MEDIA CLIPS – June 26, 2017

Rox stung by wild pitches, drop 5th straight

By Thomas Harding and Joshua Thornton / MLB.com | 8:39 AM ET

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers trailed by five runs in the third, but they got two home runs from Cody Bellinger and scored five runs on four Adam Ottavino wild pitches in the seventh and eighth innings to stun the Rockies, 12-6, for their season-high 10th straight victory on Sunday at .

It was Bellinger's sixth multihomer game, which is a Dodgers rookie record and one shy of the Major League rookie record

Mark McGwire set in 1987. The 21-year-old leads the with 24 home runs on the season. The Dodgers have homered in 17 consecutive games and have hit 43 in June.

"People always talk about hitting is contagious, winning is contagious," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "There is certainly a vibe or mentally that we're going to win each day; regardless of who takes the mound or what circumstance, we're not going to get down."

The Rockies took an early 5-0 lead against Dodger starter Brandon McCarthy, who threw 64 pitches in three innings. But

Rockies lefty starter Tyler Anderson, who returned from left knee inflammation Sunday for his first start since May 30, gave up two-run homers in the third to Kiké Hernandez and Bellinger, then left with cramping in his left hamstring.

Jordan Lyles and Scott Oberg combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings to hold the Rockies' lead, but Jake McGee opened the door a crack and the Dodgers kicked it in against Ottavino. Now the Rockies' losing streak is a season-high five games.

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"This is a great test for us," Rockies manager said. "This is good stuff, as far as where we are, where we need to be and what we need to do."

Dodgers take lead on wild pitch

The Dodgers were trailing, 6-4, in the seventh when Rockies reliever Jake McGee gave up a one-out single to Justin

Turner and a two-out double to Logan Forsythe. Black had seen enough and summoned Ottavino to try to close the door on the Dodgers rally, but the righty walked to load the bases and fired two wild pitches that scored a total of three runs.

Ottavino's four wild pitches tied the Rockies' record, set originally by David Hale on Aug. 23, 2015. He's the first the last 50 years to allow four-plus runs in a game on wild pitches, and the Rockies are the first team in liveball era (since

1920) to allow five-plus runs in a game via wild pitches.

"Their guys were on the ropes," Roberts said. "We didn't even give them any extra outs on the bases. We kept grinding and made those guys continue to make pitches. You look at what we did from the first game of the series, what we're doing to pitching staffs, there's a relentless kind of approach to what we're doing."

Roberts summoned with one out in the eighth, and though the issued his first walk of the season, he picked up his 17th save and a double for the first RBI of his career.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Nice grab: The Rockies were threatening in the seventh after Mark Reynolds drew a one-out walk and hit a two-out single. Pat Valaika's fly ball to right field would have added to their 6-4 lead, but Bellinger raced over to lay out and make a four-star catch. The grab had a 35 percent catch probability, and he covered 71 feet in 4.2 seconds, according to Statcast™.

Dodgers' wild seventh: The Dodgers couldn't take advantage of a bases-loaded situation in the fourth, when Bellinger popped out with two outs. But they made up for it in the seventh. Trailing, 6-4, the Dodgers loaded the bases again on a

Turner single, a Forsythe double and Austin Barnes' walk. looked to play the hero against Ottavino, but he didn't have to, as the Dodgers scored three runs on two Ottavino wild pitches to take their first lead.

Rockies Tony Wolters could not find the ball after Ottavino's second wild pitch, and Forsythe and Barnes scored.

Multiple runs on a single wild pitch hadn't happened all season in the Majors until Friday, when the Astros' James Hoyt saw two score against the Mariners. Now it's happened twice in three days.

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QUOTABLE

"We're clicking on cylinders. Our offense, our defense has been second to none, and we have a really talented team with a good coaching staff. It's pretty special what we have going on." -- Bellinger

"You can call it whatever you want. It was pretty pathetic." -- Ottavino, assessing his performance

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Desmond entered the game on an 0-for-18 slump and 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position -- with five in his last six such opportunities. Sunday's second-inning leadoff single ended both streaks. Desmond added an RBI single to score from second in the sixth inning.

WHAT'S NEXT

Rockies: Rookie righty German Marquez (5-3, 3.92 ERA), after an extra day's rest, will face the Giants and righty Jeff

Samardzija (2-9, 4.74) in the opener of a three-game series at 8:15 p.m. MT Monday at AT&T Park. The set marks the second leg of three in an NL West road trip that will conclude with a series at Arizona next weekend.

Dodgers: The 2017 chapter of the with the Angels begins on Monday, and the Dodgers will have Rich

Hill (4-3, 4.73 ERA) on the mound. Hill struck out seven Mets in five innings during his last outing. First pitch is set for

7:10 p.m. PT.

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Anderson pulled with hamstring cramp

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | June 25th, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- A promising beginning to Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson's return after missing 3 1/2 weeks with left knee inflammation ended in pain, with a left hamstring cramp during the third inning of Sunday's 12-6 loss to the

Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. It's unclear whether the cramp was related to the knee injury.

Anderson, making his first Major League start since going on the disabled list May 30, threw two scoreless innings and had a five-run lead going into the third. But after a one-out walk to , Anderson didn't retire any of the next four batters and two of them -- Kiké Hernandez and Cody Bellinger -- hit two-run homers to cut the difference to 5-4.

With the count 2-2 to Logan Forsythe, Rockies manager Bud Black and head athletic trainer Keith Dugger visited the mound. Anderson threw several warmup pitches and lobbied to stay in, but was replaced by right-hander Jordan Lyles.

"It was just a little cramping in my hamstring that was limiting my delivery," Anderson said. "As a player, you always want to stay in, but 'Doogie' [Dugger] had his head in the right place."

Asked if the issue was knee-related, Anderson said, "I'm not a doctor." But when asked whether he could make his next start, Anderson said, "Yeah. I mean, I had a cramp in my leg."

Manager Bud Black said he would meet with Dugger and Anderson, and there will be followup exams with those who have more injury-care expertise.

Anderson had to sprint to cover third base on an unusual play to end the second inning, although he said he didn't think it brought on the injury.

Rockies DJ LeMahieu lost 's popup in the sun in short right field. Pederson sped to second to beat Pat Valaika's throw to Nolan Arenado, who covered second. Seeing third unoccupied, Pederson raced away from Arenado and tried to advance. Anderson rushed over to cover, took the flip from

Arenado and made the tag. He had to avoid contact with the sliding Pederson.

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Anderson, charged with four runs on five hits with two walks and one , didn't figure in Sunday's decision, and is 3-

5 with a 6.11 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) with 15 home runs in 63 1/3 innings. As a rookie last year, he was 5-6 with a

3.54 ERA and 12 homers in 114 1/3 innings in 19 games after debuting July 12.

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Ottavino uncorks four wild pitches

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 12:16 AM ET

LOS ANGELES -- Rockies right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino thought a good day's work was done. But a call didn't go his way. By the time he actually finished, he had an all-time clunker in a 12-6 loss to the Dodgers.

He thought the seventh ended with his full-count, two-out pitch to the Dodgers'Austin Barnes, but home-plate umpire

Mark Carlson called a ball. From there, Ottavino fired a Rockies-record-tying four wild pitches, which accounted for five runs.

He also yielded a two-run Cody Bellinger homer and was charged with six runs in one inning.

Ottavino became the first pitcher in the 50 years -- as far back as the Elias Sports Bureau could dig by Sunday evening -- to give up four or more runs on wild pitches in a game. It is known that Ottavino's performance made the Rockies the first team in the liveball era (since 1920) to allow five runs on wild pitches.

"You can call it whatever you want," Ottavino said. "It was pretty pathetic.

"I've pitched badly before. I need to get to the drawing board and see what changes I need to make."

Ottavino entered with a 6-4 lead, but with no feel for his two-seam fastball, he had to rely on a slider that went wild. As a result, the Rockies' season-worst losing streak reached five games, and the Rockies fell to 44-2 when leading after six innings.

Was the pitch to Barnes, before any run scored, actually a strike?

"I haven't look at the pitch on the replay," Ottavino said. "In the moment, I thought it was a strike. Nobody's telling me that it is.

"Nobody is really talking to me."

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The clubhouse was quiet, but folks will soon re-open dialogue with Ottavino (1-2, 4.94 ERA), the primary right-handed setup man.

