Colorado Rockies must win more close games to get back in hunt

Friday night’s 8-6 walk-off win for the Colorado Rockies was somewhat of a rarity. For most of the season, they have not found a way to come out on top of these close games.

From a starting rotation that is last in the National League in ERA, to a sporadic offense that continues to strikeout and drive in runners during clutch situations, the excuses for the Colorado Rockies‘ 23-26 record have changed on a daily basis. However, there is a much more simpler explanation for their early struggles: The Rockies have failed to win tight baseball games.

This season, the Rockies are 5-9 in one-run games, which is the second-worst record in the National League. To put that record into perspective, the NL-leading Los Angeles Dodgers currently hold a 9-5 record in such games. If that 5-9 record were to be flipped, the Rockies would be second in the NL West at 27-22 and be a half-game behind the second Wild Card spot.

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What has made this a tougher pill to swallow is that this has only become an issue lately as the Rockies have inched closer to a .500 record. Ten of the last 21 games have been decided by one run. Of those 10 games, the Rockies have only won three of them. This could help explain why the run differential is sitting at a minuscule -4.

Sadly, a lot of this can’t be blamed on the bullpen. The ‘pen is only responsible for blowing four of the Rockies’ seven leads this season, the largest of which was only two runs, and have accumulated a total of four of the 26 losses, with the rest falls on the starting pitching.

In order to fix the problem, the Rockies must start by hitting better in the clutch. In 29 late and close games (defined by baseball-reference.com as seventh inning or later with the game either tied or a one-run difference), the Rockies are slashing a pathetic .225/.282/.447 (this includes Trevor Story‘s Friday heroics). This is hard to imagine with the likes of Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, and Story in the heart of the order.

Good teams find ways to win and if the Rockies are going to get back in the playoff race, the first step is to start winning a majority of these close games. Friday night’s win was a good start. However, if it doesn’t continue, this could be a long summer in Colorado.