Colorado Rockies morning after: Arizona fails the Nolan Arenado test

We are all about analysis here at Rox Pile. We like to provide in-depth reporting and analysis that not only help Colorado Rockies fans know more about their team but also to educate the casual observer who maybe hasn’t seen the Rockies that many times this season.

With that in mind, let us educate those of you in Arizona about the man who plays third base for the Rockies. His name is Nolan Arenado and he is pretty good with his glove and at the plate.

Let’s start with the offensive side of things. First, a word of advice. You probably should not pitch around the batter in front of Arenado to get to him. We checked the statistics and Arenado actually leads Major League Baseball in RBI. So should you try to pitch around Carlos Gonzalez to get to Nolan? Probably not. Just ask Jake Barrett, the Arizona reliever who walked CarGo on four pitches before Arenado lifted a 2-1 pitch over the left-center wall to give the Rockies a 5-2 eighth-inning lead.

Again, let me state for the record that Arenado leads Major League Baseball in RBI. He is also making a late push for strong consideration for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award. So maybe it’s best if you’re a fan sitting in the front row at Chase Field that you don’t do anything to get under Arenado’s skin. If you’re dumb enough to do something like that, this is the reaction you’re going to get after he hits a three-run homer to put your team behind.

Now let’s switch over to the defensive side of the equation. Checking our records, Arenado has grabbed four Gold Glove awards in four seasons. That means he is pretty good at what he does. He just happened to remind the Diamondbacks of that on Monday night on this play.

Recently when the Rockies were in the midst of an offensive slump, we begged Arenado to show some passion in the dugout. On Monday night, in the midst of his team winning its fifth consecutive game in a 5-4 victory, Arenado did just that.

Next: What Colorado's postseason roster might look like

The Rockies and Diamondbacks have three more games at Chase Field in this series before it appears Colorado and Arizona could match up in the Wild Card game in the desert on October 4. Over those next four games, the Rockies can only hope the Diamondbacks keep testing Arenado when it matters most.