Rockies believe NL West crown is attainable if offense heats up
SAN FRANCISCO» In their first 25 years of existence, the Rockies have never been able to kick down the door that leads to a National League West title.
This year, things look different. Indeed it appears that the door just needs to be unlocked, not kicked in. Now, if only the Rockies can find the key.
“I think the opportunity is there, it’s just a matter of whether we take advantage of it or not,” all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado said prior to Friday night’s game against the Giants. “We have a lot of work to do, and there are a lot of games left. So we just need to worry about the Giants today. Hopefully, we can win a series here. That would be huge for us, because the Giants are right behind us.”
Colorado entered Friday’s game 24-20, just 1K games behind firstplace Arizona (25-18), a team that got off to a sizzling start but has since fizzled because of key injuries and some of the worst offensive production in the National League.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of five consecutive NL West titles, are a mess. They have lost six of their last seven and are 1726, their worst start to a season since moving to L.A. Plus, ace Clayton Kershaw remains on the disabled list, and although third
baseman Justin Turner is back, it’s not a sure thing that he’ll hit with the same power after breaking his wrist.
Diamondbacks star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is mired in the longest slump of his career. The Giants (22-23) have a solid bullpen, but their starting pitching, with ace Madison Bumgarner still on the DL, is suspect. The Padres (17-28) have some good young talent, but they’re still the Padres.
The Rockies, of course, say all of the right things about their NL West brethren. But there is a sense inside the clubhouse that their best is yet to come.
“We’re playing pretty good, as a team,” said slumping first baseman Ian Desmond, who entered Friday’s game batting .167 and still stuck in a season-long funk. “If you break it up into sections — pitching, offense, defense — our offense hasn’t been sparkling, but as a team, we’re playing well. To be 1K games behind the Diamondbacks, at this point, I would say our expectations are pretty high.”
Thanks primarily to solid starting pitching and an excellent back end of the bullpen, the Rockies are 20-4 when they score first, and they haven’t dipped below .500 since April 11.
But the offense remains an unproductive unit, and that’s putting it diplomatically. If the Rockies had hit the ball with even a modicum of success in the first quarter of the season, they might very well be leading the division. Colorado ranks 12th in the NL with 4.0 runs per game, 14th in batting average (.228) and 12th in on-base percentage (.305). The Rockies are averaging 9.2 strikeouts per game, the 12th-highest rate in the NL.
“We know our offense is not hitting the way we normally hit,” said veteran right fielder Carlos Gonzalez. “But it’s a long season, and there are a lot of games ahead of us. We are going to get hot and we are going to score a lot runs.”
Manager Bud Black repeatedly says the same thing, but so far, the results have not come. Black, however, believes in this year’s Rockies: “I know there is a long way to go, but I like this team. I think we can win this division. And I agree that we haven’t played our best baseball — offensively.”