Colorado Rockies: Daniel Murphy’s perfect timing, on and off the field

Daniel Murphy was signed in the offseason to help boost the Colorado Rockies offense. It hasn’t exactly been what Murphy or the Rockies envisioned so far but, for one glorious swing on Sunday, Murphy provided Colorado exactly what it was hoping to get from the man described as “a professional hitter.”

On the first pitch he saw from San Diego reliever Brad Wieck, the pinch-hitting Daniel Murphy knocked a bases-clearing, three-run double just inside the first base bag. His one swing at one pitch in his one at-bat helped give the Colorado Rockies some breathing room on their way to a 10-7 win over the Padres on a sun-splashed Mother’s Day at Coors Field.

Murphy was 1-for-10 on the young season when he suffered an avulsion fracture on his left index finger on a defensive play in Colorado’s second game of the season in Miami. He wouldn’t be activated from the injured list until April 24 but knew he would not be fully healed from the broken finger then … or realistically any time soon. He still wears a brace on it today to protect it, bringing a different feel to both batting and fielding.

"“I had an X-ray the other day, things are going in the right direction and hopefully they will continue there,” Murphy told Rox Pile and other reporters after Sunday’s game. “I’d like to take this off (motioning to the protective brace on the end of his finger) but such is life.”"

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The 34-year-old Murphy hit .304 in 23 at-bats in April but slumped once the calendar turned to May. This month, he is hitting just .154 after Sunday’s 1-for-1 performance.

Murphy only had one at-bat in Saturday night’s loss, and grounded out when he faced Wieck. On Sunday, after listening to some solid advice from Colorado manager Bud Black before stepping to the plate, Murphy came through.

"“Get a good pitch to hit and don’t miss it,” Murphy smiled when asked about what Black told him before the at-bat. “I got in a positive count last night and didn’t make very good decisions after I got 2-0. Today I was just looking for something I could handle. Not really a great swing. It was a pulled ground ball but I’ll take it.”"

Shortly after that comment, Murphy told the media surrounding him a statistic. He relayed that just seven percent of ground balls go for extra bases.

"“If you want to touch second base from home plate, you better hit it in the air,” Murphy said."

In context, Murphy’s locker is very near that of Ian Desmond, who has hit the ball on the ground more than 60 percent of the time for the last two years. It’s a statistic that is often quoted in regards to Desmond by frustrated Rockies fans.

With Desmond in listening range, Murphy was asked if he had shared this information with anyone else in the organization.

“All day every day,” Desmond said almost on cue.

Even when he isn’t playing full-time, Murphy is apparently still trying to make an impact on Colorado’s offense. That’s something that many players have mentioned in regards to Murphy. Discussions often focus on the art of hitting. That’s probably a good thing for a team that has found its offensive rhythm in recent days after a slow early start and a season of frustration at the plate last year.