Colorado Rockies: Five bold predictions for the month of May

The calendar has turned to the month of May and the Colorado Rockies have the worst record in the National League, which doesn’t come as a huge surprise to most people.

However, the most surprising part has been how they have, by and large, been in nearly every game. The problem has been that they have started the season with an 2-11 record in games when the run differential was two or fewer runs and they are 1-10 on the road this year.

But as the calendar turns to May, here are five bold predictions that we have for the team.

Ryan McMahon and Jon Gray will keep up their All-Star pace

Entering the month of May, infielder Ryan McMahon and starting pitcher Jon Gray have led the team in WAR.

McMahon, in 99 at-bats, is tied for the league lead with eight home runs. He also has 16 RBI and he is hitting .273/.308/.556.

The thing that will boost his All-Star credentials would be that on-base percentage, which would entail walking more. He only has five walks on the season thus far. However, his strikeout rate has dropped by ten percent from north of 34 percent in 2020 to 24 percent in 2021, which is a good sign.

Jon Gray, even after a rough outing to end the month, has gone 3-2 with a 3.15 ERA in six starts (34 1/3 IP).

More from Rox Pile

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead?
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023?

Charlie Blackmon will be more like the Charlie Blackmon of old

Charlie Blackmon started off the season very slowly as he hit .148/.278/.262 but in his last five games, he has five hits and an on-base percentage of .412.

But with his xWOBA being fourth on the Rockies (among guys with more than 20 plate appearances) and some of his other advanced stats, they suggest that he has been a victim of bad luck so I think that will balance out more in May.

German Marquez will still continue to struggle with command

In the month of April, German Marquez made six starts but his walk rate is up to a staggering 5.2 per nine innings. That’s nearly double of what his rate was last year. In 2020, that walk rate was up more than fifty percent than what it was in 2019.

Bud Black and German Marquez said that they think that he can fix his issues in his side sessions but I think that it will continue to be a lingering issue for the Rockies ace.

Justin Lawrence will continue to dazzle

Justin Lawrence was just called up in this current series with Arizona but if he keeps showing this kind of stuff, he’ll be getting results.

Also, the Rockies bullpen, despite improving off last season’s numbers, is still not where it should be. But if Lawrence is throwing pitches like shown below, then he’ll be dazzling.

The Rockies will have a double-digit win total in May

The Rockies went 9-17 in the month of April but they will play 28 games in the month of May.

They will also face the Cardinals, Padres, and Mets on the road this month, which will all be difficult series for the Rockies. They will also face San Diego and Cincinnati at home, as well, which will also be tough series.

So a .500 record in the month would be a really bold take but winning 10-12 games is much more realistic, but still bold, considering their schedule.

To do more than that, they will have to play better on the road, as they will have 15 of their 28 May games on the road.