The Colorado Rockies had a record-shattering, franchise-altering start to the 2017 season. During April, May, and into June, Colorado was one of the best baseball teams in the National League, but then, the slide came.
Late June and into July plagued the Rockies as it seems to do every year. A season that was brimming with more optimism than ever, saw that vanish into the thin-air of Colorado as the Rockies limped into the All-Star break waving a white flag.
Exhausted and out of sync, Colorado lost 13 of their last 18 ballgames leading up to the All-Star break, and Friday, when play resumed, things picked up right where they left off.
On Friday night, the New York Mets destroyed Colorado by a final score of 14-2. One loss, yes, but an alarming one as Colorado’s true colors shined throughout.
Jon Gray was out of sync and Colorado’s offense was dormant. This showing is a testament to how fragile Colorado is and how much work they need to do, if they want to remain in the thick of the postseason hunt.
Friday was not the way the Rockies wanted to start out of the gate.
“It’s disappointing because it’s a really important game for me to start things off for the second half,” Gray said following the loss. “I just wanted to get positive energy going through the first game. It sucks to kind of let the whole team down.”
First things first, Colorado overachieved in the first half to a certain extent. There’s no other way to put it. The fact of the matter is this; Colorado cannot depend on their young starting rotation alone to carry the team as they did earlier in the season. It’s too much to ask for.
In July, Rockies pitching owns a combined ERA of 5.67, a significant spike in their season ERA of 4.45.
As it stands, the oldest and most experienced arm in Colorado’s rotation is 27-year-old Tyler Chatwood. Following Chatwood is a slew of inexperienced and young pitchers in German Marquez, Tyler Anderson, Jeff Hoffman, and Kyle Freeland.
Combined, none of the Rockies starters have pitched in the postseason, let alone pitched in the thick of a playoff push. Asking the rotation to hold down the fort is not realistic. It’s clear; they need help.
The return of Chad Bettis will certainly boost the Rockies to an extent, but will it be enough to keep pace in the National League West and hold a Wild Card lead? At this rate, no, especially with the Cubs recently acquiring Jose Quintana and other ball clubs gearing up to make moves as the trade deadline approaches.
Teams like the Cubs, who have significantly underachieved so far this season, will hit their stride eventually, and it will be up to Colorado to match the play of their competition.
As the Rockies continue to struggle, the division-leading Dodgers have given zero indication that their winning ways will cease anytime soon, as Colorado slips further and further in the division standings.
Colorado is still in a good spot, but there’s cracks in the foundation. The signs for concern are present and in danger of overwhelming the young Rockies ball club.
With the trade deadline approaching, the opportunity to grab reinforcements will be on the horizon, Colorado will have chances to fill holes and tighten up as the season begins to dwindle down.
If Friday’s loss was foreshadowing the future, Colorado will be in for tough times as the season progresses. There is still plenty of time for the Rockies to stop the skid and get back on track, but if they want to keep the good times rolling, things will need to come together quickly.
The Rockies first three series out of the break are all against sub .500 ball clubs in the Mets, San Diego Padres, and Pittsburgh Pirates. With three favorable match up’s, this is Colorado’s golden chance to reboot and find their winning ways.
