MEDIA CLIPS – July 18, 2017

Rox seek 3rd straight win in Senzatela's return

By Max Gelman / MLB.com | 9:36 AM ET

Antonio Senzatela's demotion to -A Albuquerque was short-lived, as the young right-hander will make his return for the Rockies on Tuesday to start against the Padres and Dinelson Lamet. Colorado has won back-to-back games for the first time since a six-game streak from June 14-20.

Senzatela will be making his first MLB start since June 22 when he gave up nine runs in five innings to the D-backs. He made two relief appearances following that outing and was then optioned to Albuquerque for a start. He threw 3 1/3 innings for the Isotopes on July 13 and gave up one on four hits.

While in the bullpen, Senzatela's fastball velocity jumped. His fastball averaged 94 mph in June, but in relief, it averaged

95.3 mph.

"I got to see the game from a different view," Senzatela said of his relief outings. "It taught me to go in, be more aggressive and finish the hitter real quick. I worked quick, and I felt good. I looked to get out there hitter in two or three pitches -- dominate."

For the Padres, Lamet will make his first career start against the Rockies. The young righty has a 5.93 ERA in 41 innings.

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It's been all or nothing for Lamet through his first eight big league starts. The rookie has a legit three-pitch mix, and all three project as Major League-caliber out pitches. He's had problems, however, locating those pitches at times. He walked four and allowed six runs over four innings in in his last start.

"It's a fastball that plays up in the zone and as good a slider as anybody's in the game," said Padres Andy

Green. Command is his struggle. If he's got his command and is attacking aggressively, it's really good stuff."

Things to know about this game

• Lamet has also had much more success against right-handed batters than vs. lefties. Righties are hitting just .135 (10- for-74) off Lamet, while lefties have .306 (26-for-85).

• Senzatela has made two starts against the Padres this season, pitching to a 2.77 ERA (four earned runs in 13 innings).

The Rockies won both of those games, 3-2 on April 11 and 11-3 on May 3.

• Padres catcher Austin Hedges missed his third straight start on Monday because of concussion symptoms and is unlikely to return to action Tuesday.

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Blackmon Rox' Heart and Hustle Award winner

By Manny Randhawa / MLB.com | 9:04 AM ET

The Players Alumni Association revealed the 30 preliminary winners of the 2017 Heart and Hustle

Award on Tuesday. The honor is the only one voted on by former players, and is bestowed each year upon the active player who most represents a passion for the game of baseball, and best embodies the values, spirit and tradition of the game.

Past winners of the Heart and Hustle Award include David Eckstein (2005), Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (2006,

2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike

Trout (2012), Dustin Pedroia(2013), (2014), (2015) and Todd Frazier (2016).

The 30 preliminary winners for 2017 are:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Baltimore Orioles:

Boston Red Sox: Rick Porcello

Chicago White Sox: Avisail Garcia

Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez

Detroit Tigers:

Houston Astros: Josh Reddick

Kansas City Royals:

Los Angeles Angels:

Minnesota Twins: Byron Buxton

New York Yankees: Brett Gardner

Oakland Athletics: Yonder Alonso

Seattle Mariners: Nelson Cruz

Tampa Bay Rays: Logan Morrison

Texas Rangers: Elvis Andrus

Toronto Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar

NATIONAL LEAGUE 3

Arizona Diamondbacks:

Atlanta Braves:

Chicago Cubs:

Cincinnati Reds: Adam Duvall

Colorado Rockies:

Los Angeles Dodgers:

Miami Marlins: J.T. Realmuto

Milwaukee Brewers: Hernan Perez

New York Mets:

Philadelphia Phillies: Freddy Galvis

Pittsburgh Pirates: Adam Frazier

San Diego Padres: Clayton Richard

San Francisco Giants:

St. Louis Cardinals: Jedd Gyorko

Washington Nationals:

"This year's Heart and Hustle Award winners are a true representation of the legacy of the game and the players who have come before them," said Hall of Fame Brooks Robinson, president of the MLBPAA. "It is clear that these 30 men chosen all play the game with relentless pursuit."

Voting for the 30 preliminary players took place before the All-Star break. Thirty voting committees were formed, comprised of alumni players with established relations to each team, to select the winners. Each of the winners will be recognized prior to an upcoming home game for their team, beginning with the Braves on Wednesday.

Toward the end of the season, all alumni and active players will vote for a final winner from among the 30 teams. The final winner will be announced on Nov. 14, during the 18th annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City.

The Legends for Youth Dinner is the primary fundraiser for the series of free Legends for Youth clinics that are held around the country, which have enabled more than 16,000 kids to learn from and interact with players who have left a lasting impact on the game.

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Rockies' early charge holds up vs. Padres

By AJ Cassavell and Thomas Harding / MLB.com | 2:14 AM ET

DENVER -- Charlie Blackmon opened the bottom of the first with a homer off the face of the third deck and right- hander German Marquez tied a career high with nine in 6 2/3 innings as the Rockies defeated the Padres, 9-6,

Monday night at to pull to a half-game behind the D-backs for the first Wild Card.

Blackmon's 22nd homer of the season came off Padres starter Luis Perdomo (4-5), who yielded seven runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. drove in three runs and Gerardo Parra added his eighth homer of the season, a solo shot in the seventh, to help the Rockies to their second straight victory -- something that hadn't happened since a six-game streak from June 14-20.

"It has felt like a while," Story said. "We've been swinging it well and pitching well these last two games. We'll see what we can put together."

Marquez (7-4) -- mixing his fastball and breaking pitches with the best he has displayed all season -- gave up a Jabari Blash two-run homer to dead center in the second inning and a Carlos Asuaje RBI in the seventh but otherwise shut down the Padres -- who had won their previous two games and 12 of their last 19. Marquez, a rookie, also fanned nine Padres on June 2 at , but took an 8-5 loss.

"My fastball, at first, wasn't working as well, but when I go to the third inning I had really good command of it," Marquez said.

Manager said Marquez's pitch mix, especially the ability to go offspeed when behind in the count, showed growth.

"Those are the things that good do, and he'll need to do that moving forward," Black said.

After Marquez left the game, the Padres went to work against the Rockies' bullpen. Hector Sanchez -- filling in for Austin Hedges again -- made it three straight games with a homer when he hit an eighth-inning leadoff shot off Jake McGee. It was only his second hit right-handed all season.

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"You never put a guy in the lineup the first time in a while and expect him to homer in three straight games," said Padres manager Andy Green. "But he's got that kind of power. He's got it from both sides of the plate."

The homer sparked a three-run rally that saw put the potential tying run on first base and Colorado exhaust four relievers, as Adam Ottavino, Scott Obergand Mike Dunn followed McGee. Dunn got Asuaje to fly out to center to end the threat with the Rockies holding an 8-6 lead.

Closer Greg Holland put down the ninth with his Majors-leading 29th save in 30 opportunities. Holland fanned the first two hitters, yielded Jose Pirela's , then ended it with a Matt Szczur grounder.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Quality time: The Rockies went into Monday 6-15 since June 21, and lack of quality at-bats was a chief reason. In those

21 games, according to Statcast™, the Rockies had a .221 expected batting average (xBA) -- third-lowest in the Majors and ahead of only the Padres' .208 in the NL over that time. But the Rockies' five-run third was full of at-bats that saw them swing at strikes and lay off balls. Blackmon, Mark Reynolds and walked, and the big hit was Story's two-run double. The Rockies forced Perdomo to exhaust 36 pitches, though Erick Aybar's error to load the bases with no outs didn't help.

"Yesterday, we had some good at-bats in New York, and we talked about it in our hitters' meeting -- about the at-bats yesterday and trying to carry that over," Black said.

