MEDIA CLIPS – July 27th, 2018

Who is -- and isn't -- untouchable in the NL West

Matthew Leach | MLB.com | Jul. 26th, 2018

If we're being honest, almost no player in is really, truly "untouchable." Mike Trout, probably. But there's some package, somewhere, that would cause virtually every general in baseball to part with virtually any player on his roster.

The thing is, those packages aren't going to get offered. So for all practical purposes, we know some guys are just not getting moved. But then there's the flip side: Some players might be more available than you'd think.

MLB.com takes a look at one "untouchable" and one player who just might not be, from each team in the

West.

D-backs

Who it is: Paul Goldschmidt

Why: He's the franchise. He can be a free agent after next year, and his overall numbers are down a bit. But really, he's the franchise. Best player, most important player, the whole deal. The only way this is really conceivable is if things go way south and they think about it at next year's Deadline, but that's a long way off.

Who it isn't:

Why not: OK, not now. The D-backs aren't parting with any key pieces in the next week, because they're in the running for a division title. But this winter? Or even at the end of August if things go quickly? It wouldn't be all that shocking. Greinke is owed $35 million each of the next three seasons and he'll be 35 in October. If nothing else, he'd likely clear waivers. 1

Dodgers

Who it is: Clayton Kershaw

Why: A couple of months ago, you could maybe have constructed a scenario where the Dodgers would listen to a great offer. They were struggling. He has an opt-out this winter. It was not unimaginable. But even then, it was a very long shot.

The National League is open, and the Dodgers with Kershaw have as much chance as anyone at the pennant.

Who it isn't: Yasiel Puig

Why not: He's been hurt, but Puig has begun a rehab assignment. He's having another good but not great year and could help a team in need of a controllable . Meanwhile, playing time may be scarce for him in L.A. The Dodgers are still looking for relief help, and it's possible they'd rather move a Major Leaguer making $9 million than a prospect.

Giants

Who it is: Buster Posey

Why: He's a franchise icon, a former NL Most Valuable Player, and signed through 2021. There's no replacement for him in the farm system or in free agency. And, let's be honest, his value is not at an all-time high. Even if they were interested in moving Posey, and they're not, it would make no sense. Posey comes with the furniture.

Who it isn't: Madison Bumgarner

Why not: Let's be abundantly clear here: The odds are extremely, extremely against Bumgarner going anywhere. But is it impossible? No. The Giants have an extremely reasonable option for '19, but after that he can be a free agent. He's slightly less dominant than he was two or three years ago, and a really overwhelming offer at least would force the Giants to listen. In a market short of aces, it's conceivable. Highly improbable, but possible.

Padres

Who it is: Fernando Tatis Jr.

Why: OK, this is cheating a bit since Tatis is hurt. But even before that, Tatis was not going anywhere. He's younger than fellow super-prospect Luis Urias, he's had a better year at the plate at the same level, and he's been playing with Urias mostly at second. He's the guy here, even amid baseball's best crop of prospects.

Who it isn't: Austin Hedges

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Why not: It had long appeared that Hedges was every bit as much a part of San Diego's future as Tatis, Urias, et al. He probably still is. But then the Padres went out and got Francisco Mejia, and it became less clear. They're still not looking to move Hedges, and Mejia could end up in the outfield. But Hedges is potentially in play in a way he wasn't a week ago.

Rockies

Who it is: Brendan Rodgers

Why: The former No. 3 overall pick has produced throughout his time in the Minors, and his time in the Majors is getting closer. He's shown power and speed at Double-A while playing mostly shortstop, and there's really not much to indicate he won't live up to his promise. And the Rockies could have an opening in the middle infield as soon as next year, if DJ

LeMahieu leaves in free agency.

Who it isn't: Ryan McMahon

Why not: A top-50 prospect not that long ago, McMahon has yet to find traction in the Majors. It's not that the Rockies have soured on him, necessarily, but it's not hard to see them deciding they'd be willing to part with him in the right deal.

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Rockies Insider: Assessing the potential impact of Colorado’s two newest bullpen acquisitions The Rockies traded for Toronto’s Seunghwan Oh Wednesday, and signed free-agent Santiago Casilla Thursday

Kyle Knewman and Jeff Bailey | DenverPost.com | July 27, 2018

After dedicating more than $100 million in guaranteed money to relievers in the offseason, a sketchy first-half showing by the middle bullpen led the Rockies to believe more had to be done.

