Sitting one out just might be the best medicine for slumping Rockies star Nolan Arenado.
That, at least, was the conclusion of manager Bud Black, who explained why Arenado was not in the starting lineup Sunday as the Rockies got hammered, 11-3, by the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
“First of all, (the slump) can be fixed quickly,” Black said before the game. “He had the off day two weeks ago in Seattle and from that point on, he sort of turned things around, hit some home runs and really stung the ball. Maybe that will have the same effect tomorrow in Arizona.”
Arenado is batting .218 with a .714 OPS, though he has slugged seven home runs and driven in 16 runs. He’s batting .119 (5-for-42) with no extra-base hits on the road and his 15-game streak without an extra-base hit on the road is the longest of his career.
The most disconcerting element of Arenado’s slump is the fact that he’s batting just .067 (2-for-30) with runners in scoring position. That’s very un-Arenado like. His career batting average with runners in scoring position is .324.
However, there is also this set of statistics: In games following a game in which he did not play, Arenado has hit .427 (41-for-96) with 25 runs, eight doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 41 RBIs in his career.
Black believes it will take only minor adjustments for Arenado to snap out of his funk.
“With Nolan, like a lot of hitters, his timing is off, he’s a little jumpy in the box; some of the things that happen to hitters,” Black said. “I think, more than anything, Nolan feels that, personally, his role on this club is to do great things. Which he has always done. But sometimes that pressure that players put on themselves, works against you.
“So he’s just got to get back to the point where he feels comfortable in the box, is seeing the ball well and let his natural talent take over.”
Trade talk. Will they or won’t they? Make a trade, that is. When the Rockies got out of the gate with an 11-3 record, it seemed pretty clear that they would add some talent before the Aug. 31 deadline to give them a boost in this unique 60-game season in which eight National League teams will make the playoffs.
Now, however, after the team has lost 12 of its last 14 games, exactly what the club will do has become muddled, as general manager on Saturday.
“I think we’re going to prepare for both sorts of scenarios,” Bridich said. “Because of our great start, we were focused very much on additions leading up to this point now. I think we have to look at everything now based on what’s gone on the last two weeks, so we’re not 100 percent sure which way it’s gonna go.”