Execution kills Padres' chances: Reliever Craig Stammen and leadoff hitter Manuel Margot singled to open the fifth, with the Padres trailing, 7-2, and needing a rally. The latter hit possibly could have been a double, but Stammen, unused to baserunning, didn't get a good read and had to stop at second. Marquez grasped control of the inning when he fielded

Asuaje's bunt and threw to third in time to erase Stammen. Then Marquez completed a scoreless inning by striking out Wil Myerslooking and Sanchez on a check-swing.

"Down five, he's trying to put another guy on base," Green said of Asuaje's bunt. "If Manny Margot's on second base, that play probably works. But with Craig Stammen on second base, that's a little overambitious."

QUOTABLE

"Whether it was [starting] at Coors Field for the first time or the long layoff, he clearly wasn't his typical self. He didn't have his normal sink, wasn't locating much of anything. He got squared up a couple times in the first inning, and after that he kind of pitched away from contact." -- Green, on Perdomo

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"The last couple days, we've done a really good job of putting good at-bats together. And when you do that, you're gonna be able to take advantage of guys that don't have their best stuff or make a mistake or walk someone here or there." --

Blackmon, on how the improved approach worked against Perdomo

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Sanchez had never homered in consecutive games before his run of three straight this week. The Padres' backup backstop has 10 hits this season. Six have left the yard.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

With one out in the fifth, Tony Wolters lifted a popup into shallow left, leaving Story (on first base at the time) in no-man's land. Uncertain whether the ball would be caught, Story paused halfway to second base. When Jose Pirela made a running catch and throw, Story had to scamper back to first. Initially, he was ruled safe, but the call was reversed after a manager challenge.

Leading off the bottom of the eighth, Rockies catcher Tony Wolters struck out on a foul tip, but Wolters shook his hand in pain as if he'd been hit by a pitch. Bud Black asked the umpires to initiate a crew chief review, but replays were inconclusive and the call would stand. The was non-consequential, however, as the Rockies scored a run later that inning on DJ LeMahieu's , padding their lead to 9-6.

WHAT'S NEXT

Padres: The Padres have fallen in love with Dinelson Lamet's three-pitch mix, and it's easy to see why. But the rookie right-hander has struggled with command over his first eight big league outings. Lamet starts the middle game Tuesday at

Coors Field with first pitch slated for 5:40 p.m. PT.

Rockies: The Rockies are recalling to make his first Major League start since June 22 for Tuesday's

6:40 p.m. MT matchup with the Padres. Senzatela was demoted in early July after shifting to the bullpen. He made one start for Triple-A Albuquerque, throwing 60 pitches in 3 1/3 innings while giving up one run on four hits.

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Story reinvigorated since All-Star break

By Max Gelman / MLB.com | 2:07 AM ET

DENVER -- The weeks heading into the All-Star break likely could not have been worse for Trevor Story at the plate.

From the beginning of the Rockies' eight-game losing streak on June 21 until the break, Story hit .190/.230/.259. He had

11 hits in 58 at-bats, struck out 27 times compared to two walks and saw his OPS drop 60 points.

But Story has seemed to kick it into gear. In four appearances (three starts) coming out of the break, he has gone 5-for-14 with three doubles and five RBIs.

"That rest was huge to just kinda reset, take a few days off, let your body heal up," Story said. "And mentally too it's big, just to kinda get away from the game a little bit and not think too much about it."

The break also seems to have helped Story work on his plate discipline. In Monday's 9-6 win over the Padres, Story snapped a streak of 20 straight games with a strikeout and drew a walk for the first time since July 3.

Story also opened the floodgates in the Rockies' big third inning Monday, driving a two-run double to left off Luis

Perdomo's 1-2 slider. His fifth-inning walk came after he fell behind 0-2 and fouled a couple pitches to work the count full.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Story has been performing better with two-strikes, taking shorter swings in such situations.

"He's taking a better approach in the overall at-bat," Black said. "It just doesn't happen overnight where you apply it into a game; this has gotta be a mindset by Trev to have at-bats like this."

Story agreed with his manager, saying he's made more mental adjustments recently rather than physical ones.

"Sometimes that mental side shows up as physical," the shortstop added.

Story was not alone in his offensive struggles to close the first half. Though the Rockies rank second in the National

League in runs scored following Monday, they averaged just 4.1 runs per game from June 21 to the All-Star break, a full run below their season average of 5.1. 8

Now that the Rockies have won back-to-back games for the first time since the start of that losing streak, with two high- scoring efforts against the Mets and Padres, Story said his team can use that as momentum to get their offense back in shape.

"We've definitely underperformed lately," Story said. "But [we're] getting back to how we usually swing it. I think it's contagious when we get a couple games stacked up like that, hopefully there's more to come."

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Bullpen struggles demonstrate Rockies' need

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 1:48 AM ET

DENVER -- Iffy eighth-inning relief pitching in the Rockies' 9-6 victory over the Padres on Monday night may have interjected excitement in what had been a lopsided game. More importantly, it may have illustrated the Rockies' biggest need heading into the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.

The excitement didn't hurt, because the Rockies made it to the ninth with the lead, and that's usually enough. Greg

Holland struck out two in a scoreless, one-hit ninth for his Majors-leading 29th save -- in 30 attempts. But there were some hairy turns before Holland took the ball.

• Lefty Jake McGee earned the final out to stop a seventh-inning rally, but he gave up Hector Sanchez's homer to open the eighth. Then he walked Jose Pirela and yielded a soft double to Matt Szczur.

• Righty Adam Ottavino worked a Jabari Blash sacrifice fly and retired Erick Aybaron a screaming liner. But he yielded an 0-2, RBI single to Allen Cordoba that made it 8-6.

• Righty gave up a single to Manuel Margot, the only batter he faced.

• Lefty Mike Dunn ended the madness by extracting a Carlos Asuaje fly ball.

"They had some good at-bats," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "I was just trying to get some matchups -- the right guys on the right guys."

McGee has emerged as primary setup man with a solid year. Even with Monday's hiccup, opponents are hitting .211 (30- for-142). Ottavino hasn't been sharp -- he has given up 13 runs and five homers in his last six appearances. Oberg has been up and down in his team-high 42 appearances, some at high leverage.

Dunn has mostly struggled since suffering a back injury in late April, but has quietly regained some form. He has yielded one hit in his last six appearances, covering 4 1/3 innings.

The Rockies are 48-3 when leading after seven innings, but slumps and the general requirements of a contender (they're a half-game out of the first National League Wild Card spot) dictate that more of the right guys -- indications are they would like to acquire two relief pitchers -- would be better.

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Holland's slider paying big dividends for Rox has been just as effective since returning from Tommy John surgery

By Matt Kelly / MLB.com | July 17th, 2017

Indians star Francisco Lindor faced some of baseball's best pitchers during Cleveland's run to the World Series last fall, but he'd never seen a quite like the one staring back at him in the eighth inning of the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.

The man on the mound, clad in Rockies pinstripes, had his arms raised high like he was about to throw a football. Then he lifted his leg, planted and let his back side collapse toward first base. The object in his hand shot out at Lindor, seemingly traveling in the opposite direction as the pitcher's body. Straight as an arrow, the pitch had to be a fastball at

Lindor's knees -- until suddenly it wasn't. Greg Holland's patented slider took a nosedive at the last second, and Lindor was left flailing.

Two more times, Holland threw Lindor what appeared to be his mid-90s fastball, and twice more Lindor swung meekly at a slider just above the dirt. Strike three, side retired, inning over. And another zero on the board as Holland walked off the mound.

Holland has quietly racked up a ton of these while pitching in small markets, first for the Royals and now the Rockies.

Whiffs, outs and saves -- lots of them. The right-hander converted an incredible 93 of his 98 save opportunities with

Kansas City from 2013-14, and this season -- his first time on the mound in more than a year -- has been much of the same. In the 29 times Holland has jogged in with a save on the line this year, Colorado has lost just once.

