MEDIA CLIPS – June 2, 2017

Rockies homer for rookie, snap skid in Seattle By Greg Johns and Josh Horton / MLB.com | June 1st, 2017

SEATTLE -- Mark Reynolds and cranked home runs and rookie picked up his sixth win of the year as the Rockies snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Mariners on Thursday at Safeco

Field.

The win moved the Rox (34-22) back into the West lead, tied with the D-backs, by a half-game over the

Dodgers.

"Keeping pace is the key for us," Reynolds said. "We got back on the right track on the road with a win, which I think we needed as a club."

It was a tough day for the Mariners (25-30), who saw their four-game win streak come to an end and also lost standouts Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura to injuries.

• Mariners hopeful injuries aren't serious

Freeland gave up six hits and two runs over six , improving to 6-3 with a 3.53 ERA. He got plenty of help early as

Reynolds opened a four- second with a two-run homer and Arenado followed with a solo shot in the third for a 5-1 lead. Gerardo Parra went 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Greg Holland slammed the door in the ninth for his

Major League-leading 20th .

Mariners starter Yovani Gallardo didn't fare well in his shortest outing of the season, giving up six hits and five runs in three innings, as he fell to 2-6 with a 6.24 ERA. Long reliever Casey Lawrence struck nine while limiting the Rockies to one run over the next five frames.

Gallardo said he feels good physically and is fighting to find a reason for his struggles. 1

"This is the best I've felt in the last 2-3 years. You can see it the way the ball is coming out and velocity and everything," said the 11-year veteran. "It's been up. It's just frustrating. I prepare myself each and every start to go out and give my team a chance to win, and when something like that happens, it's tough. I wish I had a better answer for it. I haven't done my job this year."

Guillermo Heredia laced a solo homer off Freeland in the second, but Seattle went 1-for-11 with runners in and stranded 11 on the day.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Reynolds' roll continues: The 33-year-old 14 homers in 118 games last year for the Rockies. He equaled that number Thursday in his 52nd game of the season, and it was a prodigious two-run blast off Gallardo, projected at 450 feet by Statcast™, over the out-of-town scoreboard in left field. The blast was the second-longest by Reynolds this year, and his sixth-longest since Statcast™ began measuring in 2015. His only longer non- homer in that span was a

451-foot shot in '15 in Milwaukee when he was with the Cardinals.

Rally cut off in fourth: Freeland hit three Mariners batters in his six innings, including Ben Gamel and Carlos

Ruiz leading off the fourth. Gamel then took third on a fielder's-choice groundout by Segura. But the Rockies limited the damage when Danny Valencia lofted a to left to score Gamel and narrow the lead to 5-2, as

Arenado cut off the throw home from Parra and fired to DJ LeMahieu to get Segura trying to advance.

Segura wound up hurting his ankle and had to come out of the game on the -ending play.

QUOTABLE

"He has started before for the Blue Jays. This is probably the best stretch of success he's had in the big leagues, getting people out using all three of his pitches. But we have to get Gallardo back on track, doing what he does, getting us six innings and keeping us in the ballgame. It just hasn't happened the last couple times." -- Mariners Scott Servais, on whether Lawrence could earn a rotation spot

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Lawrence set a Mariners record for most by a reliever in a game, breaking the mark of eight set eight times, the last by Julio Mateo in 2003 vs. the White Sox. The last Major League reliever with nine strikeouts in a game was David

Phelps of the Yankees on April 26, 2013. Lawrence's previous career high for strikeouts in a game was four.

A PAIR OF INJURIES FOR MARINERS

Segura left the game in the fourth inning when he hurt his right ankle sliding into second base, trying to advance on the sacrifice fly by Valencia. Cruz exited an inning later when he was pinch-hit for by Boog Powell at the position after taking a off his right hand in his third-inning at-bat against Freeland. 2

WHAT'S NEXT

Rockies: The Rockies travel to San Diego for a three-game with the Padres on Friday at 8:10 p.m. MT. starts rookie right-hander German Marquez, who has been phenomenal in his last four starts, posting a 1.46 ERA.

Mariners: Christian Bergman (2-2, 4.67 ERA) gets the start in Friday's 7:10 p.m. PT series against the Rays at

Safeco Field. The 29-year-old right-hander threw seven shutout innings with four hits in a 5-0 win at Boston in his last outing.

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Patient Reynolds can still show off power Slugger, who's sacrificed pop to reach base more often lately, hits 450-foot HR

By Josh Horton / MLB.com | June 1st, 2017

SEATTLE -- Rockies slugger Mark Reynolds' two-run in the second inning on Thursday provided a reminder he's still a to be reckoned with.

The 33-year-old right-handed-hitting slugger muscled a high fastball for a Statcast-projected 450-foot home run to left- center field in the Rockies' 6-3 series-ending win over the Mariners on Thursday. It was his sixth-longest home run of the

Statcast™ Era and the fourth-longest by a Rockies player this season. It was hit at a 20-degree launch angle with an exit velocity of 110.8 mph, the third hardest-hit home run for Colorado this season (Reynolds boasts all three of the Rockies' hardest-hit homers).

"It was a big hit for our club," said Reynolds. "To get a couple runs early, hitting is contagious, and we were able to get a few more runs that inning, and get [Kyle] Freeland to go out there and not feeling like he has to be perfect."

It was a powerful start to the month for Reynolds after a mild, but effective May. His dipped from .606 in March/April to .484 in May, but his average (.319) and on-base percentage (.404) were improved from the opening month of the season (.298, .362).

An emphasis on being patient at the plate helped with that.

"Sometimes you have to hit what you're given," said Reynolds, who had only one extra-base hit in the previous 19 games entering Thursday. "You're not going to go out and hit doubles and homers every time. Sometimes you're going to have a battle, take your singles and get on base with walks or whatever. You have to try and pick your spots where you have to hit one far."

