On May 16th, the Rockies started a stretch of 31 out of 45 games on the road over a seven week period. Well it's five weeks and 33 games later and the Rockies have compiled a 22-11 record which is good enough for third place in the West over that stretch. The D-Backs have gone 23-8, while the Dodgers have gone 22-10. That's a combined record of 67-29. But the Rockies remain in 1st Place in the West. And there will be at least 6 losses between the three teams this week as the Rockies host Arizona before going to Los Angeles for 3 games each.
All three teams have been finding ways to win. The Rockies blew two leads over the weekend but managed to sweep the Giants and give them a Winning Record for the season vs. San Francisco at 10-1 with 8 games left. They have also won 12 of the last 15.
The Dodgers played 6 games against the Reds over the past 10 days and swept all 6 while winning 9 of their last 10, and 11 of their last 15. Meanwhile the D-Backs have won the past 7 in a row and 13 of the last 17.
Oddly, all three teams have had a 3 game losing streak in June. None have lost four in a row this season. Can all three teams get 100 wins? All three teams are on pace to hit the century in Wins.
But how about these Rockies? Down by two runs in the bottom of the 9th, and one out, Tapia, Blackmon, and LeMahieu get consecutive singles, prior to Arenado hitting a three run homer that completes the cycle and wins the game for the Rockies.
With a day off Monday, hopefully the Bullpen gets some needed rest and comes back rejuvenated to play the D-Backs.
The Rockies are 20 games over .500 for the first time ever prior to September. Although they only have a 1 game lead over their closest two West Competitors, they currently lead the Cubs for the 2nd Wild Card position by 10 games.
Heating Up the Home Cooking: The Rockies have won all six of their June Home games and are now 21-13 at home, after starting out 15-13. Their Road record is a franchise best 25-13, which is the most road wins in baseball. Houston has a better road record at 23-8. Arizona (26-9) and the New York Yankees (22-9) are the only teams who haven't lost 10 games at home yet.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame: The Rockies had two more sellouts at Coors Field this weekend, bringing their total to 5 this season. They are 4-1 in sellout games. There are an additional 8 games that the Rockies have drawn 40,000+ and are 5-3 in those games. With a 6-1 record in games where 35,000-40,000 show up, the Rockies are 15-5 in games where 35,000 or more show up. Conversely on the Road with 35,000+ fans the Rockies are 7-3, so they are 22-8 in front of 35,000 or more fans 24-18 with lesser crowds. Their next 9 games should be in front of 35,000 or more.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
Don't Be Afraid of What You'll Find On The Way
Last night's game can't pass without a comment.
First of all, Greg Holland is human after all. After 23 straight saves in save situations, he blew one.
Second of all, blowing an 8 run lead is nothing new either in Denver or any other place. Here is a rundown of some of them. And for the record none of them involve the Rockies at home or away.
So it happens. As Bud Black said last night, it wasn't so much the venue as the pitch locations.
So let's be realistic. It's strange to say, but the Rockies are in a slump. That seems strange to say when they have won 9 of the last 12, but you don't have to be in a long losing streak to be in a slump, and really it's good to continue winning while you are in a slump. Since May 24, the Rockies are 12-9, and have had two 3 game losing streaks.
Carlos Gonzalez is batting .091 over this stretch (5 for 55) with only 1 home run. Trevor Story still hasn't gotten untracked although he has hit .250 over the past 3 weeks. Gerardo Parra is on the DL after batting .577. German Marquez has had a couple of so-so starts although the Rockies have pulled both of them out. Ottavino, Dunn and Holland have been less effective in the bullpen lately. There seems to be more frequent errors and a lot more walks.
The bottom line is that you don't have to lose 15 of 20 to be in a slump. To win 12 out of 20 despite the slump is actually good news. When CarGo starts hitting and someone else slumps, that's actually a good thing. For the most part this year, the Rockies Hitting has picked up the pitching and the hittting and fielding has picked up the pitching at other times.
