Colorado Rockies: The 3 best quotes we heard during the Oakland series

1 of 3

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 07: Garrett Hampson #1 of the Colorado Rockies rounds the bases after hititng a solo home run off relief pitcher Erik Swanson #50 of the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning of game at T-Mobile Park on August, 7, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies and Oakland A’s split a two-game series at Coors Field as Colorado continued to see if it could put things together for a run at the postseason.

We were at Coors Field for both games and on Zoom calls with Colorado Rockies players and manager Bud Black before and after the contests. During these calls, we picked up on a few interesting quotes and wanted to not only share them with you, but also some context surrounding them and thoughts about them.

Starting our deep dive into three quotes, we head to a Wednesday morning Zoom call with Rockies utility player Garrett Hampson, who played a big defensive role in Colorado’s Tuesday win but was a pinch hitter and defensive replacement in Wednesday’s loss.

More from Rox Pile

After Wednesday’s lineup was announced (and Hampson wasn’t included), Hampson was on the Zoom call and was asked about if he felt he needed to make more plays to stay in the lineup. The 25-year-old Hampson chose to talk about team goals rather than his individual desire for playing time.

“We’re trying to win ball games,” said Hampson. “I think it’s gonna take all 28 guys and you got to think of it like that. You’re not always gonna be in there every day, but as long as you’re trying to contribute to a win, I think that’s the best attitude to take.”

Thoughts: Hampson has struggled since going 2-for-4 on September 6 against the Dodgers, going 1-for-16 at the plate. That one hit was an excellent placement of a bunt on Tuesday night.

Hampson is right that it’s going to take every member of the Rockies finding their swing at the plate for the team to have a chance at the playoffs.

Colorado was 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday’s win and 1-for-8 in Wednesday’s loss. If the Rockies can’t find their swings, they’re going to have to play incredible defense (like Hampson did on Tuesday) to give their pitcher a chance to hold down the other team.

Hoping to outscore the other team in a pitcher’s duel? It’s been that way for quite some time it feels like for the Rockies.

Josh Fuentes

In the bottom of the fifth of Tuesday’s 3-1 win, Josh Fuentes hit a grounder to Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien. Running hard down the baseline, he beat the throw for a single, and Semien’s throw escaped first baseman Matt Olson. Fuentes wasted little time advancing to third on the error.

The hustle seemed to spark some energy in the Colorado dugout. The next batter, Elias Diaz, added to that energy by blasting a two-run homer, the first of the season for any Rockies catcher.

After the game, I asked Fuentes if he felt the energy shift on the Rockies side because of his hustle.

“Yeah, a hundred percent. I felt like I was having a decent at-bat, seeing some pitches and, especially after putting the ball in play and I saw it was kind of deep short, I thought I had a real chance of beating that out. “I think that’s what we need as a team. We have to grind. We have to grind out at-bats. This game is so hard, and especially the teams we are playing, these guys are tough. So we have to just grind at-bats and try to spark something. This game’s really, really hard. “I think it’s the overall sense is that we have to grind these at-bats out. You know, there’s only few games left and we’re trying to make it.”

Bud Black

Prior to Wednesday’s series finale, Rockies manager Bud Black announced that starting pitcher Jon Gray was done for the season after soreness in his right shoulder didn’t dissipate as hoped.

In eight starts this season, the former first-round draft pick struck out just 22 in 39.0 innings of work. While it was a smaller sample size, Gray’s 6.69 ERA will linger as a career-high in what will go down as a disappointing season for the right-hander, who has been out of the Rockies rotation since September 2.

With Black’s announcement, Colorado’s starting pitching depth took a hit. With just 12 games left in the regular season, the rotation will be juggled and could become an evolving list after Colorado’s remaining “top three.”

Here’s what Black had to say on Wednesday.

“We feel really good about Kyle (Freeland), German (Marquez), and Antonio (Senzatela). There are two more spots there in the rotation. (Ryan) Castellani is going to pitch Friday. We’ll announce a Saturday starter here soon enough. Chi Chi (Gonzalez) is in the mix. We’ve just got to try and win every game with whatever help we have out in the bullpen.”

Thoughts: The Rockies are done with their off days in 2020. After a four-game set against the Dodgers this weekend in Denver, Colorado immediately hits the road to San Francisco for four games and then heads to Phoenix to complete the regular season against the Diamondbacks.

With no off days and limited options, Black will have to hope that Freeland, Marquez, and Senzatela can not only provide a quality start but additional length as well. Will Gonzalez start or could the Rockies have a “bullpen game” using him and Jeff Hoffman? If the starters can log more innings, anything is possible. However, a short start could short-circuit plans and force the Rockies into using pitchers in situations where they haven’t had success this season.

Senzatela’s complete game on Tuesday night was needed, but the Rockies can’t count on that every night.

Next. Why Nolan Arenado's words are important for the franchise. dark

Gray may not have had the best season in 2020, but having him out of the rotation certainly puts additional stress on the other members moving forward.

Home / Colorado Rockies News

The Colorado Rockies and Oakland A’s split a two-game series at Coors Field as Colorado continued to see if it could put things together for a run at the postseason.

More from Rox Pile

Josh Fuentes

Bud Black

Schedule