"You've gotta try to pick each other up; that's what we try to do as ," said Scott Oberg, who worked 1 1/3 innings.

The Rockies used five relievers because starter Tyler Anderson left after 2 1/3 innings with a left hamstring cramp.

Ottavino replaced Jake McGee with runners at second and third in the seventh. The walk to Barnes loaded the bases.

The first wild pitch made the count 2-0 against Yasmani Grandal.

The second wild pitch pushed the count full to Grandal, who would strike out, not that it mattered. That pitch seemed to tick off Carlson's foot and fly to the backstop. Catcher Tony Wolters had no idea where the ball went.

After an early-season concussion, Wolters switched from an old-school catcher's mask to a hockey-style helmet-mask combo. Manager Bud Black said some have told him it's hard to find pitches sometimes, and the combo is not as easy to remove.

Wolters refused to blame the protection. But he didn't find the ball until he took off the mask, and before he could do anything Forsythe and Barnes were celebrating a 7-6 lead.

"I was like, 'Where the heck did it go?'" Wolters said. "It was unfortunate.

"We all have each other's backs. This game's hard."

With the bullpen stressed during this difficult stretch, Black stayed with Ottavino in the eighth, but he wild-pitched in two runs and gave up the Bellinger homer. He gave way to with two out, after 48 pitches.

"I didn't care," he said. "I'd have pitched until my arm fell off. I didn't want anybody to come into the game. That hurt me, too, that they had to do that."

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Marquez leads Rox vs. Giants, Samardzija

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | June 25th, 2017

Well-rested Rockies rookie right-hander German Marquez will face the Giants and righty Jeff Samardzija on Monday to open a three-game set at AT&T Park. Colorado will be looking to snap its season-high five-game losing streak.

Marquez dealt with frequent base traffic but held the D-backs to one run and four hits in six innings of his last start -- a 4-3 victory on Tuesday in which he didn't figure in the decision. The return of lefty Tyler Anderson to the rotation Sunday to face the Dodgers allowed Rockies manager Bud Black to give Marquez an extra day.

The Giants have lost Samardzija's last three starts, and he is 0-2 with a 6.63 ERA with numbers that will make his team smile (18 strikeouts) and cry (six home runs).

Things to know about this game

• In a game in which Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom was nearly unhittable on Saturday, Brandon Belt got to him for an opposite-field homer -- something that used to be a common occurrence. In 2015, close to half of the left-handed-hitting

Belt's homers were to left, but his power has since become more pull-heavy. Saturday's homer was just the second of his

14 this season that went to the opposite field.

• Marquez will make his second start at AT&T Park. The first wasn't a golden memory -- six earned runs and 12 hits, including solo home runs by and Hunter Pence, in 4 1/3 innings of an 11-1 loss last Sept. 27.

• No matter the result, Samardzija is going to make sure the ball is in the strike zone and try to work to be ahead in the count. In April, he threw strikes about 63 percent of the time and made about 24 percent of his pitches while behind in the count. He walked 10 batters in 31 1/3 innings over that span. In 10 starts since, the righty has issued three free passes in

67 1/3 innings, compared with 77 strikeouts. His strike rate has shot up to nearly 69.5 percent, while his rate of pitches made behind in the count has dropped to about 14.5 percent.

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CarGo trying to avoid stint on disabled list

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | June 25th, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez, whose sore right shoulder kept him out of the starting lineup for the third straight game Sunday, hit in the Dodger Stadium batting cage in his attempt to avoid having to go on the 10-day disabled list.

"Better, not good," Gonzalez said. "But better is good."

Gonzalez has undergone treatments and strengthening exercises since leaving Thursday's game when he felt pain after a swing. With Gonzalez, a three-time All-Star, struggling at a .221 batting average with six home runs, 20 RBIs and a .300 on-base percentage, the Rockies don't want him playing injured.

Gonzalez said he wants to play in the three-game series at San Francisco that starts on Monday. If the Rockies place him on the DL, they can backdate it a maximum of three days and give him at least a week to regain health.

"I'd prefer not to do that," Gonzalez said. "I want to play. That's the only way to get better, the only way to help."

Worth noting

• It took overnight for it to sink in, and Rockies right-hander Scott Oberg had to confirm it via video and online, but he hit triple-digits on consecutive pitches in the seventh inning of Saturday night's 4-0 loss to the Dodgers.

The pitches came during a strikeout of Kiké Hernandez -- 101 mph to bring the count to 0-1, and 100 on a pitch he wanted outside the zone. The count reached 3-2 before he fanned Hernandez swinging at 99 mph.

"I've never thrown that hard in my life," said Oberg, who recorded a scoreless inning. "I always thought it could potentially be in there. But when you're not thinking about it, it's a little more natural and has a chance to come out.

"There have been some games when I'm like, 'OK, yeah, it's not out of the question.' It just needed the right circumstances."

• Rockies , who suffered a right quadriceps strain on June 6, is running at 65-70 percent without pain. He'll have an ultrasound Monday in San Francisco and after that an MRI exam in Denver. If all goes well he'll kick up

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activity -- he's already taking batting practice -- and move toward an injury-rehab assignment. Parra said he needs the ultrasound and MRI exam to help him feel confident pushing himself.

• The Rockies had righty (9-3, 4.79 ERA) in the bullpen on Sunday, for the second straight game, in case of emergency. It's possible the rookie starter could be skipped in the rotation this week.

The Rockies have six starters, with lefty Tyler Anderson rejoining the rotation on Sunday after a left knee injury, and they will have seven when righty returns from a left foot navicular stress fracture next weekend vs. the D-backs, as announced by manager Bud Black on Sunday. The Rockies haven't announced a starter for Wednesday at San

Francisco. The options: lefty (8-5, 3.70 ERA) on regular rest or Senzatela with an extra day's rest.

With rookies Senzatela, Freeland, German Marquez (who starts Monday at San Francisco) and Jeff Hoffman in the current rotation, the Rockies have said they are looking for ways to lighten their innings loads.

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Gray to return next weekend vs. D-backs

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | June 25th, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Pleased with his pitches and his health, right-hander Jon Gray will return to the Rockies' rotation for next weekend's series at Arizona.

Gray, who set a Rockies rookie record with 185 strikeouts last season and started this year's season opener, hasn't pitched since suffering a navicular stress fracture of his left foot on April 13 at San Francisco. Gray made three rehab starts, including Saturday for Triple-A Albuquerque at home against El Paso. Gray gave up one run and struck out six, but he walked four in five innings while throwing 95 pitches.

"My endurance was like night and day, and I got outs with all my pitches; it was a really good start," said Gray (0-0, 4.38

ERA before the injury), who said he's planning on starting Friday night's series opener, although manager Bud Black has not made a formal announcement.

Black was pleased with everything except the walks.

Gray checked out healthy, but elevated walks on Saturday, the same night that the Rockies' Tyler Chatwood walked eight in 3 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss to the Dodgers, struck Black the wrong way.

"I liked the stamina, I liked the endurance, I liked the stuff," Black said. "I liked the sharpness that I heard in the first couple of innings, but then it sort of wavered a little bit as he got deeper into the game. But that's understandable. He used all his pitches.

"He threw 95 pitches, battled out of a couple tough innings. But I'm not happy with the four walks. We've got to do something about that. I'm not a big walk guy, so we'll address that."

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Rockies’ ugliest loss of 2017 is a gut-punch from Dodgers as Adam Ottavino throws four wild pitches “You can call it what you want. It was pathetic,” Ottavino said. “I have to do better.”

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | June 25th, 2017

LOS ANGELES — The strange abounded at Dodger Stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The yips, the bloops, a five- hole boot. And then it got wild.

In the Dodgers’ 12-6 gut-punch victory over the Rockies, wild pitches scored the first run and the last, and Colorado slipped again in the nuttiest, ugliest loss of a worrisome five-game skid.

Adam Ottavino‘s slider to the backstop in the seventh inning scored two runs, as Tony Wolters spun around in the dark of his catcher’s helmet looking for a wayward , and the Dodgers took a lead they did not abandon. The Rockies (47-

31) are lost, now looking up through a 4 1/2-game deficit at the National League West-leading Dodgers (51-26).