General manager Jeff Bridich, who made a couple of key moves at the deadline last season to help spur Colorado’s wild card run, traded with Toronto for 36-year-old Seunghwan Oh. That move, officially announced by the club Thursday morning, was followed by the reported signing of free agent Santiago Casilla to a minor league contract — giving the club two additional right-handed options.

Obviously, Oh is the headlining acquisition, as he’s put up a more-than-respectable 2.81 ERA over three MLB seasons

(two with the Cardinals, and this year with the Blue Jays) after playing professionally in South Korea and Japan from

2005-15.

Oh comes at a relatively cheap pricetag (he’s due around a half-million for the remainder of 2018), although to get him

Colorado had to send a pair of prospects and a player to be named later to Toronto.

Most importantly, Oh is a proven veteran that manager can immediately use to firm up the team’s burning seventh-inning bridge, a frame in which Colorado has posted a major league-worst 6.68 ERA this season. Whether Oh can have success at altitude — or whether he’ll regress as Bryan Shaw has this season — remains to be seen.

And amid all the hype about Oh, 38-year-old Casilla could be a dark-horse contributor. Despite his age and issues with command — he had 20 walks and four hit batters in 31.1 innings with the A’s this year — his ERA (3.16) and WHIP (1.21) were decent.

As Oakland manger told reporters a couple weeks ago, the veteran’s control problems could stem from the fact that “he wasn’t able to get regular work with us. It kind of affected the performance some.”

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If Casilla can use his initial time in Triple-A Albuquerque to regain that command — after all, issuing droves of walks isn’t exactly an advisable strategy at — he just might be able to recoup his vintage Bay Area-self.

In addition to two stints in Oakland, Casilla was a key member of three title teams with the Giants, and has a 0.92 ERA in

19.2 career postseason innings. Old guy or not, that kind of clutch experience is always a good option to have down the stretch, especially come September’s expanded roster.

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Rockies bolster bullpen by adding right-hander Seunghwan Oh

Patrick Saunders | DenverPost.com | July 27, 2018

When he played baseball in Asia, Seunghwan Oh was so good he earned two nicknames: “Final Boss” and “Stone

Buddah.” Now he’s a Rockie, and the club is counting on the veteran right-hander to prop up its bullpen.

Thursday, the Rockies officially acquired Oh from the in exchange for minor-league Chad

Spanberger, minor-league outfielder Forrest Wall and a player to be named later.

Oh, 36, was 4-3 with two saves, a 2.68 ERA, 10 walks and 55 in 48 relief appearances with the Blue Jays.

Entering Thursday, his 48 appearances were tied for fifth in the , while his 5.50 -to-walk ratio ranked 10th among AL relievers. He’s pitched well lately, being scored upon just twice in his last 21 games since June 7, going 3-1 with one and posting a 0.90 ERA.

In his two-plus seasons in the majors, Oh is 11-12 with a 2.81 ERA, 41 saves and a 1.091 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). He’s averaged 2.1 walks and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Colorado also made another move Thursday in an effort to build up organizational bullpen depth. According to The

Athletic, the Rockies signed veteran reliever Santiago Casilla to a minor-league deal. Casilla, 38, posted a 3.16 ERA in 31

⅓ innings for Oakland this year, and has a 3.29 career ERA in 15 big-league seasons.

Kiszla: Get the woo out of here, Astros. With help of replay that detected fan interference, Rockies beat world champs.

Oh is a relative bargain, because the Rockies will only have to pay him about $500,000 for the rest of this season. His total salary is $1.75 million, and his contract has a $2.5 million club option for 2019 that can automatically vest if he reaches 70 appearances. Additionally, Oh’s contract is under club control through 2021.

The Rockies invested heavily in their bullpen during the offseason, spending $106 million to sign right-handers Wade

Davis and Bryan Shaw, and left-hander Jake McGee, to three-year deals. But the bullpen has been the team’s weak link, even as it’s stayed in the playoff hunt. Rockies relievers have a 5.26 ERA, the second-worst mark in the majors behind

Kansas City (5.46).

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The addition of Oh does not solve Colorado’s lack of an effective left-hander in the bullpen. McGee (5.97 ERA, 1.47

WHIP) and Chris Rusin have been less than reliable, and Rusin went to the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with right foot plantar fasciitis. Lefty Harrison came off the DL on Tuesday (right hip flexor strain) and he’s shown glimpses that he can be effective vs. left-handers.

