MLB Report Rockies are not a fraud, but they are flawed
“Ever since I saw them in the 2007 World Series, when they went down four-love to Boston, I have this prejudice against them. That they’re a fraud team — they’re a fraud team propped up by altitude.”
he harsh words set off a minor firestorm on Twitter and prompted Rockies fans to send me angry emails.
“When are the Rockies going to get some national respect?” was the underlying tone of most of those emails.
The words, in case you missed them, came from Tony Kornheiser, the talented former sportswriter and columnist for The Washington Post, and now more famously known as the co-host of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”
That “PTI” would even discuss the Rockies was unusual, but Kornheiser’s tone was predictable.
“Ever since I saw them in the 2007 World Series, when they went down four-love to Boston, I have this prejudice against them. That they’re a fraud team — they’re a fraud team propped up by altitude.”
Kornheiser’s words came Monday, when the Rockies were 46-26, holding first place in the National League West and fresh off a four-game sweep of San Francisco. Kornheiser’s words were lazy, ill-informed and just flat wrong. At that time, the Rockies’ 25-13 road record was the best in the National League. The 2017 Rockies are not a 5,280-foot fraud.
Now, however, some of the shine is coming off the Rockies. Their 6-1 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night was their third consecutive defeat, coming on the heels of a two-game shellacking by Arizona in which they were outscored 26-8 at Coors Field.
Most disconcerting has been the performance of Colorado’s rookie starting pitchers. Jeff Hoffman, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland were a combined 21-6 before their last three starts. But then the Diamondbacks and Dodgers beat the rookies like piñatas.
Freeland allowed five runs on 10 hits in six innings Friday night, and the trio had a combined 14.11 ERA over the ugly threegame stretch.
“They figured out how I was planning on pitching them, coming off my two previous starts against them,” said Freeland, who was 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA against Los Angeles before Friday night. “I’m a sinker pitcher, and they hit my sinkers. They hit some mistakes when I threw them, and they hit them hard.”
Therein lies a big problem, and a big challenge, for the Rockies.
Colorado’s rookie starters are talented, but they are rookies, after all. Teams are beginning to know them and are making adjustments. There are a lot more bumps in the road ahead.
And let’s face it, the Rockies have no one on their staff as good as L.A. lefthanders Clayton Kershaw — scheduled to pitch Saturday night — or Alex Wood — who has struck out 17 Rockies in 12 innings against them this season. That’s a big reason why the Dodgers are going to win their fifth consecutive NL West title.
Before this season began, I was convinced the Rockies had the best day-to-day lineup in the division. But that was before Carlos Gonzalez’s season-long slump that shows no signs of ending; before Trevor Story’s disappointing sophomore season; and before Ian Desmond’s rather pedestrian first 50 games in a Rockies uniform.
I still believe the Rockies will make the playoffs as a wild-card team. If they play .500 baseball until the end of the season, they would win 90 games. They are capable of that.
But unless they make a bold move at the trade deadline, I don’t see them winning their first NL West title. Patrick Saunders is the president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America: psaunders @denverpost.com