Ottavino threw a club record-tying four wild pitches, accounting for three runs in the seventh inning and two runs in eighth.

He allowed a total of six earned runs — on three hits, including Cody Bellinger’s two-run homer — and recorded only three outs.

“You can call it what you want. It was pathetic,” Ottavino said. “I have to do better.”

But as the red-hot Dodgers won their 10th consecutive game, the Rockies’ pain radiated further. Just five days ago, the

Rockies held the top spot in their division, the latest calendar date in club history for a claim on first place.

Now, the Rockies are dealing with another injured pitcher — Tyler Andersonsuffered a left hamstring cramp, leading to his exit in the third inning Sunday. Colorado’s weary bullpen was forced to use veteran closer Greg Holland just to escape the eighth inning.

Ottavino, who allowed just one run and two hits in his previous four appearances, fell apart in a marathon outing. He threw

48 pitches, as manager Bud Black called on him to prop up the bullpen.

“I would have pitched until my arm fell off,” Ottavino said.

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Oddly, Ottavino’s career-worst day hinged on a fringe pitch. He entered the seventh with two outs and quickly drew a full count against Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes. He threw a fastball on the outside of the plate and took a step off the mound, thinking it was the third strike.

“In the moment,” Ottavino said, “I thought it was a strike. But nobody is telling me that it is. Nobody is really talking to me. I mean, he called it a ball, so it’s a ball.”

Barnes instead walked and the inning devolved. “From there, it sort of unraveled,” Black said.

Way back in the second inning, Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy threw three wild pitches to score Mark Reynolds from first base. McCarthy suffered something approaching the yips. But manager Dave Roberts was forced to keep McCarthy on the mound because the Dodgers are short-handed due to injuries. In the third inning, Reynolds and Tapia knocked in two more runs as the Rockies built a 5-0 lead.

McCarthy’s three wild pitches were outdone by Ottavino’s four. And a lifetime elapsed before the game’s final pitch.

“He helped us, no doubt,” Black said of McCarthy. “And then we helped them on the back end.”

Bellinger’s two-run homer off Ottavino in the eighth — he also homered off Anderson in the third — gave the Dodgers an

11-6 lead. It led to chants of “CO-DY” from the Chavez Ravine crowd. But those chants faded into another after Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen doubled off Greg Holland for another run. It was just Jansen’s third hit in eight years. And the crowd quickly harmonized a “ROCKIES (STINK)!” chorus.

“Games like this happen. They’re painful when you’re on this end of it,” Black said. “As ugly as it got in the end, this is good for us to see where we are and how we bounce back, especially on the mound.”

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Jon Gray set to return for the Rockies in Arizona, they hope just in time; Tyler Anderson injured; CarGo, Parra mending Gray, 25, will be pitching for the first time since suffering a broken left foot April 13 on the mound in San Francisco.

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | June 25th, 2017

LOS ANGELES — Right-hander Jon Gray, the Rockies’ opening-day starter and hardest thrower, will return to pitch at

Arizona this week, manager Bud Black said Sunday, as the club looks for an infusion of life in a struggling rotation. Gray likely will pitch Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

Gray, 25, will be pitching for the first time since suffering a broken left foot April 13 on the mound in San Francisco.

Black referenced Gray’s stamina, endurance, stuff, sharpness and competitiveness in a minor-league rehab start

Saturday with Triple-A Albuquerque. Then the manager punctuated his list of positives with disquiet.

“I’m not happy with the four walks,” Black said. “Walks have been a little bothersome for me lately. We have to do something about that. I’m not a big walk guy.”

Gray struck out six, walked four and gave up a run on five hits against Sacramento. He got through five innings on 94 pitches.

“None of them were four-pitch walks. They were all hard-fought counts,” Gray said.

Black received a late-night report from Albuquerque at Dodger Stadium immediately after watching Tyler Chatwood walk eight batters in the Rockies’ 4-0 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday. Chatwood lasted just 3 1/3 innings. Kyle Freeland was the only Rockies pitcher to last past the fifth inning in a four-game skid, when he pitched six innings Friday in a loss to the

Dodgers. Jeff Hoffman, Antonio Senzatela and Chatwood appeared in abbreviated outings, all losses.

“It definitely means more now, but I’m not changing anything at all,” Gray said. “I’m just going to take that aggressive mind-set, look for quick outs and make hitters uncomfortable.”

Gray fielded a high chopper at the Giants’ AT&T Park in April and in his turn to throw toward first base, he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot. He wore a walking boot for several weeks, while continuing to throw through his rehabilitation. But his recovery took longer than expected.

He will pitch again after missing about 11 weeks. 14

“My endurance, it was like night and day,” Gray said of his final rehab start.

Anderson injured. Lefty Tyler Anderson returned to the rotation Sunday at Dodger Stadium. But he lasted just 2 1/3 innings, yanked from the game with what he called a left hamstring cramp.

Anderson threw 55 pitches before Jordan Lyles replaced him. He will undergo tests in San Francisco on Monday, Black said. And his availability to pitch next weekend remains in doubt.

“I’m not a doctor,” Anderson said, brushing off any worry about his next start. “Yeah, I want to. I had a cramp in my leg.”

Rotation in question. With Anderson, the Rockies are working with a six-man rotation. So Black placed rookie right- hander Antonio Senzatela in the bullpen for an emergency situation. But he did not turn to the 22-year-old to replace

Anderson.

“If this game went extra innings or we needed any sort of length, Senza was the guy for that,” Black said.

The Rockies, though, have an open turn in their pitching schedule Wednesday against the Giants. The day will fall to

Senzatela, on an extra day of rest, or to Freeland, on regular rest.

Second baseman DJ LeMahieu spun this quandary as a positive.

“In other years, we’d probably look around and be like, ‘Who else are we going to use? What are we going to do?’ ” he said after the Rockies’ wild 12-6 loss to the Dodgers. “But we’ve got so many guys now who can compete and be good — dominant, even — that this skid hopefully won’t last too long. We’ll definitely bounce back.”

CarGo hurting. Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (sore right shoulder) was not available again Sunday. He missed a third consecutive game after suffering the injury Wednesday in an at-bat, but the Rockies are trying to keep him off the disabled list. His pain improved Sunday with treatment.

“Better, not good,” he said. “But better is good.”

Footnotes. Gerardo Parra will have an ultrasound on his strained right thigh muscle Monday in San Francisco. If it checks out well, he will fly to Denver for an MRI, a test that will indicate his readiness for a rehab assignment, he said. Parra, though, estimated his leg’s health at about 70 percent. … Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was called on for a five-out save

Sunday, his second of such length in his career and his 17th save this season. He also hit the first double of his career.

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More impressive: Jansen has now faced 118 batters this season — with just one walk issued. His first free pass came

Sunday, when he walked Nolan Arenado in the ninth.

Looking ahead …

Rockies RHP German Marquez (5-3, 3.92 ERA) at Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija (2-9, 4.74), 8:15 p.m. Monday, ROOT;

850 AM

Samardzija, the Giants’ hard-luck 32-year-old pitcher, struck out 57 batters in his past eight starts, averaging more than one per inning. But he has won only one game in more than a month. His only true pitching blip over that stretch came last week, when he gave up eight runs and 11 hits against the Rockies at Coors Field. Marquez, who will pitch after an extra day of rest, allowed just one run and four hits in six innings against the Diamondbacks last week, the Rockies’ only win in that three-game series. He dropped his ERA below 4.00 for the first time this month. Nick Groke, The Denver Post

Tuesday: Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman (4-1, 4.29 ERA) at Giants RHP Matt Cain (3-7, 5.54), 8:15 p.m., ROOT

Wednesday: Rockies TBA at Giants LHP Ty Blach (4-5, 4.86), 1:45 p.m., no TV

Thursday: Off

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Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino threw 48 pitches, and it was not good The decision to leave Ottavino in was inexplicable.

By Hayden Ringer / Purple Row | @hjrrockies | Jun 26, 2017

I’m sitting here after one of the most frustrating losses I’ve ever watched. Look at this stupid win probability graph:

Fangraphs

This is actually one of the rare times when a win probability graph doesn’t convey even half of the awfulness of the experience. Adam Ottavino, literally the Rockies’ only good relief pitcher from 2015-2016, experienced what is easily the worst meltdown of the season, allowing three runs on two wild pitches during one at bat, and then five more runs the following inning on two more wild pitches, two walks, two doubles, and Cody Bellinger’s second of the game.