That's quite a return on investment for the Rockies, who signed Holland this past offseason on a one-year, $6 million flier.

Faced with a closer's worst nightmare -- a diminished fastball -- as he's worked his way back from Tommy John surgery,

Holland is thriving nonetheless. The closer maintains he doesn't keep track of his usage rates for each pitch, but the numbers say he's flipped the script from his peak dominance in 2014. Holland has swapped his four-seamer (54.6 percent in '14, 45.5 percent in '17) for his slider (42.8 percent in '14, 48.4 percent in '17) as his primary pitch, and that slider is as good as it's ever been, thanks in part to the downtick on Holland's heater.

"He's got the mental wherewithal and the calmness, the poise and the competitiveness to pitch in the ninth inning," said

Rockies manager Bud Black. "I knew what his stuff was from a distance, but the mental side of Greg is something I've come to appreciate." 11

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It all starts with Holland's one-of-a-kind delivery, one that a coach would never teach to a young pitcher. As Holland moves his weight forward, his body tumbles off to his left, while his pitches shoot out the other way. It's something Holland has always remembered doing.

"Some people are different with their mechanics, but that's just who I am," Holland said. "I think it adds to the deception.

I've been out there enough where I'm at the point where I might not be able to explain it, but I can feel it. I know when I'm releasing the ball whether my timing is weird or not."

Holland's fastball and slider both come out from almost the same release point over the top. Each of them begins on the same plane with nearly identical spin rates (2,289 rpm on the fastball and 2,166 rpm on the slider) and velocities that are often within six to eight mph of each other. Then, while Holland's fastball stays straight as a dart, his slider drops off the table -- almost in 12-to-6 fashion.

Holland's fastball and slider come out of the same release point, giving hitters little time to discern which pitch is coming.

"Most sliders don't have the downward action that [Holland]'s does, and a lot of that has to do with his delivery," said

Rockies pitching coach , who previously worked with Holland in Kansas City as the Royals' bullpen coach.

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"He keeps that slider on a straight line longer than most guys, and as a hitter I've got to decide, 'Is it a strike or isn't it?' in a split second."

Watch Holland pitch and you'll often see him throw his fastball and slider in identical spots. But the deception, along with the pitches' relative similarities in spin and velocity, keeps hitters from guessing on either offering. Opponents have gotten just eight hits off Holland's slider (all singles) in 63 at-bats in 2017, while whiffing on more than 50 percent of their swings.

Throw in a slower mid-70s breaking ball (which resembles more of a ) and an occasional splitter, and Holland is going with breaking balls on more than half of his pitches.

That's a rarity for a closer, but an effective strategy for Holland to play up his fastball's velocity. In fact, opponents are missing on a higher percentage of their swings against Holland's four-seamer this season (22.1 percent) than they did in

2014 (19.7 percent).

"Greg's fastball doesn't tail or run, it stays right on a line," said Foster. "So when he pairs it with that slider, it makes it look even harder because you don't know when it's coming."

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Confused hitters lead to bad swings, and Holland has seen plenty of those while holding opponents scoreless in 30 of his

35 appearances so far. As Colorado holds the second National League Wild Card with a 53-41 record, Holland may be the club's most important player as it tries for its first playoff berth in eight years. His 28 saves in the first half set a

Rockies record and already ranked as the 10th most in franchise history over any full season. And for a team that has already played in 16 one-run games -- winning 11 of them -- a shutdown closer has been essential.

"When you're growing up dreaming of being a big league pitcher, you're not dreaming of pitching in a 10-run game -- it's a tie game in the World Series" Holland said. "That adrenaline and excitement is what makes this game great, and I think all of us want to be in those situations. Embrace the big wins and embrace the close ones, too."

Right now the Rockies are embracing their $6 million gamble -- one that could become their ace in the hole come

October.

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Rox shuffle Senzatela back into rotation

By Max Gelman / MLB.com | July 17th, 2017

DENVER -- The Rockies will continue to juggle their rotation as manager Bud Black tries to limit his young starters' innings. The latest shift will see Antonio Senzatela put back in the mix.

Senzatela will return from Triple-A Albuquerque to start Tuesday against the Padres, Black said. The rookie right-hander made one start with the Isotopes, throwing 60 pitches in 3 1/3 innings while giving up one run on four hits. He'd made two relief appearances after being bumped from the rotation June 22 to conserve his arm.

Senzatela threw just 34 2/3 innings in 2016 with Double-A Hartford and made the jump to the Majors this season. He's thrown 96 2/3 total innings this year between Colorado and Albuquerque.

Additionally, 's calf strain threw a wrinkle into the plans. The Rockies will jump over his scheduled spot for Friday and go right to rookie Jeff Hoffman, Black said. The team's Thursday off-day will allow Hoffman, who last started Sunday vs. the Mets, to stay on regular rest.

Jon Gray, who started the Rockies' second-half opener, will start Wednesday's finale vs. the Padres.

Worth noting

• The Rockies also shook up their bullpen, optioning lefty Zac Rosscup to Albuquerque and recalling righty Jairo Diaz.

Rosscup made two appearances for the Rockies this season after being called up July 8. Both outings came over the weekend vs. the Mets, and he gave up one run on four hits in three innings. In Friday's opener in New York, Rosscup entered with the bases loaded and all three runners scored.

Diaz missed all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March that year. He threw one inning for the Rockies earlier this season, giving up three runs on four hits vs. the Giants.

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Rockies get cooking against the Padres, win consecutive games for first time in nearly a month “Just play hard and happy — it’s a game,” Gerardo Parra said.

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 17th, 2017

The last time the Rockies won consecutive games — an eon ago on June 20 — blasted a cycle-capping walk-off . Since then, they wandered a desert trail of ordinary, never pitching well enough to match the bats or failing to slug when the arms were slinging. They sank from first place to third in the National League West.

On Monday back at Coors Field, that oasis of good times, the Rockies jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 9-6 victory over the San Diego Padres in front of 37,561 fans in LoDo. Colorado, finally, won a second game in a row, after romping the Mets in New York, 13-4 on Sunday.

Gerardo Parra and Charlie Blackmon each hit solo home runs, Trevor Story knocked in three runs, and 22-year-old rookie right-hander German Marquez struck out nine Padres hitters as everything fell together, at least for seven innings.

“We’ve definitely underperformed lately,” Story said. “We got back to how we normally swing it. And it’s contagious. Once we get a couple games stacked up like that, hopefully there’s more to come.”

Two victories do not make a streak. But the Rockies have a hole to dig out from, and consecutive runaway wins are a step up. They are 11 games in the wake of the division-leading , yet the Rockies (54-41) moved 12 1/2 games ahead of the fourth-place Padres (40-52), who had won two in a row and seven of 10 coming in.

This is the Rockies’ lot: Their chances to win the West are fading toward black, but the playoffs are very much in play.

They are sitting strong in a wild-card spot. But after losing 15-of-20 games since Arenado’s highlight-reel homer way back when, Colorado’s hold on the postseason became tenuous.

“It’s still too early to be looking at the standings,” Desmond said. “We have some things to address and it looks like we are.”

What they hope will be a turnaround started Monday from the jump. After Marquez struck out Manuel Margot and Wil

Myers in the first, Blackmon led off the bottom half with a towering, 451-foot shot off the third deck facade in right field, his team-leading 22nd homer.

Story’s two-run double in the third helped the Rockies bat around their order in a five-run frame, giving them a 7-2 lead.

Parra’s looper to the left-field seats in the seventh made it 8-3.

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Marquez gave up a two-run homer in the second to light-hitting Jabari Blash, a who was hitting .195 with two homers coming in. But Marquez quickly settled in, forcing an inning-ending groundout to Arenado in the third.

He struck out five batters from the fourth and through the sixth innings, setting up a well-placed fastball with a roundhouse curve.

