We are at Memorial Day, just about a third of the way through the season, (despite MLB Network insisting it's the Quarter Pole.) The Rockies will complete their first third of the season tomorrow before heading out on a five game road trip.
1997 and 2000 were the only years they had 30 wins in the first 54 games. This year they are at 33 and there have been many accomplishments especially in the pitching category. With a 7 man starting pitching staff with only 174 games experience, 97 of them by Tyler Chatwood alone, the Rockies have defied expectations with their 25-16 record. More importantly combined they have pitched 301 innings averaging just under 6 innings per start. They have worked at least 6 innings 27 times, while not finishing five innings only 7 times including Jon Gray's 3 inning start where he was injured.
Combine that with the Relievers who have only lost one game after leading after 6 (Thursday losing in Extra innings against the Phillies) and none when leading after 7 or 8 innings, the Rockies currently have a franchise best 4.04 ERA one-third in. They have only blown one game with a lead of 5 or more runs, and have only lost 5 games after having any lead.
They also have yet to lose a road series, having split one and winning seven. At home they have lost 2 series splitting one and winning five. Not sure whether the upcoming series with Seattle is two 2 game series or one 4 game series, but it would be good to take 3 out of 4 against this decimated team.
The defense has been superb having 36 games without and error, and only 16 with at least one error. They have 22 errors total, fewest in the National League and third overall in the Majors.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Friday, May 26, 2017
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
I'm never going to complain about a 7-3 road trip. The longest trip of the year started with the Rockies holding a 1.5 game lead over the Dodgers and they return with a 1 game lead over Arizona who went 9-1 during the same stretch, while LA was 6-4. Arizona had 6 games at home and LA 7. The D-Backs started an 11 game road trip last night, while the Dodgers start a 7-gamer on Monday. Both teams however are two games under on the road while the Rockies have an 18-8 record.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rockies lose the NL West lead over the next 5 weeks, but the key is to worry about your games, and let the other teams worry about theirs--and stay close. The NL West seems to be the strongest division so far, with the top three teams having the 1st, 2nd, and 4th best records in the National League. And the national press seems to think both the Rockies and D-Backs will fall soon.
This is why I look at the Home/Road Factor as a guage of where the teams stand. The Rockies have played fewer games at home and have a +8 factor at the moment, while the D-Backs are only +1, and Dodgers are +2. Keep in mind that a +9 will project you to a 90 win season, which will usually get you to the playoffs. This means that the Rockies have to win only one game more than they have home games to get to the playoffs, while the D-Backs and Dodgers will have to win 8 or 7 respectively, and they have fewer home games to play.
If the Rockies can improve their record at home (although they only have 7 home games in the next three weeks and 14 in the next 5.5 weeks through July 2nd) they can make their Road Record more reasonable. So in their next 35 games they need 14 wins to stay on target. Any better than that and they will stretch their Home/Road Factor Further. And oh, yeah 9 of the last 12 games of that stretch are against the Dodgers and D-Backs, so they have a chance to help themselves in head to head matches. The great start has helped them take some of the pressure off, unlike 2009, when they started off 20-32 and had to go 70-40 the rest of the way to get to 90 (and they won 92).
Even if you look at where they are now at 31-18 overall, playing .500 ball the rest of the way would put them at an 87-88 win range. They will have their down periods, but as long as they don't go into too deep of a hole, they have given themselves some cushion in getting back out.
Scheduling Quirks: Teams now have seven four game series outside of their division including one that is a home and home series against the other league. The Rockies have already played three at Milwaukee and Philadelphia and home against Washington. They will play their AL Home/Home series next week, leaving them only three more four gamers against the East and Central, and two of those (at Chicago and vs. Cincinnati) happen before the All Star game. That leaves the Braves at Coors in August as their lone 4 gamer after the break. In the West they usually have one 4 game series against each team, but this year, they have 2 against the Dodgers and Giants (along with two 2 game series for some reason.) Three of those will happen in September, all on the road.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rockies lose the NL West lead over the next 5 weeks, but the key is to worry about your games, and let the other teams worry about theirs--and stay close. The NL West seems to be the strongest division so far, with the top three teams having the 1st, 2nd, and 4th best records in the National League. And the national press seems to think both the Rockies and D-Backs will fall soon.
This is why I look at the Home/Road Factor as a guage of where the teams stand. The Rockies have played fewer games at home and have a +8 factor at the moment, while the D-Backs are only +1, and Dodgers are +2. Keep in mind that a +9 will project you to a 90 win season, which will usually get you to the playoffs. This means that the Rockies have to win only one game more than they have home games to get to the playoffs, while the D-Backs and Dodgers will have to win 8 or 7 respectively, and they have fewer home games to play.