Still, the Rockies will look to Oh to get out both right-handers and lefties. Oh has limited right-handed batters to a .168 average this season, but lefties have hit .315 against him. However, his career numbers against left-handers (.257) are solid.

Oh throws a rising four-seam fastball that averages about 92 mph, and also throws a slider, a changeup and a curveball.

According to Brooks Baseball, Oh’s rising fastball has been especially effective since June 7. He’s posted a 0.95 ERA and

1.53 FIP (fielding independent pitching) in 19 innings, allowing just one walk and one while striking out 25.

Spanberger, 22, a sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft, is hitting .316 with 22 home runs and 75 RBIs for Asheville.

Wall, 22, has split the season between High-A Lancaster and Double-A Hartford, batting a combined .260, with 70 runs, nine home runs, 17 doubles, six triples and 31 RBIs. He’s also stolen 28 bases in 93 games. He was selected with the

35th pick of the first round of the 2014 draft.

Looking ahead

Athletics LHP Sean Manaea (9-6, 3.38 ERA) at Rockies LHP (8-6, 3.28), 6:40 p.m, Friday; ATTRM, 850

AM

It would be unfair to say Freeland is in a slump, but he wasn’t quite as sharp in his last three starts as he had been previously. As a consequence, the left-hander didn’t complete six innings in any of those three starts. He pitched five innings in Colorado’s 6-5 win over Arizona at Colorado last Saturday, giving up four runs on five hits. Overall, however,

Freeland has remained steady, recording a 2.55 ERA over his last seven outings. He’s been terrific at Coors Field, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.76 ERA in eight starts this season. Manaea pitched well but came away with a no-decision

Sunday in Oakland’s 6-5 win over San Francisco. He was charged with two runs on four hits while striking out five across 7

6 ⅔ innings. It was his first start without allowing a home run or walk since June 22. and Chris Iannetta are the only two Rockies to have faced Manaea. Desmond is 4-for-11 (.364) with a home run, and Iannetta is 1-for-3 with a walk.

Saturday: Athletics LHP Brett Anderson (1-2, 6.08) at Rockies RHP (3-3, 5.55), 6:10 p.m., ATTRM

Sunday: Athletics RHP Frankie Montas (5-2, 3.35) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (8-8, 5.00), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM

Monday: Rockies LHP (6-3, 3.57) at Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (6-6, 3.39), 6:10 p.m., ATTRM

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In Seunghwan Oh, the Rockies added a reliable reliever and a Coors Field concern

Nick Groke | TheAthletic.com | Jul 26, 2018

DENVER — When the Yankees first pushed for Seunghwan Oh in 2013, the “Final Boss” was already a legend for the

Samsung Lions in the Korea Baseball Organization. New York scouts saw a stone-cold closer, a wily right-handed reliever with tricks up his sleeve.

He instead signed a lucrative deal with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon , for 900 million yen, or about $8 million. When the major leagues finally beckoned him in 2016 — the Cardinals signed him for two years and $5 million — Oh was a 33-year-old veteran seemingly on his last legs. But the “Final Boss” found a new beginning and Oh excelled as the Cardinals closer, then again for the Blue Jays this season.

On Wednesday, the Rockies agreed to trade two minor-league prospects and a player to be named later for Oh in a deadline week deal meant to add trust to Colorado’s bullpen. The deal, confirmed to The Athletic through multiple sources

Wednesday and made official Thursday, will send Oh to Colorado for Double-A outfielder Forrest Wall and Single-A Chad Spanberger.

Wall, 22, a 2014 first-round high school pick out of in 2014, is a catch, an athletic defender who can hit for power.

Spanberger, 22, is a 6-foot-3, left-swinging first baseman and sixth-round pick out of Arkansas last year. He was the SEC

Tournament MVP last year and the home run derby champ this year.

Oh, though, is the prize. Now 36 and in his third stateside season, Oh (“sewn-whan oh”) immediately adds some reliability to a Colorado bullpen that has suffered from a lack of it this season, despite a $106 million overhaul in the winter.

The back end of the Rockies bullpen now lines up with closer Wade Davis, who signed a $52 million contract before the season, Adam Ottavino and Oh. But Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee, who signed for a combined $54 million in the winter as late-inning arms, are still finding their way. That unreliability led to Oh.

