Colorado Rockies Rundown: CarGo, Tom Murphy, Tulo, And The Tourists

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Sep 11, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher J. Axford (66) exchanges a high five with Colorado Rockies right fielder C. Gonzalez (5) following the final out of a 4-2 victory against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Your morning rundown — news, notes, analysis, and more — on the biggest stories surrounding the Colorado Rockies for this Monday, September 14, 2015.

CarGo’s great catch in Seattle

(via MLB.com)

On Saturday night, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Carlos Gonzalez made an incredible catch to rob Nelson Cruz of what would have been at least a double. Statcast covered it here:

As it turns out, CarGo got up to a top speed of 18.2 miles per hour (!) and ran a 98% route efficiency, which I think is probably pretty good for an outfielder trying to track down a line drive.

Statcast is a cool thing. The numbers and sabermetrics can definitely go over the top sometimes, but Statcast is a fun thing to follow. It makes the players’ achievements a little more interesting as it puts them into a frame of reference (e.g., CarGo’s top running speed on this play).

Next: Tom Murphy's unexpected rise

Mar 1, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher T. Murphy poses for a portrait during photo day at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Murphy’s surprised to be here!

(via MLB.com)

Unexpectedly, Tom Murphy made his Major League debut with the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night, even though he was (a) packing for a hunting trip when he got the call on Friday, and (b) expecting to go to the Arizona Fall League later this month to be with other prospects.

Well, hey, prospect no more! He’s now in the big leagues trying to stick, and he’s going to get an opportunity or two (or ten) over the next two-plus weeks for the Rockies.

Murphy had this to say about his sudden realization during the game Saturday night that he was actually playing baseball in the Major Leagues:

“It’s something I’ll never forget, that’s for sure. I was just telling those guys in there, it doesn’t really hit you until that one big moment in the game. That was in the first inning when we went one, two, three. Came back to the dugout and it was like, ‘Dang, that really happened.’ And, it was against good guys, good team.”

Good for him. As for the AFL, that’s probably out now for Murphy, so the Rockies will have to replace him on the roster. We’ll update you with more on that when we know what’s up.

Next: Tulo's injury exit

Sep 12, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop T. Tulowitzki is assisted by the Toronto trainer after colliding with center fielder K. Pillar (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Tulo exits with an injury

(via MLB.com)

Troy Tulowitzki cracked the bone in his left shoulder blade on Saturday afternoon when he collided on a pop-up at Yankee Stadium with Blue Jays’ center fielder Kevin Pillar.

I really feel for Kevin Pillar in this case, who had this to say after the injury about the fact that he ran into the Blue Jays’ new super star shortstop:

“I couldn’t feel any worse about it. It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever experienced on the field. I’ve been injured myself, but to injure someone else is a nightmare you never want to have happen on the field — especially a guy like him, who is so important to this team. A play that could have easily been avoided.”

Ugh.

Obviously, it’s not Pillar’s fault — and Tulo may be out for quite a while, especially considering the time of year and how close the Jays are to the playoffs. This isn’t one of those nagging Tulo injuries that Rockies fans know so well, either, but rather an unlikely and unfortunate situation that could’ve happened to anybody.

Poor Tulo. Poor Jays. Guess we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Next: Tour the Tourists' Ballpark

Tour the Tourists’ experience

(via Rockies Zingers)

This piece on Rockies Zingers is a wonderful piece of work by Adam Peterson, showing Colorado Rockies’ fans what things are like when you go to an Asheville Tourists game (you know, if you’re not in the North Carolina area).

Hat tip over to Peterson, go read that. You know, especially since the Tourists are in the South Atlantic League’s Championship Series this week! (Oh by the way, we’ll have more on that later today and throughout the week!)

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