If the Rockies can improve their record at home (although they only have 7 home games in the next three weeks and 14 in the next 5.5 weeks through July 2nd) they can make their Road Record more reasonable. So in their next 35 games they need 14 wins to stay on target. Any better than that and they will stretch their Home/Road Factor Further. And oh, yeah 9 of the last 12 games of that stretch are against the Dodgers and D-Backs, so they have a chance to help themselves in head to head matches. The great start has helped them take some of the pressure off, unlike 2009, when they started off 20-32 and had to go 70-40 the rest of the way to get to 90 (and they won 92).
Even if you look at where they are now at 31-18 overall, playing .500 ball the rest of the way would put them at an 87-88 win range. They will have their down periods, but as long as they don't go into too deep of a hole, they have given themselves some cushion in getting back out.
Scheduling Quirks: Teams now have seven four game series outside of their division including one that is a home and home series against the other league. The Rockies have already played three at Milwaukee and Philadelphia and home against Washington. They will play their AL Home/Home series next week, leaving them only three more four gamers against the East and Central, and two of those (at Chicago and vs. Cincinnati) happen before the All Star game. That leaves the Braves at Coors in August as their lone 4 gamer after the break. In the West they usually have one 4 game series against each team, but this year, they have 2 against the Dodgers and Giants (along with two 2 game series for some reason.) Three of those will happen in September, all on the road.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Blowin' In the Wind
It was inevitable that the Rockies would eventually blow a lead bigger than 2 runs. On Saturday in game 44, they lost a game where they led for only the fourth time all season (with 8 come from behind wins.) This time they trailed by 2 before taking a 5 run lead in the 5th and then eventually losing by 4 after 9 unanswered runs were scored by the Reds. Since that lead was blown by the end of the 6th, the Rockies still have an incredible record of 24-0 in games leading at the end of 6th, and 26-0 in games leading after 7 innings. Only four of their 28 wins have been won after the 6th inning.
Overall they are 8-4 in comeback wins and losses after leading. At this point last year they were 8-12 in such games and would eventually be 33-48.
Road Warriors: The Rockies are now 15-7 on the road this year. 2009 is the only year they had a winning road record at 41-40.
This Date in 2007: On the morning of May 22, 2007, the Rockies sat at 18-27 in 5th Place in the National League West but only 7 games behind the Dodgers. On May 22nd, they started their improbable rise going 72-46 the rest of the way. We all know about their 14 out of 15 finish to the regular season, but the 58-45 rise is what is missed starting with a seven game winning streak that started on the road in Arizona and San Francisco to get them within striking distance of .500.
Overall they are 8-4 in comeback wins and losses after leading. At this point last year they were 8-12 in such games and would eventually be 33-48.
Road Warriors: The Rockies are now 15-7 on the road this year. 2009 is the only year they had a winning road record at 41-40.
This Date in 2007: On the morning of May 22, 2007, the Rockies sat at 18-27 in 5th Place in the National League West but only 7 games behind the Dodgers. On May 22nd, they started their improbable rise going 72-46 the rest of the way. We all know about their 14 out of 15 finish to the regular season, but the 58-45 rise is what is missed starting with a seven game winning streak that started on the road in Arizona and San Francisco to get them within striking distance of .500.
Monday, May 15, 2017
A Clock Strikes at Quarter Past
The Rockies are one game shy of the quarter pole in the season and have compiled a 24-15 record so far which guarantees them the best First Quarter of the season in their history. In 1995, 1997 and 2014 they went 23-17. The Rockies also completed a stretch where the were home in 21 of 35 games going 21-15 in that stretch. Between now and July 2nd, they will be playing a stretch of 31 out of 45 Road games with only 14 home games in the next 7 weeks.
This is a key stretch, as they need to continue to play well on the road, while getting better at home. The Rockies completed a 6-4 home stand giving them a 13-10 record so far, but they are 11-5 on the road. Can they maintain improve on their road record, or can they start dominating at home? Will the pitching continue to dominate late as the Rockies have failed to give up a lead of more than 1 run all season and have won all 20 games that they have led after 6 innings.
The Rockies are now 8-2-2 in Series with both series losses coming at Coors Field (Padres and Nationals) They have a 4-0-1 Series Record on the Road. Both series ties have come against the Dodgers. In 2016, they won their 8th series on June 15th.
Crossing the Lines: The Rockies play their first inter-league games this week heading to Minnesota. This is their second visit to Target Field and only their third visit to Minnesota overall. They have gone 1-2 on both trips there in 2003 and 2010. Minnesota has visited Coors Field twice as well in 2008 and 2014 where they have split 6 games. They next play the AL when Seattle comes to visit Coors on a home/home series starting May 29th. Their AL games by month May: 6, June: 3, July: 3 August: 8.