Reynolds can only dream of how far it would have traveled at slugger-friendly Coors Field in Denver, but he'll settle for his second-longest home run outside of Coors Field in the Statcast™ Era; he launched one a Statcast-projected 451 feet in

Milwaukee while with the Cardinals in 2015.

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Playing in an ballpark allowed manager a rare opportunity to place Reynolds, Gerardo

Parra and in the lineup together since Desmond has come back from a left hand injury.

It's been a balancing act, but a good day-to-day predicament for Black.

"We've talked about our depth, and we need all these guys," Black said. "It's going to take all of them. It truly is."

But it will be hard for Black to exclude Reynolds from the lineup after he's proven to be a viable hitter in several ways.

"He's got a powerful swing. He's got strong hands, strong forearms. He's got that type of lift in his swing," Black said. "But what's been impressive for us is that, even though he still has that life, he's made some adjustments the last couple of years to cut down on strikeouts and shorten up when he needs to.

"He's really done some good things with his swing to improve his batting average, to improve his production."

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Atypical leadoff man Blackmon racks up RBIs Rockies' No. 1 hitter not slowing down, drives in MLB-leading 47th run with sac fly

By Josh Horton / MLB.com | June 1st, 2017

SEATTLE -- Rockies isn't the typical .

Even while hitting in the top spot in the order, Colorado's long black-bearded star is on pace for 136 RBIs after plating a Major League-best 47 runners in the club's first 56 games. He added another RBI in the Rockies' 6-3 win over the Mariners on Thursday.

Some of it comes with being opportunistic, some of it comes with luck, but Blackmon doesn't expect his RBI pace to dwindle as the season progresses. Not only would that give him the most RBIs in a season since drove in

138 runs in 2013, it would shatter the record for most RBIs by a leadoff hitter since 1974 -- the earliest FanGraphs' data tracked splits on . Darin Erstad drove in 100 runs in 2000.

"It just shows what type of year Charlie has had," manager Bud Black said. "The power, hitting with runners in scoring position, there's probably a two-out RBI stat that's off the charts.

Black's inclination is spot on. Blackmon is hitting .438 with runners in scoring position, and 25 of his 47 RBIs have come with two outs.

Blackmon has shattered his personal expectations with his RBI total.

"Usually [leadoff] guys don't get to hit with runners on base that much, especially in the National League," Blackmon said.

Of course, Blackmon shouldn't be handed all the credit, as the Rockies' hitters at the bottom of the order have allowed the lineup to turn over with opportunities for Blackmon.

Catcher Tony Wolters, who spends most of his time batting eighth, has a .423 on-base percentage this season, and , who has hit seventh in 17 games this season, gets on base at a .338 clip in that spot of the lineup.

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Colorado also leads the Majors in sacrifice hits with 26, which Black and Blackmon credit to the ' ability to move the runners over at the bottom of the order.

"I don't know if 6-7-8 are going to hit .300 all year, but it would be nice," Blackmon said. "And I think they have the ability to do it. It could keep up."

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Gray to ramp up rehab next week By Josh Horton / MLB.com | June 1st, 2017

SEATTLE -- Rockies starter is inching to returning after sustaining a navicular stress fracture in his left foot against the Giants on April 12.

Colorado manager Bud Black said that Gray will ramp up the intensity of his rehab process when the team returns to

Denver on Tuesday for a two-game series with the Indians. A simulated game or live batting practice is the next logical step.

Gray's throwing arm is less of a concern in the short-term than it is for Gray to get his legs back under him.

"[Gray] ran on the field for the first time yesterday, which is great," Black said. "He's just got to get his legs in shape. His calf was weak, his calf is getting stronger. He's lost some ankle strength. ... He's got to build all that stuff up, and it takes time."

Gray removed his walking boot from his left foot and threw his first session on Sunday. He made three starts this season, posting a 4.38 ERA, before heading to the 10-day disabled list.

Worth noting

• Rockies backup Ryan Hanigan is progressing well after his left ankle collided with Mariners outfielder Ben

Gamel's helmet during a play at the plate on Tuesday in Colorado.

"He's fine to play," Black said. "There was significant improvement yesterday from the time we got here to the time on the bus. A lot of treatment, great work in the training room."

• On the 10-day DL with a fractured right forearm, catcher Tom Murphy caught a bullpen session on Thursday and is scheduled to "six or seven innings" next, according to Black.

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Richard, Marquez to duel as Padres host Rox By Ryan Posner / Special to MLB.com | May 31st, 2017

With his Rockies near the top of the standings, former Padres manager Bud Black will return to

Petco Park for the second time in just over a month as Colorado opens up a three-game series on Friday against the

Padres.

Rox rookie right-hander German Marquez will take on Clayton Richard in the series opener.

Marquez, who has filled in the rotation spot left vacant by Opening Day starter Jon Gray, has been brilliant of late, going

4-0 with a 1.46 ERA over his last four starts. He held opponents to a .233 average over his five May outings and picked up his fourth consecutive win on Sunday against the Cardinals, giving up two runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Richard is just a start removed from the fourth of his career in a start against the D-backs -- and his first since having surgery in 2014 to address thoracic outlet syndrome. He allowed three runs on 10 hits through six innings against the Nationals on Saturday in a losing effort.

Three things to know about this game

•.Ian Desmond is hitting .333 with two homers in 15 career at-bats against Richard. Ryan Schimpf, Yangervis Solarte and

Wil Myers are the only Padres with plate appearances against Marquez, with none of them recording a hit.

• Richard is 25-22 with a 3.05 ERA in 60 career starts at Petco Park.