“How many times have you heard me say it?” Rockies manager Bud Black said Wednesday. “We have eight guys in the pen. We need six guys throwing well at one time. If you have all eight guys, that would be awesome. But in reality it

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doesn’t happen. And for the longest time, we had maybe three or four guys at a time. And when you use three or four relievers a night and two aren’t throwing well? Heads up. Rough action.”

But how dependable is Oh?

On the surface, his numbers seem stout. In three major-league seasons, he twice pitched to above-average outcomes, with a 1.92 ERA (and a park- and league-adjusted 212 ERA+ — where 100 is average and higher is better) with St. Louis in 2016 and a 2.68 ERA (158 ERA+) this season with Toronto. He compiled 39 saves over two seasons with the

Cardinals, so he has recent ninth-inning experience. But his 4.10 ERA (103 ERA+) last year, as his WHIP spiked to 1.399, led to the Cardinals letting him walk.

The Rockies saw in Oh one of the better relievers available at the deadline, if not a mind-blowing addition. Here is Oh among other relievers who seem to be on the trade block or have already been traded (marked with *), ranked by ERA:

Pitcher, team IP K/9 WAR FIP ERA

Jared Hughes, Reds 50.0 7.0 0.9 3.06 1.44

Raisel Iglesias, Reds 42.0 9.9 0.3 3.88 2.36

Joakim Soria, Brewers* 36.0 11.3 1.2 2.20 2.75

Seunghwan Oh, Rockies* 44.2 10.7 0.8 3.10 2.82

Jeurys Familia, Athletics* 40.2 9.5 1.2 2.53 2.88

Fernando Rodney, Twins 34.2 10.1 0.5 3.61 3.12

Ryan Pressly, Twins 44.2 13.5 0.7 2.94 3.63

Zach Britton, Yankees* 14.2 8.0 0.0 4.30 3.68

Brad Ziegler, Marlins 47.0 6.5 -0.5 4.72 4.40

Brad Brach, Orioles 36.1 9.4 0.5 3.61 4.46

Ken Giles, Astros 30.2 9.1 0.7 2.26 4.99

Oh’s details are more curious. He throws a four-seam fastball with rise, two unique sliders, a changeup and a curveball and he will alter his delivery to throw off the timing of hitters, something Chris Rusin deploys so well.

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But that rising fastball is concerning. When it works, Oh can miss barrels and force pop outs and fly balls. But groundballs are certainly preferable to fly balls. And his 50.4 fly-ball percentage ranks 13th in baseball among relievers. The next nearest Rockies regulars are Harrison Musgrave (40.7 percent) and McGee (40.4). McGee has a rising, tailing fastball, but it can get him in trouble at Coors Field, and he is throwing nearly three times as many curveballs this season to compensate.

A fly-ball at Coors Field can be alarming. Kyle Kendrick had a sturdy arm and 74 career wins over eight seasons in

Philadelphia when the Rockies signed him in 2015. But his 34 percent fly-ball rate spiked to 39 percent — and so did the home runs. He gave up 2.09 homers per nine innings, by far the worst mark in baseball.

Oh is allowing only 0.96 home runs per nine this season, which would rank third-best among Rockies. Only Ottavino and

Scott Oberg are giving up fewer homers.

So the Rockies added a strike-throwing reliever with plenty of experience. Black can rely in him to fill up the zone, churn some strikeouts and never waiver in confidence. They also added some airball concern.

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Rockies-Astros Series Grades: Going toe-to-toe with the champs

Andre Simone | BSNDenver.com | July 27, 2018

The have won a lot of series lately, but this was a big test hosting the defending champion Houston

Astros, one of the most heavily featured squads in our list of MLB DPR leaders.

Going against Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton—two of the top-20 starters per our in-house metric—made that test even greater. Considering all that, taking the Astros into the 9th inning in both games was quite the win, even if Colorado ended up splitting the series.

As we do after each series, using our advanced statistics and our in-house all-encompassing metric DPR, here are our individual grades.

Note: The scores below are each player’s average DPR for the series. All Rockies stats can be found here.

Charlie Blackmon (96.27 — ⭐): Blackmon had a huge series and not just because of his walk-off homer. He had a hit each game, with a double in game one, and reached the base pads three times in game two with two walks and the game-winning jack. His WPA in game two was an insane .490, giving him a single game DPR of 152, his third highest of the season and by far the highest since April.

His DPR would’ve been even greater in the series if not for two strikeouts in game one—his error in that game isn’t accounted for here but was really his biggest blimp in an otherwise great showing.

