“Slip slidin’ away. Slip slidin’ away. … You know the nearer your destination. The more you’re slip slidin’ away.” — Paul Simon
I’m pretty sure Rhymin’ Simon was not thinking about the Rockies when he penned that song decades ago, but it sure fits the bill.
Because, ladies and gentlemen, right now the Rockies are a bad baseball team. Wait, check that. Right now the Rockies are really bad offensive baseball team, and they have been trending that direction for weeks.
Yes, the Rockies still owned a 3½-game lead over Milwaukee for the National League’s second wild-card spot heading into play Saturday night, but the Rockies’ chance for their first playoff berth since 2009 truly is sliding away, largely because of an inept offense.
Colorado had lost 12 of its previous 17 games heading into Saturday’s game and scored fewer than four runs in 12 of those games. Since the all-star break, the Rockies are 17-20. That is not the mark of a playoff team. Miami, on the other hand, is 23-17 since it hosted the All-Star Game at Marlins Park. The Marlins sit just 4 ½ games behind the Rockies. Can you imagine dysfunctional Miami beating out the Rockies for the playoffs? That’s a scary thought.
At the beginning of the season, I picked the Rockies to win 84 games. I based that prediction on the idea that inexperienced starting pitching would prevent them from making a huge leap forward. I was dead wrong. Rookies German Marquez (10-5, 4.18), Antonio Senzatela (10-4, 4.52) and Kyle Freeland (11-8, 3.71) have far exceeded my expectations.
I was also wrong about the Rockies’ offense, which I thought would be good.
I did not envision Carlos Gonzalez hitting .238 with a meager eight home runs through 128 games. While I did see Trevor Story coming back to earth after his remarkable rookie season, no way did I foresee a .223 batting average and a 40-percent strikeout rate, made worse by a horrendous .418 slugging percentage.
Lately, the Rockies have been a disaster on the road, having lost 24 of their last 31 games away from Coors Field, and averaging just 3.4 runs per game over that span. They have scored three runs or fewer 22 times in that span and are 2-20 in those games.
Their average with runners in scoring position during this drought? .217.
I believe manager Bud Black is the right man to lead the Rockies, but he needs to shake things up to generate some offense. When Ian Desmond returns from his rehab assignment on Monday, it’s time to start him at shortstop and sit Story. Desmond, because of three stints on the disabled list, has almost become an afterthought this season. The Rockies gave him a five-year, $70 million contract because they believed he would be a versatile, impact player. He needs to prove his value when he returns.
I’ve been a huge fan of keeping Charlie Blackmon in the leadoff role, where he’s swatted 30 homers, but maybe it’s time to move him into a more traditional power spot. At least for a while. Perhaps Gerardo Parra could lead off. He’s done that in 205 games in his career, batting .281 with a .331 on-base percentage. That’s not ideal, but it might be worth a shot, at least for the short term.
I’m sure Black has been thinking about ways to wake up the Rockies’ hibernating offense. Whatever he comes up with, he needs to do it soon, because the Rockies’ once promising season really is beginning to slip slide away.
Spotlight on Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
Whatap up: Miguel Cabrera surely will be honored in Cooperstown when his splendid career comes to an end. But “Miggy” is only 34 years old, so that could be a while. His Tigers come to Coors Field on Monday to open a three-game series, giving Colorado fans a rare chance to watch one of the best hitters of this era. But wait … Cabrera received a seven-game suspension Friday for his role in an ugly bench-clearing brawl between the Tigers and Yankees on Thursday at Comerica Park. So there is a good chance that Cabrera will not play against the Rockies and might never play at Coors Field again.
Background: Cabrera owns four American League batting titles, two AL home run titles, two AL MVP Awards and a Triple Crown. He has 2,620 career hits, 459 homers and a career .318 average. Should I go on? In 18 career games at Coors Field, he has hit .431, with five homers, seven doubles and a ridiculous 1.270 OPS. He is, however, having a down year, made worse by assorted injuries. Cabrera is batting just .254 with 13 home runs.
Saunders’ take: We can all agree that the “basebrawl” between the Yankees and Tigers got out of control and that there was plenty of blame to go around. Cabrera deserved a suspension for inciting a fight, but to get tossed for seven games while other troublemakers got far fewer games seems out of line. Yankees all-star catcher Gary Sanchez received a four-game suspension for fighting, including throwing punches. Many have criticized Sanchez for what they’ve called “sucker-punches” when he hit Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos when they were defenseless. “It’s MLB. They can do whatever they want, and they have to control the situation. But be fair,” Cabrera told reporters Friday. “Watch the video. See the people throw punches. See the people go after me when I was on the floor. I don’t ask that you give me fewer games. I don’t care. I take my responsibility. But, come on.” I agree, and I also think that MLB should consider disciplinary action against the umpiring crew for its inability to control the situation.
3 up, 3 down
THREE UP
1. L.A. Dodgers — They are unstoppable.
2. Miami Marlins — Giancarlo Stanton is hitting home runs at a pace unmatched since Barry Bonds, and the Marlins are gaining ground.
3. New York Yankees — They were falling behind the Red Sox, but the Yankees are building a cushion atop the AL wild-card race.
THREE DOWN
1. Colorado Rockies — A 9-13 record in August through Friday has the Rockies headed for their first losing calendar month this season.
2. Detroit Tigers — A 2-8 stretch, and to top it, they lost Miguel Cabrera for seven games after he tipped off a brawl against the Yankees.
3. New York Mets — Yoenis Cespedes injured his hamstring Friday and may be lost for the season.
