It’s time again for Patrick Saunders to reach into the mailbag and answer some fans’ questions. First up is a tough one: why the Rockies have been struggling at home. In the past, Coors Field has been dominated by the Rockies, but this year, it has them beat. Saunders doesn’t have an answer to this one beyond the fact that they have had a hard time with both pitching and hitting at home. Yesterday, Purple Row’s Sam Bradfield took a look at the team’s home/road splits.
Next, Saunders tackles some trade rumors. There are some factors in place, like how the team performs in the next month, and how David Dahl can return from his foot injury. There’s still a little too much up in the air to know what kind of trade moves the Rockies could make.
Saunders also talks about Nolan Arenado’s future with the Rockies. Arenado has made it very clear that he wants to play for a winning team. The Rockies might still be able to pull it together for a postseason bid this year, but it’s hard to say if they can be the team Arenado could help win.
Colorado Rockies: You can’t blame Jeff Bridich...yet | Rox Pile
In the offseason, hopes were high for the 2018 Rockies. They were just coming off a postseason appearance, a super bullpen was developed, Charlie Blackmon decided to stick around, etc. Things started out okay; not great, but they just needed time to get everything in working order.
June, though, brought those hopes tumbling down. On the upside, offense has been more consistent, but the pitching has been miserable. Naturally, we want to blame someone, and Jeff Bridich is an easy fall guy to point at. But when we look back at it, all of his decisions make sense and really should have worked out. He picked a bunch of impressive people for the bullpen, and opted for young, promising starters over veterans. The whole Ian Desmond debacle seems to be resolving itself as he’s been able to pull himself out of his slump. Bridich made some choices that might just take some time to pay off, but for the time being, he needs to make some moves that show us he knows what he’s up to. With things the way they are and the Rockies continued hope for another postseason appearance, Bridich has some work to do.
Nolan Arenado will undoubtedly be in the All-Star game this year, but who else will make it? Maybe Charlie Blackmon, despite his somewhat lackluster performance this year. He’s got a reputation for greatness, and he might sneak in there. Adam “Ottomatic” Ottavino will probably make it, given his unfailingly dominant mound appearances. Trevor Story is kind of the wild card, as Rockies fans know he’s a star, but that news has yet to make its way to the wider world. He’s worked hard and put in hours of practice to recover from a rough sophomore slump and prove that he has lasting talent. He’s worthy of an All-Star spot, so we’ll see how everything plays out.
The Rockies are still struggling and it’s still a trap | McCovey Chronicles
The Giants acknowledge that the Rockies have had a rough season. They’re having a hard time at home, 15-23 at Coor Field, and pitching has been problematic. The bullpen is in some shambles and has not lived up to expectations. However, lately they’ve been looking a bit better, hitting pretty well. And they have the Giants’ number. In the upcoming series, the Giants are keeping an eye out for Nolan Arenado to do some damage, and for Adam Ottavino to come in and shut things down. The McCovey Chronicles predicts the Rockies will win two out of three, though that prediction may be different after the Giants’ win on Tuesday.