Experienced Black able to keep criticism from fans in perspective

Early in Bud Black’s pitching career, the left-hander got ripped by a particularly vocal home fan as he came off the mound after a terrible outing at Kansas City.

Black was so incensed at the Royals fan sitting a few rows above the dugout that he raged into the clubhouse, pulled up the stadium seating chart and was about to ring the sales office to pinpoint the heckler’s identity before Black … cooled his jets and slammed down the phone.

Black recalled that anecdote Saturday, as the last-place Rockies prepared to host the Marlins amid a lost season in Lodo. Such disappointment has, naturally, led many in an angered fan base to call for Black’s job despite the fact the 62-year-old signed a three-year contract extension in spring training that keeps him with Colorado through 2022. The Rockies made the playoffs in both of Black’s first two years as he was twice named an NL manager of the year finalist.

“I learned to put that in perspective — the angry fan through bad performance,” Black said. “That always stuck with me, as a player, a coach and then a manager, because if you have perspective about what’s going on around you, then you deal with the negativity much better.

Black continued: “I love the fact that people are talking about baseball and Rockies fans are talking about the Rockies. We want it that way, because that means there’s a genuine care and there’s emotion. You don’t want it the other way, for sure. It’s all part of what we do — the praise and the negative criticism.”

And for Colorado to make something positive out of what’s left of the six weeks of the season, Black said the team must continue to stay dedicated to daily preparation — even as the franchise begins assessing its stock for 2020.

“We have to continue to focus on what we’re doing today and tomorrow,” Black said. “If you keep your mind-set in that type of realm, you’re way better off, instead of thinking about other tangents. I don’t do that, and I implore our players and coaches not to. Ultimately we know the expectation of what we want to do each day.” game, Colorado recalled righthander Chi Chi Gonzalez from Triple-a Albuquerque while sending right-hander Chad Bettis to the 10-day injured list with a left hip impingement. Gonzalez (0-4, 6.57) is likely to get another crack at the fifth spot in the rotation this week against the Diamondbacks, while Black said Bettis’ hip has been bothering him for a couple weeks now. The club is currently unsure of the severity of the impingement for Bettis, who has a 5.36 ERA in 36 relief appearances in 2019.

All-star Rockies outfielder David Dahl, sidelined on the injured list with a high right ankle sprain since Aug. 3, is progressing in his rehabilitation out in Arizona. Black said Dahl is “out of a boot, on the treadmill, doing exercises and feeling much better,” and that he’ll meet up with the club for the series at Chase Field. Colorado will then have a more definitive timeline on Dahl’s return to the big leagues.

Kyle Newman: 303-954-1773 knewman@ denverpost.com or @Kylenewmandp