Written off after the Arenado trade, Rox look to ‘shock world’
DENVER — Kyle Freeland sees the prevailing theory out there: AllStar third baseman Nolan Arenado traded away, the Colorado Rockies instantly written off.
That sort of narrative just provides even more incentive for the left-hander and his teammates.
“We haven’t even played a spring training game … and people are already counting us out,” Freeland said Thursday as Colorado’s pitchers and catchers cranked up spring-training workouts in Scottsdale, Arizona. “It’s a great opportunity for us to shock the world.”
Very few are betting too heavily on Colorado after the recent blockbuster deal that sent eight-time Gold Glove winner Arenado to St. Louis. T he Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections have the Rockies finishing last in the NL West with a forecasted record of 60.3-101.7. Colorado’s worst record in franchise history was 64-98 in 2012 — the year before Arenado arrived in Denver.
“Anytime you lose a player like Nolan, it’s going to hurt,” said Rockies reliever Scott Oberg, who’s returning this season after missing 2020 while dealing with blood clots in his pitching arm. “There’s going to be a lot of question marks from a lot of different people.”
That’s why Oberg, outfielder Ian Desmond and shortstop Trevor Story were among the leaders to reach out to teammates following the Arenado deal.
Their message: Stick together. “You never want to see a clubhouse go 25, 26 different directions,” Oberg said. “We just wanted to make sure that (we) reiterated some of the team goals, some of the team values. You know, ‘Hey look, we lost one of our brothers. We lost one of our guys. But we still have jobs to do.’”
Arenado grew frustrated with a front office that didn’t make any major moves to contend with the perennial NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies made the postseason in 2017 and ‘18, but trended backward in ‘19 with a 91-loss campaign and missed the postseason again in ‘20. Arenado, who signed a $260 million, eightyear contract in February 2019, wanted out.
In the deal with St. Louis, the
Rockies received left-hander Austin Gomber along with four minor leaguers. They also sent cash to the Cardinals to offset part of the money Arenado is due in his contract.
It’s a trade that’s soured the Rockies fan base.
Freeland’s request: Give the squad a chance.
“We have some incredible players on this team,” said Freeland, a Denver native who grew up a Rockies fan. “This active roster that will be put on the field this year is going to going out there looking to win ball games consistently.”
As for his inclusion in the deal, Gomber took it as a compliment: “A compliment the Rockies would look at me as part of proper compensation for Nolan Arenado. Now it’s just about going out and proving them right.”
Gomber’s only experience pitching at Coors Field was in 2018, when he went six innings, allowed one earned run and struck out six while with the Cardinals.
The 27-year-old Gomber plans to rely on his four-seam fastball along with a curve, which historically doesn’t have as much break for pitchers inside Coors.
“I could be pitching on the moon and I’m still going to throw a curveball,” said Gomber, who’s competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. “When guys maybe try to change the game plan and be somebody they’re not is when they get in trouble.”
For advice, he’s been leaning on fellow lefty Freeland.
“He knows the obvious: The best thing to do at Coors Field is keep that ball on the ground as much as you can, try to avoid putting it in the air,” Freeland said.
Since joining Colorado before the 2017 season, manager Bud Black hasn’t had to think too much about who to play at third or bat in the heart of the order.
Easy decision: Arenado. Black anticipates Ryan McMahon, Josh Fuentes (Arenado’s cousin), Brendan Rodgers, Chris Owings and Colton Welker being in the mix at third through the spring.
“This is a new era of a new team,” Black said. “From talking to the players, they’re excited about that, about maybe a new chapter. Let’s see how it plays out. Our guys are ready for it.”
LOS ANGELES — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan looked across Riviera in the early stages of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday and purposely stated the obvious. “There’s a lot of great players out here,” he said.
Great players were on a great golf course, and the first round was shaping up to be a draw.
In gorgeous conditions, once the sun climbed over the hilltop homes and temperatures warmed, Matt Fitzpatrick of England had the early lead at 5-under 66, courtesy of a 25-foot eagle putt and a 45-foot birdie putt.
Riviera was in mint condition, and being dry and firm made it tougher than it might have looked.
Patrick Cantlay, coming off chances to win in Palm Springs and Pebble Beach, extended his run of good play with four birdies on his back nine and was in a large group at 67.
Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world who has played Riviera as consistently well as anyone over the last 10 years, couldn’t take advantage of the par 5s and still scrapped his way around to a 68, mainly by taking five putts over the last six holes.
“You can’t ask for a course in better shape,” Johnson said. “The greens are perfect. It’s firm and fast. This golf course plays really difficult when it’s firm and fast. You have to be in the right position or you’ve got no chance.”
Fitzpatrick, the No. 20 player in the world who ended last year by winning the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on the European Tour, holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th, made birdie on the next par 3 at the 16th and after making the turn, holed a 25-foot eagle putt on No. 1, which has yielded more eagles than any par 5 on tour since 2004.
“It’s a great start, couldn’t ask for any better,” Fitzpatrick said. “I feel like I struggle a little bit on poa annua, so to see them how they are this week, so firm and fast, they’re as true as I’ve ever seen. It’s a big advantage of me.”
Defending champion Adam Scott opened with a 69.
Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Phoenix Open winner Brooks Koepka played in the afternoon.
Riviera didn’t feel all that pleasant when the day began just after sunrise in the chill and the breeze, especially those who started the round on No. 10, among the best short par 4s in America.
The ground was hard. The wind was stiff. It felt close to impossible to get anything close.
Scott was trying to land his shot to the left and short of the green. Instead, it hit hard and eventually bounced off a cart path behind the green.
“I had 75 yards to the spot I was trying to hit,” said Scott, who escaped with a par by making an 8-foot putt.
Johnson hit a 7-wood over the green and needed two putts from 40 feet for a par that left him “thrilled” as he headed to the next tee.
Cantlay was trying to land it short of the green, and instead it landed 2 yards onto the green “and I was dead.”
He would have needed a flop shot over the back bunker to a tiny landing area on the firm green, and decided instead to pitch away from the flag and across the narrow green to leave himself a 55-foot putt. It was a disciplined play, even after he three-putted for bogey.
“It didn’t feel like I did anything wrong except the hole is really, really hard when it’s blowing 15 miles an hour downwind,” he said.
His group of Jon Ram (70) and Collin Morikawa (73) played it in 4-over par.
Cantlay, who won about a half-hour up the road at Sherwood last fall, had a 61 on the last day to finish runner-up in The American Express and followed that with a tie for third at Pebble Beach. He didn’t feel much different at Riviera, which he has played for a decade from his time at UCLA.
“Even though I bogeyed the 10th hole, which you feel you shouldn’t bogey because it’s so short, and I made another silly bogey on 15, I felt like my game’s in such a good spot that it was only a matter of time before I turned around and made some birdies,” he said. “Definitely taking that confidence with me.”