Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado expected to return Saturday night

After being forced out of the Colorado Rockies lineup on Friday night in a pivotal game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Nolan Arenado believes he will be back in the starting lineup on Saturday night.

Arenado, the Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman, left in the fifth inning of Colorado’s 5-4 win over the division rival Dodgers on Friday after being feeling shoulder discomfort. It was revealed that he “tweaked” his shoulder on an odd yet beautifully turned third-inning 3-5-3 double play. Arenado said after the game that he had been playing through some pain for a while but the tweak on the throw was enough to have him removed for precautionary measures.

After the game, Arenado told our Jake Shapiro and other media members that he planned to play on Saturday when the Rockies and Dodgers resume their four-game series at Coors Field.

Editor’s Note: When the Rockies announced their lineup on Saturday afternoon, Arenado was not starting. He is, however, listed on the bench. We will update this with more information from Coors Field as soon as it’s available.

With Arenado out of the lineup, Ryan McMahon was called upon to play third base and bat in Arenado’s cleanup spot in the order. McMahon delivered, going 1-for-2. That one hit was a big one as McMahon blasted a 1-0 pitch from former Rockies reliever Zac Rosscup over the center field wall for a seventh-inning, two-run homer that gave Colorado a 5-4 lead.

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Unlike recent games, Colorado’s bullpen would hold onto that lead, with Scott Oberg and Adam Ottavino allowing just one hit over the final 1.1 innings to nail down a win that kept the Rockies 2.5 games behind both the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West race. The Rockies enter Saturday’s play 3.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies in the chase for the two National League Wild Card slots.

Colorado has gone just 3-7 in its last 10 games and missing Arenado, a key piece of a struggling offense, might not bode well for a team trying to stay alive for another Rocktober run. However, all indications are that Arenado will be back at the hot corner on Saturday night.