Rockies News: Awful May, Forrest Wall, and Tyler Matzek’s debut

The Colorado Rockies need to hit the reset button. After an odd loss Sunday and then a low-scoring loss Monday, they have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are plummeting towards the basement of the National League West. If not for the fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks have played more and therefore lost more games this season, the Rockies might be awfully close to last place; they only have one more win than those darn DBacks, making last week’s sweep at Coors Field all the more annoying.

As if all these losses weren’t bad enough, the Rockies have injuries upon injuries to deal with. Carlos Gonzalez needs surgery on his finger. Eddie Butler is on the disabled list after making just one big league start. Michael Cuddyer is out 6-8 weeks with a shoulder fracture.

The injury problems are real for the Rockies, as are their struggles in the bullpen and on the road. Here’s what other folks are saying about the Rockies and what’s happening around baseball:

From Juan Pablo Zubillaga: Time to Play the Blame Game (Rockies Zingers)

"The easy, most logical conclusion here would be an old, worn out mantra among Rockies fans: the offense is good, we need better pitching. While it would definitely be beneficial for Colorado to actually have better pitching, I believe the pitching staff has been more effective than the stats suggest. I’ll even go a little further and say that the offense has been less effective than the numbers they’ve put up. I know it sounds a bit strange, but bear with me here, I’ll explain."

From Adam Wells: Forrest Wall: Prospect Profile for Colorado Rockies No. 35 Overall Pick (Bleacher Report)

"The Florida high school star did nothing but show premium offensive tools on the showcase circuit last year, including bat speed, hitting ability and running speed. He kept that going during his senior season in 2014 with an OPS hovering around 1.500 most of the year.There’s not a long track record of success for high school second basemen making it in the big leagues, but Wall has the tools to be an exception."

From Patrick Saunders: Rockies notes: Matzek gets start, Butler talks injury, Cuddyer out 6-8 weeks (Denver Post)

"Necessity, born out of injury, has sparked a youth movement in the Rockies’ rotation.In a different year, Matzek would still be waiting for his call up to The Show, but Eddie Butler’s right shoulder injury opened the door for Matzek. He is 5-4 with a 4.05 ERA pitching for Triple-A Colorado Springs."

From Shaun Kernahan: Prospects Get the Call: Gregory Polanco (Grading on the Curve)

"In Triple-A Indianapolis this year Polanco has hit .347/.405/.540 with seven home runs and five triples in 62 games. His minor league career average is .287 and he has reached base at a .358 clip.Polanco is a rare mix of size, speed, and strength. He is 6’4” and 220 lbs. while still just 22 years old. He has stolen as many as 40 bags in a season, and while his best power season netted him 16 home runs, he has more power potential than speed."