Colorado Rockies: Was Wednesday an offensive fluke or a good sign?

My colleague here at Rox Pile, Noah Yingling, wrote an article earlier this morning about this day in history for the Colorado Rockies and the offensive explosion that happened on that fateful day. You can read about it and that big day that will have so many people saying “Coors” by clicking here.

I thought the timing of the anniversary was a bit ironic, considering the Rockies have been mired in such a slump at the plate in recent games before busting out in an 11-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Those 11 runs and 15 hits that came at the expense of the Cubs made Rockies fans breathe a bit of a sigh of relief on Wednesday … and for good reason. The team’s .221 batting average in April was the lowest for a single month in franchise history. Colorado had scored just seven runs in the previous five games, including a 3-1 win to open the series in Chicago when three solo homers accounted for all of the runs … and all but one of the hits the Rockies could produce.

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So was Wednesday’s outburst in the Friendly Confines a sign of good things to come or a fluke? Obviously, Rockies fans hope for the former rather than the latter. But let’s take a look at exactly what went into Wednesday’s 11-run experience.

Nolan Arenado had his best offensive showing of the season, blasting a pair of homers and logging five RBI. Gerardo Parra broke out of a slump, going 3-for-5, and David Dahl added a pair of hits as he continued to show his worth to the Colorado lineup.

Names, however, missing from the lineup on Wednesday were Carlos Gonzalez (.233/.260/.411) and Ian Desmond (.173/.223/.327), two names who are normally in the lineup and have struggled this season. They will likely be back in the lineup on Friday when the Rockies start their road series against the New York Mets.

Pat Valaika (.091) continues to plod along and who knows what can be expected from Daniel Castro (.125) until DJ LeMahieu returns from the disabled list? His career .214 average and -0.7 WAR suggests not much.

Yes, Wednesday was good … but it doesn’t mean the Rockies have emerged from their slumber at the plate. At one point during Wednesday’s win, homers had accounted for 49.6 percent of Colorado’s offense during the season (thanks to Nick Groke for that stat). Colorado has yet to string together hits and put together a prolonged run of runs. That has to change before the Rockies can be “back” offensively … or even considered potent.

There are good signs, including the fact that Dahl is now being considered a starter per a comment from Bud Black. That’s a step toward reinvigorating the Colorado offense on a regular basis … but there is still plenty more to do.

Next: 3 simple ways to improve the Rockies offense

The bottom part of Colorado’s lineup (CarGo, Desmond, the catching position, Valaika, etc.) are going to need to find their bats for the Rockies offense lineup to truly click. When that happens, Colorado’s offense will be better … and we are all ready for that to happen sooner than later. After all, you just know this team is going to hit, right?

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