Colorado Rockies: The Report at the 50-Game Mark

As the Colorado Rockies approach their 50th game of the season on Memorial Day against the Cincinnati Reds, it’s certainly not a stretch to say that the campaign thus far has been a surprise.

Sitting at 23-26 after Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Rockies are still within striking distance in the National League West and have seen tremendous growth within their ranks.

Jon Gray and Chad Bettis have matured into dependable starters on the mound. Eddie Butler and Chris Rusin have made great strides. Trevor Story has grabbed national headlines. Mark Reynolds has shined at the plate and in the field, helping reinvent the Coors Shield. Tony Wolters has come out of nowhere to become a presence behind the plate. Nolan Arenado has been … well … Nolan.

Yes, there have been some disappointments, including the well-documented struggles of Jordan Lyles and Jorge De La Rosa. Still, it’s been a season of surprises and optimism thus far.

What’s the biggest reason for that? Colorado manager Walt Weiss doesn’t pause for a moment when asked that question.

“We’re pitching better, that’s the bottom line,” Weiss said. “That’s the common denominator in any successful team or any team that has sustained success. We’re pitching better than we have in the past. I think our pitching is deeper. I think the back end of our bullpen is better. The makeup of the club is very good.”

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Heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Giants, Colorado ranked 28th overall in MLB in pitching, sporting a 4.96 ERA. While it’s not earth-shattering, it’s under 5.00 (unlike last season) and is elevated by four pitchers who have ERAs of 8.50 or higher. Only De La Rosa (10.52 ERA) is still in Denver.

Also think about this when it comes to Colorado’s pitching. Saturday’s eighth-inning rally by the Giants marked the first time all season that the Rockies had lost when they had the lead after seven innings. They’re now 19-1 in such games. Compare that to seasons past when Rockies fans hid their eyes when the Rockies were ahead late in the game and had to rely on their bullpen to finish the job.

Aside from the uptick in pitching quality, also remember that the Rockies have just endured a very tough stretch of the schedule … and survived. A nine-game East Coast swing that would’ve spelled doom in previous years saw the Rockies go 3-6, including an impressive outing in the finale by Gray at Fenway Park.

With the Giants leaving town on Sunday, the Rockies just finished a stretch of 19 of 22 games against teams at .500 or better, including five consecutive series and 15 straight games. That includes a three-game slog in Boston where the Rockies battled the Red Sox (with the American League’s best record) followed by an early-morning flight back home to battle the Giants, who own the second-best record in the National League, for three games.

“I feel like we’ve been through the fire already and we’re still standing,” Weiss said. “That’s how I look at it. Not that there aren’t more challenges out in front of us. There are plenty, schedule-wise and everything else. The league in general is a challenge. The schedule has been brutal, to be quite honest, for the last month. But I feel like we’ve come through it very well. Historically, a month like we’ve had schedule-wise, would’ve killed us. We’d be in really bad shape right now but we’re sitting there and hovering around .500 and I think we’ve answered the bell in facing some tough challenges.”

Absolutely, plenty of challenges await the Rockies, including some big internal dcisions. What happens on the June 1 date when Jose Reyes can return to action? How does the Colorado bullpen shift with Boone Logan and Christian Bergman returning soon?

Next: The Solid Defensive Presence of Mark Reynolds

There are still plenty of questions to answer, but this year’s version of the Colorado Rockies has already shown they’re different and ready to answer whatever challenges come their way.

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