Colorado Rockies: 4 things we learned during this homestand

The Colorado Rockies concluded a 10-game homestand on Sunday with a 9-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Powered by Pat Valaika’s two homers, Sunday’s victory gives the Rockies a 1.5-game lead in the National League West heading into an off day on Monday.

Colorado finished the homestand 6-4, taking two of three games from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs before splitting a four-game series against the Dodgers. There were plenty of heroes during the 10 games in LoDo, from Valaika’s Mother’s Day heroics to a surprise gem thrown by German Marquez against the defending World Champions.

Perhaps the biggest series of the entire homestand was the final one against Los Angeles. The Rockies and Dodgers have already faced each other nine times in 2017, with Colorado now holding a 5-4 season lead over Los Angeles. The two teams won’t see each other again until June 23 in Los Angeles. And don’t forget the season ends with the Dodgers at Colorado for a three-game series.

But hey, that’s in the future. We have “now” to talk about. There is plenty for Colorado fans to love about their team, logging a 24-15 mark before starting a 10-game road trip to Minnesota, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

During the three series with the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Dodgers, there was plenty to see from the Rockies. Let’s take a look at four things that stood out to us.

CarGo can still play defense

Carlos Gonzalez may have struggling at the plate earlier in the homestand, but he certainly could still make a difference for the Rockies in the field.

CarGo showed off his Gold Glove skills in two separate games on consecutive days during Colorado’s time in LoDo this week. On Tuesday, CarGo’s diving sixth-inning grab robbed Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs of a hit. It also earned him a stare from Baez at first base as he wondered exactly how CarGo got to that ball.

On Wednesday, with German Marquez working on a no-hitter, Gonzalez once again worked his magic in the sixth inning. Diving to his left toward the foul line, CarGo snared a sinking line drive off the bat of Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks to keep the no-hitter alive. The play earned a tip of the cap from Marquez.

Check out what Statcast has to say about both of the plays below…

Rockies face some tough decisions at catcher

There is a lot going on behind the plate right now for the Rockies, and a lot of it didn’t even happen on the Coors Field turf during this homestand.

Colorado Rockies

Tony Wolters hasn’t appeared in a game for the Rockies since being hit in the head by a bat on May 2. Going on the disabled list with a concussion after that, Wolters was eligible to be back in Colorado’s lineup during the homestand. However, Colorado management thought it best for him to head to Triple-A Albuquerque for some time behind the plate.

Tom Murphy hasn’t played for the Rockies all season. However, Black hinted during the Sunday pregame talk that that could change soon.

With those two catchers making their way back from injury, the Rockies will have to do something with their roster. Currently, Dustin Garneau and Ryan Hanigan are handling the duties. Colorado won’t be keeping four catchers on their Major League roster, and probably won’t be keeping three on there either.

Garneau still has some options available so he could be heading back to Triple-A. Hanigan, a 36-year-old who is playing in his 11^th MLB season, has no options left and would have to be designated for assignment if the Rockies choose not to keep him. However, his veteran presence for a young pitching staff and .304 overall batting average isn’t anything to scoff at.

Which of the four Colorado catchers will see playing time in the upcoming weeks? It depends on when Wolters and Murphy return and how quickly they’re placed on the active roster.

The Rockies need the Tylers back sooner than later

Tyler Anderson and Tyler Chatwood are still struggling for the Colorado Rockies. Solid outings by Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and German Marquez have helped mask some of the problems the Tylers have faced, but there’s only so long the Rockies can go without their current two “most veteran” pitchers not performing well.

Anderson is 2-4 with a 6.43 ERA in eight starts. Opponents are hitting .289 against him and he’s given up 10 homers on the season, including one in Saturday’s loss to the Dodgers.

Of Anderson’s eight starts this season, he has pitched six innings only one time. That came at the start of the homestand against Arizona when Anderson had his best outing of the season by allowing just one earned run.

He’s been battling inflammation in his left knee so there may be concern about Anderson’s health in the coming days if that doesn’t improve. It could also explain some of the issues the 27-year-old southpaw has had this season.

Chatwood hasn’t fared much better, going 3-5 with a 5.25 ERA in eight starts. He’s allowed five earned runs in three of his last four starts, including Friday’s loss to the Dodgers. He’s allowed four or more earned runs in six of his eight starts this season.

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With Jon Gray still on the disabled list, Chatwood and Anderson are the veterans of the Rockies staff. As good as the Senzatela and Freeland have been at times this season, Colorado needs their entire rotation to be strong as they head into a long road trip and continue to battle for the lead in the National League West.