Colorado Rockies: 3 up, 3 down at plate and on mound in May

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May 27, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon (24) checks on starting pitcher German Marquez (48) after Marquez was hit by a comebacker by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

In a bit of a scheduling oddity, the Colorado Rockies will not take the field on Memorial Day, which is also the final day of the month of May.

So, on May 31, statistics for the Rockies in the month of May are officially in the books, which means we can take a look back at a month that produced an 11-18 record for the team, including a 3-12 mark away from Coors Field.

As the month officially winds down, we take a moment to look back at the month that was for the Rockies in this edition of 3 up and 3 down.

Which Colorado Rockies players struggled and succeeded in May?

Do you know who made the list? Let’s test your memory of the month of May and exactly what did and didn’t happen for the Rockies.

May 29, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) singles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Three who excelled in May

Charlie Blackmon — Let’s start with the bearded wonder and what he did in the month, posting a .310/.396/.452 slash line. That includes ending the month with a bang, logging a 3-for-4 performance as the Rockies salvaged a win on Sunday in the final game of their three-game series in Pittsburgh.

However, let’s also give props to Blackmon for what he did off the field on Sunday as well. We don’t know exactly what Chuck Nazty did to fire up the Rockies before the game, but he certainly did something.

You can hear the cryptic description of what that might have been below.

Daniel Bard — Bard’s ERA for the month might stand at 3.97, but it’s what the Rockies closer has done lately that has truly stood out.

With some good sleuth work from our friend Manny Randhawa of MLB.com, we can see that Bard’s ERA for the season stood at 9.00 on May 2. Since then, Bard has been on lockdown mode, posting a 0.82 ERA in his last nine outings. That includes two innings on Sunday of scoreless work where he only allowed just one walk. That is part of a 5.1-inning stretch where he has allowed just two hits.

Carlos Estévez — OK, so it’s only been three games since Estévez came back from the injured list after suffering a right middle finger strain, but the hard-throwing right-hander has been lights out in his return.

In three outings totaling 3.1 innings, Estévez has struck out four and not allowed a hit or walk.

Estévez was actually on a roll before his injury as well. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in seven consecutive appearances dating back to April 15.

May 1, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies second baseman Garrett Hampson (1) reacts after getting called out on strikes against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Three who struggled in May

Garrett Hampson — The infielder/outfielder needs to find his way at the plate as June begins. Hampson has gone 3-for-34 (.088) with two doubles and one triple over his last 12 games since May 18, part of a month where he posted a .202/.280/.393 slash line with 22 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances.

Of course, Hampson isn’t the only Rockies batter to struggle on the road in May. Heading into Sunday, the Rockies had been held to three or fewer runs on six or fewer hits each of their last 10 road games. That’s, unfortunately, an MLB record. They did snap that skid, however, on Sunday with the 4-3 win in Pittsburgh.

Dom Nuñez — In his last 15 games, Nuñez is 4-for-41 (.098) at the plate, part of a May that saw him post a .125/.210/.232 slash line.

While Nuñez batted just .204 in April, he also added seven extra-base hits (including four homers and a pair of triples) and 14 RBI. Those numbers shrunk considerably in May, with Nuñez totaling four extra-base hits (three doubles and a homer) and seven RBI.

Part of the struggles from Nuñez came from the strikeout, as he whiffed 25 times in 56 at-bats.

Jhoulys Chacín — The Rockies pitcher saw action in just three games in May, and one of those was a spot start on May 15 at home against Cincinnati.

While Chacín hasn’t been on the mound much for the Rockies recently, when he has been in the game, it hasn’t been good. In 8.1 May innings, Chacín gave up 11 hits and seven earned runs as opponents hit .314 against him.

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Four of those 11 hits, by the way, were home runs. Chacín gave up at least one homer in each of his three May outings.

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Which Colorado Rockies players struggled and succeeded in May?

Three who excelled in May

Three who struggled in May

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