• Marquez made his Major League debut against the Padres last September, allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

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Rodgers extends hit streak for Lancaster By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | 1:43 AM ET

The rest of the best performances from top prospects Thursday

• No. 11 overall prospect Brendan Rodgers (Rockies' No. 1) extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his eighth straight multihit effort (3-for-6) for Lancaster. After getting a late start to his season, the 20-year-old has collected 58 hits, including eight home runs and 15 doubles, in 34 games en route to leading the in all three -slash categories (.397/.419/.692).

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Rockies brush aside a skid behind Kyle Freeland and Gerardo Parra and regain NL West lead in Seattle Parra smacked four hits in Colorado’s win in Seattle By NICK GROKE | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: June 1, 2017 at 5:18 pm | UPDATED: June 2, 2017 at 10:06 am

SEATTLE — Springtime angst is the worst angst. When the Rockies lost a third game in a row Wednesday night, in a quirky interleague series against the Mariners, they fell out of first place in the National League West. It matched a season-long skid. The level of freak-out spiked, outside the Colorado clubhouse anyway.

“Fans or whoever, you guys, they don’t understand how long this thing is,” Rockies Mark Reynolds said

Thursday morning, an inkling of protest in his tone. “ ’Three games? Oh, the Rockies (stink)!’ Three games is nothing. It’s a bump in the road. Over the course of 162 games, the best team will rise to the top.”

The marathon baseball season carried into June on Thursday with summer still to come and the Rockies still 11 games above .500 — still the best record in their 25-year history. And in the ring of Reynolds’ two-run homer in the second inning at Safeco Field, as the Rockies rolled to an 6-3 victory over the Mariners, the hope returned to spring.

Gerardo Parra hit a and three singles, Nolan Arenado contributed a home run and rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland pitched six solid innings as the Rockies (34-22) regained first place in their division. The lost a second in a row at St. Louis.

“Three games isn’t that many games,” said Colorado center fielder Charlie Blackmon, whose sacrifice fly in the second capped a four-run breakout inning. “We have, like, 110 more to play. I’m not worried about it. I’ve lost three games in a row before and we did end up winning a game at some point after that. So I’m pretty sure we’ll win some more games.”

Through 56 games, the Rockies have twice lost three games in a row, including a trio to the Nationals at Coors Field in late April and three to the Mariners. But they have twice won four in a row. Their karma, for now, is healthy. Guillermo

Heredia’s home run off Freeland in the second was unfortunate, sure, but it counted for only one run. The Rockies already had scored four.

After Carlos Gonzalez walked to the second — one of his three free passes — Reynolds knocked him around with his team-leading 14th homer, a 450-foot train ride to left-center. Parra then doubled — one of his four hits — and Trevor

Story singled him in. When the Rockies score the game’s first run this year, they are 27-5.

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“It was a good one,” Reynolds said of his home run, the longest hit at Safeco Field this season, outdoing a homer hit by

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton in April. “Swing hard and barrel a high heater, it’ll go a ways.”

With a comfortable cushion, Freeland survived a disorderly but successful six innings. He hit three batters with pitches, including Ben Gamel and Carlos Ruiz consecutively in the fourth. Gamel went on to score. But when Danny Valencia hit a flyball to left, Parra’s relay to Arenado turned into a trap. They threw out Jean Segura getting greedy at second base.

Freeland’s sixth victory in 11 career starts lowered his ERA to 3.53, the second-lowest mark in the majors among rookie starting pitchers, with 63 2/3 innings, also second most. Only fellow Rockies rookie has a lower ERA and more innings pitched.

“It was definitely in my mind that we needed a win today to stop this little losing streak,” Freeland said. “Every one of us, we want to be the guy who comes in as the stopper or the guy with a clutch hit.”

Parra’s RBI double to right in the fifth — two innings after the Rockies forced Seattle starter Yovani Gallardo to an early exit — scored Gonzalez again and gave the Rockies a 6-2 lead. Parra is quickly arguing his way back into the starting lineup. In his past five starts he has batted 13-for-19, with at least three hits in his past three games. And in the past two weeks, he has four doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs, with a .421 batting average.

Rockies reliever Jake McGee pitched a scoreless eighth on just one hit allowed and closer Greg Holland set down the meat of the Mariners’ lineup in the ninth without allowing a run. The Rockies are 32-0 this year when they lead after seven innings. Thursday, they fell on the glad side of the thin line between angst and hope.

“Three-game skids happen to every team,” Reynolds said. “It was a little bump. We got back on the right track.”

Parra on fire

Gerardo Parra made a start in left field Thursday and finished 4-for-4 in a victory at Seattle. In his past five starts, Parra has batted 13-for-19, with at least three hits in his past three games. And in the past two weeks, he has four doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs, with a .421 batting average. Before a duo of two-game series against the Mariners, first in

Denver, then in Seattle, Parra was hitting .279. Now his average is .312. In three games against the Mariners, he went 7- for-9 with three doubles and four RBIs. 12

Hitting race continues

Mark Reynolds hit his team-leading 14th home run of the season — the longest homer at Safeco Field this year, at 450 feet to left-center field. It kept him ahead of Charlie Blackmon (13) and Nolan Arenado (13). Arenado’s 13th came in the third inning, a leadoff shot to left field. Blackmon’s sacrifice fly in the second inning gave him 47 RBIs, most in the majors, and one more than Reynolds (46). The Reds’ Adam Duvall and Diamondbacks’ Jake Lamb are tied for third at 45.

Starting weak

Tyler Anderson and struggled against the Mariners. Chatwood allowed six earned runs and seven hits

Monday in 4 1/3 innings of a 6-5 loss. Anderson lasted five innings in his outing Tuesday, giving up six earned runs and

11 hits in a 10-4 loss. The 27-year-old starting pitchers have a combined 5.43 ERA this year. The three rookies in the

Rockies’ rotation — Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland and German Marquez — have a 3.57 ERA, even after Senzatela struggled Wednesday (four runs allowed in five innings).