It’s no secret that Ottavino has been extremely ineffective this year. He has now walked just over 15 percent of the batters he’s faced, third worst among relievers. The six earned runs today bumped his ERA up near 5.00, essentially matching his FIP. His seven wild pitches are tied for the most in baseball (again among relievers).

All of that said, I still can’t get it out of my mind that the thing that bothered me most about this entire stupid game is this number: 48

That’s the number of pitches that Ottavino threw tonight. Here’s another graph, and this one is more mind-boggling than the last. It shows the number of pitches Ottavino’s thrown per appearance since 2014:

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Brooks Baseball

That huge spike at the right hand corner was from yesterday. Sunday was just the first time since 2014 that Ottavino had even thrown more than 30 pitches in a game, and he threw nearly 50. Now, I have had essentially nothing but positive things to say about how Bud Black has managed the Rockies this year. Not that my praise would or ought to mean anything to him, coming from a certified Denizen of Mom’s Basement. So what I’m about to say is less about criticizing

Black, a professional doing a job that I could never ever begin to contemplate doing, and more about asking the question: did he really need to let Ottavino wear this one?

I can understand the circumstances. The bullpen has been perpetually overworked for a while, and with the game out of hand (and under the control of Kenley Jansen), it makes perfect sense to me to hope to get an extra out or two from

Ottavino. Furthermore, Black has seemed to adopt a philosophy of “you made the mess, now you clean it up,” especially in games that are essentially over. He’s been praised for that approach, and I think in many cases rightly.

I do think that yesterday, he may have gone too far. Ottavino has been wild all year, but four wild pitches is insane. He was clearly not able to get the ball over the plate, or even near it. In a season where Ottavino has rarely had much control, he had less than ever before.

I highly doubt that Bud Black was trying to “teach a lesson” to Ottavino, so don’t think I’m headed that direction. No, I’m more worried about the idea of a pitcher being asked to essentially double his usual peak workload, in a game that was statistically over, just under a year removed from returning from major surgery, on the worst day of his career.

To Adam’s credit, he had all the right things to say after the game:

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“You can call it what you want, it was pathetic,” Ottavino said. “I have to do better.”

“I would have pitched until my arm fell off,” Ottavino said.

I have no doubt of the truth of that last quote, which is part of my concern. In situations like this, I do believe it is the manager’s job to protect his players from breaking themselves. He was clearly reaching his limits, as you can see from his velocity chart. Notice how his fastball velocity was tailing off by ~2-3 mph towards the end:

Brooks Baseball

To roll back around to my disclaimers here: I don’t really have a clue about the situation. I’m a fan from a distance, who

“specializes” in staring at tables of numbers displayed on my computer screen and pretending to make sense of them. On the other hand, I just can’t shake the feeling that Ottavino, a stand-up, brilliant, hard-working member of the team got the short end of the stick yesterday from his manager.

There’s a bizarre symmetry to the past week of Rockies games. Last Sunday, the Rockies had a singular hero in Nolan

Arenado, who was able to leave the field as a God among mortals. This Sunday, the Rockies had a singular goat, who had to leave the field hanging his head. In between, the Rockies went from the emotional peak of the season down to the darkest abyss. I can’t defend Ottavino’s performance: it ought not be defended. But I feel the need to defend Ottavino the person, perhaps against an imagined threat. His performance has been one of the few sad storylines of the season, and the dumb part about sports is that we tend to brand those narratives directly onto the players. I’m certainly no saint in that 19

regard. I’ve spent far too many minutes of my life being angry online about Gerardo Parra, Ian Desmond, and Jordan

Lyles—men of dedication, talent, and hard work far surpassing my own.

I just hope that Ottavino is okay. I hope that after all of this stupid baseball, he and Bud Black can sit down and gameplan for how to get right. Because when Ottavino is right, he’s a supreme joy to watch:

If Adam ever happens to read this article, he might chuckle that I ever worried about this situation (If you really are reading this: hello!). Either way, I just want to root for him even more than before. The Rockies have crested into their first stretch of genuine daylight in a long time, and Ottavino has worked hard to contribute, even if things haven’t gone well for him so far. There’s no question yesterday represented a critical and difficult moment for Ottavino’s short-term future. All we can hope for, root for, cheer for, is that his long-term future is filled with success and sliders.

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Rockies’ Nolan Arenado draws first walk issued this year by Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen Oh yeah, Colorado also blew a 5-0 lead and lost 12-6 in a thoroughly embarrassing performance.

By Bryan Kilpatrick / Purple Row | @purplerowBK | Jun 26, 2017

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday drew the first walk issued all year by closer Kenley Jansen.

Jansen entered Sunday having issued no walks while striking out 50 batters in 31 innings. His walk to Arenado to leadoff

2 the ninth means he’s now walked one batter in 32 ⁄3 innings.

Oh, also, the Rockies blew a 5-0 lead en route to a 12-6 loss. Five of those Dodgers runs came on wild pitches served up by Adam Ottavino, who was inexplicably allowed by Colorado manager Bud Black to throw 48 pitches even though he clearly had no idea where the baseball was going.

1 Cody Bellinger, an actual freak, hit two homers for the Dodgers, who now have a 4 ⁄2 game lead over the Rockies in the

National League West. The Rockies have lost five games in a row, haven’t had a decent start since last Tuesday, and possess a bullpen that is running on fumes.

Other than that, things are going well for the 47-31 Rockies.

Seriously, this game was awful. It was long. Brandon McCarthy had a case of the yips early, leading to the Rockies taking an early 5-0 lead. But Tyler Anderson served up a pair of two-run homers in the third inning before exiting with an injury and perhaps contributing to the inevitable conclusion of this game.

The Rockies actually led 6-4 in the seventh inning thanks to decent-to-good work from Jordan Lyles, Scott Oberg, and Jake McGee and an RBI single from Ian Desmond, but that’s when Ottavino entered the game and uncorked four wild pitches. Ottavino, who hasn’t really been right all year, also walked three batters and gave up three hits, including one ofBellinger’s aforementioned homers. The struggling righty was charged with six runs.

The 2017 Rockies are a good team — easily one of the best in franchise history, in fact. But they have real issues in the bullpen that need to be addressed, preferably via trade. And depending on how the next couple of turns through the rotation go, the club might want to consider scouring the starting pitching market, even with Jon Gray set to return.

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It’s worth remembering that the Rockies entered this week with a winning record this season against the Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both of those teams are red hot. The Rockies, uh, aren’t. Things may change by the time the Rockies face those teams again.

But they’d be wise not simply to sit on their hands until then.

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Growing up in Grand Junction: The first step toward the

By Kevin Henry / Rox Pile | June 26, 2017

Grand Junction, Colorado, sits 246 miles west of Coors Field in downtown Denver. Interstate 70 makes it a straight roughly four-hour drive between the two locations. However, the players who start on the western side of the Centennial

State and hope they make their way into LoDo know they have a long and winding road ahead of them.

The are the rookie league affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. It is a franchise were Major League dreams begin for many and even end for some. It’s a city where recently drafted players get their first taste of and quickly learn that being a pro baseball player isn’t all glitz and glamor.

I recently had the chance to spend the weekend in Grand Junction and spend time with the rookie level Rockies before, during and after the game. It was Opening Weekend of the 2017 short season and it was still a time when players were not only getting used to each other, but also getting used to being in a new environment where the pressure was unlike anything they had experienced before.

In Grand Junction, baseball turns from fun into a business. That’s not a negative statement. It’s a fact of life. The big league club drafted and employed these players in the hopes that they might one day make an impact 246 miles away.

So what is life like in rookie ball? We talked to some players, host families and team officials about what makes Grand

Junction an experience that changes them forever.

Tony Diaz knows a thing or two about the Grand Junction Rockies.

Now in his 18th year with the Rockies organization, including time as Colorado’s rookie-level team manager in Casper,

Wyo. (2007-11) and Grand Junction (2012). From 2013-2016, he served as Grand Junction’s supervisor of development before getting his own call-up to the big leagues. This season is his first as the first base coach for the parent Rockies.

He believes how things start for the Rockies in Grand Junction sets the tone as the players move up in the organization.

