The Rockies are not having a good June. The numbers are pretty atrocious: eight straight losses at home before Tuesday night’s win and the worst bullpen ERA in the league. It’s not exactly promising for what might come. The guys express some disappointment in their own performance, but they are not yet ready to accept defeat. Bud Black wants to keep the mindset that a team has to play all the way through a season to come to any kind of real conclusions about performance. Despite the bullpen’s devastating play, Black still expresses faith in them. He might be bluffing, a manager who outwardly supports his team while actually having doubts, but he seems pretty convincing.
With the Rockies this year, all the components are there, but they aren’t working in the way we would hope to see. There’s still promise, but that thread is starting to fray. The clubhouse is still holding out for when things falls into place. They could be one of the best, but they need to figure it out pretty soon.
Colorado Rockies: Give Raimel Tapia a Chance | Rox Pile
Raimel Tapia’s run with the Rockies organization has been something of a head scratcher. His stretch in the big leagues last season was maybe less than perfect, and I would argue that he could have used a bit more time in Albuquerque. This year, though, he’s been stuck down there despite having more of a standout performance. There have been a couple different spots where he could fill in, but he has yet to receive the call. The bench leaves something to be desired, and it’s hard to say why Tapia hasn’t gotten a chance yet. I do appreciate that they’ve given the young guys Ryan McMahon and Mike Tauchman an opportunity to play at the major-league level, but they could also try a couple more options as we near the halfway point in the year.
Bud Black has kept his cool for most of the Rockies’ slip-ups this season, but he finally crossed that line in Monday’s game after Trevor Story was called out for going more than three feet off the baseline. Black thought Story remained close enough, and he made his opinion clear, causing him to get tossed from the game. Black is pretty good at staying calm, but given the way the Rockies have been doing, I’m surprised he made it this long.
Around Baseball
Hunter Strickland punches door, breaks pitching hand, will be out 6-8 weeks | McCovey Chronicles
Hunter Strickland has something of a history with his temper, but he seemed to have gotten it under control during the offseason. However, in the past two weeks, he’s blown two saves against the Marlins, which is enough to make anyone a little steamed. Not all of us would punch a door with our way of earning a living. He’ll be out with a broken hand, joining some of his teammates with hand injuries (not self-inflicted). Strickland has apologized for his actions and for hurting not only himself but his team as well.
The Mets should sign Jennifer Lopez | SBNation
We’ve seen some of what Alex Rodriguez can do, but we’ve also seen a bit of what his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez can do. And there are those that might argue J-Lo might have some more game. She’s a multi-talented lady, and maybe the Mets could make good use of her.