Footnotes

Carlos Gonzalez walked three times Thursday, tying a career high. He last received three free passes in 2012 at Los

Angeles. “I wanted to get on (base) for my team, especially with the way we’ve been hitting,” said Gonzalez, who even faked a in the third inning. “That showed I just wanted to get on. That’s a good way to start a game. Any way you can get on, you get on.”… Freeland’s outing gave him an eighth quality start (at least six innings pitched with no more than three earned runs allowed), with seven coming in his last eight appearances. … Freeland hit three batters, a career high.

After watching video, Freeland disputes one — a fastball inside to Ben Gamel in the fourth inning that may have brushed through Gamel’s long hair. … Greg Holland walked Nelson Cruz in the ninth but faced only four batters in a scoreless frame to post his major league-leading 20th save.

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Jon Gray is scheduled for a simulation, but a six-man rotation is not in the Rockies’ plans The rookies have excelled, with a collective 3.57 ERA over 29 games. By NICK GROKE | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: June 1, 2017 at 8:23 pm | UPDATED: June 2, 2017 at 10:05 am

SEATTLE — Rockies fireballer Jon Gray and his healing foot traveled with the team to San Diego on Thursday night. He will fly with the team to Denver on Sunday night. He will again for the Rockies soon. But he will not, most likely, add to the rotation.

Colorado manager Bud Black said Thursday that a six-man rotation is unlikely.

“No. Right now? No,” Black said. “What you would need is six guys who are good. You can’t have a weak link. They all have to be performing. And if you have a guy who’s pitching really well, then he’s pitching one day later. You want your good guys out there more often.”

Colorado’s 4.30 ERA and .254 batting average against five starting pitchers are at the median of the major leagues, ranking 15th. The Rockies’ ballpark-adjusted numbers, sanding off the hitter-friendly advantage of Coors Field, are even better. It’s a vast improvement over recent seasons, after finishing 26th last year and dead last in 2015.

When Gray suffered a broken left foot in mid-April while fielding a groundball on the mound in San Francisco, he became the second lost from Colorado’s rotation. Chad Bettis left to confront testicular cancer. The Rockies filled in those positions and an open fifth slot with three rookies: Antonio Senzatela, 22; Kyle Freeland, 23; and German

Marquez, 22.

The rookies have excelled, with a collective 3.57 ERA over 29 games. Tyler Chatwood and , though, have struggled, with a combined 5.43 ERA.

Gray ran on the field in Seattle on Wednesday for the first time since his injury. He has been running on a treadmill, trying to get his legs in shape. And he will face hitters in a simulated game when he returns to Coors Field next week.

“We’ll ramp up his intensity,” Black said.

But Gray’s eventual spot in the rotation will remain up for debate.

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Murphy update. Tom Murphy, out since spring training because of a fractured right forearm, caught an extended spring game for the first time Wednesday, then another Thursday. He will fly from Arizona to Albuquerque on Friday to join the

Triple-A Isotopes and begin a rehab assignment Saturday in the starting lineup.

Murphy, who has more potential for home run power than other in the Colorado system, seemed headed for the opening-day roster before he suffered a broken arm on a bat while throwing to second base in a Cactus League game.

The Rockies have used two backup catchers behind Tony Wolters in Murphy’s absence, Dustin Garneau and Ryan

Hanigan.

Prospect promotion. Ryan McMahon, who’s among the Rockies’ top minor-league prospects, was promoted from Double-A Hartford to Albuquerque. The natural third baseman added first base to his resume last year, and the

Rockies tasked him with learning second base this year.

“When I saw him practice in spring, you could see the baseball player skill set,” Black said. “Good athletic movements, good hands, strong arm, classic swing. He looks the part.”

Nolan corrected. ’s reviewed video of an charged to third baseman Nolan

Arenado during a May 21 game at Cincinnati and the error was overturned. The score was changed to give the Reds’ Billy

Hamilton an single. Arenado now has a perfect in 149 chances this season. The hit, though, charged Freeland, the pitcher that day, with an earned run from that inning.

Looking ahead

Rockies RHP German Marquez (4-2, 3.76 ERA) at Padres LHP Clayton Richard (3-6, 4.33), 8:10 p.m. Friday, ROOT;

850 AM

Even with the benefit of pitcher-friendly Petco Park, the Padres’ 4.60 team ERA ranks only 24th in baseball. But Richard is on a mini-roll, posting a 2.40 ERA (four runs allowed in 15 innings) over his past two starts, including a complete game five-hitter against the Diamondbacks on May 21. Marquez has been better, with a 1.46 ERA and a perfect record over his past four starts. After his call-up in late April, Marquez is proving every bit the equal of his streaking rookie counterparts in the Rockies’ rotation.

Saturday: Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (4-7, 5.04 ERA) at Padres RHP Jhoulys Chacin (4-4, 5.77), 2:10 p.m., ROOT

Sunday: Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (3-5, 5.85) at Padres RHP Jared Cosart (0-1, 4.50), 2:40 p.m., ROOT

Monday: Off 15

Lunch Special: Is Antonio Senzatela the real deal for the ? And which Rockies pitcher could stand up to Bryce Harper charging the mound? By THE DENVER POST | [email protected] PUBLISHED: June 1, 2017 at 11:11 am | UPDATED: June 1, 2017 at 1:37 pm

The Denver Post’s Rockies reporter Patrick Saunders answered questions from readers about the Colorado Rockies on

Thursday. Here are some of the highlights:

Hey Patrick! Is Antonio Senzatela the real deal? Where do you see him in the rotation in the years to come?

