Blackmon, Story wary of slumping Giants

SA N FRANCISCO» Charlie Blackmon answered yes to both questions.

Yes, he’s scoreboard watching, although somewhat reluctantly. And, yes, the foundering Giants, losers of 11 consecutive games entering Friday night’s game at AT&T Park, concern him.

“I don’t actively seek the scores out, but it’s in my face a lot,” the center fielder said a couple of hours before the game in the visitors clubhouse, where the MLB Network was showing on every TV.

Blackmon, of course, is well aware that his team led the Dodgers by 1K games entering Friday’s play, and he also knew that the Dodgers are in the middle of a critical fourgame series at St. Louis.

Yet, in the grand tradition of “taking it one game at time,” Blackmon said the playoff chase is not affecting his approach.

“I’m not changing anything,” he said. “I’m still working the same way. I just know that it’s going to be really, really hard to get into the playoffs. But I’m not looking, or calculating, how many wins it’s going to take us. We aren’t there to that point yet.”

The Giants entered Friday night’s game having lost 11 consecutive games, their longest losing streak of the season, and their worst skid since the New York Giants lost 11 straight from April 1929, 1951.

“I didn’t know they had lost that many in a row,” Blackmon said. “But I’m preparing the exact same way that I prepared for the first game of the season. There has been a lot of work that’s gone into where we are and I feel like guys are taking it very seriously. Every game is important, and a win right here is just as important as a win in L.A. next week.”

Shortstop Trevor Story, whose recent power surge has thrust him into the National League MVP debate, is wary of the Giants, even though Colorado has won seven straight against them this season.

“The Giants are always tough, especially here, and now their backs are against the wall,” Story said. “We can’t afford to take them lightly, because they still have a lot of good players.”

As for scoreboard watching, Story said he’s not quite as into it as baseballobsessed Nolan Arenado — who checks up on every game, every day — but he’s more into it than Blackmon.

“I’m right in the middle of those two, probably,” Story said. “Like Nolan, I’m a guy who checks out the scores, but I’ll never do it during the middle of a game. But, yeah, I know where we stand.”

Rocktember?

The Rockies entered Friday’s game having won nine of 12 games in September and are a seasonhigh 16 games above .500 with 16 games left in the season.

What’s fueling the September surge?

• The offense, which has run hot and cold all season, leads the majors with 22 home runs and 74 runs scored this month.

• Story leads the majors with seven home runs and 17 RBIs.

• Blackmon’s .404 batting average (19for47) leads the baseball this month (minimum 50 plate appearances) and he’s hit safely in 10of12 games.

• Since getting the day off last Saturday in an effort to curtail a slump, Arenado has gone 8for20 (.400) with four doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs.