Colorado Rockies: 3 keys for the D’Backs series

The Colorado Rockies have been reeling for two weeks and now, they are on the precipice of being in last place in the National League West.

The Colorado Rockies went 11-3 in the first 14 games of the 2020 season, but in the next 14 games, they have gone 2-12. With that skid, they have gone from having the best record in baseball to being in last place in the National League West if they lose on Monday to the D’Backs, who are a half-game back of the Rockies, who are now in virtual with the San Francisco Giants for third place (the Giants have an off-day).

Therefore, this four-game series with the D’Backs is crucial for the Rockies to at least split. They can break their funk with three keys.

Situational offense, not just situational hitting

The Rockies hitting, in general, has not been good during their skid but the must improve their situational hitting. With runners in scoring position since the Rockies last faced the D’backs 10 games ago, the Rockies are 14-for-79 with runners in scoring position (.177 average). The Rockies won one of those games and they went 5-for-11 in that game.

Subtract that game and the Rockies have gone 9-for-68 (.132 batting average). Simply put, you won’t win if you can’t drive in runs.

However, situational hitting is not the entire problem: It’s situational thinking while on offense, in general.

A case study in poor situational offense for the Rockies

On Sunday, in Colorado’s 11-3 loss to the Dodgers, the Rockies were only down 1-0 in the second inning. Dodgers starter Ross Stripling did not have his best control throughout the entire outing and had already shown that he didn’t have his command in the first inning and the first two batters of the second inning.

In the first, Stripling threw 10 of his 18 pitches outside of the zone (aka not a single thread of the baseball was in the zone). The Rockies chased a few of them, but they still had three two- or three-ball counts in the first inning, when they had four batters come to the plate.

To lead off the second inning, Daniel Murphy walks on six pitches, further proving that Stripling’s control is not great at the moment.

Ryan McMahon comes up and, after falling behind 0-2 (both pitches were in the zone and called strikes) got on with a single. The Rockies got a break, though, when left fielder Chris Taylor misplayed the ball. Murphy goes to third and McMahon to second on the error, so there are runners on second and third with nobody out.

Brendan Rodgers comes to the plate and Stripling can’t get a hold on his curveball as it keeps ending above the strike zone. Rodgers gets a 2-0 count after two high curveballs and he swings and grounds one to third.

The Rockies had a lot of problems happen on back-to-back pitches

Problem 1: Rodgers is swinging 2-0 in this spot. Stripling is already struggling with his command. The pitch that Rodgers swung at was a strike but he rolls over on it. This isn’t a problem if Rodgers gets a hit and drives in run, but he doesn’t. Therefore, this is a problem.

Problem 2: Immediately on contact, Daniel Murphy breaks from third when there’s nobody out and his team is already losing. Even though he’s playing back, third baseman Max Muncy fields the routine grounder and throws home to beat Murphy by 10 feet.

Problem 3: Murphy gets in a rundown but McMahon can’t advance because Murphy barely lasts in the rundown, as the catcher tags him out without any further throwing. Rodgers also can only get to first. If Murphy and McMahon communicate better before or during the play (perhaps with third base Stu Cole as well), maybe McMahon gets up to third and maybe even Rodgers gets to second. But that doesn’t happen.

Even with the infield playing back, watch the ball. If it gets through to the outfield, great. If it doesn’t and Murphy isn’t going, with Rodgers’ speed, he might beat it out anyways. Break when he throws to first or, worst case, you’ve got second and third with one out.

As Bud Black said postgame, though, both Murphy and McMahon needed to “be on the same page” in that spot, but they were not.

Instead, you have runners on first and second with one out. However, problem four is on the next pitch.

Ross Stripling was struggling but the Rockies don’t take advantage of it

Problem 4: Ross Stripling’s control is not good today and it’s apparent, especially with his curveball. But on the first pitch, Sam Hilliard a) swings at the first pitch and b) swings at a curveball out of the zone.

He makes contact but rolls it to first. Rodgers is forced at second and Hilliard is safe at first. McMahon advances to third.

Elias Diaz comes up and walks on four straight pitches. Stripling gets a visit on the mound after this because the bases are loaded with two outs.

The lineup turns back over to Raimel Tapia.

Problem 5: Tapia swings first pitch on a borderline pitch away and foul tips it. Strike one. Next pitch, he swings again (at least it was down the middle) and flies out to left field.

Two in scoring position and nobody out, bases loaded and two out and nobody scores.

Tapia wasn’t put in a great position to end the inning considering the poor baseball decisions made prior to him, especially in the Rodgers at-bat with him and Murphy, but a huge opportunity goes to waste nonetheless.

Two of the starters that the Rockies will be facing in the Arizona series have an ERA that are less than 2.60 so they will likely have to put their situational hitting to good use.

The Rockies need to give some guys that are struggling a day off … or few days off

Nolan Arenado had a day off on Sunday against the Dodgers because he has been struggling all season.

There are few other guys in the lineup that need a day, or a few days, off.

Case in point: Daniel Murphy.

Let’s go back to the fourth inning on Sunday. This is the inning that manager Bud Black thought was the “key inning of the game,” rather than the aforementioned second inning.

It’s a 2-2 tie now and Antonio Senzatela, in Bud Black’s words, is “throwing the ball well” at the time as he has two outs in the inning with nobody on base. Joc Pederson, with a 2-1 count, lines a single into center field.

Then, with Pederson on first, Muncy comes to plate and grounds one to Murphy at first. It deflects off his glove, past Rodgers (who likely would have fielded it cleanly) had Murphy not deflected it. Instead, Rodgers went too far, had to dive back toward second base and he missed it.

The perceived problem here: Daniel Murphy should have let Rodgers field the ball.

Sure, in hindsight, that’s the case. But it doesn’t in foresight or what play is happening. The ball is hit his way so he should attempt to get the ball, which he did.

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Keep the D’Backs bats silent

On the season overall, the Arizona Diamondbacks have an OPS+ of 85. In comparison, the Rockies have an OPS+ of 87.

However, the D’Backs have five players with an OPS+ above league average, compared to just two for the Rockies (Ryan McMahon and Sam Hilliard are at exactly 100 after their home runs on Sunday so, including them at exactly league average, the Rockies have four).

In the D’backs last five games, they have only scored more than one run in one of those games … and they scored two runs. Hence, why they have lost five games in a row. Their team ERA is 5.85 in that span doesn’t help either but scoring six runs in five games is the biggest factor.

The Rockies team ERA is 6.47 in their last 14 games so it will be intriguing to see whether or not the poor pitching or poor hitting prevails for both teams.

Ryan Castellani (0-1, 3.77 ERA) will face Merrill Kelly (3-2, 2.59 ERA) tonight at 7:40 p.m. (Mountain time). The Rockies are slated to have German Marquez, Jon Gray, and Kyle Freeland on the mound for the remaining three games to face Alex Young, Robbie Ray, and Zac Gallen.