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One Troubling Stat From The Colorado Rockies’ Young Season

By Bobby DeMuro

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April 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson (31) is tagged by Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) on a steal attempt to third in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies began the year 7-2, of course, which was one of only four times that’s happened in franchise history. But after dropping four straight games, is trouble afoot?

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Nobody is pushing the panic button yet, of course. Sure, every game counts in the standings, and dropping four games in a row isn’t the way the team would like to draw it up. But with Rockies at 7-6 after their first 13 games, while other teams in the league are already suffering double digit losses and major injury problems, things could be far worse.

However, there is one troubling stat (I know, small sample size) that you should keep in mind as the Rockies navigate the next few weeks against NL West opponents: how the Rockies fare against good teams, versus the club’s record against bad teams.

Here’s who the Rockies have played so far, their record in the series against each club, and that club’s record so far this year:

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The three clubs above .500 the Rockies have thus far played have combined to go 25-13. The Rockies’ record against those opponents is a miserable 1-6.

The two sub-.500 clubs the Rockies have played this season are a combined 6-21 at this point, with the Rockies dominating them to the tune of an undefeated 6-0 mark.

Yes, this is a very small sample size, but differences in the Rockies’ outcomes between sub-.500 and winning opponents is stark.

After all, there may only be a couple truly bad teams in baseball this year (and yes, the Rockies could still be one of them), including Philadelphia and Arizona, both of whom the Rockies will see a lot in the next month.

But the Rox still need to play dozens nearly forty more games against the Padres and Dodgers combined, not to mention seeing teams like the Nationals, Cardinals, Pirates, and, sure, even the over-.500 Braves and Mets!

Those last two may not stay elite all summer, but that’s not the point; whoever it turns out to be, the Rockies will see a lot of teams above .500 this summer, and if the early going is any indication, the club’s in a heap of trouble playing quality opponents.

It’s one thing to beat up on the struggling Brewers or the injury-plagued Giants (who by the way will one day get Matt Cain and Hunter Pence back, and then what?). It’s another thing entirely to show up against quality clubs like the Dodgers.

Sure, I don’t expect the Rockies to get swept every time they see the Dodgers, and they certainly won’t get blown out by the Padres every night like they did on Monday.

But the Rockies also won’t sweep every series against the Giants, or dominate the NL Central like they did in Milwaukee on Opening Day. Both extremes will even out, to a degree.

But the question remains: can the Rockies flip this early season trend of failing to compete against good teams? And how soon can they start to salvage their Coors Field advantage after two duds and a late-inning let-down in the first four home games of the season?

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