Patrick: I do think Senzatela is the real deal, as long as he stays healthy. He was a smooth, comfortable rotation and his fastball has a lot of life on it. His secondary stuff must improve for him to become a true “,” but he as the biggest upside since Ubaldo Jimenez, in my opinion.

Hey Patrick, what’s the latest update on ? And where do you think he fits when he’s ready to return?

Patrick: I’m hesitant to tag a date to the return of David Dahl, because I’ve been wrong every time I have done so.

His next step is to play rehab games at Triple-A, but we’ve been waiting for that for two weeks. I think he will get that done in the next week or so.

But I also think he will stay in Triple-A for quite some time. Perhaps until the all-star break. There is no room for him right now and he needs to play and get is timing down and his baseball skills refreshed.

Who do you see Rockies sending down if/when Dahl and Tom Murphy are healthy and ready to go? Thanks.

Patrick: Right now, I would bet that neither Murphy nor Dahl will automatically be on the 25-man big-league roster. The

Rockies like the job Ryan Hanigan is doing behind the plate, so Murphy could be facing extended time in AAA. That’s what I’ve been told, anyway.

What’s the injury that Adam Ottavino has? Do you think he’ll miss a lot of time? How does Bud Black reshuffle his bullpen now?

Patrick: “Otto” has right shoulder inflammation. That can be a very scary injury or just something that needs to calm down. Ottavio believes it’s the latter. Let’s hope so. He’s one of the my favorite people on the team and the Rox need him.

I think he’ll be out for about two weeks, perhaps a bit longer. The Rockies called up talented, but erratic, Carlos Estevez to take his place. With Mike Dunn pitching poorly right now, the bullpen is looking vulnerable. 16

With the success this season has been, could the club have a few all-stars for the All-Star Game? Also if the season does continue to be successful, could the club be active before the trade deadline?

Patrick: Rockies all-stars right now: Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado and Greg Holland. Mark Reynolds might get a nod, but there are a lot of talented first baseman ahead of him. Antonio Senzatela might get a spot, depending on how his

June pans out.

If the Rockies are contenders, I think GM Jeff Bridich will be active and it wouldn’t shock me to see him try to find a rental for the bullpen.

Are the Rockies for real, or do you sense the wheels are about to fall off for this season?

Patrick: I do think they are for real, but they are also a flawed team. The young starters are going to struggle, but I think they have enough talent to win more games than they lose.

The bullpen is starting to be a real concern.

Carlos Gonzalez needs to start producing in big moments … something he’s failed to do.

Bottom line: Rockies are a playoff contender, but winning the NL West remains a difficult goal.

If either Tyler Anderson or Tyler Chatwood have bad starts in the next few weeks, would the Rockies make a change with them in the rotation?

Patrick: I think Tyler Chatwood stays in the rotation, but if Tyler Anderson continues to struggle, I think he goes down to

AAA for a tuneup when Gray returns. Perhaps even sooner if he continues to struggle and the Rox brass feels Hoffman is ready for full-time big-league duty.

Anderson, in my opinion, has been one of the biggest disappointments of the young season.

With Mike Trout out, is Charlie Blackmon really the league’s best center fielder, like the ESPN article says?

Patrick: Is Charlie Blackmon the best center fielder in baseball with Mike Trout out? I think you can make that case. He’s become an incredible leadoff hitter and his ability to drive in runs with two outs and RISP amazes me. There are better fielding center fielders out there, but Charlie is now a bona fide star … so yes, you could say he’s the best, now that Trout is hurt.

I believe in these Rockies but this lineup has to start producing more. Is there any kind of shake up you’d like to see or that you think could help? Order in the lineup? Different personal? Cargo has killed us in the clean up spot. 17

Patrick: I agree with you that the lineup needs to be more productive. That includes both CarGo and Ian Desmond.

The top three in the order are set — Blackmon, LeMahieu and Arenado.

Reynolds is starting to tail off a bit, but I think he’s pretty solid at clean up.

Buddy Black has begun shuffling things around, with CarGo batting fifth or even sixth. Until CarGo starts to deliver in the clutch, I think that’s a good plan.

Hey Patrick, what pitcher on the Rockies would stand the best chance if Bryce Harper charged the mound?

Patrick: Now that’s a unique, very hypothetical question!

The guy I wouldn’t want to face is Senzatela. He’s a super nice person, but he’s all business on the mound and he’s strong and stout.

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Rockies use pair of homers to outlast Mariners 6-3 Associated Press

SEATTLE -- With the in his favor and Colorado struggling to score runs in recent days, Mark Reynolds figured getting a high fastball on a 2-1 pitch was a good time to swing for the fences.

No fence -- or park -- was going to contain that swing.

"You've got to pick your spots where you try to hit one far," Reynolds said. "I figured 2-1 count, first at-bat there, was a pretty good spot to take a chance."

Reynolds and Nolan Arenado homered to back Kyle Freeland, and the Rockies stopped a three-game losing streak with a

6-3 win over the on Thursday.

Colorado closed out four straight games against the Mariners in interleague play by jumping on Yovani Gallardo (2-6) with four runs in the second inning. Reynolds provided the big blow with a two-run homer to deep left-center field, his 14th this season. Arenado led off the third inning with his 13th home run, and the Rockies stopped Seattle's four-game winning streak.

The shot from Reynolds would have gone 450 feet unimpeded and nearly reached the second deck of seats in left-center.

It was also the first time the Rockies led during the home-and-home series. Gerardo Parra had four hits and drove in a run.

"It was a big hit for our club. We hadn't scored many runs this series. I don't think we had a lead until then," Reynolds said. "To get a couple runs early and hitting is contagious, we got a couple more runs that inning and give Free a little cushion to go out there and pitch not feeling like he has to be perfect."

