C.J. Cron may be turning a corner

The day after an 0-for-4 performance may not sound like the ideal time to claim a C.J. Cron hot streak is on the way, but that’s exactly what I’m here to do. Let’s start by highlighting the fact that Cron was absolutely robbed twice by Houston during yesterday’s game, including this diving grab by Kyle Tucker:

Obviously, getting robbed is part of baseball, but Cron was putting good swings on the ball yesterday and wasn’t far off from a solid 2-for-4 outing. That came the day after his best performance of the year. Tuesday night against the very same Astros, Cron went 2-for-4 with one homer and five RBI. The homer was his first of the year, and the five RBI brought his season total from three to eight.

While that game will stand out when you look at Cron’s season as a whole, the numbers have slowly been improving for Cron over the last week or so (an ample amount of time at this early stage in the season.) In the past seven days, he has six of his ten hits, seven of his eight RBI, and brought his average up to .192 from his season-low .138. He even squeaked above the Mendoza Line to .208 before yesterday’s tough luck ballgame.

It’s no secret the recent solid stretch hasn’t gotten Cron up to the level where he believes he can play. He’s a career .256 hitter, well ahead of his current clip, and he’s on pace to hit just 11 home runs this season. For a player who is just two years removed from 25 long balls and three years removed from a career-best 30, Cron won’t be satisfied with barely breaking double digits, especially now that he’s playing at Coors Field.

Regardless, the signs are starting to point towards better days ahead for Cron, and it looks like he’ll have plenty of opportunities to make his mark. With Chris Owings looking like he’ll be out for an extended stretch and Brendan Rodgers “not close to playing games,” Cron should have more than enough plate appearances to keep building on his recent run of solid hitting.

A lot was made this spring training about the position battle at first base. C.J. Cron mashed his way to a .354/.415/.771 slash line, five home runs, and a firm grip on the starting spot. His start to the season has left a lot to be desired, but if the last week is any indicator, Cron’s about to turn it on in a big way.

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Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon thinks end of his slump is near | The Denver Post ($)

The Rockies’ starting rotation has done plenty of heavy lifting to keep this team in games in the early going. Unfortunately, it’s been the bats that have struggled. With C.J. Cron looking at breaking out (see above) and Charlie Blackmon believing he’s about to follow suit, the Rockies may be close to righting the ship.

Despite holding down the team’s cleanup duties, Blackmon hasn’t been able to get it going at the plate. After going 0-for-2 yesterday with a pair of walks, Blackmon’s average is down to .176 for the year. Regardless, Chuck Nazty thinks he’s been doing the right things at the plate, and it’s just a matter of time before the results start to come.

“I don’t think it has necessarily translated into success in the (batter’s) box yet, but I think it will… I haven’t felt locked in yet. That’s something that’s going to happen at some point during the season.”

Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Astros fans in full panic mode after another loss to lowly Rockies | Fansided

Aside from the adjective “lowly” being used to describe the Rockies (whether or not it may be accurate), there’s a lot to like in this headline. The boys from Colorado won their second straight game, and they did so by beating a team that’s on everyone’s bad list after the cheating scandal.

Perhaps a little baseball karma is at work, as the Houston Astros have lost nine of ten despite starting the year with a sweep of the Oakland Athletics (who are on a trajectory opposite their Houston counterparts – they’ve won eleven in a row.) Rockies fans were vocal in their distaste for Dusty Baker’s team during this two game mini-series, and the Rockies backed them up with two solid victories. Needless to say, Astros fans have not been thrilled. The Twitter freak-outs say it all.

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