Weekend Links: Rockies News, 4/20

The Colorado Rockies remain one of the biggest surprises in Major League Baseball with their 12-4 record after a 3-1 victory last night. They will look to make it 8 straight victories against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. Here is what else is happening with the Rockies and around the rest of the league.

From Patrick Saunders: Rockies lefty Jorge De La Rosa looks all right again (Denver Post)

"De La Rosa (1-1, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start against the Diamondbacks on Saturday night, and there are signs that he’s returning to form. Last Sunday, in the Rockies’ 2-1 victory at San Diego, De La Rosa was terrific, tossing six innings of scoreless, two-hit baseball. He not only posted his first win since May 13, 2011, he pitched without fear.‘I threw all of my pitches and it didn’t hurt,” De La Rosa said. “I didn’t have to think about my elbow.’"

Fowler broke two bats Friday night. Image: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

From Owen Perkins: Baylor goes into Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (MLB.com)

"Before Baylor’s Rockies even took the field, he gave the expansion club some legitimacy, giving big league baseball a foothold behind the most recognizable face in the franchise. Baylor’s first managerial gig followed a 19-year career that started with the Orioles and took him to the A’s, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins. He was a three-time American League Silver Slugger and the American League Most Valuable Player in 1979.Baylor entered the Hall along with former Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote, Broncos safety Steve Atwater and punter Don Cockroft, big league pitcher Stan Williams, and golfer Steve Jones, the last three being native Coloradans. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin, another native, were recognized as the 2012 Athletes of the Year, in the professional and amateur categories."

From Cliff Corcoran: Harvey does it again, beats Strasburg, Nationals with another dominant start (SI.com – The Strike Zone)

"That’s when Harvey proved just how good he can be. Alternating his slider and fastball, Harvey struck out Kurt Suzuki on five pitches. He then fired four 96-mile-per-hour fastballs at pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina and got him to foul out to catcher John Buck. In nine pitches, he had picked up the two outs lost to Murphy’s error. That turned the lineup over to Denard Span, who had the other Washington hit prior to that inning. Span took a pair of fastballs to go even on the count, then chopped a slider, Harvey’s 105th and final pitch of the night, to second base for the third out, stranding all three runners. The Mets, with the help of another pair of homers from Davis and Duda in the eighth off of Drew Storen, went on to win 7-1."

From J. Levi Burnfin: The Ascension of Patrick Corbin (Venom Strikes)

"With the downward movement in his two-seamer, Corbin can now rely on his fastball in any count. Combined with a change up that is now a full 10 mph slower than the fastball, Corbin has an effective two-pitch starting point.But his out pitch looks like it is now his slider. It looks sharper with a more explosive movement down and away from lefties. The big difference is that Corbin can now also use it against righties by throwing a slider that breaks towards the back foot of the hitter. It’s effective. And it may just be the pitch that turns Corbin from a 4 or 5 to a 2 or 3 in the rotation. It may be the pitch that proves me all wrong. And I’ll be happy to see it happen."