With emotion from earlier brawl lingering, Rockies come together to thwart Nationals | The Athletic ($)
After since the dust settled on Wednesday’s afternoon brawl against the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies have gone 3-0, with a win in said game versus the Friars, followed by victories in the first two games of a four-game set against the Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital. Could it be that the melee was a spark that lit a fire for the team to start winning games?
According to second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who began the road trip with a two-homer game against the Nats on Thursday, “It does carry over.” LeMahieu admitted that the team hadn’t been clicking prior to brawl, and the team’s win-loss record would back up that notion. The team had lost four of its first five games to begin the first home series at Coors Field of the year. LeMahieu notes that the team’s focus has been much better since the fight.
Now, the focus will be on suspensions for Nolan Arenado and Gerardo Parra. Both were handed respective five and four game suspensions on Friday, but both appeared in Friday’s game as they are appealing their punishments. Five games certainly seem to be a bit much for Arenado. In a similar incident where Hunter Strickland of the San Francisco Giants threw at Bryce Harper of the Nationals in 2017, Harper charged the mound and threw his batting helmet at Strickland. And unlike Arenado, Harper’s right hook landed against Strickland. Harper was initially suspended for four games, but got it reduced to three after appealing.
BSN Rockies Podcast: Detailing a ballgame and a boxing match | BSN Rockies
If you’re looking to relive Wednesday’s altercation on the baseball diamond in glorious detail, Drew Creasman breaks it all down in the latest BSN Rockies podcast. Oh, and there’s analysis of a baseball game that happened as well. There have been some San Diego fans who have suggested that Luis Perdomo deserves “street cred” for intentionally trying to hit a defenseless batter and then running away from a fight. There’s a breakdown of that as well.
The boiling point at mile-high altitude? For the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, it’s 96 mph, high and tight | The Athletic ($)
Nick Groke of The Athletic also breaks down Wednesday’s fracas. Of interesting note is that Padres catcher AJ Ellis was not suspended for his interactions with Parra, despite his ejection for fighting during the game. There are conflicting beliefs about the intention of Padres bench coach Mark McGwire, who appeared to get in Arenado’s face with a “What did you expect?” message, citing the Rockies’ unintentional plunking of three Padres batters from the previous series in San Diego and the recent action at Coors Field. One such pitch was thrown by Scott Oberg, which sent Padres batter Manuel Margot to the hospital and landed him on the disabled list with bruised ribs. Oberg reached out to Margot to apologize, but the Friars evidently were not willing to let bygones be bygones.
Colorado Rockies: We should’ve seen THIS DJ LeMahieu coming | Rox Pile
LeMahieu just keeps getting better, and Rox Pile’s Jake Shapiro posits that those who didn’t see this coming, should have. LeMahieu made some changes in the second half of the 2017 season that have carried over into 2018, as the power numbers have seen an uptick. DJ is slugging .607 in 68 plate appearances to begin the new season.
Shortstop Brendan Rodgers, the Rockies’ top prospect, off to slow start with Double-A Hartford | The Denver Post ($)
Chalk me up in the “not concerned” crowd, but it’s worth nothing that Rockies consensus top prospect Brendan Rodgers hasn’t exactly been lights out with the bat to begin the year with the Hartford YardGoats, the Double-A affiliate of the Rox. Although he has hit two home runs, Rodgers is only hitting .172 in 29 at-bats.
LISTEN: Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon welcomes you to Denver as latest DIA train voice | Denver Post: The Know
Those arriving at Denver International Airport will now be welcomed by Charlie Blackmon. Blackmon did not hesitate to accept when approached about recording a greeting for passengers at the airport. Blackmon joins Arenado as another Rockies player who has been selected for the positon. You can watch Blackmon’s recording by clicking the link to the (free) Denver Post article above.
Scouting Reports
Baseball Census is working on scouting reports to as the season gets underway, and we have a couple recent Rockies reports to add to the list. These two aren’t guys that made our PuRPs lists, but they do bare watching.
Manuel Melendez, OF, Colorado Rockies | Baseball Census
Through his first 20 plate appearances with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks of the California League, outfielder Manuel Melendez hasn’t hit very much, and has struck out quite a bit. However, Melendez bring a lot of speed to the table, and is a threat for bunt hits.
Roberto Ramos, 1B, Colorado Rockies | Baseball Census
First baseman Roberto Ramos, on the other hand, is off to a torrid start to begin his season with Lancaster, slashing .333/.417/.810 through his first 25 plate appearances, with three home runs. Ramos undoubtedly packs a ton of pop, but he isn’t alone in that regard in this farm system.