NEW YORK — Charlie Blackmon said the actual number doesn’t matter, but his 30 stolen bases this year in 112 games show that he is making progress.
“I wanted to do a better job than last year,” Blackmon said Thursday after stealing a base and scoring a run in the Rockies’ 12-3 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. “I feel on the whole, I have.”
Blackmon is the first Rockie with 30 steals since Willy Taveras stole a franchise-record 68 bases in 2008. He’s the fourth player in the major leagues with 30 steals this season, joining Billy Hamilton of the Reds, Dee Gordon of the Marlins and Jose Altuve of the Astros.
Blackmon won’t catch Taveras (or Hamilton, for that matter), but he could become just the fifth Rockies player to steal 35 bases in a season. Eric Young did it three times, Juan Pierre did it twice and Taveras and Tom Goodwin each did it once.
“There’s a lot of opportunities I feel I’ve missed,” Blackmon said. “But there’s a fine line with being reckless.”
WATCH:
Reyes report. Weiss gave shortstop Jose Reyes a day off, citing the quick turnaround after a game Wednesday night. Reyes, who starred with the Mets and still has an offseason home in the area, heard mostly cheers from Mets fans during the series.
“I think people appreciate that every time I took the field, I gave it my all,” Reyes said. “I even hear it from people around town. They say, ‘Come back, we miss you.’ ” Danny Knobler, Special to The Denver Post
Looking ahead
Padres’ Tyson Ross (8-9, 3.39 ERA) at Rockies’ Yohan Flande (2-1, 3.86), 6:40 p.m. Friday, ROOT; 850 AM
Flande is a “tweener” — part starter, part long reliever — so don’t expect him to go beyond five or six innings unless he’s pitching lights out. The left-hander has provided the Rockies with some quality innings since joining the rotation, but he will face a tough test at Coors Field. All three of his starts in 2015 have come on the road, where he’s gone 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA. Ross didn’t pitch poorly in his last start, but he still took the loss against the Phillies, giving up three runs, five hits and a walk in seven innings while striking out eight.
Saturday: Padres’ Andrew Cashner (4-12, 4.09 ERA) at Rockies’ Jon Gray (0-0, 2.70), 6:10 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Padres’ Ian Kennedy (7-10, 4.37) at Rockies’ Chris Rusin (3-5, 4.43), 2:10 p.m., ROOT
Monday: Off
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
