Colorado Rockies: 3 positives and negatives from the Mets series

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DENVER, CO – APRIL 1: Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies runs towards first base during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Opening Day at Coors Field on April 1, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies were only able to salvage one game of their three-game series with the New York Mets this weekend after they had to play a double-header on Saturday due to Friday’s snow.

In the series, there were three positives and three negatives from the Rockies perspective and, as always, learning from the past can help shape the future.

So, first off, let’s start with the negatives.

1) The Rockies offense was anemic … yet again.

The Rockies offense scored 11 runs in the three games for an average of less than four runs per game.

That number is even worse when they scored three runs in game one and only one in game three.

The offense was also poor in a few other ways. As Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry mentioned in this article this weekend, the Rockies struck out an astonishing 17 times in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader, which is only one strikeout away from the Rockies all-time record. That was only achieved in seven innings, though, which makes the stat look even worse.

This was also brought up.

17 of the 21 outs Mets pitchers got in G1 were strikeouts, 81%

That's the highest percentage of outs that were strikeouts by a team's pitchers in a game in the Modern Era (since 1900), surpassing a Sept 25, 2016 Red Sox game at the Rays (77% of outs by BOS P)

(h/t @EliasSports)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 17, 2021

Not a great stat to be the leader on.

The Rockies also hit .203 in the series, which brings their season batting average down to .221. Only seven teams have a lower batting average than the Rockies.

That and the Rockies penchant for not taking pitches and being disciplined at the plate means that the Rockies are dead last in baseball at on-base percentage (.270).

As for the discipline, the Rockies had seven guys who had a chase percentage higher than league average and eight guys that have seen more than 100 pitches this season and eight guys with a whiff percentage higher than league average who also saw more than 100 pitches this season, entering Sunday, per Baseball Savant.

Any way you slice it, the Rockies offense has let the team down … yet again.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 19: Chris Owings of the Colorado Rockies poses for a portrait at the Colorado Rockies Spring Training Facility at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 19, 2020 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images) /

2) Chris Owings will be out for a long time

As Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry reported on in this article, Rockies utilityman Chris Owings will be out for about eight weeks after requiring a “procedure” for his left thumb injury.

Considering how hot he was to start the season and the state of the Rockies offense, it has already shown to be a blow to the Rockies … and it will be for months to come.

3) The Rockies bullpen was spotty

The Rockies bullpen blew game one for the Rockies in a game that was very winnable. But, frankly, it’s become expected by a lot of people that the Rockies bullpen will find a way to allow runs, whether it’s by walks, hits, or home runs.

As Rox Pile’s Nathaniel Sunshine discussed in this article on Sunday, the Rockies had the second-worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball last year and, entering Sunday, they had a bullpen ERA of 6.14, which was second-worst in baseball and worst in the National League.

Their three scoreless frames on Sunday will obviously help that number but we need to see much more out of them before fans will begin to trust the majority of the bullpen.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 1: Starting pitcher German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Opening Day at Coors Field on April 1, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

1) The Rockies starting rotation pitched well

The Rockies starting pitching pitched very well in the series and kept them in all three games and considering that it’s the team’s strength, it’s good to see them look like they have turned a corner.

Here were the final lines for all three starters in the series.

Chi Chi Gonzalez: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s
German Marquez: 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K’s, complete game with the seven inning doubleheader
Antonio Senzatela: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K’s

They averaged six innings per start and none of them allowed more than two runs. Without one of the worst bullpens and offenses in baseball to start the season, that usually means you’d win at least two of the three games, but baseball is a team game, not a game won by one guy.

2) Trevor Story looks to be heating up

Trevor Story had two of the Rockies four hits on Sunday and he also scored their only run, as well. He also went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI in game two of the double header.

The advanced statistics indicate that he has been a victim of bad luck.

Entering Sunday (per Statcast), his barrel percentage was nearly double the league average. Also, his hard hit percentage was more than 35 percent higher than league average (47.7 percent compared to 35.1 percent league average) and his average exit velocity (91.8 MPH) and launch angle (15.9 degrees) are both higher than league average (88.3 MPH and 11.9 degrees).

Therefore, his expected slash line was (entering Sunday) .278/.359/.535 when it was actually .255/.288/.345 and he moved in the right direction on Sunday.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 6: Ryan McMahon #24 of the Colorado Rockies gestures to celebrate his third home run of the game, a seventh-inning solo shot, against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on April 6, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

3) Ryan McMahon has been one of the best players in the NL … for a different reason than home runs

Ryan McMahon has been one of the best players in the National League. Yes, you read that right.

Part of the reason why he has been that is because of his offense and particularly, his power.

He is tied for second in the NL in home runs with six after he had nine in all of 2020. He didn’t display that in the series, though. On the other side of the ball, he has been one of the best defenders in baseball.

Entering Sunday, he already had 6 Defensive Runs Saved, per Baseball-Reference (5 DRS, per FanGraphs). That’s why he was 5th in the NL on Baseball-Reference in WAR at 1.1 entering Sunday and tied for 18th on FanGraphs overall. One of the players that he was tied with is his former teammate: Nolan Arenado.

Next. The Rockies bullpen continues to show struggles. dark

While there are some other areas that he needs to improve upon (walk rate, chase rate, on-base percentage), McMahon, thus far, he has been the biggest bright spot in the Rockies lineup and, perhaps, the biggest bright spot on the team in general to start the 2021 season.

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Colorado Rockies: Three positives and three negatives from the Mets series