Colorado Rockies: 3 things that will make or break September

The Colorado Rockies begin a critical three-game homestand on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It begins a 29-game stretch to end the season where the Rockies will play 26 of their final 29 games against foes from the National League West. Fourteen of those games will come against the Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers (seven each), a pair of teams who are above the Rockies in the division standings as the month begins.

August was a brutal month for the Rockies. The team went 12-15, marking the only month this season that Colorado had a losing record.

Luckily, September has dawned and it brings with it a chance for the Rockies to return to playing like the game it was in the early stretches of the season. Thinking back to the feelings that surrounded the team when Nolan Arenado walked off for the cycle against the San Francisco Giants on Father’s Day, Colorado seemed to be a team that was destined for the postseason. Now, more than two months later, the Rockies are going to have to work to ensure their first postseason berth since 2009.

So what do the Rockies need to have happen in September to make sure Rocktober returns? Here are three things we think Colorado fans should be watching.

Get the timely hits

It’s no secret that Colorado struggled to score last month and get the hit when runners were in scoring position. After batting .297 in July, the Rockies dipped to .269 last month, its lowest month for average since April. It also saw dips in OBP (.350 to .347), OPS (.490 to .444) and OPS (.840 to .791). After scoring 148 runs in July, Colorado plated a season-low 117 in August.

In Colorado’s last 22 games of August, the Rockies scored more than three runs on just seven occasions. That simply has to change.

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Colorado lived and died by the long ball last month. The 35 home runs hit were the most since the team blasted 36 in April. However, there were just three triples among the 245 total hits as Colorado struggled to find its offensive rhythm.

So there are plenty of doom and gloom statistics above. But here’s the thing to remember: Colorado is still tied (along with the Washington Nationals) with the second-best team batting average with runners in scoring position this season (.297). With two outs and runners in scoring position, the Rockies are the best in the National League this season at .293. That’s even with the struggles last month. It proves that Colorado batters have come through in the big situations before August. It also shows the team has the capability to do it again.

Find the right mix

September 1 means that the Rockies can call up players from its 40-man roster and increase the amount of weapons at its disposal in the bullpen and on the bench. Players like Ryan McMahon, Jordan Patterson, Raimel Tapia (once his 10-day window to be recalled is reopened after he was sent down to Triple-A on August 29) and others will have the opportunity to make their presence felt.

However, does this mean these players get more playing time and take over some of the at-bats for Carlos Gonzalez and Trevor Story, who have both struggled for the majority of the season, or Mark Reynolds, who is 5-for-27 since August 20? Not necessarily. Black has shown that he is unlikely to make major lineup or roster changes unless they are injury-related. But, with a wider range of options, Black could well use more pinch hitters and pinch runners in certain situations.

The roster expansion also brings some fresh arms into the bullpen, meaning a Zac Rosscup or Carlos Estevez could be called up and brought in to face one batter if needed. With more arms in the bullpen, the abilities for Black to mix and match depending on the situation are limitless.

Next: Our exclusive chat with Jon Gray about the month ahead

Colorado will have a mix of veteran players and newcomers for its stretch run. One of the newcomers could well provide a spark that could make the difference in a critical game this month. Don’t be surprised if that happens.