“It really starts with our scouting department and the homework they do with these kids,” Diaz told Rox Pile. “We do a tremendous job of drafting kids of high character. That makes our job in player development a little easier because we know we’re dealing with solid, high-value human beings. We try to continue that process and make sure the kids feel comfortable. We have a great host family program. It’s about learning how to be a professional, on and off the field. Being

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on time, being dressed professionally and representing the organization, their families and themselves in a professional

One of the unique parts of the Grand Junction Rockies organization are the host families. These local families open up their homes to these new professional players who arrive in Grand Junction with their entire career ahead of them. While they’re only required to give them a place to sleep, a safe environment and some form of transportation back and forth to the field, there is much more that goes into the experience than that.

Mike and Shannon Sneddon have been a key part of the host family experience in Grand Junction since the team arrived here in 2012. Among the players who have stayed with them are , Brendan Rodgers, Dom

Nunez and . That’s a good lineup, but that’s not why the Sneddons do this.

“We’re both big sports fans,” Mike said. “Our boys played baseball and our daughter played softball. When our kids got older and moved out of the house, we were bored. We decided when this came in, this would get us back in the game and get us with the players. We could do the things we love to do.”

The Sneddons have hosted two to three Rockies rookies every year. The first year the Sneddons took part in the host family program, all three of the players they hosted were released by the Rockies.

“Are we bad luck? Should we do it again? We’ve lost a couple but even the ones that aren’t in the organization still keep in touch with us,” Shannon said. “One of our former players is now in training for the Army Ranger program. I got a text that said, ‘Hey Mom, I traded in my bat for a rifle.’ That’s all he said. It gave me goosebumps because you know you made a difference in their lives.”

Shannon said the thing that often gets lost in the first season of professional baseball is that these are often young men who have never really been away from home. They’re not only adjusting to becoming a professional athlete but doing it in a city and location they most likely have never been.

“We had one turn 19 while he was with us. That was hard on his mom. It was her first birthday away from him,” Shannon said. “We’re taking pictures and asking what they want for their birthday. The request was for pizza, a Dairy Queen ice cream cake and for six of the players to come over.”

“The business environment is hard enough,” Mike added. “It’s crucial for them to have a home environment. Next year, at

Class A, they’re on their own. They have to do everything. Now, they can come back to something stable with a host family and they’re not thrown completely out there.”

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Shannon makes snack bags for her boys for the long road trips between Grand Junction and Montana. Mike sits down and talks to them about those kids who hang out with them who might not have their best interest in mind and other sometimes tough topics. Yes, it’s very important for all parties that these new players have the influence of a mom and dad in Grand Junction.

“They’re still kids. It’s hard on them,” Shannon said. “We have one host mom who is retired. Whatever her boys want after the game, she’s fixing it. It doesn’t matter if she grills a steak. She loves to do it.”

The Sneddons say there are rules that are expected to be followed in their house. All they ask is that and respect.

“Here’s a truck for you to drive,” Shannon said of the small farm truck they let their players use for transportation during the season. “You keep it filled with gas. If you wreck it, you fix it. The house is open. If you want to have friends over that’s fine. Just respect us. Don’t party until 3 or 4 in the morning.”

“If you can talk about baseball and love it, that brings out conversations with these players,” Mike added. “We’ve had a couple of circumstances we have had to bring to their attention but we talk about it. Some of them may have never been talking to about certain situation. We’re firm believers that if they’re going to be professionals, they need to know how to speak to and act with people appropriately.”

manner. Those are the main points we try to hit.

“The other part is just going out there, playing and being yourself. We drafted you because we liked what we saw.”

Diaz says that while the players are getting used to play professional baseball, the Rockies won’t touch how they hit or pitch. They’re dealing with enough life changes as it is.

“Our policy in player development is that in the first 30 days, we’re not changing anybody’s mechanics or swings. Our scouts liked what they saw and the players were successful doing it,” Diaz said.

Diaz had the official title of manager and supervisor of development in Grand Junction. However, there was much more to do the job than just that, Diaz explained.

“It’s an ongoing balance,” he said. “Some people call rookie ball babysitting a little bit. It’s everything. You have to be a father figure, a counselor and a coach. Routines are important and it’s important to engrain the Rockies’ identity and who

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we are as an organization. Our main objective is that once they leave that level, they know what it takes to be a winning

Rockies player.”

Even though he’s now with the parent Rockies, Diaz glows when asked about Grand Junction.

“The Grand Junction community is second-to-none,” Diaz said. “They are extremely hospitable. They have a baseball history with the JUCO . Great people. The community is awesome. It starts with the host family program.

These people open up their homes and provide housing, food and transportation to kids they don’t know. They trust us and we don’t take that lightly. The community is very supportive and it’s a great stadium to play in.”

As a 22-year-old rookie and first-round draft pick, Jon Gray went 4-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 13.1 innings in Grand Junction.

M“I wasn’t used to it. All of the host families are nice and easy to get along with. It made the transition much

easier,” Gray remembered of his time in Grand Junction. “It was a beautiful place to play. The people there love

their beer and baseball.”

Gray is one of several Rockies who got their start in Grand Junction. David Dahl recalled his rookie league time fondly in this article when the Rockies caravan made a stop in Grand Junction prior to the start of the season.

When you walk into Suplizio Field, you get a sense of just how important this place is to the development of tomorrow’s

Rockies players. Pictures of Dahl, Tapia, Gray, Scott Oberg and Carlos Estevez are on display. So are pictures of Eddie

Butler and Jayson Aquino, who are now with other organizations.

They are symbols of the success that can happen to the players who step onto the field at Grand Junction. They are reminders that this baseball town in western Colorado isn’t just linked to Denver by I-70. It’s also linked to the Mile High

City in dreams of big league cheers and Coors Field moments as well.

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Nearing halfway mark, 2017 Rockies starting to resemble 2016 Broncos

By Casey Light / Mile High Sports | June 26, 2017

The Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos look quite different over the lifespan of their respective franchise histories, but in the past week the 2017 version of the Rockies has started to show an eerie resemblance to the 2016 Broncos.

Nine months ago, on Sept. 25, 2016, the Denver Broncos were 3-0 and leaving Cincinnati 29-17 victors over the Bengals in their first road test of the season. Two days later, ESPN would put the defending Super Bowl champs atop their power rankings for Week 4, just ahead of the New England Patriots. Those two teams’ seasons would end much differently.

Rockies fans are desperately hoping that their team takes a turn more in the direction of the Super Bowl LI champion Pats than of their Downtown Denver neighbors, who missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.

The 2016 Broncos, with their three world championships and 15 division titles in tow, shot out of the gate with a perfect 4-

0 record. Trevor Siemian was injured in a Week 4 victory over Tampa Bay, but Paxton Lynch looked more than capable in relief, guiding the Broncos to victory.

The 2017 Rockies, having never won the National League West in 24 tries, jumped out to a similarly hot start to their season. Forty-one games in, German Marquez, starting in place of the injured Jon Gray, delivered Colorado’s 26th win.

Perched atop the National League, Colorado looked very much like the best team on the senior circuit.

A quarter of the way into each of those seasons, all signs were pointing to successful runs to the postseason, if not slightly surprising ones.

No one really knew what Trevor Siemian was going to deliver as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. For all his smarts, his dedication and his tutelage under Peyton Manning, Siemian was still a big question mark. Yet he beat the 2015 MVP Cam

Newton, perennial Pro Bowler Andrew Luck and a QB with a lifetime .602 winning percentage, Andy Dalton, in his first three starts.

The same was true for Colorado’s rookie-laden starting rotation. Rockies manager Bud Black expected Gray and Chad

Bettis to anchor his rotation. Instead, it was Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela – neither of which had a major league

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start to his name prior to this season – who carried Colorado out to an early lead in the NL West. Senzatela picked up the

Rookie of the Month Award for April, and Freeland would go 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA through the first quarter of the season.

Football coaches like to break the season into quarters – four games apiece. Win every quarter and you’re going to the playoffs. Lose or tie a quarter-season, you’ve still got a chance. Lose or tie more than one, hope you play in the AFC

South.

The Broncos dropped the first two games of their second quarter-season in 2016, showing signs of what was to come.