“There are a lot of keys to successful pitching, but keeping a hitter off balance and disrupting their timing is up at the top,”

Colorado manager Bud Black said. “With German, his ability to land some breaking balls and mix in some is good stuff. And when you can reach back and throw a 98 mph fastball, that’s an advantage as well.”

The Padres cut the lead to 8-6 in the top of the eighth as Colorado needed four relievers to get through the inning, but DJ

Lemahieu’s sacrifice fly brought home with a big insurance run in the bottom half for a three-run lead.

Rockies closer Greg Holland flushed away the ninth against four batters, including two strikeouts, for his 29th save in 30 chances.

“Just play hard and happy — it’s a game,” Parra said.

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David Dahl might not return this season for the Rockies; remains out of Colorado’s rotation Black acknowledged that Dahl’s extended absence with a stressed rib bone put the 23-year-old behind schedule

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 17th, 2017

David Dahl‘s return from an eccentric rib injury might tick away his clock this season. The Rockies finally returned to a baseball field last week and in four minor-league starts he has six hits. His opening in the majors, though, is closing.

“He didn’t have . This fella has to get at-bats,” Colorado manager Bud Black said Monday at Coors Field.

“So he will stay down there for awhile to get some at-bats. We’ll see if there’s a return to the big leagues or not.”

Black acknowledged that Dahl’s extended absence with a stressed rib bone — a freaky injury that prevented him from making rotational movements, including hitting — put the 23-year-old behind schedule in his second season.

“He has 15, 20 at-bats. That’s not very many,” Black said. “So he will stay down there for awhile to get some at-bats. This fella needs to hit and play well. He hasn’t played all season.”

Dahl hit .315 with a .500 slugging percentage last season over 63 games after a midseason call-up. His spot as the

Rockies’ starting left fielder seemed secure. But in his second Cactus League game during spring training, he felt a tenderness in his upper back. It was diagnosed as a rib injury.

He only returned last week, for two games at Double-A Hartford, before jumping to Triple-A. It left Dahl, one of the

Rockies’ top prospects before he debuted last season, a mystery to his manager.

“He’s talented. But I haven’t seen him play, except on video,” Black said.

Rotation manipulation. Doctors on Monday checked out veteran right-hander Tyler Chatwood after his abbreviated appearance in New York on Saturday. His diagnosis remains the same: A strained right calf. But his time on the disabled list will continue without a timetable for return, Black said.

In his place, rookie lefty Kyle Freeland pitched three hitless innings in his first career relief appearance. After a near no- hitter last week, Freeland has allowed just one hit over 11 1/3 innings.

“He got loose quickly, came in throwing strikes,” Black said. “He pitched with a great deal of aggressiveness. He was outstanding.”

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The Rockies, though, want to give Freeland a breather by putting him in the bullpen to limit his innings. So he will not start in Chatwood’s spot Friday. With an off day Thursday, rookie Jeff Hoffman will pitch on regular rest against the Pirates.

“Knowing these guys like I do, even though it’s been a short period of time, these guys are on board,” Black said. “No mental hangups about pitching in relief. And no excuses. That’s awesome. They just want to pitch.”

Antonio Senzatela, a rookie right-hander, will return to the rotation Tuesday against the Padres after his bullpen sojourn. Jon Graywill pitch Wednesday.

CarGo hold. Slumping right fielder Carlos Gonzalez did not start Monday, ceding his spot in the lineup to Gerardo Parra, but the Rockies will continue to let the slugger try to hit his way back to form.

“He had a nice stretch in late May, early June that hasn’t come back,” Black said. “There hasn’t been anything that we tried or he tried that has panned out. But believe me, it’s coming.”

Gonzalez his hitting just 4-for-33 over his past 10 games and his season average has dipped to .214.

“He’s frustrated. But man, he’s a good Rockie,” Black said. “He’s still working hard. And it’s gonna turn at some point. I wish I could tell you when. He’s been a pro, a team guy, very unselfish player. He’s doing everything he can. His preparation is outstanding.”

Diaz back. The Rockies recalled right-handed reliever Jairo Diaz and sent down lefty Zac Rosscup to Triple-A. Diaz returns after pitching one big-league inning this season, at San Francisco last month, when he allowed two earned runs on four hits. The 26-year-old missed all of 2016 after Tommy John surgery. “I feel really good,” Diaz said. “I’m here to do the best I can.”

Looking ahead …

Padres RHP Dinelson Lamet (3-3, 5.93 ERA) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela, (9-3, 4.63), Tuesday 6:40 p.m.,

AT&T SportsNet, 850 AM

The Rockies set aside Senzatela in his rookie campaign to preserve his innings, moving him to limited duty in the bullpen on June 23. The 22-year-old threw just 34 2/3 innings in Double-A last season and after a jump to the majors, he is already at 93 1/3. So the Rockies are playing cautious. His last start, against Arizona, resulted in nine runs over five innings of a loss. After three relief appearances, Senzatela made one start in Triple-A to build back into starter’s length.

He will return against a fellow rookie in Lamet, who has eight starts to his name. Nick Groke, The Denver Post

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Inside-the-park homer stands for Charlie Blackmon, even if the effort was unnecessary It was a stand-up, inside-the-park homer that never should have been

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 17th, 2017

Charlie Blackmon steamed around the bases Sunday like a runaway freight train. His effort should have been unnecessary. The Rockies’ all-star center fielder hit a home run, over the yellow line at New York’s Citi Field. But it bounced back onto the field and fooled nearly everyone in the ballpark, including the umpires.

So Blackmon chugged and lugged from first base to second, as the ball bounced back toward the infield, and from second to third as the Mets’ chased the ball like a dog-track rabbit, then all the way home. It was a stand-up, inside- the-park homer that never should have been.

“I had no idea. I saw it bouncing around out there,” Blackmon said Monday at Coors Field before the Rockies played the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series. “Off the bat, I didn’t know if I hit it well enough to get out. I was just running hard.”

The hit was a homer, and Blackmon should have been able to jog. Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra suggested Blackmon deserved two home runs on his stat sheet.

“Yes. I need two home runs for that,” Blackmon said.

It’s unlikely Major League Baseball will change the inside-the-park homer to a traditional shot. A homer is a homer.

As it stands, Blackmon became the first player in the big leagues with two inside-the-park homers in one season since Brandon Barnes did it for the Rockies in 2014. Blackmon slid into an undisputed inside-the-park homer April 21 at

San Francisco, where the outfield gaps play like canyons.

Blackmon’s 21 home runs this season were a team high entering Monday, two more than Mark Reynolds and three more than Nolan Arenado.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Rockies prepared to upgrade at deadline Colorado manager Bud Black joined MLB Network Radio Tuesday morning to talk about the trade deadline, Carlos Gonzalez, David Dahl, and more.

By Bryan Kilpatrick / Purple Row | July 17th, 2017

Rockies manager Bud Black joined MLB Network Radio’s Power Alley on Tuesday morning and alluded to the possibility that his 54-41 club be active at the trade deadline.

When asked by Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin about what the Rockies’ plan is heading into the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, Black didn’t offer the usual “stay the course” or “we like the guys we have” clichés. Instead, the Colorado skipper offered a glimpse of hope for a team trying to stay in command of a postseason spot.

“Teams are reaching out to us and [Rockies general manager] Jeff [Bridich] is reaching out to teams,” Black said. “We’re going to do everything we can to upgrade our ballclub.”

On MLB Network Radio’s sister station, SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, Bridich told Jim Bowden earlier in the day that the club would acquire “some kind of assistance to [its] bullpen” if any one move were to be made. So far, the

Rockies have shown interest in Marlins right-hander , according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver

Post and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Phelps owns a 3.45 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 47 innings this season.

While the Rockies have only been tied to Phelps, the reliever market is flush with arms.