Despite the loss of an 8 run lead in the last three innings, it paved the way for Raimel Tapia to get his first walk-off hit of his career (and the Rockies 1st Walk-off win of the season). The Rockies bend but don't break, and seemingly have a different hero every night.
The Rockies remain undefeated at 41-0 when leading after 7 innings. And they are now 10-2 in one-run games. It's their first one-run win since May 4, at San Diego (40 games ago).
First of all, Greg Holland is human after all. After 23 straight saves in save situations, he blew one.
Second of all, blowing an 8 run lead is nothing new either in Denver or any other place. Here is a rundown of some of them. And for the record none of them involve the Rockies at home or away.
So it happens. As Bud Black said last night, it wasn't so much the venue as the pitch locations.
So let's be realistic. It's strange to say, but the Rockies are in a slump. That seems strange to say when they have won 9 of the last 12, but you don't have to be in a long losing streak to be in a slump, and really it's good to continue winning while you are in a slump. Since May 24, the Rockies are 12-9, and have had two 3 game losing streaks.
Carlos Gonzalez is batting .091 over this stretch (5 for 55) with only 1 home run. Trevor Story still hasn't gotten untracked although he has hit .250 over the past 3 weeks. Gerardo Parra is on the DL after batting .577. German Marquez has had a couple of so-so starts although the Rockies have pulled both of them out. Ottavino, Dunn and Holland have been less effective in the bullpen lately. There seems to be more frequent errors and a lot more walks.
The bottom line is that you don't have to lose 15 of 20 to be in a slump. To win 12 out of 20 despite the slump is actually good news. When CarGo starts hitting and someone else slumps, that's actually a good thing. For the most part this year, the Rockies Hitting has picked up the pitching and the hittting and fielding has picked up the pitching at other times.
Despite the loss of an 8 run lead in the last three innings, it paved the way for Raimel Tapia to get his first walk-off hit of his career (and the Rockies 1st Walk-off win of the season). The Rockies bend but don't break, and seemingly have a different hero every night.
The Rockies remain undefeated at 41-0 when leading after 7 innings. And they are now 10-2 in one-run games. It's their first one-run win since May 4, at San Diego (40 games ago).
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Please Somebody Make a Move
It's June 15th and the top 3 in the National League West, Dodgers, Rockies and D-Backs are all above .600 for the season in Winning Percentage, and in games not against each other, they are a combined 102-55 for a .650 percentage. There are only three other teams total in the rest of the Major Leagues, Astros, Yankees and Nationals who are at .600 or better.
The three teams together have a 16-5 (.762) record against the AL, 37-19 (.661) vs. the NL Central and a 33-19 (.635) vs. San Diego and San Francisco. They are "struggling" against the NL East however at 16-12 (.571). Actually the Rockies and D-Backs are at .500 and the Dodgers are 7-3 vs. the East.
Starting tonight the Rockies now will play a string of 16 games against the NL West including 9 combined against the Dodgers and D-Backs over the next 2.5 weeks. This is the last chance the Rockies have to play these two directly prior to September, when they will play their remaining 13 games against these two. Between July 4 and August 31st the Dodgers and D-Backs play each other 9 times, so these games take on added significance. The Rockies play 26 of their final 29 games of the season vs. the West, (3 games at home vs. Miami are the others). The Dodgers have a 7 game road trip in September to the East Coast outside the division and the D-Backs finish the season in Kansas City after a 3 game home series vs. Miami.
The Rockies currently are 20-11 vs. the NL West and 9-6 vs. the Dodgers ( 5-4) and the D-Backs (4-2) The D-Backs have a 4-3 edge on the Dodgers and are 19-14 vs. the entire west, while the Dodgers are 16-16 vs. the West.
The other games before then will be important, but right now the Rockies have the chance to put some separation between them and the others--or fall behind.
