When digging deeper than the glaring fact that No. 1 starter Jon Gray looked pretty much lost in Wednesday’s 7-4 defeat to San Francisco, what one finds is a homestand that’s shaping up to be everything Colorado needed it to be.
With a 4-2 mark overall, the Rockies already won two series over the Reds and Giants — Colorado had just one home series win previously — and most importantly, the bats are showing signs of rounding into shape despite the absence of all-star second baseman DJ LeMahieu due to a thumb injury.
“We’re sort of building on the offense — we had 11 hits tonight, we had some walks,” manager Bud Black said postgame. “It’s getting better, and we didn’t get the big hit tonight, obviously, but we’re gaining on it as a group offensively.”
Despite the loss, Colorado posted its fifth straight double-digit hit game, and racked up 37 hits during the three-game series against San Francisco while hitting a homer in each contest.
The Rockies are batting .240 as a team, 10th in the National League.
Five takeaways from Colorado’s loss on Wednesday:
No. 1 — With his three-run homer in the first inning, Nolan Arenado continues to be a Giants killer. He’s hit 22 career homers against San Francisco along with 85 career RBIs, tallies that both rank second among all active major leaguers.
No. 2 — Jon Gray keeps being Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — in his five wins this season he has a 1.36 ERA, while in his six losses he’s been blown up to the tune of a 10.05.
No. 3 — After bruising his left shin in the series opener, outfielder David Dahl came on to pinch hit in the eighth inning and promptly fouled the first pitch off the top of his right foot, sending him sprawling to the dirt. Head trainer Keith Dugger came out to check on him, and after walking it off Dahl finished his at-bat with a groundout.
No. 4 — Charlie Blackmon went 2-for-5 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to eight games — tied for his season high and also the Rockies’ longest hitting streak in 2018.
No. 5 — The Dodgers roll into town on Friday, and entering Thursday’s game against the Phillies, Los Angeles has won 10 of its past 12. The good news for Colorado is that it won’t have to face ace Clayton Kershaw, who is set to return from the disabled list
Quotable — Before the game, Black talked about the importance of starters going deeper — which Gray obviously didn’t accomplish in just three-plus innings — by bending but not breaking:
“What Jon and some of our other pitchers have to do from a starting standpoint is make them kick the field goal, and don’t give up the big inning which is the touchdown. Let them get one, maybe two runs at times early in the game… I want those guys to feel as though they can throw pitches in the seventh and eighth inning. I don’t want them to be satisfied with six, with five and a third, and say, ‘Hey, I did my job.’ It helps the club and the bullpen arms if these starters throw pitches in the seventh inning. And hey, how about going eight one time?”
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