Neither Black nor Bridich specifically mentioned the possibility of getting offensive help, despite the Rockies being linked to Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez. That could be because David Dahl is getting ready to return in the near future, despite what a recent Denver Post report indicates.

“Buddy was misquoted there,” Bridich said during his radio spot, and Black concurred.

“What I said yesterday afternoon is that David needs his at-bats. Right now, it’s his spring training.”

The Rockies have until the end of the month to decide whether to activate Dahl from the disabled list or option him to the minors, and it appears they’re going to take their time. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be back this season.

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“As far as the major leagues, I expect [Dahl] to be back if he produces and performs at the minor league level to a point where he deserves to be called up,” Black said. Through six games and 24 plate appearances for High-A Lancaster and

Triple-A Albuquerque, Dahl is hitting .333/.417/.571 with a homer, three walks, and four strikeouts.

The timing of Dahl’s return to the Rockies could depend on whether struggling fellow outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is able to break out of his prolonged slump. CarGo, who’s hitting .214/.293/.328 with just six homers in 307 plate appearances, is hard at work trying to diagnose the issue. Black said he’s working with the team on making some adjustments to his swing mechanics. Gonzalez has lost 3 mph from his swing speed and his exit velocity and hard-hit rate are way down from previous seasons.

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Colorado Rockies 9, San Diego Padres 6: Rockies make early lead hold up in win The Rockies have won back-to-back games for the first time in four weeks.

By Jordan Freemyer / Purple Row | July 17th, 2017

The Colorado Rockies used a five-run third inning and a good outing from Germán Márquez to win the series opener against the Padres at Coors Field, 9-6.

Charlie Blackmon put the Rockies on the board leading off the first inning with his 22nd home run, and fourth leadoff homer, of the season. A blast that traveled 451 feet and hit the facade of the third deck in right field.

The Padres answered in the top of the second with an even bigger home run, as Jabari Blash’s two-run homer against

Márquez went 477 feet to center, giving San Diego a 2-1 lead.

Trevor Story’s RBI single tied the game at two in the second before the Rockies blew things open in the third. Padres starter Luis Perdomo walked in a pair of runs before Story’s double chased him from the game with a 6-2 deficit. Reliever

Craig Stammen gave up an RBI single to Márquez for the Rockies’ fifth run of the inning before ending the frame.

Márquez and the Padres bullpen held the score at 7-2 for the next three innings, but each team tallied a run in the seventh, with the Padres getting an RBI single from Carlos Asuaje and the Rockies scoring on a solo home run from Gerardo Parra.

The Padres scored three runs and threatened for more in an eighth inning that saw the Rockies utilize four different relievers, but Mike Dunn got Asuaje to fly out with two on to end the inning with the Rockies holding an 8-6 lead.

A DJ LeMahieu sacrifice fly got the Rockies an insurance run for Greg Holland, who didn’t need it, pitching a scoreless ninth for his 29th save of the season.

The Rockies will look to get their third straight win, and a series win, tomorrow as Antonio Senzatela takes the mound against Dinelson Lamet. First pitch is at 6:40 Mountain time.

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Colorado Rockies: Bud Black clarifies his comments on David Dahl

By Kevin Henry / Rox Pile | July 17th, 2017

Yesterday, Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black discussed David Dahl and his potential return from injury to the team.

This morning, Black took to MLB Network Radio to clarify some of his comments.

As we reported in this article yesterday, Black told media members before Monday’s game against the San Diego Padres that Dahl would need at-bats before returning to the Rockies in any fashion. With under 20 at-bats under his belt before

Monday, Dahl still needed plenty of time at the plate if he was going to be ready to rejoin the Rockies.

This morning, Black tried to explain his Monday comments that indicated there was a possibility that Dahl might not rejoin the team in 2017.

When looking at the big picture, it’s important to remember that Dahl has just 222 at-bats to his credit with the Rockies.

Called up on July 25 last season, Dahl saw action in 63 games and posted a .315 average. He also started his career with a 17-game , tying a Major League record for a hitting streak to start a career. Chuck Aleno of the 1941

Reds is the only other player to start his Major League playing days with such a feat.

Things looked promising for Dahl heading into the 2017 season. However, a rib injury suffered early in March derailed the outfielder and Colorado’s plans. He has yet to see action in a Rockies uniform since then.

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The 23-year-old Dahl had a strong night with Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday night. Batting second in the Isotopes lineup, Dahl went 1-for-4 with four RBI in Albuquerque’s 6-5 win over the Tacoma Rainiers. His three-run triple was part of a four-run fourth inning that propelled the Isotopes to the victory.

In four games this season with Albuquerque, Dahl is hitting .333 with six RBI. He also played in two games for

Lancaster before being promoted to Triple-A. While with the JetHawks, Dahl went 3-for-7 in two games.

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Rockies Riches: Colorado’s infield is young, deep and talented

By Alissa Noe / Mile High Sports | July 17th, 2017

Through all the highs and lows this season, the Colorado Rockies have been able to rely on the depth of their roster, both up in the majors and throughout their farm system. In the infield, there’s no shortage of talent.

From first base to shortstop, starters to bench players, every in the Rockies dugout this year has what it takes to produce on the field and get the job done. While the bases are pretty much covered as far as the talent goes, the shortstop position seems to fluctuate between several players a bit more than normal.

Take it from Alexi Amarista, 28, who sometimes fills in for starter Trevor Story, 24, whenever manager Bud Black feels like

Story needs a day off. Amarista, now in his seventh year in the league, perhaps best embodies the versatility and depth of this roster in his own game, as he’s able to play the outfield, second base and shortstop positions with ease.

“These years that I’ve been in the big leagues, I’ve been able to play pretty much every position,” Amarista said. “I’m happy to be able to play those various roles and be able to help out the team.”

For Amarista, who earned the nickname “Little Ninja” based on his talent, work ethic, speed and relatively small stature, the talent he sees in his teammates is something he says has been there all along.

“Obviously, everyone is here because they are very talented players, and they can play really good baseball,” Amarista said. “It’s important for everyone to know their role and be able to do their roles and play with 100 percent and be able to help the team.”

If need be, Black can also utilize the talent of rookie Pat Valaika, 24, who’s time bouncing around between Triple-A and the bigs has proved extremely beneficial to himself and his teammates. And, whenever star third baseman Nolan

Arenado, 26, needs one of his rare days off, Valaika’s always ready to fill the void when called upon.

“I think coming to the ballpark every day, my approach is just to contribute in any way, any role or position, pinch hit,”

Valaika said. “It’s been good. I’ve gotten a sense of comfort up here since it’s been about [two] months. The best thing is playing on a winning team is fun.”

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Because he’s been up and down from the majors to the minors since he got the call-up last September, Valaika’s seen the wide range of talent the Rockies organization houses and that, he said, is key.

“There’s a ton of great players in our organization, guys that I’ve played with through the years,” Valaika said. “They’re just preparing themselves for when they get the chance to help the team, so I think that’s probably why we’re pretty successful with guys coming up and down. Everyone kind of wants to contribute and be up here, be with this team and win games.”

Although it’s rare for second baseman DJ LeMahieu, 29, to miss action, much like Arenado, even the big-name guys needs a little rest and recuperation from time to time. For LeMahieu, the trust he places in his teammates comforts him whenever those off days do roll around.

“I think it’s good to have guys that play different positions, get to move the lineup around and play guys’ different spots,”

LeMahieu said. “A lot of guys that move around the diamond, it seems like they don’t play any really that well, so they just try to kind of hide them. In our case, we got guys that are very good defensively at multiple positions, which is really nice.”

On a similar thread, Story just wants to do whatever’s best for the team, and with Black employing his full infield roster to keep the players as fresh as they can be, he’s content with taking a step back whenever is necessary.

