3 things that could impact Colorado Rockies in second half of season

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 26: Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies is congratulated by Elias Diaz #35, Garrett Hampson #1 and Drew Butera #6 after hitting a grand-slam home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 26, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Having just passed the halfway point of the 2020 regular season, the Colorado Rockies stand just above .500 with a 16-15 record.

The 16-15 mark pales in comparison to what Colorado Rockies fans hoped would be the case at this juncture, particularly after Colorado bolted out of the starting gate this season by winning 11 of its first 14 games to stand atop the National League West for the season’s first two weeks.

But there were a few signs evident in the just completed three-game road series sweep with Arizona that might indicate the Rox have begun to return to their winning ways from earlier in the campaign.

As the Rockies embark on the season’s second half by preparing to open a six-game homestand against NL West foes San Diego (four games) and San Francisco (two games), here are three things that could have an impact on the team’s chances to grab one of the NL’s eight playoff berths at the end of the regular season.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 25: Jon Gray #55 of the Colorado Rockies throws against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Globe Life Field on July 25, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

1. Consistent pitching from Jon Gray can only enhance an already solid Rox starting pitching rotation

After a pair of no decisions in July in which he compiled a 2.61 earned run average in 10.1 innings, Gray notched back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Arizona before a steady outing (7.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 7 K) in a home win — his first of the season — against Texas on August 16 before only lasting 3.2 innings (7 H, 4 ER, 0 K) in a road loss against the Dodgers last Friday.

In the Arizona contest August 10 at Coors Field, the right-hander was roughed up by the Diamondbacks, surrendering 11 hits and eight earned runs in only 3.1 innings.

But in a return matchup with Arizona Wednesday night in Phoenix, Gray avenged his earlier outing with his his best performance of the season. In six innings, he allowed just three hits and one earned run while whiffing five in the Rox 8-7 victory.

“The last start against them was rough. Shoot, I can’t remember how many hits they had,” Gray, now 2-3 on the season, told Rox Pile and other media members on Thursday. “But I just felt like we got ahead of guys. Our put-away pitches were really good. Everything that I threw was really aggressive in the strike zone. I really wanted to beat them in the zone. We had a lot better results that way. “I just want to see that carry over,” he added. “I want to see it two or three starts in a row. That would really make me happy. But it’s definitely a good one to build off of.”

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 24: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies hits a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 24, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

2. The Rox are a different team when Nolan Arenado hits well on the road

Entering the series with the Diamondbacks earlier this week, Arenado was batting just .119 (5-for-42) on the road.

But in the three-game series (all Rox wins), the Colorado third baseman went 5-for-11 with three doubles, four RBI, and three runs scored. His pair of doubles in Tuesday night’s 5-4 victory ended a 16-game road streak without an extra-base hit, the longest of his career.

Even with his stellar series in Phoenix, Arenado is still hitting just .241 on the season. But if he can continue to hit well on the road, it definitely bodes well for the Rox.

3 things that could impact Colorado Rockies in second half of season

Having just passed the halfway point of the 2020 regular season, the Colorado Rockies stand just above .500 with a 16-15 record.

1. Consistent pitching from Jon Gray can only enhance an already solid Rox starting pitching rotation

2. The Rox are a different team when Nolan Arenado hits well on the road

3. Scoring early and winning the close ones produce good results

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