Colorado Rockies injury news: Mike Dunn’s season is officially over | Rox Pile
After tweaking his AC joint in Spring Training, Mike Dunn battled through a rough year with the Colorado Rockies. Dunn’s last 2018 outing for the Rockies came on July 3, putting an end to the second in what has been a disappointing first two years of his three-year, $19 million deal. In 67 1/3 innings in his Rockies’ career, Dunn has posted a very nice 69 strikeouts, but has had an inordinate amount of trouble serving up free passes. 46 opposing batters have walked against Dunn while he has been in a Rockies’ uniform, a mark of over six per nine innings.
The next step for Dunn appears to be surgery, reports Kevin Henry of Rox Pile, followed by a six-to-eight-week rehab. That will put Dunn on track to resume throwing in December, and he should be ready for Spring Training in 2019. The Rockies will be hoping for improved results in Dunn’s age-34 season.
The Colorado Rockies have a huge hole in their bullpen | Rox Pile
While Dunn has not been with the club for much of 2018 and has been ineffective when active, his loss will mean even more lack of left-handed relief depth for the Rockies down the stretch. The current lefties in the bullpen are Jake McGee, Chris Rusin, and Harrison Musgrave, and none have been particularly effective against lefty batters. Current starter Tyler Anderson and possible September call-up Sam Howard are potential southpaws that could function out of the ‘pen, but their numbers against lefty swingers haven’t been much to write home about in 2018 either. Zac Rosscup was a left-hander who the Rockies let go, but he has been injured for much of the year, and has been ineffective when he has taken the hill for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The addition of Seunghwan Oh at the trade deadline provides a boost for the bullpen overall, but the one area where Oh struggles the most is… you guessed it, against left-handed batters. The only left-on-left matchup where the Rockies have come out on top is when Kyle Freeland is pitching. Rox Pile’s Jake Shapiro breaks down all the stats.
The Rockies may have found themselves just in time for a September playoff run | The Athletic ($)
Nick Groke of The Athletic summarizes the Rockies’ big wins in their final two games of their series in San Diego against the Padres. After their win on Saturday, the team gathered around to watch Matt Kemp of the Dodgers hit a three-run home run late in their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kemp’s heroics and the Rockies’ own doing have launched them right back into a close battle for the National League West division crown.
BSN Rockies Podcast: September is going to be an exciting month | BSN Denver
In the latest episode of the BSN Rockies podcast, Drew Creasman also sums up the series with the Padres, and what the series might be able to tell us about the Rockies’ offense and starting pitching going forward.
A critical Coors Field homestand awaits, but the Rockies, especially Chris Iannetta, are in the eye of the storm | Then Athletic ($)
In another article for The Athletic, Groke speaks to Rockies’ catcher Chris Iannetta about the ups-and-downs that have befallen the Rockies over their recent stretch. Iannetta remains a steady veteran presence, careful to not let the highs get too high or the lows too low.
The Top 25 at 25: Debating the best young professional athletes in Denver | The Athletic ($)
All The Athletic’s Denver writers made their picks of the top 25 talents in Denver sports who are 25 years old or younger. Making the list for the Rockies are Ryan McMahon, Antonio Senzatela, David Dahl, Brendan Rodgers, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, and Trevor Story.
The Top 25 at 25: About the bucket lid that turned Trevor Story into an All-Star hitter ... | The Athletic ($)
Groke explores Story’s case for being a “Top 25 at 25” player in further detail, telling the tale of Story’s use of a bucket lid to help him hit more line drives.
Stark: What we’ve learned on Labor Day | The Athletic ($)
The Athletic’s Jayson Stark breaks down “10 Things We’ve Learned on Labor Day.” Among topics covered are: The National League playoff races, the American League super-teams, recent waiver claim deals, “wins” and the NL Cy Young race, the battle for NL MVP, and more.