Gallardo lasted just three innings and gave up five earned runs, but the bigger concern for the Mariners was injuries to designated hitter Nelson Cruz and shortstop Jean Segura. Cruz was hit on the top of his left hand with a pitch from

Freeland in the third inning. Cruz remained in the game but was lifted for pinch-hitter Boog Powell in the fifth. Segura was helped off the field after injuring his right ankle on a into second base in the fourth inning.

Segura's appeared the more serious of the two injuries. Segura was trying to advance on a sacrifice fly that scored Ben

Gamel when Arenado cut off the throw from the and instead threw to second to in time for Segura to be tagged out. Segura's slid hard into the base, and his right ankle appeared to get awkwardly pinned under his body. 19

Both Segura and Cruz were undergoing additional tests and an update was expected Friday.

"I am hopeful it's only going to be a day-to-day thing with both of those guys. We'll just have to wait and see," Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

Freeland (6-3) won for the third time in four starts despite hitting three batters. He pitched out of trouble in the second inning when Danny Valencia popped out with the bases loaded. The only runs Freeland allowed came on Guillermo

Heredia's solo home run and the sacrifice fly where Segura was hurt.

Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

HOMER MARK

Reynolds' 14 home runs match his season total from all of 2016 when he hit 14 in 118 games with the Rockies and topped the 13 he hit in 2015. Eleven of his 14 homers have come against right-handed pitching.

RELIEF RECORD

Overshadowed by Seattle's injuries was a record performance out of the bullpen by right-hander Casey Lawrence.

Lawrence pitched five innings in relief of Gallardo and set a club record with nine strikeouts by a . It was the most strikeouts by a reliever in the majors since David Phelps for the Yankees in 2013.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: RHP Felix Hernandez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday. Hernandez will likely throw two innings. Barring any setbacks, Hernandez could be sent out on a rehab assignment the middle of next week. ...

OF Mitch Haniger (oblique) will resume taking batting practice on Friday and is expected to through the weekend before being re-evaluated.

UP NEXT

Rockies: German Marquez (4-2) will start on Friday as the Rockies return to National League play opening a three-game series in San Diego.

Mariners: Christian Bergman (2-2) starts as Seattle opens a three-game series against Tampa Bay. Bergman threw seven shutout innings in his last start, against Boston.

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Projecting the playoff chances for all 30 teams Dan SzymborskiSpecial to ESPN.com

With May turning into June, we're now roughly a third of the way through baseball's marathon, and excuses start to look anemic. When your team is struggling or exceeding expectations after April, you can tell yourself it's still early. It's much easier to chalk up disappointments to the small-sample-size fairies, and it's fun to poke holes in the prognosticators' poor predictions.

But when that calendar creeps out of May, excuses are harder to accept, because many results are now baked into the cake. For this set of updated ZiPS mean standings and playoff probabilities, we added something a little different. We've included updated strength-of-schedule data, based on each team's roster strengths, the remaining schedule and the distribution of home and road games.

Why does this matter? Playoff races aren't typically about crushing your opponents, with most teams in baseball winning between 40 and 60 percent of their games over the course of a 162-game season, a relatively small separation betweens success and failure. So a win here and a loss there can make a very big difference.

Baseball plays an imbalanced schedule, and when you add in the fact that there's a slight schedule benefit to being an excellent team than a terrible one -- the Cubs never have to play the Cubs and the Padres never get the benefit of playing the Padres -- there's a good deal of variation in strength of schedule among teams. And when the wild cards are drawn across divisions, that can be very important.

National League West

NL West Projected Standings

TEAM W L PCT DIV% WC% PS% WS WIN% APR/MAY* JUN-OCT* WIN+ % PS+

LAD 98 64 .605 80.6 18.5 99.0 15.3 .493 .480 5 12.4

COL 90 72 .556 13.1 68.4 81.6 5.1 .499 .490 8 58.8

ARI 88 74 .543 6.3 60.7 67.0 3.4 .493 .497 11 58.9

SF 77 85 .475 0.1 4.0 4.0 0.1 .505 .488 -11 -62.7

SD 64 98 .395 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 .511 .505 -1 0.0

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NL West Projected Standings

TEAM W L PCT DIV% WC% PS% WS WIN% APR/MAY* JUN-OCT* WIN+ % PS+

DIV: Division; WC: Wild Card; PS: Postseason; WS: World Series

*Strength of schedule; +Change from preseason

This division features the teams with the largest and smallest changes in projections at the thirdway mark

(thirdway should be a word, at least). While ZiPS was positive about the Colorado Rockies coming into the season, placing them firmly among the wild-card contenders, the Rockies have done quite a bit more than that. ZiPS isn't sold that they're really better than a .500 team -- it's hard to see Colorado's team ERA+ being above 120 by year-end -- but nothing can take away the wins already banked from the first two months.

The loss of Madison Bumgarner for a large chunk of the season, combined with the various disappointments in the starting rotation (Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore) and a lineup with only two starters above a 100 OPS+, makes the San

Francisco Giants a .500 team in ZiPS' silicon eyes. While a schedule that's 17 points easier in June-September than April-

May is nice, the Giants are probably too far back to make it interesting, sans a historical, once-in-a-few-generations type of comeback (see also: 1951 New York Giants).

The have lost one win from their preseason projections and didn't see their playoff chances get any worse. That's something, I guess.

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MLB trade rumors: Sam Dyson is available, should the Rockies be interested?

What would be a fair trade for the struggling reliever? by Ryan Schoppe@rj_schoppe Jun 2, 2017, 8:00am MDT | Purple Row

The Colorado Rockies wake up in first place again this morning and may have an interesting opportunity to improve their team. The designated Sam Dyson for assignment. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Rangers’ plans are to try and trade him—there is no chance he would clear waivers—and they have received interest from more than one team.