Lynch lost his first NFL start to the eventual NFC champs, Atlanta. Trevor Simian struggled in his return and the Chargers stunned the Broncos on a Thursday night in San Diego. Denver rebounded to win their next two games and hit the halfway point at a solid 6-2, controlling the AFC West and ranked No. 3 in the power rankings, but during that stretch there were signs for concern.

They lost C.J. Anderson to injury. They weren’t converting third downs. The defense was struggling against the run. The

Broncos would win just three more games on the year, sliding in the standings (and the power rankings) with each passing week.

Baseball isn’t quite so easy to break up into square fractions. Managers prefer to look more at series than quarter- seasons. Win more series than you lose, count on playing in October. Tie or lose more than you win, get the golf clubs ready.

Still, the quarterly approach works in baseball. The Rockies have fared significantly better in the second quarter of the season so far, going 22-16 so far, yet causes for concern exist.

The bullpen, so good through the first quarter of the season, has recently shown signs of fatigue and inconsistency. The rookie starters, virtually unstoppable through April and May, have slowly watched their ERAs creep higher and higher. The red-hot starts from and Mark Reynolds have cooled a bit, while Carlos Gonzalez still has yet to turn things around from his career-worst start.

The Rockies are fresh off two very important series losses. Heading into the final series of the first half of the season, it’s critical they close it out strong.

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Leading the National League in wins (and perched atop those perilous power rankings) entering last week’s three-game series with Arizona at Coors Field, Colorado took the first game in dramatic fashion thanks to Nolan Arenado. They proceeded to get outscored 26 to 8 over the next two games, dropping the series and falling out of first place in the NL

West. They fared no better in Los Angeles getting swept in the three-game series and now trail both the Dodgers and

Diamondbacks in the division. The meltdown in the series finale didn’t do much to inspire confidence for the road ahead.

Colorado next heads to San Francisco, a team they’ve beat 10 times already this season. After that, they get a chance for redemption against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Game one of that series, No. 82 on the year, mathematically starts the second half of the season.

The Broncos managed to split the third quarter of the season, 2-2, but three consecutive losses to open the final four games of 2016 spelled doom for their playoff hopes.

A .500 record for the Rockies the rest of the way might be enough to sneak them into the playoffs. They’ve built up enough of a cushion and the NL Central and East are all so mediocre this year that it could happen. But they can’t count on that. And they certainly can’t win at a .375 clip over the second half of the season like the Broncos did last year. If they do, all those early expectations will end in the same place – disappointment.

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Dodgers run wild on Ottavino’s wild pitches to sweep Rockies

By MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | June 26, 2017

Four wild pitches. Five runs. One big Rockies loss.

A pair of wild pitches by Adamo Ottavino led to three Dodgers runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday, and the

Colorado Rockies failed to salvage the final game of a three-game series in Los Angeles. Two more by Ottavino led to two more runs in the eighth, and the Rockies pitching staff seems to be running out of reliable arms after dropping its fifth straight game to National League West foes.

Ottavino (1-2, 4.94 ERA) entered the seventh inning with a 6-4 lead and two runners on. He proceeded to walk the first batter he faced, then threw a pair of wild pitches that cleared the bases to surrender the lead. Things weren’t any better for Ottavino in the eighth, where he threw two more wild pitches (each allowing a run to score) and allowed a home run to Cody Bellinger – his second on the day. Bellinger drove in four of LA’s runs, logging his sixth multi-home run game of his rookie season, in the 12-6 victory. Things were so bad for the Rockies that Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen hit an RBI double in the eighth inning off Greg Holland. The Rockies closer was forced into action when Ottavino could not finish the inning.

Jordan Lyles and Scott Oberg each pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief of Tyler Anderson, who lasted only 3.1 innings in his first start after returning from the disabled list. Jake McGee was strong against the first six batters he faced, retiring five of them, but could could not get out of the seventh where the trouble started for Ottavino.

Ian Desmond (three) and DJ LeMahieu (two) each had multi-hit games for the Rockies. Nolan Arenado scored a pair of runs, and Mark Reynolds was 1-for-2 with three walks, a run and an RBI.

Colorado has now lost five straight games to teams above them in the National League West standings. The Dodgers hold a 4.5-game advantage over Colorado in the division, having entered last week trailing the Rockies. The win was LA’s

10th in a row.

The Rockies will try to get back to their winning ways agains the Giants in San Francisco on Monday. Colorado is 10-1 so far this season against the Giants.

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Rockies implode late in ugly loss, as Dodgers complete sweep

By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | June 25, 2017

It was a wild, ugly game between the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers in their series finale Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. The Rockies, losers of four straight and the Dodgers, winners of nine straight, played some

Keystone Cops baseball for much of the day. In the end, the Rockies bumbled their way out of L.A., losing 12-6, after getting out to a five-run lead early on.

The Dodgers scored eight times in their final two-inning at-bats, as the Rockies’ bullpen – so superb most of the season – continued to give manager Bud Black a new shade of gray to his already silver mane. Adam Ottavino’s shoddy work in relief was the main culprit.

Rockies starter Tyler Anderson, in his first game back from the disabled list, got into a spot of trouble with a pair of walks in the first inning. He was getting a little squeezed, especially up and in on right-handed hitters, but was able to escape the early damage that has so plagued the Rockies pitching as of late.

The Rockies staked Anderson out to a big lead soon after. Mark Reynolds walked and then Brandon McCarthy just completely lost the handle. He started missing by feet and not inches, uncorking three straight wild pitches that easily allowed Reynolds to score and ultimately resulted in a Walk to Raimel Tapia. McCarthy made another mental mistake, failing to get to first, though some credit goes to Ian Desmond, who hustled hard to beat him there, moving Tapia to third.

He scored when the attempt to cut down Desmond stealing second failed, with the baseball kicked into shallow left field.

Desmond moved up on a fly to right off the bat of Pat Valaika and scored on a single through the right side from Tony

Wolters to make it 3-0.

After a very quick inning with an odd ending from Anderson, requiring him to chase down Joc Pederson at third after DJ

LeMahieu whiffed on a ball in shallow right, the craziness continued, but in favor of the Rockies.

LeMahieu singled to right, nothing strange about that, but then Nolan Arenado hit a hard grounder right at Enrique

Hernandez who let it roll right through his legs instead of converting the 6-4-3 double play. That really came back to bite the Dodgers as LeMahieu came in to score on a single to right from Reynolds and Arenado was plated on a groundout from Tapia, giving the Rockies a 5-0 lead.

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But Los Angeles came right back, getting a pair of runs on a two-run home run from Hernandez, making up for his two-run mistake a mere half-inning later. followed that up with a double into the pull gap and Cody

Bellinger launched his 23rd home run of the season over the right field wall to pull the Dodgers to within one at 5-4.

Bellinger has been an absolute revelation for the Dodgers and for the game of baseball this season, coming out of the gate with the fastest home run rate in history. He leads the NL in home runs despite having only played 57 games at the

MLB level this year.

Then things went from bad to worse for the Rockies as Anderson experienced an undisclosed (seemingly knee related) injury and had to be removed from the game in favor of Jordan Lyles. Lyles escaped the third with relative ease but things got extremely tense in the bottom of the fourth.

Pederson singled into right and was put in motion which allowed him to beat out a double play attempt on a grounder to short. Then Lyles struck out Chris Taylor, giving him an opportunity to escape the frame by getting Hernandez, who he walked on some borderline pitches bringing the .390 batting average of Justin Turner to the plate. Lyles danced around the zone with him as well, and while there were, again, a few pitches that could have gone either way, Turner wisely laid off of them drawing the walk and bringing Scott Oberg into the bases loaded situation to face phenom Bellinger. After a

23-minute-long half-inning, Oberg got Bellinger to pop up, throwing only fastballs at 97 mph or faster, and ending the frame without any damage being done, preserving the one-run lead.

Arenado hit a one-out single away from the shift to the right side and Reynolds followed with his 37th walk of the season but Tapia popped out to center, meaning the Rockies would need a two-out hit from Desmond. That’s exactly what they got, though, on a liner back up the middle to make it 6-4, Rockies.

Jake McGee came on in the bottom of the sixth, earlier than his usual spot, and pitched one of the finest innings of baseball the Rockies have seen all season. Dotting the fastball at 95-99 mph on the edges of the zone, he struck out the side, two of them looking. McGee stayed on in the seventh and K’d Hernandez before finally surrendering a single to

Turner. Then Logan Forsythe jumped on a two-strike fastball to line a double to left. Black went to Ottavino and that’s when things went into the garbage bin.

