This One Weird Trick Will Make The Rockies’ Season

Sep 27, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) slides under Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas (72) for a stolen base in the fifth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

NL West opponents hate him! He knows this one weird trick to help the Rockies get off to a strong start in 2015. Click here and he’ll share this one weird trick with you for three easy payments of $29.95.

After opening up against the Brewers and Cubs, the Rockies will play 29 of their next 31 games, across 35 days, against NL West opponents. Over and over. And over.

18 of the 31 games are on the road, too; three in San Francisco, three in San Diego, three in Phoenix, and nine in Los Angeles (that includes two non-divisional road games against the Angels).

As we’ve talked about here before, the Rockies need to play better on the road, which means the first several weeks of the season will pose a real test to the club. But the Rockies also need to play better in the division.

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Because the schedule is so top-heavy – 29 of the first 37 games are against NL West opponents – the Rockies can either get out of the gate on the right foot, or struggle right away and become irrelevant by June.

It can’t be overstated how difficult that stretch will be for the club.

If they falter on road trips within the division by the end of April, we’ll be able to tell early on just how badly the season will go.

In the best-case scenario, the Rockies would win maybe, what, 15 of those 29 division games? Maybe they can go something like 8-3 at home, and 7-11 on the road. In the best-case scenario. Face it, this team won’t open the division slate 21-8.

That’s purely speculative, of course, but 15-14 wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world and, depending on health, could be relatively realistic.

I know, it’s tough to cry wolf in early April when the season is 162 games long.

But by the time the Rockies host the San Francisco Giants for a three-game set beginning April 24, the season will be 10% complete. If this team isn’t ready to play early on, it will get away from them quickly.