Winning the West: The Rockies have played 28 games against the NL West, and have compiled a 18-10 .642 record. They next play a West Team on June 2nd in San Diego. The rest of the wet has games this week (LA at SF and Ariz at SD) otherwise teams are playing teams outside of the division for the next three weeks. At this point no other team is better than one game over .500 vs. the West.
This is a key stretch, as they need to continue to play well on the road, while getting better at home. The Rockies completed a 6-4 home stand giving them a 13-10 record so far, but they are 11-5 on the road. Can they maintain improve on their road record, or can they start dominating at home? Will the pitching continue to dominate late as the Rockies have failed to give up a lead of more than 1 run all season and have won all 20 games that they have led after 6 innings.
The Rockies are now 8-2-2 in Series with both series losses coming at Coors Field (Padres and Nationals) They have a 4-0-1 Series Record on the Road. Both series ties have come against the Dodgers. In 2016, they won their 8th series on June 15th.
Crossing the Lines: The Rockies play their first inter-league games this week heading to Minnesota. This is their second visit to Target Field and only their third visit to Minnesota overall. They have gone 1-2 on both trips there in 2003 and 2010. Minnesota has visited Coors Field twice as well in 2008 and 2014 where they have split 6 games. They next play the AL when Seattle comes to visit Coors on a home/home series starting May 29th. Their AL games by month May: 6, June: 3, July: 3 August: 8.
Winning the West: The Rockies have played 28 games against the NL West, and have compiled a 18-10 .642 record. They next play a West Team on June 2nd in San Diego. The rest of the wet has games this week (LA at SF and Ariz at SD) otherwise teams are playing teams outside of the division for the next three weeks. At this point no other team is better than one game over .500 vs. the West.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Super Rookie, Rookie, Rookie
Going into the 2017 season, the Rockies expected to have a five man rotation that included Chad Bettis and Jon Gray. While Bettis had to leave spring training in order to have treatments for his cancer, Gray started three games before leaving with a fractured toe on April 13th. This left the Rockies with a starting five that included three Rookie Pitchers, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzetela, and Marquez German who pitched in 6 games for the Rockies last year. So far they have started 18 total games and have compiled a 9-5 record, while the Rockies have a 12-6 record n games they started.
At the time Gray went down, the Rockies were 6-4, 7-4 after the game he left in. Since then the Rockies have compiled a 15-9 Record, although they are 1-3 in games that Marquez has pitched in Gray's place.
Coors Field has historically been a pitcher's nightmare to pitch in. To see three rookies come in and not be intimidated is amazing in itself. For them ALL to come in and do it at the same time is unbelievable. There have been several times where the Rockies Rookies had a bad inning, but they then come back to shut the hitters down after that. For instance, on Tuesday's night game, Freeland gave up five runs (three earned) in the 2nd inning and was in danger of being taken out. After the 2nd, Freeland pitched four additional scoreless innings. Young pitchers usually have to work their way out, but at Coors field it is unusually difficult. These pitchers are showing poise and confidence in the first couple of months and are a huge part of the Rockies success so far this year.
Hopefully Gray will be back soon, and it will be good to know that the Rockies have some arms in reserve if other injuries occur.
Dodgers Series: The Dodgers come in to Coors field for the 2nd time this year for a four game set. The Rockies lead the Dodgers by 1.5 games so a split would keep them in first place. Both teams need a starter for Saturday, as the Rockies may go with Jeff Hoffman. The Dodgers will throw Clayton Kershaw on Friday night in game 2. The Dodgers come in on a 5 game winning streak and have won 10 of last 12. They last played a team with a winning record on April 23rd in Arizona and are 6-8 vs. Winning Teams this season. The Rockies meanwhile are 9-6 since April 23rd, with all but 3 of their games against teams with Winning Records. So far they are 11-8 vs. teams that have a .500 or better record this season.
At the time Gray went down, the Rockies were 6-4, 7-4 after the game he left in. Since then the Rockies have compiled a 15-9 Record, although they are 1-3 in games that Marquez has pitched in Gray's place.
Coors Field has historically been a pitcher's nightmare to pitch in. To see three rookies come in and not be intimidated is amazing in itself. For them ALL to come in and do it at the same time is unbelievable. There have been several times where the Rockies Rookies had a bad inning, but they then come back to shut the hitters down after that. For instance, on Tuesday's night game, Freeland gave up five runs (three earned) in the 2nd inning and was in danger of being taken out. After the 2nd, Freeland pitched four additional scoreless innings. Young pitchers usually have to work their way out, but at Coors field it is unusually difficult. These pitchers are showing poise and confidence in the first couple of months and are a huge part of the Rockies success so far this year.
Hopefully Gray will be back soon, and it will be good to know that the Rockies have some arms in reserve if other injuries occur.
