Equipped with several speedsters, the Rockies planned on being aggressive on the bases this year and using that approach to be a surprise contender.
While the contending part hasn’t gone so well, Colorado has fared decently on the bases. Entering Wednesday’s series finale in San Diego, the Rockies were tied for fifth in baseball with 26 steals, and they had an 81.3% steal rate.
Garrett Hampson (eight steals), Trevor Story (seven) and Raimel Tapia (five) lead the Rockies in a category manager Bud Black said is all the more critical given the team’s well-documented offensive struggles, especially away from Coors Field.
“Offensively, we need to have that as a part of our game, because overall with our (poor) offensive production, we need more,” Black said. “That threat (to run) helps us… With our position player group we have now and what we’re doing offensively, it helps us to be as aggressive as we can.”
But Black also said there’s “room for improvement” in honing that aggressiveness. He cited Connor Joe’s hesitation that prevented him from scoring in the ninth inning Sunday against the Reds in a 7-6 home loss, and Charlie Blackmon not scoring from second base on a double in the second frame of Tuesday’s 2-1 extra-inning defeat in San Diego.
“Those were misreads, and they show up in close games,” Black said. “That’s frustrating for both those guys and they’ll be the first to admit it. But overall, in general, to my critical eye the baserunning has been fine.”
Colorado has made 10 outs on the bases this year (does not include pickoffs, caught stealing or force plays), slightly better than the MLB mean of 11. The Rockies have been picked off once, while ranking fifth-worst in bases taken (32), second-best in first-to-third runners on singles (28) and eighth-best in second-to-home on singles (26).
Nearing a return. Right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (middle finger strain) and southpaw starter Kyle Freeland (shoulder strain) are nearly set to re-join the Rockies from their respective injuries.
Estevez threw 20 pitches Tuesday in a simulated game at Petco Park, and he will pitch for Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday. Freeland will start that game, his second rehab start after allowing one run on two hits in four innings last Saturday.
Freeland has yet to debut in 2021 after getting hurt during spring training, while Estevez has a 3.60 ERA in 10 appearances.
“(For Estevez) the ball was coming out great and he feels very good arm-wise,” Black said. “The pulley finger has healed, so he’s very confident about his arm.”
Meanwhile, southpaw reliever Ben Bowden, who is on the injured list with a strained shoulder, is likely to resume throwing this weekend in Denver. The rookie has a 6.39 ERA in 15 appearances this year.
“The scans came back and his shoulder looks good,” Black said. “It’s just a matter of time before Ben gets back on the mound to resume throwing.”