“It’s great. It’s fun,” Story said. “We’re very prideful. We feel like we’re never out of a game if we get down quick or something like that. We put a lot of work into and it’s contagious for sure.”

While the W’s haven’t been coming much for the Rockies as of late, Valaika said he and his teammates rely on the energy, talent and camaraderie they’ve built the past few seasons to pull them out of their recent skid and turn things around.

“I think the energy in the clubhouse is a little different,” Valaika said. “I think winning’s contagious. Even when we do lose, we’re like, ‘Man, we don’t like this.’ We like winning a lot better. I think guys are just coming to the park every day. That’s our only goal, is to win tonight’s game.”

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Jeff Bridich: Bullpen help the priority at the deadline

By Casey Light / Mile High Sports | July 18th, 2017

Colorado Rockies general manager joined SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio on Tuesday morning and suggested that his top priority as the trade deadline approaches is adding help in the bullpen.

Colorado’s need for a lockdown arm in the pen was evident on Monday night in a 9-6 victory over the San Diego Padres that saw Rockies manager Bud Black forced to use four different relievers to work out of the eighth inning. Colorado entered the eighth with a six-run lead before Jake McGee, Adam Ottavino and Mike Dunn yielded three runs while earning just two outs. Scott Oberg gave up a hit but did not allow a run before retiring the final hitter of the inning.

After starting the year with one of the best bullpens in baseball through April, the Rockies have seen a slow erosion over the months of May, June and into July. They now claim a 4.44 bullpen ERA, which ranks 11th in the National League.

Outside of NL saves leader Greg Holland (1-1, 29 saves, 1.57 ERA) and long reliever Chris Rusin (3-0, 7 holds, 2.36

ERA), Colorado’s bullpen has been inconsistent at best. McGee has shown flashes of dominance, but Monday didn’t retire any of the three hitters he faced in the eighth. He’s been hot and cold like that for much of the season. Ottavino has lost command on his signature slider, Dunn is giving up nearly a hit per inning and Oberg has a team-high WHIP of 1.634.

The bullpen hasn’t been helped much by the starting rotation, which has also been unsteady of late. Over the weekend, starters and Tyler Chatwood retired just seven batters between them while allowing 12 runs in a pair of losses to the Mets to open the second half of the season.

Despite a rough outing in New York, Bridich reinforced at least some confidence in Gray on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports

Radio.

Citing “conventional wisdom” isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement, however. Colorado will certainly need more success from the starters if any bullpen moves will play dividends.

Colorado has been blessed with a quartet of surprising young starters. However, the Rockies also much watch the workload on their rookie arms.

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Antonio Senzatela, who will start Tuesday against the Padres, was already moved to the bullpen and then sent to Triple-A to lessen his workload. A similar plan may be in place for Kyle Freeland.

Jeff Hoffman had the benefit of coming up later in the year, but he will also be on a pitch and innings watch. German

Marquez, the youngest of Colorado’s young starters, already has 83 innings to his credit this season.

Bridich may be targeting bullpen help as the July 31 trade deadline approaches, but his club may be in greater need than just that if they hope to stay in the Wild Card race.

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Patience at the plate produces important win for Rockies

By Casey Light / Mile High Sports | July 18th, 2017

Entering Monday’s series opener at Coors Field against the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies had struck out 34 times in their three games since returning from the All-Star break. They dropped the first two of those games, averaging

12 strikeouts apiece in those losses.

On Monday, Colorado made a concerted effort to take better at-bats and cut down the strikeouts. It paid off in the form of a 9-6 win over the Padres, including three runs that were directly attributed to taking a free pass rather than swinging freely.

“We had some good at-bats in [the recent weekend series in] New York,” manager Bud Black said postgame. “We talked about it in our hitter’s meeting [Monday] about the at-bats [Sunday] and let’s try to carry that over. So I think there was some intent [Monday], on certain situations in not expanding the zone. You know, take what they give you – and if it’s a walk to get on base, let’s take advantage of that.”

The Rockies took advantage of three important free passes, and ended up winning by three runs.

In a five-run third inning, Mark Reynolds and Ian Desmond (who rank second- and third-worst on the Rockies by striking out every 3.1 and 3.7 at-bats) each took bases loaded walks to score runs. Trevor Story, who ranks last on the team with a strikeout every 2.6 at-bats, followed those walks with a two-strike, two-RBI double that had the manager happy about the young shortstop’s approach at the plate.

“I see certain counts where the swing is shortening and he’s taking a better overall approach in the overall at-bat,” Black said about Story following the win.

Story also took a walk in the fifth inning to add to a two-hit, three-RBI night.

Later in the game, Pat Valaika took an important one-out, pinch-hit walk in the bottom of the eighth inning with the

Rockies leading by just two runs. Colorado entered the eighth leading 8-3, but allowed three runs in the top half of the inning to tighten up the contest. Charlie Blackmon followed the walk with a single that moved Valaika to third, and DJ

LeMahieu hit the first pitch he saw to deep right field to drive in the insurance run with a sacrifice fly.

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As a team, Colorado struck out just three times against the Padres while drawing seven free passes. One of those strikeouts was by the , German Marquez, and another was on a bizarre foul tip off the bat of Tony

Wolters that was originally ruled a hit by pitch. Nolan Arenado‘s swing and miss in the bottom of the eighth inning was the only true strikeout on the night.

With the win on Monday, the Rockies improve to 7-2 when striking out less than five times in a game. It was the first time

Colorado had produced back-to-back wins since June 18 and 20, when they capped an eight-game winning streak.

The Rockies face rookie Dinelson Lamet (5-5, 5.93 ERA) on Tuesday in game two of the series. Lamet is averaging 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings and only 3.3 walks per nine, so Colorado has their work cut out for them if they hope to replicate Monday’s success.

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Rockies survive bullpen scare to beat Padres on Blackmon’s big night

By MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | July 18th, 2017

Charlie Blackmon set the tone early for the Colorado Rockies then added a high note late in a 9-6 victory over the San

Diego Padres at Coors Field. Colorado survived a shaky eighth inning by the bullpen, but got solid work out of German

Marquez to earn the win. It was the first time the Rockies have won back-to-back games since June 18 and 20, when they closed out an eight-game winning streak.

Blackmon hit a leadoff home run, the 26th of his career, to give the Rockies an early lead. It wouldn’t last long, as the

Padres would answer with a two-run shot of their own in the second, but Trevor Story picked up his pitcher with an RBI single to tie things back up in the bottom half of the inning. The Rockies kept the bats rolling in the third, scoring five runs off San Diego starter Luis Perdomo (4-5, 4.94 ERA), including a pair of runs on bases-loaded walks. Parra went opposite field with his eighth home run of the year, a solo shot in the seventh to put Colorado up 8-3. The Padres would make it interesting in the eighth.

After allowing the second-inning home run, Marquez (7-4, 4.34) settled down and allowed just one more run over 6.2 total innings. Marquez struck out a career-high nine batters, allowing eight hits and two walks.

Jake McGee grabbed the last out in the seventh inning, but could not retire any of the three hitters he faced in the eighth – including Hector Sanchezwho homered to lead off the inning. Adam Ottavino fell behind the first two hitters he faced in relief of McGee, but still managed to get a pair of outs. Then, up 0-2 to Allen Cordoba, Ottavino gave up an RBI single to bring the Padres to within two. Scott Oberg gave up a single to the only batter he faced and Rockies manager Bud

Black was forced to use his fourth pitcher of the eighth inning, Mike Dunn. Mercifully, Dunn forced Carlos Asuaje to fly out to center to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Rockies manufactured a crucial insurance run starting when Pat Valaika took a one-out walk. Blackmon’s third hit of the night moved Valaika to third and DJ LeMahieu drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Blackmon also had a walk and two runs scored to fill up his box score.

Greg Holland struck out the first two batters he faced, then gave up a double Jose Pirela before Matt Szczur grounded out to end the game and earn his 29th save of the year.