Ottavino appeared to have struck out Austin Barnes, but the Rockies again didn’t get the borderline call and then the

Rockies reliever spiked two pitches, allowing three runs, making it 7-6, Dodgers.

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With one out in the eighth, the Dodgers went to Kenley Jansen, suddenly smelling the sweep, and he powered through the inning with ease.

Ottavino continued to struggle in the eighth, throwing two more wild pitches that allowed two more runs. Then he allowed a two-run shot to Bellinger, his second of the game, 25th on the season. Game over, series over, early-season momentum over.

Colorado fell to 47-31 after the fifth straight loss. But, they are still eight games up in the Wild Card race. All those wins early on make days like this a little easier to process.

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See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil: Bud Black’s unorthodox working philosophy

By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | June 25, 2017

DENVER – Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black doesn’t want to talk about splits. Of any kind. He doesn’t want his ballplayers or coaches overemphasizing Coors Field, particular pitching matchups, or certain series’ throughout the year that the fans and the media may deem more important than others.

He doesn’t want to talk about whether or not they are playing division rivals or teams that were in the World Series a year ago. He’s not interested in speculating — at least, not out loud in a public setting — his strategies for next week or even tomorrow. “We’re trying to win today,” he has quickly become famous in Denver for saying.

His players echo this sentiment on a daily basis, insisting on living through the 162-game season a day at a time. “Each game is an individual event,” says Adam Ottavino, “what happened yesterday doesn’t matter.”

With the Rockies currently in the midst of their first four-game slump of the season, this theory is going to be tested more earnestly than it has before. Can Colorado stay mentally focused, not allowing any of the previous four games — and their near complete lack of competitiveness — to hack away at their confidence and/or send them on some kind of downward spiral?

As we’ve noted multiple times, the Rockies still hold a healthy lead in the Wild Card standings with more than half the season to play. That, of course, could be a blessing or a curse depending on how the club responds to their first extending streak of poor play.

Throughout their history, the Colorado Rockies have developed some tendencies that have been pretty consistent. Bud

Black, being a pretty smart guy, is very much aware of these. He knows that some pitches move differently at home than they do out on the road, especially when that road lands you in California. He knows that this team has historically struggled mightily on the road. He knows that this is a franchise still clamoring to be taken seriously on a national stage while simultaneously believing that talent, and not reputation, is what will win out in the end.

He doesn’t speak of these things. He mostly blocks any narratives that some may want to draw (we’ve absolutely been in this boat) about any unique struggles his ballclub may face. “Throw quality strikes … swing at good pitches … make smart baseball plays … and you usually win,” he says. Hard to argue with that formula. 34

Over the years there have been raging debates about whether the Rockies did massive damage to their team (mostly pitchers) by putting way too much emphasis on the nature of their home ballpark and the added troubles that brings in terms of the “hangover effect” out on the road. Conversely, many believed that Colorado wasn’t going far enough to address these issues, arguing that ignoring them only worsened the problem that clearly needed to be dealt with.

In 2017, even including recent days, the Rockies pitching staff is the best it has ever been despite getting almost nothing from three top guys a year ago in Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson — who returns this afternoon — and Chad Bettis. With a now- famous group of rookies, Colorado has managed to shake a 24-year trend. Black will tell you that all the credit goes to the talent of the young men in question, and the development work done by a myriad of coaches throughout their minor, and now major, league careers.

But don’t discount the strategy of “Keep Calm, It’s Just Baseball” that emanates from their manager of every day. Things are being done to address the elephant in the room. The results are proof enough of that. This is why Bud Black sees no reason to give each unique challenge a spotlight. He doesn’t want his players thinking that way.

Maybe if he had a lesser team he wouldn’t be so strict on this policy. Why not make a big deal “tests” and home/away splits and curveballs at Coors or divisional games? Maybe because he thinks the “big deal” is the roster of 25 he trots out every night.

He instills a constant belief in his guys that no matter where they are, no matter who they face, no matter the situation or the stakes, they have the talent to win any game in which they take the field. It’s their job to go out and reward that faith.

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Rockies Looking to Make Hay by the Bay

By Tracy Ringolsby / Inside the Seams | June 26, 2017

Think the Rockies are struggling? Check out the Giants. The Rockies have had a challenging week — and on Sunday saw their season-worst winning streak extended to five games. But that was against the Dodgers. Monday the venue changes to AT&T Park and the opponent will be the Giants.

Now, you want to talk about struggling, then talk about the Giants.

The Rockies have fallen from first place in the NL West to last place by losing the final two games of a three-game series with the Diamondbacks at Coors field last week, and then being swept in a three-game visit to Dodger Stadium. They do, however, remain 6 1/2 games up on the Cubs in the wild-card race.

The Giants? They are in last place in the NL West, 23 1/2 games back of the NL West-leading Dodgers, and 20 games back of the Rockies for that final wild-card spot. That’s a Rockies team that is 11-1 against the Giants this year.

Big deal? Well, with nine games left between the Giants and the Rockies the Rockies already have matched their most wins in a single season with the Rockies. They have assured themselves of a winning record against the Giants for only the sixth time in the Rockies’ 25-year history.

The Rockies year by year against the Giants ranked by winning percentage:

2017 10 1 .909 3.95

1995 8 5 .615 4.55

2008 11 7 .611 3.48

1998 7 5 .583 4.58

2015 11 8 .579 4.18

2007 10 8 .556 4.75

2006 10 8 .556 4.95

2014 10 9 .526 4.67

2010 9 9 .500 3.80

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2001 9 10 .474 4.25

2013 9 10 .474 4.43

2016 9 10 .474 4.56

2000 6 7 .462 6.63

2009 8 10 .444 4.13

2002 8 11 .421 5.79

2004 8 11 .421 6.05

2005 7 11 .389 5.25

1996 5 8 .385 5.35

2003 7 12 .368 4.87

1997 4 8 .333 5.07

1999 4 9 .308 7.86

1994 3 7 .300 6.78

2011 5 13 .278 4.63

1993 3 10 .231 5.97

2012 4 14 .222 6.68

How bad are things for the Giant? Well, the Rockies losing streak had come against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, who rank 1-2 in the NL in winning percentage. But then the Rockies have the NL’s third best record.

The Giants, meanwhile, at 27-50, have the second worst record in the big leagues, ahead of only the Phillies (24-90).

They are on a pace for a 57-105 season, which would be the worst in franchise history. And after being swept at home by the Mets, the Giants have lost 11 of their last 12 games.

The Giants have never lost more than 100 games in a season, and since their inception in 1883 they have suffered through only 11 seasons of 90 or more losses.

▼ Wins Losses Win Pct.

1985 62 100 .383

1943 55 98 .359

1984 66 96 .407

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1996 68 94 .420

1946 61 93 .396

1979 71 91 .438

2007 71 91 .438

1899 60 90 .400

1974 72 90 .444

1992 72 90 .444

2008 72 90 .444 That’s not to try and ignore the fact the Rockies are facing a challenging stretch. The five-game losing streak is one thing, but the most recent loss, on Sunday, was one where they had a 6-4 lead in the seventh and lost 12-6.

How bad was it? Well, reliever Adam Ottavino threw four wild pitches, a key reason the two teams combined to throw eight wild pitches, the most in MLB since 1913 according to Stats, Inc. Giants starter Brandon McCarty had three and

Rockies starter Tyler Anderson one. Three runs scored on an Ottavino wild pitch. Ottavino’s four wild pitches equaled a

Rockies single-game record set by David Hale against the Mets on Aug. 23, 2015. Five Dodgers runs scored on wild itches, the most since 1920, according to Elias News Bureau.

Given a 5-0 lead by the time he too the mound in the third inning, Anderson gave up two two-run home runs in that inning and was lifted because of soreness in his left knee, which was the reason he was recently on the disabled list. He will be reexamined Monday. While the five-game losing streak has come against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, the Rockies still have the best record within the NL West of any of the teams in the division.