Dodgers Series: The Dodgers come in to Coors field for the 2nd time this year for a four game set. The Rockies lead the Dodgers by 1.5 games so a split would keep them in first place. Both teams need a starter for Saturday, as the Rockies may go with Jeff Hoffman. The Dodgers will throw Clayton Kershaw on Friday night in game 2. The Dodgers come in on a 5 game winning streak and have won 10 of last 12. They last played a team with a winning record on April 23rd in Arizona and are 6-8 vs. Winning Teams this season. The Rockies meanwhile are 9-6 since April 23rd, with all but 3 of their games against teams with Winning Records. So far they are 11-8 vs. teams that have a .500 or better record this season.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Go West This Is Our Destiny
This weekend marked the end of Week 5 of the Major-League Season, and all NL West Teams have played each other home and home one time. (Sometimes the Schedule makers make sense.)
Here's how the teams fared:
Rockies 16-8 (24 Games)
Arizona 14-13 (27 Games)
Los Angeles 13-12 (25 Games)
San Diego 11-14 (25 Games)
Giants 10-17 (27 Games)
The second time through the west starts this weekend with the Rockies hosting the Dodgers for four games. This next go round will vary between teams, as the Giants and D-Backs will play their last meeting of the second round on August 27, while the Dodgers and San Diego finish up on August 13th. The Rockies play the bulk of their second pass games in June with the last 17 games (and first two of July) played in a row, and finish the 2nd round on July 19 against San Diego. They have zero games against the West in August, but all but three of their games after September 1st are against the west a total of 26 games.
Other than the games against the Dodgers, the Rockies now start playing against the rest of the league as well as the AL. 75 of their 86 non-west games are between now and August 30th.
Inter-League Madness
5 weeks into the season, and the NL West has played only 5 of their 100 inter-league games. The Yankees alone have played 9 so far (counting Sunday night's game as one game) and their next two games are at Cincinnati. The Padres play 7 and Arizona has 2 this week. The Rockies play their first three AL Games next week, and the Dodgers play their first AL game on June 13th, on the same day that the Giants play thier next AL game (They've played two so far.)
ROCKIES Stats of Note:
Much has been made of the Rockies 9-0 record in 1 run games this year, but even more impressive is the fact that the Rockies have yet to blow more than a 1-run lead in any game this year. They have six comeback wins including two from 3 down and one from 5 down.
Here's how the teams fared:
Rockies 16-8 (24 Games)
Arizona 14-13 (27 Games)
Los Angeles 13-12 (25 Games)
San Diego 11-14 (25 Games)
Giants 10-17 (27 Games)
The second time through the west starts this weekend with the Rockies hosting the Dodgers for four games. This next go round will vary between teams, as the Giants and D-Backs will play their last meeting of the second round on August 27, while the Dodgers and San Diego finish up on August 13th. The Rockies play the bulk of their second pass games in June with the last 17 games (and first two of July) played in a row, and finish the 2nd round on July 19 against San Diego. They have zero games against the West in August, but all but three of their games after September 1st are against the west a total of 26 games.
Other than the games against the Dodgers, the Rockies now start playing against the rest of the league as well as the AL. 75 of their 86 non-west games are between now and August 30th.
Inter-League Madness
5 weeks into the season, and the NL West has played only 5 of their 100 inter-league games. The Yankees alone have played 9 so far (counting Sunday night's game as one game) and their next two games are at Cincinnati. The Padres play 7 and Arizona has 2 this week. The Rockies play their first three AL Games next week, and the Dodgers play their first AL game on June 13th, on the same day that the Giants play thier next AL game (They've played two so far.)
ROCKIES Stats of Note:
Much has been made of the Rockies 9-0 record in 1 run games this year, but even more impressive is the fact that the Rockies have yet to blow more than a 1-run lead in any game this year. They have six comeback wins including two from 3 down and one from 5 down.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Some Days are Diamonds Some Days are Stones
Without looking it up, this may have been one of the strangest weeks in Rockies History. They were outscored 51-31 or just under 3 runs per game 7.3-4.4 but still managed to win 3 of the 7 games, and took a scoreless tie into the 13th inning yesterday before losing. They came back from 3 and 5 runs down to win, while also closing a 10 run deficit to 3 before falling 15-12 on Tuesday.
The Rockies have also put the first month behind them going 16-10 and are in first place. Only in 1997 and 2011 have the Rockies had a better record after 26 games. They are 8-0 in one run games and 4-3 in two-run games. The youngest starting pitching staff in the majors has kept the Rockies in games and have a 9-9 record while the bullpen is 7-1 with yesterday's loss the only blemish.
The Rockies played 16 of their first 26 games against 2016 playoff teams going 11-5 against them, while going only 5-5 in the 10 games against non-playoff teams. May brings a respite, with only 7 games against last year's playoff teams next week against the Cubs and Dodgers at home with 22 others. They also finish up a run of 17 of 23 home games (7-4 so far) before having a 22 of 29 on the road where they are 9-4 so far.
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