Let’s face the fact June wasn’t a good month. They finished out the month with a 10-16 record. However, they took two of three against the Dodgers and, now, after a sweep of the San Francisco Giants, the momentum seems to be apparent as we head into July.
The Colorado Rockies are starting to run short on time when it comes the contenders and pretenders bracket. The club is currently 45-43, which puts them 3.5 games back from the 1st place Dodgers in 3rd place and 5th in the Wild Card standings and 4.5 games back. It could be said that the Rockies have a better chance winning their division at this moment in time than the Wild Card. It wouldn’t be impossible since they were in 1st at one point this season. In fact, it was only a month ago (June 6) when they were in first place last.
It all appears to be coming together for the Colorado Rockies as they seem to be on point now when it comes to playing games. The rotation has been nothing less than stellar while the bullpen hasn’t been as bad lately (3.60 ERA in July). However, it’s really the rotation that’s been on point since getting it’s mojo back after sending down Jon Gray.
We’re now seeing shutouts and guys going so deep into games that at the point that they need the pen it’s only a set up man and Wade Davis to shut the door. This is starting to become the clutch pitching rotation that we all remember from last year that were primed and ready for a postseason run. In July, the starter’s have an ERA of 1.45 with a .142/.195/.217 opponent slash line in four starts. Plus, in the team’s last two games of June, Tyler Anderson and German Marquez allowed a combined one run in 16 innings.
The offense has been great. Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been hitting quite a few home runs for the club. Over the last 8 games, he has hit 4 home runs with one of those being in the Giants sweep. Trevor Story has really been showing up as in just his last 7 games, he has gone 14-for-30 with 2 RBI. This has most likely given him his recent boost in the All-Star ballot, but at this moment, it is unknown where he would rank in the top five. However, as of the last update, he was nearly 1.5 million votes behind Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford for the lead.
Here are the latest American League and National League balloting totals for the 2018 @AllStarGame with less than four full days of voting left for the @CampingWorld All-Star Ballot. Visit https://t.co/Jd6REEkFYI to vote. #MLBVote pic.twitter.com/xQMrIIUtVr
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) July 2, 2018
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DJ LeMahieu has been hitting very well he’s 11-for-34 in his last eight games along with a home run and 8 RBI. After a down month of June (2 HR, 9 RBI, .261/.309/.374), Charlie Blackmon is heating up a bit as he is 8-for-18 in the month of July with 2 home runs (which matches his total for June) and 4 RBI.
The real success story has been first baseman Ian Desmond. It’s safe to finally say that he’s having a bounceback year. His 2018 stats are better than many had hoped this season. Desmond currently has 65 hits, 17 home runs, and 48 RBI. He’s really showing his worth and becoming a serious offensive threat for the team. In his last 24 games, in fact, he is hitting .282/.371/.541 with six homers and 15 RBI Hopefully, Ian Desmond will be able to keep up with the stride he’s got going while the Colorado Rockies face serious contenders in the month of July.
The few roster moves that front office has made over the past few weeks have truly made the difference for the Colorado Rockies. Yes, it’s early to say that the Colorado Rockies are going to be contenders after the All-Star break. However, time is running out for them to actually gain enough momentum to either gain a division or Wild Card spot.
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They’re currently only 3.5 games back from first place and the way the NL West has been playing lately could mean that at any point in time, any of the the top four teams could switch places. The way the Colorado Rockies play this month could decide whether or not they have a spot in the postseason.