The three teams together have a 16-5 (.762) record against the AL, 37-19 (.661) vs. the NL Central and a 33-19 (.635) vs. San Diego and San Francisco. They are "struggling" against the NL East however at 16-12 (.571). Actually the Rockies and D-Backs are at .500 and the Dodgers are 7-3 vs. the East.
Starting tonight the Rockies now will play a string of 16 games against the NL West including 9 combined against the Dodgers and D-Backs over the next 2.5 weeks. This is the last chance the Rockies have to play these two directly prior to September, when they will play their remaining 13 games against these two. Between July 4 and August 31st the Dodgers and D-Backs play each other 9 times, so these games take on added significance. The Rockies play 26 of their final 29 games of the season vs. the West, (3 games at home vs. Miami are the others). The Dodgers have a 7 game road trip in September to the East Coast outside the division and the D-Backs finish the season in Kansas City after a 3 game home series vs. Miami.
The Rockies currently are 20-11 vs. the NL West and 9-6 vs. the Dodgers ( 5-4) and the D-Backs (4-2) The D-Backs have a 4-3 edge on the Dodgers and are 19-14 vs. the entire west, while the Dodgers are 16-16 vs. the West.
The other games before then will be important, but right now the Rockies have the chance to put some separation between them and the others--or fall behind.
Monday, June 12, 2017
You Can Walk Straight Through Hell with a Smile
Beginning May 15th the Rockies have been on a grueling part of their season. 45 games in 49 days with 31 of the games on the road and only 14 at home. Going into last week the Rockies had gone 12-8 during this stretch which was pretty good, but six games against last year's World Series Participants Cleveland and Chicago Cubs back to back loomed large and potentially could have been a large pothole especially with the Dodgers and D-Backs breathing down the Rockies neck. The Rockies won the first 5 games, dropping yesterday's season finale vs. the Cubs ending their season high 7 game winning streak. They now have 41 wins in their first 65 games,
The 7 game winning streak is the longest since an 8 game streak in April 2013. After Saturday's win, they were 18 games or more over .500 for only the 2nd time in their history. Their best record ever was at 24 games over .500 in 2009 at 92-68. This year's Rockies could surpass that by the All-Star Break.
During the seven game streak they held their opponent to 3 or fewer runs in all 7 games. They are now 15-3-3 in series and have yet to lose a road series. They are 15-6 in series opening games, which contributes to that success.
And most importantly they are now 17-9 in this 45 game stretch with 19 games to go.
The 7 game winning streak is the longest since an 8 game streak in April 2013. After Saturday's win, they were 18 games or more over .500 for only the 2nd time in their history. Their best record ever was at 24 games over .500 in 2009 at 92-68. This year's Rockies could surpass that by the All-Star Break.
During the seven game streak they held their opponent to 3 or fewer runs in all 7 games. They are now 15-3-3 in series and have yet to lose a road series. They are 15-6 in series opening games, which contributes to that success.
And most importantly they are now 17-9 in this 45 game stretch with 19 games to go.
Monday, June 5, 2017
Fool, If You Think It's Over
The Rockies have played 59 Games So far, and have not lost a game where they were leading after 7 innings (34-0). They also have only won 1 game where they were trailing after 7 (1-21). In the three games that they were tied after 7 they are 1-2.
In other words there have been only 4 games that were decided in the 8th inning or later and 3 of those games have gone extra innings. If you turn the game off after 7 and one team is ahead, it's pretty certain that the result will be the same as when you stopped watching. In fact, the Rockies are 9-6 in come from behind wins, so if there is a lead of any kind at any time, it's a 3 in 4 chance that the team ahead will win. The Rockies still are looking for their first walk off win of 2017.
Meanwhile the Dodgers have 16 comeback wins and the D-Backs have 19. The Dodgers are 3-2 in Walkoffs and the D-Backs are 3-1.
This does not mean this will continue, it's really a glass half full or half empty kind of thing. The Rockies have chalked up 36 wins so far, which is the best in their history. How they do it doesn't matter, but there will come a time when they pull out games in the last at bat or even lose some late.
