HR robbery won’t dampen Nolan’s torrid month | MLB.com
Even as the Colorado Rockies have struggled, Nolan Arenado has been putting together a terrific month of August. He nearly had his 13th home run of the season on Thursday evening, but was robbed by Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Starling Marte.
An interesting quote from Arenado in this MLB.com article by Thomas Harding is: “When you’re losing like this… I don’t buy into what’s going on here in a way.” I initially had to do a double take, because that sounds rather problematic, but I don’t think Nolan is meaning this as a slap in the face to the organization. From my reading, it sounds like what Arenado is saying is that he’s going to be the same competitive player regardless of what’s happening around him. Arenado also said he hopes his continuing strive to be a better version of himself will rub off on his teammates.
Opinion: Rockies’ payroll is least efficient in the majors, club history | Mile High Sports
Luke Zahlmann of Mile High Sports analyzes how the Rockies are performing compared to their payroll. As per usual in such discussions, the large quantity of money Ian Desmond is making given his net negative output on the field is a large component.
Zahlmann opines that the only comparable team to the Rockies in Major League Baseball in 2019 are the San Francisco Giants, though they at least can look back on their three World Series wins in five years as consolation for falling on hard times.
Ex-MLB Players Octavio Dotel, Luis Castillo Cleared Of Drug Ring Allegations | NPR
Former Rockies’ reliever Octavio Dotel (for a brief period in 2010) and former MLB second baseman Luis Castillo have both been cleared of allegations of connections to a drug ring in the Dominican Republic, reports Colin Dwyer of NPR.
They were arrested earlier this month, but the judge ruled there was not enough evidence to implicate either former major leaguer with the kingpin.
Dotel was, however, still charged with possessing illegal weapons, though his attorney says the proof that the weapons were legal will be presented “in a timely manner.”
On the Farm
Congrats to Asheville, who was the only team in the organization to take home a win on Friday. Ryan Feltner (No. 29 PuRP) pitched five strong innings.
Triple-A: Fresno Grizzlies 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 5
Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies 4, Hartford Yard Goats 2
High-A: Lake Elsinore Storm 5, Lancaster JetHawks 2
Single-A: Asheville Tourists 4, Rome Braves 1