Nolan Arenado (52.74 — C-): Nolan’s big contribution in the two games was a double in game one that he eventually scored on. He managed one hit in eight ABs with no walks or strikeouts for the series.

Trevor Story (29.31 — F): This was Story’s worst series in July per DPR, though, in fairness he did have some extraordinary defensive plays that aren’t accounted for by our metric. His game one performance with two strikeouts and a

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negative WPA really lowered his score. Game two wasn’t as bad, as Story got a single and a walk, though, he still struck out once and was caught stealing.

Story also had an error in game one which isn’t accounted for in his DPR score.

Ian Desmond (68.07 — B-): Desmond had another solid series, as his DPR average on the season keeps on rising. He had three singles in eight ABs and could’ve had an even higher grade if not for a strikeout in game one, his positive WPA in both games helped him.

Carlos Gonzalez (66.06 — B-): CarGo added an RBI in both games as he had an RBI double in game one and then got a homer in game two. A solid series despite having three strikeouts in the two outings, which resulted in a negative WPA in game two.

Garrett Hampson (64.18 — C+): Hampson continues to hit, as he was consistent getting on base in each game including a triple in game two. He also had a walk in the two matchups with Houston while only striking out once in eight plate appearances.

Gerardo Parra (36.26 — D-): Parra tied up game one with an RBI single, but he struck out five times in the series, walking only once. In just a two-game series that brought on his low grade.

Tom Murphy (67.29 — B-): Murphy appeared in one AB in the 10th inning in game one with things already out of hand, his grade here is reflected purely on what he did in game two in which he started and was a solid contributor. The catcher got two hits with a double giving him his high score and a positive WPA. He also struck out twice.

Chris Iannetta (27.68 — F): Appearing in only game one, Iannetta had little to show in the series as he had all of two ABs and struck out once.

Tyler Anderson (83.35 — A-): Anderson battled Gerrit Cole masterfully after allowing two runs in the opening inning—one earned. In 90 pitches Anderson was efficient inducing 10 ground ball outs and only allowing three hits in 7.1 innings. He

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did walk three while only striking out four and his 5.07 FIP also lowered his score. Overall, it was a fantastic outing from the big lefty keeping the Rockies in it right to the very end.

Jon Gray (91.16 — A+): Gray was terrific once again, with slightly lower K numbers—six—but much more efficient ground ball to fly ball ratios (11-to-5). In seven innings the Rox aspiring ace only allowed one hit off of 97 pitches. Since returning his average DPR is of 89.24, an off-the-charts figure. If he can keep that up Colorado will be hard to beat.

Adam Ottavino (99.79 — ⭐): Otto was masterful in two outings against the Astros high-powered offense throwing less than 10 pitches in both games and striking out four in the two matches. His strike percentage was ridiculously high as he only threw three balls off of 17 pitches the entire series. He was simply dominant.

Wade Davis (24.31 — F): Game one was Davis’ first game in which he was asked to pitch for more than one inning and he fell apart in the 10th, allowing five runs off of four hits while conceding a two-run jack. His 13.69 FIP and -.341 WPA were Davis’ worst of the month.

He was able to shut things down in game two after walking one with two Ks and a ground ball out, getting the win in the process. However, his -28 DPR in game one really hurt his grade in the series.

Yency Almonte (7.44 — F): Almonte came into game one when the Astros had already done their damage to Davis, he allowed three hits and one run in 0.2 innings in the 10th, the first earned runs he’s allowed all season.

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Rockies sign former Giants closer

Drew Creasman | BSNDenver.com | July 27, 2018

DENVER – One day after acquiring Seunghwan Oh from the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rockies have added yet another quality arm to bolster their bullpen depth.

Colorado has signed former Giants closer Santiago Casilla to a minor league deal after his subsequent release from the

Oakland Athletics last week.

As a reliever with the A’s this season, Casilla pitched to a 3.16 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP over 31.1 innings, which has been valued at 0.5 WAR.

Casilla spent some time on the 10-day DL in late May with shoulder discomfort. Since his return from rehab on June 12, he’s thrown 9.2 innings with a 2.79 ERA, with seven hits, six walks and nine strikeouts.

The Dominican born reliever joins a relief corps in Albuquerque that includes Jerry Vasto, Carlos Estevez and Brooks

Pounders.

During his time with the between 2010-16, Casilla won three and amassed 123 saves.