The NL West race is one of the tightest in Baseball, with the NL Central also having three teams within 2 games of each other for the lead, but those teams are hovering around .500 while the NL West teams are hovering around .600. The Rockies have a chance to put some separation (hopefully positive) between the teams when they play 16 in a row against the west later this month including 3 against the Dodgers and 6 against the D-Backs. Otherwise the Dodgers spend the entire month of June and July, playing the other divisions, including their first taste of interleague play, except for 6 games June 30-July 6th against San Diego and Arizona, and a 3 game series vs. the Giants to end July. The D-Backs will play San Diego this week and the Dodgers Series in early July.
As Bud Black says, the Rockies can't worry about what the other teams are doing, all they can do is take care of their own business. Currently the Rockies by far have a great record against the West at 19-11, while the D-Backs are 16-14 and the Dodgers are 16-16. The D-Backs and Dodgers are beating up teams outside the division, but ultimately it will come down to the Division head to head games that will separate if not decide the division.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Rockies are not a team that historically has had success on the road. In fact the only time the Rockies have had a winning road record is in 2009 when they went 41-40. The Rockies have currently won 21 or their first 31 on the road, and have yet to lose a series on the road.
Here is the compilation:
Milwaukee 3-1
San Francisco 3-1
Los Angeles 1-1
Arizona 2-1
San Diego 2-1
Minnesota 2-1
Cincinnati 2-1
Philadelphia 3-1
Seattle 1-1
San Diego 2-1
Giving them a total of 8-0-2 in Series Victories. Impressive Road start for sure.
In other words there have been only 4 games that were decided in the 8th inning or later and 3 of those games have gone extra innings. If you turn the game off after 7 and one team is ahead, it's pretty certain that the result will be the same as when you stopped watching. In fact, the Rockies are 9-6 in come from behind wins, so if there is a lead of any kind at any time, it's a 3 in 4 chance that the team ahead will win. The Rockies still are looking for their first walk off win of 2017.
Meanwhile the Dodgers have 16 comeback wins and the D-Backs have 19. The Dodgers are 3-2 in Walkoffs and the D-Backs are 3-1.
This does not mean this will continue, it's really a glass half full or half empty kind of thing. The Rockies have chalked up 36 wins so far, which is the best in their history. How they do it doesn't matter, but there will come a time when they pull out games in the last at bat or even lose some late.
The NL West race is one of the tightest in Baseball, with the NL Central also having three teams within 2 games of each other for the lead, but those teams are hovering around .500 while the NL West teams are hovering around .600. The Rockies have a chance to put some separation (hopefully positive) between the teams when they play 16 in a row against the west later this month including 3 against the Dodgers and 6 against the D-Backs. Otherwise the Dodgers spend the entire month of June and July, playing the other divisions, including their first taste of interleague play, except for 6 games June 30-July 6th against San Diego and Arizona, and a 3 game series vs. the Giants to end July. The D-Backs will play San Diego this week and the Dodgers Series in early July.
As Bud Black says, the Rockies can't worry about what the other teams are doing, all they can do is take care of their own business. Currently the Rockies by far have a great record against the West at 19-11, while the D-Backs are 16-14 and the Dodgers are 16-16. The D-Backs and Dodgers are beating up teams outside the division, but ultimately it will come down to the Division head to head games that will separate if not decide the division.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Rockies are not a team that historically has had success on the road. In fact the only time the Rockies have had a winning road record is in 2009 when they went 41-40. The Rockies have currently won 21 or their first 31 on the road, and have yet to lose a series on the road.
Here is the compilation:
Milwaukee 3-1
San Francisco 3-1
Los Angeles 1-1
Arizona 2-1
San Diego 2-1
Minnesota 2-1
Cincinnati 2-1
Philadelphia 3-1
Seattle 1-1
San Diego 2-1
Giving them a total of 8-0-2 in Series Victories. Impressive Road start for sure.
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