PHOENIX — The left side of the Rockies’ infield, considered one of the best in baseball, is a hurtin’ unit as the club heads to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers beginning Friday.
All-star is headed to the injured list with a sprained right thumb, but extensive tests on Thursday revealed no major structural damage. Still, he could miss at least two weeks of playing time.
“It’s a relief for me, for sure,” said Story, who jammed his thumb Wednesday night while sliding into second base as he tried to stretch a single into a double. “I was obviously scared, but it could have been a lot worse. I’ll try to find something positive in that. But it’s still going to be tough, no matter how much time I miss.”
Meanwhile, all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado departed Thursday’s game against Arizona prior to the ninth inning when the pain in his bruised left big toe prevented him from continuing. Arenado said the pain is bad enough that he’s had two X-rays on the toe already.
“It started when I fouled a ball off my foot (against) San Diego,” Arenado said, referring to a series last weekend in Denver. “It’s been swollen and it’s inflamed. I’ve had to ice it. It’s been hurting, but I’ve been able to play through it, but today it swelled up on me and I couldn’t push off on it. I guess it’s something I have to deal with.”
Arenado, however, is concerned that the injury could keep him off the field.
“This was the second X-ray, so I’m obviously a little concerned with it,” he said, adding that he hoped he would be able to play this weekend against the Dodgers.
Story underwent an MRI Thursday morning and consulted with head trainer Keith Dugger, and then met with Dr. Donald Sheridan, a Scottsdale orthopedic surgeon and hand specialist.
“It’s a pretty straight-forward thumb sprain,” manager Bud Black said. “There is no structural damage and no injury that is going to require any procedure. Overall, the news was positive.
“Now Mother Nature has to take its course with therapy and treatment. As for a time frame, we are looking at maybe a couple of weeks.”
This won’t be the first instance of Story missing time because of a thumb injury. In July of his 2016 rookie season, Story jammed his left thumb and X-rays were negative then, too. But an MRI revealed that he had suffered torn ligaments and he missed the rest of the season, finishing with 27 home runs in just 97 games.
Story is currently hitting .294 with 17 home runs, and ranks fourth in the latest National League all-star voting for shortstop.
Rodgers called up. To fill Story’s spot on the 25-man roster, infielder Brendan Rodgers was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Rodgers, a 22-year-old rookie, made his big-league debut May 17 in Philadelphia, and hit .246 in 21 games with no homers before being optioned back to the Isotopes June 15.
“I was playing OK the first time up, but I wasn’t playing up to my standards or my goals,” Rodgers said. “Now I’m back. I learned a lot and I took a lot of things that were told to me to heart.”
Rodgers didn’t divulge what the Rockies told him, but said, “I just need to go about my business the right way, every day. I’ll do everything in my power to help this team win.”
Black said Rodgers’ primary mission is to ramp up his intensity to match the demands of a big-league season.
“This game is different up here,” Black said. “It’s faster, it’s more intense and there is a learning curve to everyday baseball here.”
As an example, Black mentioned that Rodgers needs to work on turning double plays faster.
“The in-game awareness, baseball wise, is what comes next,” Black said.
On Deck
Rockies RHP German Marquez (7-3, 4.57 ERA) vs. Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler (7-1, 3.06)
8:10 p.m. Friday, Dodger Stadium
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
This should be an intriguing match-up at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. Marquez, Colorado’s best pitcher, needs a rebound performance in order to muffle Los Angeles’ powerful bats. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits over 5 ⅔ innings vs. the Padres in his last start at Coors Field. Marquez is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA in four career starts at Dodger Stadium. Buehler has allowed just one run in June and is coming off seven scoreless innings against the Cubs. Plus, he beat the Rockies at Coors Field on April 6.
Trending: Second baseman Ryan McMahon is riding a career-high seven-game hitting streak, during which he’s hit .466 (14-for-30).
At Issue: The Dodgers own the Rockies, sweeping them at Coors Field in early April after taking 13 of 20 last season, including a victory in Game 163 to claim the National League West title.
Upcoming pitching matchups
Saturday: Rockies RHP Peter Lambert (2-0, 6.00) at Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, 5:15 p.m., FOX
Sunday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (6-5, 5.09) vs. Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (7-4, 3.87), 2:10 p.m., ATTRM
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