NEW YORK — Troy Tulowitzki went from last place to a pennant race, and Carlos Gonzalez is happy for him. But Gonzalez said Monday he doesn’t watch the highlights of Tulowitzki playing for the Toronto Blue Jays and wish that had been him.
“I don’t feel jealous,” CarGo said before the Rockies’ series opener vs. the Mets at Citi Field. “Right now I’m just happy that I’m playing baseball.”
Gonzalez entered Monday with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and a 1.325 OPS since the all-star break. A year almost to the day after a knee injury ended his 2014 season, he is healthy and happy. “It might sound a little selfish, being in last place,” he said. “But for me, I’m having a blast playing the game. I don’t want to be in last place, but last year was a tough year. I was watching baseball on my couch, not being able to walk, not knowing what would happen.”
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CarGo revealed Monday that his concerns about the knee continued all the way into spring training this year. He left a game early after fielding a ball and feeling the knee seem to give way. “I was really scared,” he said. “I went to the clubhouse, and I was crying like a baby.” An examination showed that it was only scar tissue breaking, but Gonzalez said it was still months before his knee felt strong. “I wasn’t ready. Now my strength is coming back,” he said.
Blackmon rests. With left-hander Jonathon Niese starting for the Mets, manager Walt Weiss gave Charlie Blackmon the night off Monday. Blackmon has been playing with a sore ankle, but Weiss said he should be back in the lineup Tuesday.
With Blackmon out, Jose Reyes led off for the first time as a Rockie. Reyes, a former Mets star who drew a large crowd of New York writers, revisited the trade that brought him to Colorado. “The one thing I don’t miss (about Toronto) is the (artificial) turf,” he said. “My body feels like I’m 25 again.”
Looking ahead
Rockies’ Chris Rusin (3-4, 4.66 ERA) at Mets’ Matt Harvey (10-7, 2.76), 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, ROOT; 850 AM
This might be difficult to grasp, but Rusin has become a better pitcher since joining the Rockies. They picked him up last September after the Cubs waived him. The fourth-round draft pick from Kentucky, where he was all-SEC as a junior, pitched for the Cubs over three seasons. But last year he spent most of his time in Triple-A (he threw a no-hitter for the Iowa Cubs). Now with the Rockies, his strikeouts are up and his walks are down. He is forcing more groundballs and pitching more innings. His ERA is down, and his expected fielder-independent pitching (xFIP) is at a career low.
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (7-4, 4.85 ERA) at Mets’ Jacob deGrom (10-6, 2.13), 5:10 p.m., ROOT
Thursday: Rockies’ Eddie Butler (3-9, 5.50) at Mets’ Noah Syndergaard (6-6, 3.01), 10:10 a.m., no TV
Friday: Padres’ Tyson Ross (8-9, 3.39) at Rockies’ TBA, 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
