Bright spot: Rodgers keeps hitting, even as team struggles to get wins
The Rockies are in a hard place, but at least Brendan Rodgers is still raking.
The second baseman finished a triple short of the cycle in Colorado’s 8-7 loss to Atlanta on Sunday at Coors Field. Rodgers went 3for-5 with two runs scored, a double, one home run and three RBIS.
“I feel very calm and I’m not over-thinking things in the box,” Rodgers said. “I’m just trying to get on base, hit the ball hard, and get in good counts. I think, overall, that’s what I did today and I got some good results.”
Rodgers said he wasn’t really concentrating on getting a triple to finish off the first cycle of his career.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think about it until after my fourth at-bat,” he said. “Off (closer Kenley) Jansen, I was just trying to hit the ball hard. You have to hit in a good spot to get a triple here. But it’s all good.”
Rodgers began the season in a terrible slump, hitting .078 (4-for51) with no home runs, one double and one RBI in April. Since May 1, he’s hitting .344 with six homers, nine doubles, eight doubles, five home runs and 35 RBIS.
Rotation in motion. After the game, manager Bud Black was in no mood to discuss what his struggling starting rotation will look like going forward.
After rookie right-hander Ryan Feltner gave up six runs in three innings Sunday, Black said that Feltner would remain with the big-league team. Later, however, Feltner was optioned to Triple-a Albuquerque.
Black has hinted that moving a starter to the bullpen might be an option, but as it stands now, righthander German Marquez will start Tuesday’s game at San Francisco, right-hander Antonio Senzatela will pitch against the Giants on Wednesday and lefty Austin Gomber will start on Thursday.
After that, however, it’s unclear. The club might need Feltner to start one game on Saturday’s doubleheader at San Diego. If so, he could be called up from Triple-a.
“Let’s get through (the San Francisco series). Let’s play those guys first,” Black said. “And let’s not talk about the Padres, OK? And then who’s next? Cleveland. You want me to keep going?”
Footnotes. The Rockies suffered a four-game sweep at Coors Field for the first time since the Pirates took four games from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2019. … Charlie Blackmon hit a solo home run in the ninth, his eighth of the season. He now has 657 career RBIS, matching Troy Tulowitzki for seventh alltime in franchise history.