Team W L Pct ERA

Rockies 25 16 .610 4.51

Diamondbacks 21 15 .583 3.85

Dodgers 19 16 .543 3.43

Padres 13 21 .382 5.31

Giants 12 22 .353 4.93

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For the Rockies to win, their lineup must succeed on the road

By David Schoenfield / ESPN.com | June 26, 2017

Colorado Rockies fans are a little depressed this morning. Their Rockies have lost five in a row, two at home to the

Diamondbacks and then three road games to the Dodgers -- the teams they’re fighting against for the NL West title. It was a terrible trip through the rotation, as the starting pitchers allowed 31 runs in 20 1/3 innings in those losses.

The good news is the road trip continues to San Francisco with Monday’s game on ESPN, with German

Marquez facing Jeff Samardzija (10 p.m. ET), and the Rockies are 10-1 against the Giants in 2017. The other good news is that staff ace Jon Gray, who hasn’t pitched since April 13 after suffering a stress fracture in his foot, should start Friday in Arizona.

Still, this recent skid has everyone concerned about the rotation, and that’s understandable given the four rookies in the current six-man group (Gray’s return will likely bump somebody to the bullpen). I submit, however, that the biggest key for the Rockies isn’t the state of the pitching staff, but the ability of the offense to score runs on the road. Consider this chart going back to 2010, which lists the team’s road wOBA in April and then the rest of season wOBA, along with the team’s

NL rank in runs scored per game:

YEAR APRIL WOBA RUNS/G RANK W-L ROS WOBA RUNS/G RANK W-L 2016 .347 6 7-4 .302 12 26-44

2015 .313 9 7-5 .282 14 25-44

2014 .311 8 8-9 .274 15 13-51

2013 .349 2 7-8 .286 14 22-44

2012 .275 13 4-5 .294 15 24-47

2011 .312 2 10-3 .301 16 25-43

2010 .323 11 4-7 .287 15 27-43 As you can see, the offense often starts off well and then goes in the tank the rest of the season, often finishing at the bottom or near the bottom of the National League in runs per game. Only in 2012 did the offense improve after April, and even then it was second-to-last in runs the remainder of the season. Incredibly, the Rockies actually have a winning record on the road in April over these seven seasons, despite an abysmal road record overall. Sure, a lot of those problems have been bad pitching, but struggling to score runs has been a major issue as well. (We won’t go into the reasons why, but this appears to be the Coors Field effect in motion, that the Rockies leave spring training on an equal footing with other clubs and then the more games they play at Coors, the more their brains fail to function on the road.) 39

Anyway, here’s the same information for 2017:

APRIL WOBA RUNS/G RANK W-L ROS WOBA RUNS/G RANK W-L

2017 .295 13 9-4 .321 6 16-12

The offense has actually been better in May and June than it was in April, and even after losing three straight to the

Dodgers the Rockies are still 16-12 on the road in May and June while ranking sixth in the NL in runs per game. That’s the good news, that this offense has held it together much better than recent Rockies teams.

The concern, however, is that the offense is actually sort of mediocre. The Rockies are fourth in the NL in runs scored on the season, but that would be the club’s lowest ranking since 2008, when it ranked eighth. The Rockies actually led the

NL in runs per game the past three seasons, despite being terrible on the road.

Only three regulars have an adjusted OPS above league average -- Charlie Blackmon (131), Mark Reynolds (125) and Nolan Arenado (117). Only the Marlins have a lower walk rate and the Rockies are just ninth in the league in home runs despite playing in Coors Field.

Pitching In

Despite the recent implosion of the pitching staff, the Rockies' pitching staff still ranks well among MLB teams:

Overall WAR (FanGraphs): 8th

Rotation WAR: 12th

Bullpen WAR: 9th

Among NL teams on the road:

ERA: 2nd (behind Arizona)

Rotation ERA: 4th (behind Arizona, L.A., Washington)

Bullpen ERA: 3rd (behind Chicago, Arizona)

So as important as it is for the rookies in the rotation to keep pitching well and Gray to make a strong return and the bullpen to hold up, it’s just as important for and Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Desmond to start hitting much better. Among 211 players with at least 200 plate appearances, those three rank 208th (Gonzalez), 197th (Desmond) and

193rd in the park-adjusted stat wRC+ (which measures how a player’s weighted runs created compares with the league average). They’ve been awful. The positive scenario is all three were much better last season and should improve. 40

The Rockies have just one winning road record in their franchise history, when they went 41-40 in 2009 -- the last time they made the playoffs. As trade rumors heat up, the Rockies will undoubtedly be looking for pitch depth -- either in the bullpen or maybe a veteran starter. There are obvious reasons to be more optimistic about this Rockies team -- despite this five-game swoon -- but it seems the key may not be adding pitching, but whether or not CarGo, Story and Desmond can start popping some home runs.

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Dodgers win 10th in row behind Cody Bellinger's HRs, Rockies wild pitches

By Associated Press / ESPN.com | June 26, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers unleashed yet another weapon to continue their winning streak.

The vaunted wild pitch.

The Dodgers made some history Sunday, albeit with a great assist from the Colorado Rockies, scoring a record five runs in the final two innings on four wild pitches by Adam Ottavino.

Add the almost requisite home-run production from rookie sensation Cody Bellinger -- this time he had two -- and the

Dodgers had a 12-6 comeback win over the Rockies for their 10th consecutive victory.

"That was a long, crazy game," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

The game went four hours and 19 minutes, making it the longest nine-inning game since Dodger Stadium opened in

1962.

Incorporated were the seventh and eighth innings when they scored five consecutive runs on four wild pitches by Ottavino

(1-2).

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According to the Elias Sport Bureau, the Dodgers were the first team in the live-ball era (since 1920) to score at least five runs on wild pitches.

"These games are played by human beings," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "Games like this happen. They're painful when you're on this end of it but we've had our share where it's gone the other way."

The two teams combined to throw eight wild pitches, which according to STATS is the most in a single game since 1913.

Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy threw three, one of them scoring a run.

Bellinger now has 24 home runs, helping the Dodgers stretch their longest string since they won 10 straight in August

2013. Colorado lost its season-worst fifth in a row.

The Dodgers have hit at least one home run in 17 consecutive games, tying their record in Los Angeles. Their franchise record is 24 consecutive games set by Brooklyn in 1956. 42

Kenley Jansen got five outs for his 17th save, and his first career double and RBI to drive in the Dodgers' final run.

Jansen also walked his first batter of the season after striking out 51 in a dominant year.

"That was a good streak," Roberts said. "That was historical."

Colorado led 6-4 when Ottavino took over with two on and two out in the seventh. He walked a batter and threw a wild pitch that allowed one run to score. Ottavino then threw another wild pitch for the tying run, and when catcher Tony

Wolters couldn't find the ball, Austin Barnes raced home from second.

"He had third base, he was going hard, took the turnaround third base and the play is in front of him," Roberts said. "At that point you have to be instinctual."

The Dodgers added five more runs in the eighth, the first two scoring on another pair of wild pitches by Ottavino. He had thrown three wild pitches this season before the problems at Dodger Stadium.

The Rockies could not stop their losing skid despite taking a 5-0 lead off McCarthy. The Dodgers came back for their 16th win in 17 games.

BELLINGER POWER

He now has six multihomer games this season, a Dodgers' rookie record and second all-time to Mark McGwire's seven in

1987. He also beat out an infield hit and made a diving catch in right field.

"(Dodgers broadcaster) Manny Mota comes in to remind me every day, I already got paid for yesterday," Bellinger said.

"That's a good reminder."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: OF Carlos Gonzalez missed his third consecutive start with a sore shoulder. Black said Gonzalez did take some early batting practice and was showing improvement.

Dodgers: Put OF Franklin Gutierrez on the 10-day disabled list with another bout of Ankylosing Spondylitis, an immune arthritic condition he has battled since 2011. The team is uncertain if he will be ready to return after the 10 days off. The team called up infielder Mike Freeman from Triple-A Oklahoma City to his roster spot.

UP NEXT

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Rockies: RHP German Marquez (5-3, 3.92 ERA) is scheduled to start the Monday opener of a three-game series against the Giants in San Francisco. The rookie has allowed only three earned runs in his last three starts (1.93 ERA) and is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in six road starts.

Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill (4-3, 4.73) will attempt to pitch into the sixth inning for the first time this season when he starts

Monday against the Angels. It will mark his 10th start. In his last start Wednesday against the Mets, he allowed one run on four hits in five innings.

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