Colorado Rockies: The 5 Most Interesting Quotes from the Last Homestand

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Apr 7, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Fans line up to enter Coors Field before the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s always interesting to get the story behind the story when it comes to the Colorado Rockies. Whether it’s in the dugout or the clubhouse, talking to Rockies players and manager Bud Black is always fascinating to get their thoughts on the game that just happened or what might be happening in the near future.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Rockies wrapped up a six-game homestand with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. We listened back through our interviews to once again hear some of the most interesting things so we could share them with you. Not only do we want to share them, but also give you a little context to each of the quotes.

There was plenty to talk about from this past homestand. Just think about some of the momentous things that happened during that six-game stretch. The Rockies used the ball to short-circuit Clayton Kershaw. Jon Gray donated his long hair to Locks of Love in order to help those less fortunate. Kyle Freeland made his Major League debut in the stadium he used to visit as a young fan. Heck, we even saw Wil Myers hit for the cycle. Sure, it was against the Rockies but it was still one of the top feats of the week in all of Major League Baseball.

Let’s dive into the five best quotes we heard this week at Coors Field…

Apr 7, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Tony Wolters (left), relief pitchers Carlos Estevez (middle back), and Scott Oberg (45) celebrate after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Tony Wolters on Antonio Senzatela

“He definitely has a calming sense of nature. I know he’s calmed me down. He seems like he’s been in the league for a long time. He has so much confidence in his stuff. He just knows what he is doing out there. He has a lot of awareness. I’m proud of what he did. He handled it like a champ, that’s for sure.”

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Facts Behind the Quote: Senzatela once again looked sharp for the Rockies on Tuesday night. In his second-ever Major League start, Senzatela gave up a leadoff homer to open his Coors Field career but was solid after that.

To earn his inaugural MLB win, the 22-year-old right-hander threw seven masterful innings, scattering five hits while surrendering a pair of runs and striking out five.

Colorado fans wondered how the team might do in the regular season with Senzatela and fellow rookie Kyle Freeland anchoring the back end of the rotation. So far, so good.

Nolan Arenado

“As an offense, we haven’t got going yet the way we know we can. We know we’re not hitting the way we know we can. It’s kind of frustrating. We’re happy that we’re winning and we know we haven’t even gotten close yet to what we know we can do. Hopefully we can get going and start the road trip on the right note. We’re winning ball games and we’re nowhere near what we can do.”

Facts Behind the Quote: Heading into Wednesday’s matinee game against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field, the Rockies had a 6-3 record despite a minus-3 run differential. Think about that for a minute. Colorado is a team that is also known for offense, and with Arenado holding down the cleanup position, why wouldn’t it be?

This year, however, Colorado’s offense hasn’t clicked just yet. That should be a scary thought for the rest of the National League. The Rockies are finding success behind strong pitching. It’s been a while since those words were uttered in Denver. Once the offense catches up and starts hitting on all cylinders, the Rockies could be a very dangerous team.

Greg Holland

“I’ve had plenty of runners at second base. All you can do in that situation is try to execute pitches and realize the things that might beat you. Elevating the ball, you get weak contact over the infield and it ties the game. If you’re going to elevate the ball, you have to elevate to the right hitter with the right count. If I’m going to give up contact, I want it to be soft and on the ground.”

Facts Behind the Quote: On Tuesday night, San Diego’s Yangervis Solarte drew a leadoff walk from Holland to start the ninth. A wild pitch advanced him, representing the tying run, to second with one out. It was the first time Holland had allowed a runner to second base during his time with the Rockies. However, Holland struck out the next two batters to record his fifth save in five opportunities.

Holland hasn’t allowed a hit in his five appearances as a member of the Rockies. He’s walked two batters and struck out eight.

Needless to say, having Holland as the closer has changed the face of the Colorado bullpen and the attitude of the club as the later innings approach.

Mike Dunn

“Our starting pitchers have done pretty good. They’ve kept us in a position to win the game and that’s all we ask. There are going to be stretches during the season where we’re going to need the starters to pick it up and the relievers to pick it up. There are going to be games where we are going to need the offense. There are going to be game where we win 2-1 or 1-0. There are going to be games where we’re going to need the offense to pick us up and win 8-7 or 10-9 or whatever it is.”

Colorado Rockies

Facts Behind the Quote: So far, it’s been the bullpen riding in for the rescue as the offense has yet to produce a blowout win in the season’s early stretches.

Dunn was asked about Colorado’s starting pitchers, hence the reason for this quote. He’s right. Despite some shaky outings by Gray, Tyler Anderson and Tyler Chatwood, three pitchers who were on the mound for the Rockies last season, the rotation has been overall solid. Freeland and Senzatela have surprised in their first four collective starts (although Freeland was roughed up early by the Padres on Thursday) and the bullpen has been clutch when needed.

If the Rockies can keep the pitching humming along and have the offense start producing at Colorado-like standards, it could become an interesting healthy competition of “who’s saving who” in the Rockies clubhouse. Will the offense be the headline-grabber or will pitching continue to be the surprise star of the season? Time will tell.

Bud Black

“We have to use our whole bench. We have the ability to move guys around. (Gerardo) Parra is one of those guys. You’ve seen him play first here last year with the Rockies. You’ve seen him play right, center and left. The versatility he brings is big for us. Same with Lexi (Alexi Amarista). You saw him get a start at second. You see him in left today. You’ve seen (Stephen) Cardullo get some starts. You saw (Cristhian) Adames start at shortstop to give Trevor (Story) a break. We like the versatility of our group. We think it’s advantageous for us.”