At this point there is no clear indication which team may be interested, though it’s easy to imagine that the Nationals would be with their desperate need to improve their bullpen. Depending on the price, it’s easy to imagine a bunch of other teams expressing interest as well. Despite the Rockies’ current bullpen depth, it’s worth thinking about whether or not the Rockies should be one of those teams.

Unlike the Nationals, the Rockies don’t need someone for the high-leverage situations. Instead they would be looking to add someone else to bolster the middle of the ‘pen. This may mean that the Rockies won’t pay as high of a price for a particular reliever as a team that is more desperate to fix their bullpen. However, it could also mean that they would be more willing to trade for someone whose struggles suggest a better fit into lower-leverage situations, like Dyson.

While the situations are different, the Rockies already gambled once on a reliever for this season’s bullpen when other teams were more hesitant. The Greg Holland signing has already paid off in an amazing way and may make the Rockies more likely to gamble again.

Coming into this season, Dyson was seen as a dominant reliever who excelled by using an outstanding sinker instead of racking up strikeouts. From 2014 to 2016, Dyson appeared in 179 games for the Marlins and Rangers with a 2.45 ERA and 61 ERA-. That latter number means he was 39 percent better than league average. During that same time, he struck out 7.6 batters per nine inning and walked 2.8.

After being acquired midseason by the Rangers in 2015, Dyson became their closer last season and saved 38 games for them during their playoff run. Dyson was also an essential part of Team USA during their championship run in the World

Baseball Classic this spring. He appeared in five game and did not surrender a base runner over six innings of work.

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Unfortunately for Dyson, he’s been unable to duplicate those results this year. Before being designated for assignment,

2 Dyson had pitched 16 ⁄3 innings in 17 appearances for the Rangers this season. He’s surrendered 31 hits and 12 walks in those innings while striking out only seven. Whether it was the early ramp up for the WBC or something else, Dyson has just not been the same pitcher this season.

The question for the Rockies, or any other team interested in trading for Dyson, is whether or not they can get Dyson back to his prime form. If they can, trading for him could be a coup as Dyson still has three years of team control available after

2017. He is currently owed $2.35 million for the rest of this season after being eligible for arbitration this past offseason as a Super-2. If a team kept him out of a closer role and from accumulating saves, his poor start to this year could help reduce any future arbitration earnings as well.

Any team acquiring Dyson would have to have complete confidence in their coaching staff to be able to fix him. The

Rockies current brain trust of Bud Black, , and may be the perfect fit for a struggling reliever.

Overall, I think the Rockies should be pursuing Dyson if their scouts feel like he is salvageable. The real question would be the cost. If a bunch of teams get in a bidding war, the Rockies are in a solid enough position to let someone else overpay and wait for the next opportunity when there will be one less competitor. However, if the Rockies can acquire

Dyson for the prospect cost of someone like Brian Mundell and one of the Rockies own stash of minor-league relievers, they should go for it.

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Rockies prospect Ryan McMahon aims to continue red-hot start with

Rockies prospect earns promotion from Double-A by Chris Jackson Jun 2, 2017, 7:00am MDT | Purple Row

Ryan McMahon was off to quite the start at Double-A Hartford, erasing the bad memories of a lost 2016 campaign. Still, the season is still young enough that promotions from one minor-league level to the next are rare.

McMahon just kept on hitting for the Yard Goats, until the Colorado Rockiescould ignore it no longer, promoting the young slugger to the Albuquerque Isotopes on Thursday.

McMahon certainly earned his chance, batting .326/.390/.536 with six home runs and 32 RBI through 49 games. That compared quite yell to 2016, when he hit .242/.325/.399 with 12 homers and 75 RBI in 133 games for Hartford, with an eye-popping 161 strikeouts in 466 at-bats.

“You know, just kind of learning more about myself, different things in my swing, learning different things in the way I need to approach defense, basically just the game in general,” said McMahon, who only had 39 strikeouts in 181 at-bats with the Yard Goats this year. “I think I’ve done a pretty job of being more consistent compared to last year. I’ve been a different player every day. I think that’s the big change from last year to this year.”

McMahon started at first base for the Isotopes on Thursday night against the Sacramento River Cats (Giants), a game they won 6-5 in 13 innings. It continued another change from seasons past, when McMahon was strictly a third baseman. He spent a good chunk of 2016 at first, and this season has added second base to his repertoire. After some initial adjustment, McMahon said he is willing to adapt to whatever the Rockies need.

“It’s been interesting,” McMahon said. “I played second base growing up. Learning first base last year was obviously something new. But like you said, being in the NL with all the switches and stuff like that, it can’t hurt to play multiple positions. I’m open-minded to it all, just trying to learn as much as I can from the guys there and the coaches that are helping me.”

McMahon was a bit winded during batting practice on Monday as he adjusted to Albuquerque’s elevation. It did not stop him from blasting one ball to the top of the right field berm, up where the children’s playground is located during games.

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The pitchers in the Pacific Coast League do not figure to serve up many pitches that are that easy to clobber. McMahon said he is fully aware of the more varied types of pitchers he will face at Triple-A.

“I don’t know if I have any specific expectations,” he said. “I’m just going to come in here, talk to the guys who have been here and see what they have on different pitchers. I just want to go up there with a good plan and try to beat the pitcher.”

McMahon said he already has a good sense of camaraderie with his teammates, many of whom he has played with before during his time in the Rockies’ system since he was a second-round draft pick in 2013.

