The weekend is a great time to kick back and reflect. This Week in Purple is the place to catch up on the news from our team at Purple Row. You’ll find links to Rockpiles and other content below as well as a platform for community discussion in the comments.
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The Colorado Rockies played the role of playoff spoiler this week. They lost 2-of-3 to the San Francisco Giants, but took 2-of-3 from the Chicago Cubs. After a cancelled game on Thursday, they will play a doubleheader this afternoon. But last night, they flirted with history in the most Rockies way possible against the Giants again.
The Rockies took a combined no-hitter into the ninth inning before J.D. Davis spoiled it with a leadoff double in the ninth. It was tied for the second-longest no-hit bid at Coors Field in franchise history. Germán Márquez threw eight no-hit innings on July 29, 2021 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Kyle Freeland threw 8 1⁄3 on July 9, 2017 against the Chicago White Sox. They also notched their fifth walk-off win of the season with Elehuris Montero’s single in the ninth. Their last walk-off was July 31 against the San Diego Padres, and they have won three games in a row since June 11-13.
Ahead of today’s doubleheader, here’s what our writers had to say about the week!
To Read
- For the Monday Rockpile, Kenneth Weber looked at Brenton Doyle’s “big if” — that is, “if” he can hit major-league pitching consistently and productively. While he is one of the best center fielders the Rockies have ever had, he ranks among the bottom third in nearly every hitting category. He especially struggles against breaking pitches. So that begs the question — if Doyle can’t make adjustments, is he worth keeping around purely for his defense?
- For the Tuesday Rockpile, Renee Dechert made the case for Rockies rookie sensations Nolan Jones and Ezequiel Tovar to be NL Rookie of the Year finalists. Currently, it is Arizona Diamondbacks’ outfielder Corbin Carroll’s award to lose, but they could at least be finalists. It has been a dismal season for Rockies fans, but maybe if one or both of these guys can grab some votes, that could be a bright spot looking ahead to 2024.
- For the Wednesday Rockpile, Skyler Timmins looked at the leadership of the Colorado Rockies. Specifically, he looked at Bud Black’s situation compared to other Colorado coaches such as Sean Payton and Deion Sanders, who are having an immediate effect on their rosters. He also looked back at Michael Malone and Jared Bednar. They started off in rough situations, but both led their teams to championships since they began in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Bud Black has been instrumental to building this team, but perhaps the time has come for the team to move on to a younger coach for a younger team.
- For the Thursday Rockpile, Evan Lang looked at Kris Bryant’s effect (or lack thereof) on the current Rockies. Since Bryant signed with the Rockies, he has only played in 110 games between two seasons and has been on the IL five-separate times. However, going back to the question of leadership, could a healthy KB help mentor some of the younger Rockies? And can he hopefully get at least somewhat back to form to help provide some much-needed offense?
- Finally, for the Friday Rockpile, Joelle Milholm looked both to the past and towards the future. This weekend the Rockies are inviting members of the Blake Street Bombers back this weekend, she reflected on their time with the Rockies and looked towards a team who might be a second iteration of that. Unfortunately, the Rockies have not had a 40-homer guy since 2019 (Nolan Arenado, 41). The last time they had two was in 2015 (Arenado and Carlos González). If the Rockies want to repeat the BSB era, they’d need at least four players to hit 30+ homers in a season — is that possible with this current roster?
To Listen
- Affected by Altitude: Learn to Speak Germán — Skyler and Evan discuss the Germán Márquez extension, the performances of Hunter Goodman and Elehuris Montero, and the bizarre decisions that have kept Harold Castro with this team.
- Every Rockie Ever Podcast: Jorge De La Rosa — In this new episode, Skyler and Dustin look back on the career of one of the best pitchers in franchise history. Acquired in 2008, Jorge De La Rosa went on to be one of the most successful pitchers in Colorado history. He leads the team in multiple pitching categories while also conquering the challenges of pitching at Coors Field. For years he was essentially the Ace of the Rockies and yet is still overlooked and sometimes forgotten just how good he was.
Weekend Discussion Topic
Who will be the next Rockies player to hit 40 home runs? If the Rockies have four players hit 30+ in the next few years, who will they be?
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