This move shows both the GM Jeff Bridich is still in buying mode and that he isn’t locked into one concept of what type of player he wants to acquire moving forward. Adding Oh is a move that will immediately impact the 25-man roster and could even, given certain circumstances, end up being an addition of a player who closes out vital games down the stretch.

On the other side, Casilla is depth for now, but excellent depth at that. His experience and Bud Black’s familiarity with the long-time NL-West reliever, are likely to serve him well at earning a 40-man spot for September should he perform well in

Albuquerque.

The roster crunch will be a difficult one for Colorado, though. Of the players currently on the 40-man, 37 have MLB experience and can be seen as either potentially quite valuable moving forward but maybe just not yet like Jerry, Sam

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Howard, or guys who have been valuable in short spurts and have even been relied upon and come through in critical moments like , Noel Cuevas, Mike Tauchman.

Then there’s the third category of guys who are still a little farther away but who have proven themselves to be important to the organization. This includes Jesus Tinoco, outfielder , and catcher Chris Rabago.

A case could be made for keeping each of these players and a case could be made for most that even if they were to be designated for assignment to clear room for Oh or someone in the near future (, Brendan Rodgers) they could pass through waivers and return to the Rockies system.

Though, they lost lefty-reliever Zac Rosscup to the in such a fashion.

If Colorado becomes especially concerned that they might lose one of these valuable players in a roster crunch, they may decide it more prudent, should a proper proposal be on the table, to have any further trades include at least one player already on the 40-man roster.

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Starting with Oakland A’s tonight, Rockies schedule incredibly tough for next three weeks

Rich Kurtzman | MileHighSports.com | July 27, 2018

Trevor Story has been a rising star for the Rockies this season. Credit: Russell Lansford, USA TODAY Sports.

Welcome to the most difficult part of your schedule, Colorado Rockies.

And this isn’t just a difficult stretch, it’s an onslaught of seven straight winning teams over the next 24 days, with one day off in between.

Starting tonight, the third-place Rockies (54-47) host the Oakland Athletics (61-43) in a three-game series over the weekend. We give you the series preview here, as the Rockies try to keep on their hot streak, going 8-2 over their last 10 games. Which, ironically, is the same record over the last 10 for the A’s.

It won’t be easy this weekend at Coors Field.

Then, the Rockies go on a seven-game, NL Central road trip and visit the St. Louis Cardinals (51-51) for four games before heading to face the Brewers (59-46) for three games in Milwaukee. Luckily for Colorado, they’re one of the best road teams in all of baseball, with a 30-23 record away from Coors this season.

The purple and black head back home to host the solid Pittsburgh Pirates (53-51) for three games, before the NL West- leading Dodgers (57-46) come to Denver for four games.

Then, Colorado is back on the road for a vastly important six-game road trip in mid-August, heading to face the Astros

(67-37) in Houston for two contests, then enjoying their one day off, before playing four at the (54-45).

Add it all up and that’s seven straight series for the Rockies against winning teams. Combined, the records of those seven opponents are 402-319, a .558 winning percentage overall.

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Simply stated, the Rockies want to make the postseason for a second straight year, and if they are to accomplish that feat, they’ll have to find a way to beat multiple good teams, sometimes, on the road. This three-week stretch will be crucial in terms of either holding onto their above .500 record, or losing it and wondering what could have been.

Colorado’s been hot as of late, putting together all aspects of their game on a daily basis. And after the heartbreak loss to

Houston on Tuesday night in extras, the Rockies bounced back to beat the defending world champs with a walk-off winner by .

They know what it will take to beat very good, and sometimes better, teams; now, Colorado’s got to make it happen.

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Colorado Rockies Top 10 Prospects Updated

Marc Hulet | Fangraphs.com | July 27, 2018

The Rockies system is strong, led by a collection of impressive . The biggest weakness, though, is that lack of pitching depth.

1. Brendan Rodgers | SS | AA —> Selected in the first round back in 2015, Rodgers should be ready for his first taste of

The Show in 2019. He’s having an OK year in double-A but his aggressiveness continues to limit his overall offensive value. He’s walking a little more but he still needs to wait for better pitches to drive at times. He’s showing good power, which should play nicely in Colorado and he has 17 home runs in 84 games (as well as 21 doubles). I don’t know if he’ll be a star but he should be a very productive player.

