Colorado Rockies: The future is carrying the team right now | Rox Pile
In their latest series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the catalyst for the Rockies was the team’s young talent. After a loss at the hands of the bullpen in Game 1, Ryan McMahon came through with a go-ahead two-run home run in the 8th inning of Game 2 to put the Rockies ahead for good, and a walk-off three-run blast in Game 3 to erase a shutout. When it came to Game 4, the Dodgers elected to walk McMahon and David Dahl to load the bases in a tie game. Chris Iannetta came through with a walk and the Rockies had their second walk-off win in as many days.
McMahon has overcome a slow start to the season, largely the result of sparse playing time, to provide the Rockies with big wins in the most important series of the year thus far. Dahl has also produced a slash line of .272/.323/.474 for the Rockies in 124 plate appearances. Dahl has seen his playing time reduced due partially to injury and partially due to the front office’s desire to give him at-bats at the Triple-A level. Even with a slash line that currently sits slightly below league-average, Dahl is still among the best three outfielders on the Rockies’ roster.
We haven’t even mentioned Kyle Freeland yet, the Rockies’ young starting pitcher who been worth 2.5 fWAR (FIP-based) and a whopping 6.0 bWAR (RA9-based). Unlike McMahon and Dahl, Freeland has been in the big leagues all season, and his contributions to the team have been rock-solid all year long. Rox Pile’s Luke Mullins breaks down the intricacies of the Rockies’ future stars who are carrying the team right now.
BSN Rockies Podcast: Breaking down the dramatic series win over the Dodgers | BSN Denver
In the latest episode of the BSN Rockies podcast, Drew Creasman recaps the Rockies’ series win over the Dodgers. Creasman believes that the Rockies are a team ready to “go on a run.”
Already scrambling, the Rockies are now dealing with a Nolan Arenado injury | The Athletic ($)
It was truly an opportune time for McMahon to come through with his big hitting. Due to a shoulder injury, Nolan Arenado has been reduced to pinch-hitting duties over the past couple of games. Arenado will be reevaluated prior to today’s game against the Houston Astros, but as the injury only affects his throwing (and not batting), we may see him in the lineup as the designated hitter in an American League ballpark.
Arenado says his injury is the result of getting into a bad habit while making defensive plays, not using his legs while throwing the ball. Nick Groke of The Athletic provides quotes from Arenado, Manager Bud Black, and Iannetta, who wasn’t surprised by his team’s resiliency after their star third baseman’s injury. As professionals, Iannetta says that the organization knows “how to wipe this off,” and not let tough losses remain in their mind.