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The victory moves Colorado’s record to 54-41, 27-18 at home. The Rockies are now 11 games back of the Dodgers in the

NL West, but gained no ground in their hold on the second Wild Card spot as the Cubs beat the Braves. Antonio

Senzatela (9-3, 4.63) is expected to be recalled from a Triple-A assignment to start on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. MDT.

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Rox power past Padres, win two straight for first time in a month

By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | July 18th, 2017

It has been nearly a full month since the Colorado Rockies won back-to-back games and at least as long since the offense has felt like it was in any kind of rhythm. A 9-6 win over the San Diego Padres Monday night broke at least one of those trends.

While fans won’t get overly excited about offensive outbursts against the Padres and their cast of characters that read as a who’s who of “who’s that?”, it doesn’t mean performances like this can’t be encouraging. Being able to put nine runs on the board without a single hit from Nolan Arenado and scoring at least that many runs for the fourth time in the last seven games should quell some concerns that the Rockies’ offense is in desperate need of help.

Colorado plated five runs in the third with a mixture of patience and well-placed hits. Charlie Blackmon started with a walk and DJ LeMahieu followed with a bloop single to center field. Arenado reached on a fielding error by shortstop Erick

Aybar. While Gerardo Parra failed to deliver a run with a pop out to left, Mark Reynolds and Ian Desmond followed with a pair of excellent at-bats each ending in walks that brought in a run. Then Trevor Story stepped to the plate and landed the big blow, ripping his 14th double of the season to left, scoring Arenado and Reynolds. German Marquez came through with a two-out single of up the middle to make it 7-2 before the Padres could escape the inning.

It was a huge swing of the bat for Story, giving him three RBI in the game and continuing the positive trend he has been on, especially in terms of making contact, since the All-Star break. The Rockies are going to need production from Story at the plate in the second half and it looks like they might just get it. An even slightly better version of Story could make for this Rockies team keeping pace in the Wild Card race without having to give up any talent from their farm system. If he can hit, they can win a lot of games.

Marquez didn’t give up another run until he was chased from the game in the seventh on singles from Allen

Cordoba and Carlos Asuaje which became an RBI because of a botched pickoff attempt.

His final line: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. He threw 65 of his 101 pitches for strikes. His fastball was electric, regularly touching 98 mph and his offspeed stuff was effective enough to power him to another impressive Coors Field performance.

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Blackmon got the scoring going with a lead-off home run in the first, his fourth this season and 26th of his career. It was smashed 451 feet off the facade of the third deck in right field.

San Diego turned it right around with an even loftier blast, a two-run shot in the second off the bat of Jabari Blash who launched one 477 feet, tying the longest homer at Coors Field this season. The Rockies tied it in the bottom of the frame with on a single from Story.

Gerardo Parra smacked his eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh over the left-center-field fence for the Rockies eighth run.

It got tight in the top of the eighth. Hector Sanchez hit a solo home run off of McGee and Jose Pirela walked before Matt

Szczur hit a broken bat bloop double. McGee was replaced in favor of Adam Ottavino who gave up a deep sac fly to

Blash and a hard line drive to Aybar that LeMahieu made a nice catch on. With two outs and a runner on third, Cordoba got Ottavino on a grounder up the middle to score Szczur and make it 8-6, Rockies.

Mike Dunn ultimately had to be called upon to end the inning with runners on first and second and got Asuaje to pop out to center, preserving the lead.

The Rockies got themselves an insurance run on a sac fly from LeMahieu, scoring Pat Valaika who drew a pinch-hit walk and moved to third on a single from Blackmon. With his two-hit day, Blackmon extended his MLB lead in hits out to three now sitting at 124 total.

Greg Holland recorded save number 29 (in 30 attempts) by getting a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to short. He leads

MLB, by three, in Saves.

Colorado moved to 54-41 on the season and with both Arizona and LA off, moved up a half-game in both the Wild Card and NL West, standing just one more half-game out of the top spot in the Wild Card race. The win gave Colorado their first back-t0-back victories since Arenado’s back-to-back heroics on June 18 and 20.

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FYI: A+B=Rockies Explosion and More

By Tracy Ringolsby / Inside the Seams | July 18th, 2017

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado and center fielder Charlie Blackmon

Nolan Arenado are having two of the most impactful offensive seasons of any players in the NL. And their efforts are being noticed. They were both voted to the NL starting lineup for the All-Star Game, joining Carlos Gonzalez and in 2013 as the only Rockies teammates voted to start in an All-Star Game. The reason for the respect is apparent from their production.

Charlie Blackmon

Blackmon is tied for ninth in the NL with 23 home runs, and Arenado is tied for 20th with 18. Arenado, however, leads the

NL with 73 RBI and Blackmon isninth with 65, and Arenado and Blackmon rank 1-2 in terms of players with at least 35 extra-base hits and 50 singles, the only two who have at least 50 of each.

Player Team RBI Player Team XBH 1B

Nolan Arenado Col 73 Nolan Arenado Col 53 58

Bryce Harper Was 72 Charlie Blackmon Col 52 73

Paul Goldschmidt Ari 71 Was 48 68

Daniel Murphy Was 71 Cin 46 54

Marcell Ozuna Mia 70 Was 45 61

Joey Votto Cin 68 Paul Goldschmidt Ari 43 61

Jake Lamb Ari 67 Anthony Rendon Was 42 53

Travis Shaw Mil 66 Was 42 59

Charlie Blackmon Col 65 Mia 41 72

Ryan Zimmerman Was 64 Andrew McCutchen Pit 38 59

ARENADO IS BIDDING to become the first third baseman to win three consecutive RBI titles. has the NL record for a third baseman,

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Andres Galarraga winning four NL RBI titles but they were not in consecutive seasons (1980, 1981, 1984 and 1986). Al Rosen is the only other third baseman to win multiple RBI titles (1952-1953). In fact there are only eight players from any position to win three consecutive NL RBI titles. Arenado is one of seven Rockies players to win an NL RBI title since the team’s inception in 1993, and has joined Andres Galarraga as the only Rockies to win multiple titles.

Three consecutive RBI titles Rockies RBI titles

Player, team Seasons Year Player RBI

Cecil Fielder, Tigers 1990-92 2016 Nolan Arenado 133

George Foster, Reds 1976-78 2015 Nolan Arenado 130

Joe Medwick, Cardinals 1936-38 2007 137

Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals 1920-22 2004 131

Babe Ruth, Red Sox/Yankees 1919-21 2003 141

Ty Cobb, Tigers 1907-09 2000 147

1997 Andres Galarraga 140

1996 Andres Galarraga 150

1995 128

THE ROCKIES didn’t just beat the Padres on Monday night. They actually shutdown Wil

Wil Myers

Myers, who went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts. Big deal? Real pick. It was only the fifth time Myers has been held without a hit in 20 career games at Coors Field. He has had nine multi hit games. What’s more he struck out four times for only the fifth time in his career, the third time this season.

IT HAS BEEN AN about face for the Rangers this year. They are 7-15 in one-run games this season, the worst record in

AL. That comes after a year ago when they were 36-11 in one-run games, which was the best record in Major League

Baseball history.

Giants- WHAT KIND of a season has it been for the Giants? They have been held to one run or no runs in 21 games this season, tied with the Royals for the most in MLB. The 5-3 loss to the Indians on Monday snapped a giants six-game winning streak against the Indians.

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Rockies Win, Stay True to Plan

By Tracy Ringolsby / Inside the Seams | July 18th, 2017

When the Rockies announced the hiring of manager Bud Black last October there was a message that was emphasized:

The Rockies felt Black had the talent to get the Rockies back to the post-season and soon.

This wasn’t about a four-year or five-year rebuilding program. Management felt with the veterans on the roster and a mix of players who have been developed in the system the time was now.