2. Colton Welker | 3B | A+ —> I’ve been a huge Welker fan since he was stolen in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Just

20, he’s having a strong season in high-A. He’s shown the consistent ability to hit for average and he’s doing a good job of controlling the strike zone. He has raw power that he has yet to fully tap into, which will only further increase his value as he approaches the Majors. Currently blocked at third base by , Welker could eventually replace him, or perhaps move to right field where his strong arm would continue to be an asset.

3. Peter Lambert | RHP | AAA —> Prior to this year, Lambert was always a fringe Top 10 guy but he’s made huge strides over the past three months. He’s now the Rockies’ best pitching prospect although he projects as more of a middle-of-the- rotation arm capable of chewing up innings and inducing lots of ground-ball outs. He throws tons of strikes but doesn’t miss a lot of bats. He appears well-suited for pitching roughly half his games in Colorado.

4. | IF | AAA —> Another player I’ve been a big fan of for a few years now, Hampson doesn’t have much power but he does a little bit of everything else. He’s athletic and can play all over the diamond, including shortstop. He’s fast on the base paths and already has 31 steals this season. And he realizes he needs to get on base to take advantage of that skill; he constantly posts strong walk rates. He could be a Marwin Gonzalez type of player who plays all over but sees his name on the lineup card almost every day.

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5. Ryan Vilade | SS | A —> As if the Rockies don’t already have enough infield prospects. Vilade is having a modest season in low-A ball but he’s also just 19. He’s showing gap pop (which should develop into plus game power) and a willingness to get on base via the walk. Vilade should be able to stick at shortstop but he also has the arm for third base or right field.

6. Tyler Nevin | 1B/3B | A+ —> Selected in the same draft as Rodgers (38th overall), Nevin has moved a little more slowly but is starting to really tap into his potential. He’s having a solid year in high-A ball but needs to be a little more patient and start to develop more loft to his swing to tap into his raw power. He’s played a lot of third base but should eventually settle in at first base.

7. Grant Lavigne | 1B | SS —> One of the Rockies top picks in 2018, he could skyrocket up this list. He’s showing an advanced approach for his age and has a 1.058 OPS through 20 pro games. He has massive power potential but will need to watch the swing-and-miss in his game if he’s going to realize his full potential as he moves up the ladder.

8. | LHP | SS —> The Rockies top pick in 2018, Rolison is a big, strong left-handed pitcher who projects to develop into an innings-eating, mid-rotation starter. He has a three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, curveball and changeup.

9. | RHP | SS —> Pint is a project. He can hit triple digits, has a great pitcher’s frame and the potential for four average-or-better offerings. Unfortunately, he struggles with his delivery and hasn’t been able to throw strikes. In three appearances in 2018, he’s walked 10 batters in 7.1 innings.

10. Daniel Montano | OF | R —> This might be an aggressive ranking for Montano but I’m a fan of this 19 year old. He’s having a solid North American debut in the advanced rookie league as a teenager. He has the potential to hit for average, gap pop and steal some bases. He’s showing a willingness to take a walk but needs to trim his strikeout rate a bit as he gains more experience.

Just Missed:

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Breiling Eusebio | LHP | A —> Eusebio shows good stuff for a lefty but needs to improve his command. He’ll lose valuable development time while recovering from recent Tommy John surgery.

Jesus Tinoco | RHP | AA —> Signed by the Blue Jays way back in 2011, Tinoco has faced a long, twisting road through the minors due to inconsistencies. Originally more of a command/control guy, the right-hander’s stuff has improved along the way and he’s more of a power pitcher now. He’s probably better suited for a bullpen and could see his stuff tick up even more with the switch.

Sam Hilliard | OF | AAA —> Another 2015 pick making good, Hilliard is a big guy who struggles to control his long levers at the plate, which leads to lots of strikeouts. Still, he’s very athletic, runs well and can put a charge in the ball when he makes contact.

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Friday by Comparison: Rockies Finding Comfort vs. AL

Tracy Ringolsby | InsidetheSeams.com | July 27, 2018

The Rockies go into their weekend inter-league series against the A's with an 8-5 record. The.615 winning percentage would be the third best in franchise history in inter-league play. The Rockies have seven games remaining against AL teams -- three with the A's at Coors Field this weekend, and two-game visits to Anaheim and Houston next month. If they win four of those games they will set a franchise record with 12 inter-league victories in a season.

