Next Friday is the first day of April. A week after that, April 8th, the Rockies will open their regular season in LoDo against the Dodgers. That came fast, didn’t it?
Due to the lockout-induced later-than-normal start, the MLB schedule is denser than usual. The Rockies have two off days in April, three in May, then four each in June, July, August, and September. In those months, there are three different 17-day stretches with a game scheduled each day: May 20th to June 5th, July 1st to 17th (leading into the All-Star break), and July 22nd to August 7th (coming out of the All-Star break). The longest homestand of the year at Coors Field will come in May, when the Rockies play nine straight games at home over ten days from May 13th to May 22nd. On the away side, the Rox will finish the year (September 27th to October 5th) with nine straight on the road - three in San Francisco, then six (!) straight in Chavez Ravine with Freddie Freeman’s Dodgers. Here are some other series to look forward to.
Braves at Rockies, 6/2 - 6/5
The defending World Champions may have lost one of their brightest stars in Freddie Freeman, but they retooled and will be looking to repeat in 2022. They travel to Denver for a four-game weekend set in early June, offering the Rockies a good preview of the cream of the league.
Rockies at Dodgers, 7/4 - 7/6
The Rockies will spend Independence Day on the road, visiting the Dodgers for the first time in 2022. The season will be three months old at this point, so we should have a good idea about who the 2022 Rockies are. This series comes in the middle of a 17-game stretch against NL West opponents, giving the Rockies a great opportunity to gain or lose significant ground in the race for the postseason.
Cardinals at Rockies, 8/9 - 8/11
Guess who’s back? Nolan’s back. The nine-time Gold Glover will return to Coors to lead his Cardinals against the Rockies and defend his Gold Glove against Ryan McMahon. The Cardinals project to be in a tight division race with the Brewers and potentially Cubs, so this series could be a good chance to see a potentially playoff-bound team rounding into form.
Rockies at Cubs, 9/16 - 9/18
After playing two games on the South Side of Chicago against the White Sox earlier in the week, Kris Bryant will return to the North Side for a matchup with his longtime teammates. Bryant played in Wrigley last September after being traded to the Giants, so this appearance may lack the pomp of his first return, but don’t expect any less of a warm welcome from the Cubbie faithful. The playoff picture will be solidifying by time this three game set happens, so these games will likely mean something for at least one, and hopefully both teams.
Other notable series are the series that won’t happen in 2022. The Rockies do not have any games scheduled against the AL East, meaning they will not have a chance to play against what is shaping up to be one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Between the newest Red Sox, Matt Chapman’s Blue Jays, the ever-innovating Rays, and always stacked Yankees, this division has enough firepower to deal out more than their fair share of losses to opponents.
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Trevor Story will “mess up” Fenway Park’s Green Monster, Rockies’ Ryan McMahon says | The Denver Post ($)
While the Rockies won’t see Trevor Story nor his new Fenway Park home up close during the regular season, they and the rest of the league will likely be watching closely as the new Red Sox second baseman rattles balls off the Green Monster. Story reportedly declined the Rockies offer to extend him, opting instead to sign with the contending Red Sox. Fenway’s left field foul pole is almost 50 feet closer to home plate than Coors Field’s (310 ft and 347 ft, respectively), and it doesn’t take that much imagination to see Story blasting line drives off of the wall.
White Sox 4, Rockies 2 | MLB.com
The Rockies scattered 11 hits, but 10 were singles and they were unable to come up with a timely hit, leaving 29 on base, as they fell to the White Sox. Regulars Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron made their first appearances of the spring, with Blackmon reaching on a walk and Cron knocking a single. Newcomer José Iglesias also made his debut, going 1-3 with the team’s sole extra base hit, a double, before he was removed from the game for pinch runner Brenton Doyle. Rockies pitchers Justin Lawrence, Zach Lee, Nate Griep, Will Gaddis, and Heath Holder all pitched scoreless innings. The Rockies return to action today against Yu Darvish and the division rival Padres.
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