Arenado might have played his final home game at Coors
After win over Dodgers, Rockies could shut down third baseman
DENVER — With his left shoulder aching, power missing, a sub-par .253 batting average, and his team in a tailspin, the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado sat out Sunday afternoon’s home finale against the Dodgers.
It turned out to be a rare good day for Colorado, which rode another stellar start by Antonio Senzatela to beat the Dodgers 6-3, breaking a four-game losing skid that almost certainly doomed their chances to qualify for the playoffs. Obscured by the victory was the possibility that Sunday might have been Arenado’s final game at Coors Field as a Rockie. And, perhaps, Arenado’s final game ever with Colorado. Manager Bud Black said after Sunday’s game that Arenado is undergoing tests on his shoulder and there is a possibility the third baseman will be shut down for the last week of the season.
If so, it was a quiet, sad good-bye for one of the best players in franchise history.
There were no fans in the stands to gasp at his Gold Glove dramatics at third base and no bittersweet final at-bat ovation in front of the home crowd.
During his time in Colorado, Arenado has repeatedly said that his primary
objective is to play for a contending team. Last week, when asked if the Rockies need to qualify for the playoffs in order to show that the team is heading in the right direction, he said: “Absolutely. No question for me. Eight teams (out of 15) make the playoffs and if we’re not one of those eight teams that’s not a very good sign.”
But Arenado also pointed a finger at his own reflection.
“I’ve got to look in the mirror,” Arenado said. “I’m not going to put total blame on my (sore shoulder). The blame goes on me, (I’m) just not performing the way I should. But playing with something nagging isn’t very fun. It’s kind of hard to compete but I’m not going to put all of the blame on this.”
Arenado’s OPS this season is .738, far below his career .890 OPS. Usually one of the best clutch hitters in the game, his average with runners in scoring position is .175, down from his career average of .323. Hampered by his inability to follow through with his swing, Arenado has hit only one home run since Aug. 20
Arenado, who signed an eight-year, $260-million contract prior to the 2019 season, can opt-out of the deal after the 2021 season. That possibility and his public feud with Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich over the past year makes it almost a certainty that the five-time all-star will either leave Colorado on his own volition and seek a new team as a free agent after 2021, or that the Rockies will try to trade him during the upcoming offseason.