” said Butler, a grateful starting pitcher. “He got up. They say he can’t be that big at second, but thank God he is. It was simply a great play.”
• Nolan Arenado is in a bit of a funk after his first All-Star Game, hitting only .200 (5-for-25) with just two RBIs in six games. The two-time Gold Glove third baseman is incredibly hard on himself, almost to a fault sometimes, but he continues to take the field every game with desire and focus. I forget sometimes, because Arenado is only 24, but he’s become the most indispensable Rockie.
• Manager Walt Weiss has remained a class act, and most of all, he’s remained true to himself.
Does Weiss have to shoulder responsibility for some of the Rockies’ bonehead plays? Yes. He can’t play the game for his players, but it’s his job to put them in the best situations to succeed. In the case of Wilin Rosario at first base, for example, I think Weiss has made some mistakes.
But give Weiss credit for this: The Rockies continue playing hard for him. He has not lost his players’ respect, which is not easy when the losses mount.
I frequently hear from fans who complain that Weiss is too easy on his players. The fans want him to blow up, blast his players in his postgame news conference, blow a gasket. Weiss will never do that, no matter how frustrated he gets. It’s about his personal values. You have to admire a man who doesn’t divert from those values.
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or
Spotlight on …
Kris Bryant, third baseman, Cubs
What’s up: Bryant has become a hero in Chicago, but he appears to have hit the proverbial rookie wall. When the Rockies meet the Cubs at Wrigley Field in a series opener Monday, they will see a lot of No. 17 jerseys. Since his call-up in mid-April, Bryant’s jersey has been the No. 1 seller in the majors.
Background: Bryant was the second overall pick in the 2013 draft, selected just ahead of pitcher Jon Gray, whom the Rockies selected at No. 3. Bryant made a huge splash when he got called up and was selected to the National League all-star team. He entered Saturday with a .257 batting average, 13 home runs and 55 RBIs. July, however, has been unkind to Bryant. He’s hitting just .194 with 23 strikeouts. As often happens to rookies, he’s slumped as fatigue sets in and pitchers start to figure him out. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Bryant has swung at and missed 27.7 percent of his pitches inside the strike zone this season, the highest rate in the National League.
Saunders’ take: Had the Cubs drafted Gray, as many expected they were going to, the Rockies would have picked Bryant. At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he’s a natural slugger who hit 31 homers in his final season at the University of San Diego. In addition to third base, Bryant played all three outfield positions in college and his strong arm made him a candidate to play right field. I always thought he would have been a great fit at first base with the Rockies. Of course, he couldn’t have worn No. 17 — that belongs for all time to Todd Helton — but he would have thrived at Coors Field. Although Ben Paulsen is doing fine playing first base for the Rockies, I don’t think he’s going to evolve into the impact player that Helton was for so many years. I think it’s vital, given where the Rockies play, that they have a power bat at first base. Bryant could have provided that. In the long run, selecting Gray could be one of the best moves the Rockies ever made, but we’re still waiting to see whether Gray has the right stuff.
