Cristhian Adames sat at a table in the Coors Field clubhouse Wednesday, sifting playing cards through his hands and talking about the opportunity in front of him now that the Rockies are forced to shuffle the deck at the shortstop position.
“It’s a said situation with Trevor (Story) out, but I’m always going to be ready to help the team and be ready when they need me,” Adames said. “We’re playing well right now, so I want to help them keep that momentum going.”
With Story sidelined for at least two months with a torn ligament in his left thumb (he will have surgery Thursday in Denver), Daniel Descalso likely will be the fill-in as Colorado’s starting shortstop. And the good news for the Rockies is that the veteran is having a breakout season. He is hitting .324 with an .867 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in 51 games, both on pace to far exceed career highs.
Still, Rockies manager Walt Weiss reiterated Wednesday that Adames will have a key role to play in Story’s absence.
“He handles himself very well,” Weiss said. “There’s not a whole lot to talk about with Adames. He’s very composed as a young player. He’s a very good defender. He’s going to get a lot of those reps at short, but I’m very comfortable with Adames in the game, whether it’s him taking an at-bat or the ball being hit to him. I’m very comfortable with that.”
Adames has been struggling in limited opportunities at the plate. His hit in the series finale against the Mets on Sunday was his first since July 4, and he hit just 3-of-34 in July. But the bulk of those at-bats came as a pinch hitter — his eight pinch-hits are the seventh-most in the majors — and the 25-year-old switch hitter from the Dominican Republic believes his timing will improve with the opportunity of increased appearances ahead.
The Rockies have had little reason to worry about Adames defensively. He has made just one error in 78 chances this season, and he has yet to commit an error while playing shortstop (47 chances).
Adames said he is eager to help the Rockies continue their recent winning ways.
“It’s been really fun,” he said, “especially when you have a lot of guys who you played with in the minors together. Now we’re here winning games and we have a chance to make the wild-card spot.”
Scoreboard watching. The Rockies certainly aren’t shying away from talk about the playoffs, and they are clearly locked into the race.
Cheers erupted in the team’s clubhouse a few hours before Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers, when the Miami Marlins, who currently are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild-card spot, lost to the Cubs on a wild pitch in the ninth inning. That result pushed the Rockies to within three games of a playoff spot heading into the second game of their series against Los Angeles.
“We’re only a few games out and that’s when the fun starts this time of year,” Weiss said. “You get to watch the scoreboard and pay attention to the other games. There’s that focus on your game every night, to win every night. That’s fun. It’s a lot easier to come to the ballpark under those circumstances.”
Looking ahead
Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (9-7, 3.23) at Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (10-6, 3.50), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Maeda has been a steadying force for a Dodgers rotation that has suffered through injuries and bouts of inconsistency, though he has fallen a bit off his torrid early pace over the last month. In his last five starts, the 28-year-old rookie from Japan is 2-2 with a 4.61 ERA. He has been strong this season against the Rockies, though, surrendering only one run and two walks in 13 innings. … Chatwood, who has been nothing short of dominant on the road, is still trying to find his groove at Coors Field. The former second-round draft pick is 4-6 with a 5.69 ERA in 10 home starts this season. His last start at Coors was a peculiar one. Chatwood threw five scoreless innings and surrendered only one hit in a July 24 victory over the Braves, but he also issued eight walks.
Friday: Marlins RHP David Phelps (5-5, 2.65) at Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (7-7, 5.51), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Saturday: Marlins RHP Andrew Cashner (4-7, 4.54) at Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (9-6, 5.16), 6:10 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Marlins LHP Adam Conley (7-6, 3.41) at Rockies RHP Jon Gray (8-4, 3.77), 2:10 p.m., ROOT