“It’s cool, it’s like half and half — I’ve played with them (before) or it’s the first time I’ve met a couple of them,” McMahon said. “It’s nice coming up and seeing the guys I have played with. It’s always fun to be reunited, checking up on them. I’m just happy to be here. There are a couple guys I played with a Low-A (Asheville) and last year they made their big-league debut. Now we’re all here, it’s fun to get to see everybody.”

McMahon is also happy to play closer to his home in Orange County, and so are the members of his extended family.

“Yeah, it’s kind of nice. My parents are planning a trip up to Sacramento when we play there, which I think is some time soon,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “Of course, my grandma just wants to go when we play at Vegas. She’s looking forward to that.”

McMahon and the Isotopes will continue their series with the River Cats tonight at 7:05 p.m.

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How Trevor Story got his groove back By Matan Halzel on June 2, 2017 | BSN Denver

When Trevor Story returned to the Rockies lineup on May 24th from a shoulder injury, Rockies fans were happy to see him back. It’s no secret that the 24-year old shortstop out of Irving High School has been struggling during the 2017 season, but Story is starting to show signs that he is finding his stride at the plate once again.

Since returning to action, Story is hitting .275 with two home runs and four runs batted in. But beyond the numbers, Story has also shown that his patience and discipline at the plate have improved significantly as well. Story is seeing more pitches in just about every one of his plate appearances, and he is making more contact and taking more walks.

“Trevor looks more comfortable in the batter’s box,” Rockies Manager, Bud Black told BSN Denver. “He’s drawing his walks and he bumped his average above .200 for the first time all year. But where he is in the batter’s box as far as his stance and setup after his work down in AAA Albuquerque, he’s just in a better spot.”

Story’s 2016 season was nothing short of spectacular. In 415 plate appearances, Story hit .272 while mashing 27 home runs with 72 runs batted in. Those numbers would have even been higher had his season not been cut short due to an injured thumb. This season, Story’s numbers are lower in just about every category across the board, but Trevor has quietly already notched 21 walks this season, while only collecting 35 during the entire 2016 season. The uptick in walks is also leading to a decline in strikeouts, which had been a weakness for Story early this season. Perhaps this new approach will bring Story back to his 2016 hitting ways and becoming complete hitter at the plate.

“I feel good and I do feel a lot more comfortable,” Story told us. “Once you put a couple of good games together and you’re feeling more comfortable all around, things start to carry over.”

On top of regaining one’s health, sometimes all a player at the major league level needs is to just take a step back, watch some film and recognize what they need to fix in their routine. While Story was regaining the strength in his shoulder, he had the down time to watch some film of opposing pitchers as well as film of himself to help him determine problems with his swing. Perhaps this is all the young shortstop needed to rediscover his swing. Story has been locked in defensively the entire season, it’s only a matter of time before he starts clicking on all cylinders.

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Inside Baseball NL Notes | Rivals speculate on Cubs pitching targets By Jon Heyman | Fanrag Sports

Colorado Rockies

• The Rockies made a big bet on Greg Holland, and it’s paid off. The Nationals and Rangers missed.

• Their nine straight series without a series loss was a franchise record, according to Elias.

• The Rockies had some talks with Carlos Gonzalez that bled into the regular season. But he was always going to

be a tough sign in his walk year. Jeff Bridich said, “He’s had a good career here. He’s been good for the Rockies,

and I think the Rockies have been for him to this point.”

• Chad Bettis did a nice interview with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network. He has some doctor’s

visit coming up and has hopes to return this year after having chemo to combat testicular cancer.

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Heyman | Rockies win bet on Holland that Nats and Rangers missed By Jon Heyman | Fanrag Sports

Greg Holland went from roaming the halls of the National Harbor Hotel outside Washington, D.C. at the winter meetings

— looking for a suitable job — to the other side of the tracks. The closer is now pitching lights-out and guaranteeing himself $29 million with a chance to earn a big four- or five-year deal, assuming he hits the vesting level he has almost reached.

Big credit goes to Colorado GM Jeff Bridich. The Rockies were the only team ultimately willing to sign off on the vesting player option on top of the one-year deal for Holland, who has been nearly perfect for the surprising Rockies after being out 18 months following Tommy John surgery. The Nationals and Rangers were the other finalists, but like the other teams they couldn’t match the rather high ($15 million) vesting player option.

“The fit we felt was a natural – if he had interest in coming here,” Bridich said.

The Rockies wanted to bolster their bullpen with their young rotation, and they had inside info. Pitching Steve

Foster was with the Royals when Holland starred there, and their bullpen coach Darren Holmes lives in Holland’s town of

Asheville, N.C.

“We feel there are good risks and bad risks, and we felt this was a very good risk.”

While it has worked out for Holland, who is on his way to guaranteeing the $29 million (via a $6 million salary, $8 million incentives and a $15 million vesting player option for 2018 that kicks in at 30 games finished, which he should have by the

All-Star break), he has been a major key in the Rockies’ wonderful run. Holland is a perfect 19-for-19 in saves.

The word is that the Nationals were the other finalist for Holland and the Rangers scouted him, but neither ultimately went for the player vesting option. Nats GM Mike Rizzo was said to be all aboard on the creative idea, but the Nats-owning

Lerners, like the others, didn’t go for it. The Rangers didn’t get as close, though they have some regrets about that now.

Anyway, Holland is in the catbird’s seat. He needs just 30 games finished to guarantee his $15 million player option for next year, which he’ll presumably turn down.

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Agent Scott Boras suggested a five-year deal could be possible, saying, “What he’s done exceeds (Kenley) Jansen or

(Aroldis) Chapman. He had two straight years with 45 saves and a sub-2 ERA, and he’s doing it again.” Jansen got $80 million, and Chapman $86 million.

Meanwhile, both the Rangers and Nats, who had the right idea, have had stark bullpen issues.

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