ROCKIES INTER-LEAGUE YEAR-BY-YEAR

Season W L Pct Sv SvOP ERA AVG

2009 11 4 0.733 8 9 4.02 0.254

2006 11 4 0.733 3 7 2.96 0.248

2018 8 5 0.615 3 4 4.6 0.242

2003 9 6 0.6 5 6 6 0.313

2010 9 6 0.6 4 5 4.43 0.274

1997 9 7 0.563 2 4 5.43 0.297

2007 10 8 0.556 4 7 3.94 0.278

2011 8 7 0.533 5 8 5.06 0.289

2017 10 10 0.5 5 7 3.61 0.26

2000 6 6 0.5 1 4 6.39 0.305

2008 7 8 0.467 5 9 3.79 0.264

2016 9 11 0.45 6 12 5.72 0.282

2004 8 10 0.444 5 8 5.98 0.307

2005 6 9 0.4 3 4 4.84 0.298

2002 7 11 0.389 4 7 5.82 0.299

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Season W L Pct Sv SvOP ERA AVG

2014 7 13 0.35 1 2 5.41 0.288

1999 4 8 0.333 2 3 6.06 0.29

1998 4 8 0.333 2 3 6.04 0.309

2015 5 15 0.25 3 5 5.84 0.287

2013 5 15 0.25 2 2 4.84 0.271

2001 2 10 0.167 0 1 6.38 0.301

2012 2 13 0.133 0 2 6.41 0.319

The Rockies have the third best record in franchise history after 101 games. It is only the seventh time they have had a winning inter-league record after 101 games.

Year W L W-L% RS RA Rdiff Twl Rank Postseason

2017 58 43 0.574 542 490 52 87-75 3 Wildcard

2009 54 47 0.535 499 453 46 92-70 2 Wildcard

2018 54 47 0.535 490 499 -9 TDB TBD TBD

1995 53 48 0.525 547 534 13 77-67 2 Wildcard

1996 53 48 0.525 615 618 -3 83-79 3

2010 51 50 0.505 469 448 21 83-79 3

2007 51 50 0.505 490 487 3 90-73 2 NL Pennant

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Colorado Rockies: Here comes another grueling stretch

Aaron Hurt | RoxPile.com | July 27, 2018

This is beginning to sound like a broken record. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about this topic but, once again, the

Colorado Rockies enter another grueling juncture in the schedule. This time, they play 17 games in, you guessed it, 17 days. Didn’t the Players Association agree to extra off days in the schedule to avoid this problem this past offseason? But I digress.

Of course, being in the middle of a playoff race with 61 games left in the season, every stretch is crucial for the Colorado

Rockies, but this one seems to be just as significant … if not more than the last.

The breakdown of the next 17 games look like this: 10 homes games, seven road, three interleague games, no opponents under .500, opponents combined winning percentage .541 (as of Thursday, a combined 42 games over .500), and only four games within the division.

It says a lot when the easiest portion of this stretch includes a four-game series at the currently .500 St. Louis Cardinals and a three-game set at Coors against the surging Pittsburgh Pirates, who are coming off a recent 11-game winning streak.

The 17 straight games finally concludes with an all-important four-game series against the West division-leading Dodgers.

The Rockies did have the luxury of the Thursday off day yesterday, allowing time to make the all-important rotation decision, which our Jake Shapiro wrote about, until after this weekend. This allows the Rockies to continue carrying an extra bat on the bench for a few more days and not be forced to make multiple roster moves with the finalization of the

Seunghwan Oh trade.

If they can some how finish above .500 in the 17 games considering their opponents and having zero days off, it would be a success.

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The road to Rocktober is going to be rough. With 51 of 61 games against teams with at least a .500 record and 30 games left within the West, these 17 games are just the tip of the iceberg. So it’s time for the Rockies to bare down and get past this tough stretch before the next one starts in September when they play 19 games in a row … all against NL West foes in the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. I’m sure I will have something to say about that when the time comes.

One final note: I took a little heat on some of the message boards for my recent apology to Ian Desmond. Most of it revolved around his defense … or lack thereof. Right on cue, Desmond committed an error that led to a run on

Wednesday night and then bobbled another grounder that may have turned into an inning-ending .

For the record, I never stated that he was a good defender at first base. He has become adequate enough to have gained the trust from the other infielders, but he is definitely still a work in progress. I also stated that I reserve the right to resume criticizing him if the reverts back to his early season struggles so I hope this clears up some of the confusion.

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