‘We’re being tested right now,’ Nolan Arenado said, and the Rockies are passing | The Athletic ($)
The Rockies just walked off the Diamondbacks 11-10 yesterday to put them above .500 for the first time in two months. Both teams combined for 34 hits and six home runs. Nolan Arenado discusses how the Rockies are being tested and Daniel Murphy also talks about his spot in the lineup since his return from injury. Nick Groke also talks about how the Rockies have gotten to where they are — in the midst of their early season skid the problem was at the plate. Now, the issues are on the mound. Murphy reassures that he has confidence in Kyle Freeland, who has a 7.13 ERA as we speak and just made his third straight start of four or fewer innings yesterday.
Collegiate hitters on Rockies’ Draft radar | MLB.com
Draft week is coming up, with lots of high school and college students eagerly awaiting their names to be called by a Major League Baseball team. The Rockies own the 23rd overall pick and they historically have favored high school players. However, this year might be different. Thomas Harding predicts that the Rockies will select from a “cluster of college bats” and from there will pick the best players available. They have selected high school pitchers in the past, most notably Ryan Rolison, Riley Pint, Peter Lambert, and Ryan Castellani. However, their needs point elsewhere. The draft begins on Monday, with pre-draft coverage beginning at 4pm MT on MLB Network and MLB.com.
Mound meetings, chest pounding and the impact of Jeff Hoffman | Mile High Sports
Jeff Hoffman has ridden the major league roller coaster since he was traded to Colorado in 2015. On Wednesday, he didn’t have a spectacular start — 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, HR, 2 BB, 6 K — but he is making progress. Aniello Piro details how Hoffman has been working to improve his game and how he is inching towards possibly opening himself up a slot in the Rockies’ starting five.
On the Farm
The Isotopes snapped their five-game skid thanks to triples by Drew Weeks and Brian Mundell (no. 29 PuRP). Weeks was knocked in on a sacrifice fly by Dom Nuñez (no. 30 PuRP) and Mundell knocked in Pat Valaika. Back-to-back doubles by Valaika and Josh Fuentes (no. 16 PuRP) ended up being the difference in the game after Aces’ Marty Herum hit a 2-run home run off of DJ Johnson in the ninth to cut the lead to two runs.
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 7, Reno Aces 5
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Portland Sea Dogs 2 (11)