The Rockies won six straight games before their bats fell cold against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon, and after all that success, know what they have to show for their work?
Little outside of an improved staff ERA.
When Colorado beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 1, the Rockies sat five games behind the Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West. Nine days later, the Rockies are 3.5 games back. Oof.
On one hand, only gaining 1.5 games in the standings after winning six in a row beats the alternative of dropping in the standings on six straight losses. On the other, what does a purple dino gotta do to get a division title around here?
Look, it’s May. And I’ll say it again — it’s May. There are 125 games left to play. But almost a quarter of the way through the 2018, teams are beginning to establish themselves for what they are. In Arizona, it’s a squad that usually finds a way to win regardless of circumstances. In Los Angeles (actual Los Angeles, not Orange County), circumstances are in stark contrast to the Diamondbacks, as baseball’s third-largest payroll is yet to find a way to consistently overcome injuries to Yasiel Puig (who came off the disabled list yesterday), Corey Seager and Clayton Kershaw, who is a stunning 1-4 this season despite a 2.48 ERA.
If the Rockies are going to make a push to win their first NL West crown, it’s going to take consistently beating the Diamondbacks head-to-head, and they won’t have a chance to do that until a three-game series at Coors Field from June 8-10. Colorado is 1-2 vs. Arizona to date this season, losing a season-opening series at Chase Field; they’ll play 16 more times this season, including seven in September (with four of those in Denver).
Is putting so much weight on a head-to-head series in May ridiculous? Perhaps. Then again, I can’t praise pitching for the third straight day, and Mark Kiszla covered the sin that is Ian Desmond’s $70 million contract in his column today. I need to spout off about something, and, well, it’s only May.
— , The Denver Post
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What’s on tap?
- MLB: Brewers at Rockies, 6:40 p.m., ATTRM | Pitching matchup |
TV/RADIO: Here’s what sports are airing today
Scoreboard
MLB: Angels 8, Rockies 0
Full story |
Must-Read
Kiszla: Batting .176, booed at home, Ian Desmond might be most unpopular player in Denver since Kyle Orton
Nobody wearing a Rockies uniform gets booed at Coors Field, the most forgiving ballpark in the major leagues. But Ian Desmond accomplished the feat not once, but three times, while being a total zero with the bat during a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Read more…
Jeff Heuerman, by default, is the Broncos’ most proven tight end this offseason — despite having everything to prove.
Off to a confident major league start, can Noel Cuevas be the dark horse offensive catalyst the Rockies need?
Cuevas is swinging like he belongs in the majors since being called-up from Triple-A Albuquerque on April 22, hitting .357 in the small sample size of 28 at-bats. Read more…
Quick Hits
+ Latest Avalanche podcast: Recapping the Avs’ surprising season with Mike Chambers and Milan Hejduk.
+ Jon Gray’s been fiddling with his slider. Itap working, just like everything else with the Rockies rotation right now.
+ Figure skating coach Tammy Gambill, who works with Olympians Karen Chen and Vincent Zhou, switching training site to Colorado.
+ Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets is the NBA playoff series everyone wanted
+NHL teams thinking outside the box to find coaches
+ Tim Tebow takes on the Hartford Yard Goats: How he fared against the Rockies’ Double-A team
+ The Red Sox and Yankees will play in London. But what do the British actually know about baseball?
By The Numbers
$104,000
University of Wyoming athletics made $104,000 from alcohol sales in 1st year
The University of Wyoming didn’t earn as much as it projected from alcohol sales during the first season in which beer and wine were available for purchase inside the football stadium and the basketball arena. Read more…
Parting Shot
Former Avalanche great Milan Hejduk is selling his Parker mansion. And it comes with an ice rink and Zamboni.
Hejduk has listed his 16,700 square-foot mansion in Parker for a cool $5.2 million. That price includes a full-sized hockey rink and a Zamboni. Read more…
Get in Touch
If you see something thatap cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me .