Despite a recent struggle the Rockies do find themselves very much in the midst of the post-season discussions. With the

Rockies 9-6 victory against the Padres at Coors Field on Monday night they have won back-to-back games for the first time since a six-game winning streak June 14-20.

They are in control of the second NL wild-card spot, 5 ½ games ahead of the defending world champion Cubs, and a half- game back of the Diamondbacks, who are currently in position to be the No. 1 wild-card, which would give Arizona the home field for the one-game wild-card playoff.

And they are doing it with Black remaining true to himself in trying to protect a rotation in which four rookies have become key players. Antonio Senzatela returns to the rotation Tuesday night against the Padres for his first start since a 10-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on June 22. That was the second game of an eight-game losing streak that was the foundation for the Rockies losing 15 out of 20 games prior to the wins on Sunday against the Mets and Padres.

Since then, he made three relief appearances for the Rockies and then was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque to make one start, last Thursday, so he would be in line to step into the rotation Tuesday night. While Senzatela had an NL-best nine victories at the time of his move to the bullpen what the Rockies refused to ignore is he is 22 and last year pitched only 34

2/3 innings for Double-A Hartford because of shoulder problem.

Black stayed true to the plan again with the indication on Monday that he will use the off day on Thursday to keep Jeff

Hoffman and German Marquez in their current spots in the rotation, starting them on Friday and Saturday against the

Pirates at Coors Field this weekend.

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Kyle Freeland, who after carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning at Coors

Field on July 9, was next in line for the in-season break, was dropped from the rotation temporarily to create the spot for

Senzatela’s return. And the plan all along was to give Freeland, who made the jump from Hartford to the big leagues along with Senzatela, a couple appearances out of the bullpen and return him to the rotation on July 23, as previous reported on Insidetheseams.com.

Black is sticking to that, even after Sunday’s decision to put veteran Tyler Chatwood on the disabled list. The order of the rotation would have had Chatwood’s next start in Friday’s opening game of a three-game visit by the Pirates.

The Rockies, however, are off on Thursday. So instead of dropping Freeland into the rotation in Chatwood’s place, and not give him a chance to make a bullpen appearance to tune up this week, Black stayed true to the plan.

Jeff Hoffman, on Friday, and Marquez, on Saturday, will make their regular turns on the normal four days of rest, and

Freeland will rejoin the rotation on Sunday.

It underscores the Rockies commitment to winning, but not at all costs.

They never planned on having four rookies in their rotation, but that is what has happened. Not that anybody is complaining. The quartet of Senzatela, Hoffman, Marquez and Freeland made the Rockies the first team in history to have four rookies with five or more victories each at the All-Star Break.

Remember, at the start of spring training, the four rookies were candidates with what the Rockies envisioned as one spot in the rotation behind Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, Chad Bettis and Tyler Chatwood.

All four of have been time on the disabled list this year.

That opened the door for all four of those rookies to eventually step into the rotation and make an impact.

Senzatela and Freeland started in the rotation, filling the vacancy the Rockies knew they had plus the opening when Chad

Bettis was sidelined by a flare-up in the testicular cancer that he was treated for in November. Marquez, meanwhile, was in the bullpen at Hoffman at Triple-A Albuquerque. 38

After 10 days without pitching in relief, Marquez was sent to Albuquerque to get some work, and then returned to join the rotation April 25, filling the void created by Gray going on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his left foot that he unsuccessfully tried to pitch through.

Because of rainouts, Hoffman was called up twice to make starts in makeup doubleheaders before returning to

Albuquerque but finally was called up to step into the rotation on June 4 when Anderson was disabled with a left knee soreness that led to arthroscopic surgery.

Bettis has begun his rehab assignment in the minor leagues, and could make five more starts before being activated.

Chatwood is out with a calf strain, which could have him return to the rotation before the end of the month and Anderson is getting closer to being ready for a rehab assignment, too.

While the Rockies are checking the market for a possible trade to address middle relief concerns, the front office has to temper that pursuit with the possibility that by early August Bettis, Anderson and Chatwood could all be healthy and ready to be activated.

And that, in itself, could address the middle relief situation with Black and Co., facing the challenge of figuring out whom to have in the rotation and who could handle the relief role from the eight potential starts: Gray, Freeland, Senzatela,

Marquez, Hoffman, Bettis, Anderson and Chatwood.

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Blackmon, Marquez propel Rockies to 9-6 win over Padres

By / ESPN.com | July 18th, 2017

DENVER -- Here's quite a changeup: German Marquez shook off throwing his 98-mph fastball at times in favor of his offspeed pitches.

It just made him that much tougher to figure out.

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The hard-throwing rookie tied a career high with nine strikeouts, Charlie Blackmon hit his fourth leadoff homer of the season off the facing of the third deck and the scuffling Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 9-6 on Monday night.

Trevor Story added a two-run double as part of a five-run third to help the Rockies win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.

"That's very comforting," Marquez said through a translator of an early advantage. "Makes me feel really good when we can get that kind of a lead."

Marquez (7-4) allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings. He perplexed the Padres by effectively mixing in his curve with his blazing fastball. He also showed off a changeup that he's just starting to lock in.

"He shook me off twice to go to the change," catcher Tony Wolters said. "I was really proud of him doing that. His changeup is really good. It hovers and looks like his fastball. He's been working really hard at it and his hard work is paying off."

Greg Holland got Matt Szczur to ground out following a two-out double in the ninth to earn his 29th save in 30 chances.

San Diego starter Luis Perdomo (4-5) had his three-game winning streak halted after surrendering seven runs, five earned, over 2 1/3 innings. He also walked three, including two straight with the bases loaded in the third.

"He clearly wasn't his typical self. He didn't have his normal sink, wasn't locating really much of anything," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He'll get back to sinking the baseball, getting on top of it and he'll come out next Saturday and be ready to go."

Jabari Blash hit a two-run homer in the second that was projected to 477 feet. It was the longest by a Padres player since

MLB's Statcast began keeping track in 2015.

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Hector Sanchez had a solo shot during a three-run eighth inning that cut the deficit to 8-6. It was his third straight game with a homer, including a game-ending shot against San Francisco on Saturday.

Of Sanchez's 10 hits this season, six have left the park.

Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 12 games with his towering solo shot. He had an inside-the-park homer the day before in a win over the Mets in New York.

The Rockies are 7-15 since June 21, when the team fell out of first place in the NL West. They trail the Los Angeles

Dodgers by 11 games. "Every team goes through this," Wolters said. "We just need to win. That's the No. 1 priority."

Marquez was bailed out of trouble in the third on a nifty grab by third baseman Nolan Arenado , who started a double play from his right knee. Marquez waited near the mound to give him a high-five for ending the inning with a runner on third.

"That was a big play," Rockies manager Bud Black said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: OF Hunter Renfroe (strained neck) took batting practice Monday. "He's looking good so he's nearing full baseball activities," manager Andy Green said. ... C Austin Hedges was a late scratch. He took a foul ball off his mask in a recent game. "He's still not quite right," Green said.

Rockies: RHP Tyler Chatwood's strained right calf "feels a little better," Black said. "No timetable for his return." ...

OF David Dahl (rib) will stay in the minors for a while to get more at-bats. "He's a good player. But he's got to play," Black said.

LOST CARGO

Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was on the bench after going 0 for 8 during the three-game series in New York. Gonzalez is hitting .214 and hasn't gone deep since June 20. "He's frustrated," Black said. "It's going to turn at some point. I wish I could tell you when."

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Dinelson Lamet (3-3, 5.93 ERA) has eight or more strikeouts in four of his eight starts in his rookie season.

Rockies: RHP Antonio Senzatela (9-3, 4.63) makes his first start since June 22. The Rockies moved him to the bullpen and briefly to Triple-A Albuquerque to keep his innings down.

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