The Rockies Have a Greg Holland Problem | FanGraphs Baseball
Greg Holland has had a terrible month, no matter how you look at it. Here, Dave Cameron looks at it in a bunch of different ways, from ERA to disappearing strikeouts to an abundance of walks. Most troubling, however, is Holland's lost velocity. While his fastball was sitting around 95 mph earlier in the season, it's dipped since the beginning of June. Mercifully, Holland pitched a clean ninth inning on Thursday, but it wasn't exactly a dominant outing:
Holland gets the save by giving up outs hit 96, 97, and 98 mph respectively. No swinging strikes on the inning. https://t.co/sigPmwbFXf
— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) August 24, 2017
Holland should be due to bounce back a bit for the remainder of the season, but it doesn't look like the dominant closer the Rockies had in April and May is going to return. That’s a bit of a problem.
Ian Desmond to begin rehab assignment Thursday; could play shortstop when he returns to Rockies | The Denver Post
Ian Desmond is set to return to the Rockies on Monday, and he could be returning to his old position at shortstop. Patrick Saunders writes that Black acknowledged shortstop as a possibility, even though it's not a sure thing. Black also hinted that Desmond could move around the diamond on a game-by-game basis. In an additional note, Saunders writes that Tyler Anderson threw a simulated game on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw one more before being sent on a rehab assignment.
Mailbag: National League wild-card playoff race, CarGo update and more | Denver Post
Saunders responded to a couple questions about the Rockies' postseason chances with a succinct explanation about why he's no longer sure the Rockies are a lock for the postseason. The bats have disappeared, and it's not just unlucky breaks. The Rockies simply look bad at the plate. The bullpen has been unreliable lately as well, from the front to the back end. While the competition behind the Rockies isn't exactly fierce, the Cardinals and Brewers are still way too close for comfort. The Rockies have 35 games left. If they play roughly .500 ball and finish 17-18 or 18-17, they'll end with either 86 or 87 wins. It’s small comfort, as either could be enough to win a Wild Card. Now, they just need to be a .500 team for five weeks.
Players Weekend runs Friday through Sunday | MLB.com
The Rockies will finally wear aesthetically pleasing special uniforms. This weekend is MLB’s first Players Weekend. The unis are little league inspired and extremely fun. Also, players can opt to wear nicknames on the back of their jerseys. The link here has a full FAQ about Players Weekend.
Alexi Amarista is the sign of concerning lineup trends for the Rockies | Purple Row
Adam Peterson highlighted one reason why the Rockies' offense might be so bad—Alexi Amarista playing too much. Later today, Adam will have more about just how much the bad seasons have been dragging the Rockies down.
BSN Rockies Podcast: It might be the time to panic
I can't believe I even made it through his Rockpile.