DESMOND COULD PLAY OUTFIELD UPON HIS RETURN
Ian Desmond, the veteran who signed a five-year, $70 million deal to play first base, is moving closer to making his Rockies debut.
But exactly where are the Rockies going to play Desmond when he returns?
Manager Bud Black hinted Sunday that Desmond could see some time in the outfield. Desmond hit off a batting tee in the cage over the weekend and is expected to start taking full batting practice this week.
Desmond fractured his left hand in a March 12 Cactus League game, and Mark Reynolds has moved from understudy to early-season star in Desmond’s absence, hitting five homers with a team-high 16 RBIs.
Plus, Reynolds has played stellar defense at first, a position Desmond has never played in a regular-season game.
“Isn’t that a good thing when after converting to the outfield with Texas, where he played in center and left.
Galloping Chuck. Good thing Charlie Blackmon works out like a maniac, because the Rockies’ bearded wonder has been galloping around the bases like a thoroughbred.
The center fielder belted a leadoff triple and a two-run double Sunday in Colorado’s 8-0 victory over San Francisco. Blackmon tripled Saturday night after hitting an inside-the-park home run Friday night. Blackmon became just the third Rockies player to hit a leadoff triple in consecutive games. Neifi Perez did in on Sept. 14-15, 1999, and Eric Young did it on May 9-12, 1993.
Black is often asked why he doesn’t move Blackmon into the middle of the lineup to take advantage of his slugging and run production. But Black loves Blackmon as his leadoff man, and he loves the kind of hitter Blackmon has become.
“Charlie is an all-field hitter, to me,” Black said. “He’s capable of doing what he’s done the last couple of (games). A fastball yesterday, ripped down the firstbase line for a triple. … A double down the left-field line today. You know the old adage, ‘Hit it where it’s pitched’? That’s sort of Charlie.”
Blackmon is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak in which he has hit .323 with two doubles, two triples, three homers and nine RBIs.
Footnotes. The Giants fell to 6-13, tied for their worst start though 19 games in club history (also 1983, 1980, 1972, 1951, 1950, 1916, 1915, 1900 and 1896). … Story extended his hitting streak to five games with a two-run single in the sixth. … Washington righthander Stephen Strasburg, originally scheduled to face the Rockies on Tuesday night at Coors, will miss the start. Strasburg (2-0, 2.89 ERA) is going on paternity leave as he and his wife, Rachel, await the birth of their child. The Nationals are expected to call up Jacob Turner from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Strasburg.