MEDIA CLIPS – May 4, 2018

Ottavino's among NL West's best pitches

AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | May 3, 2018

For the better part of the past decade, the National League West has been home to a host of 's elite arms.

Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner have spent plenty of time at the pinnacle of the sport. Robbie Ray, Jon Gray and Joey Lucchesi are among league's the best youngsters.

The in the NL West are great. And, naturally, so are the pitches they throw. With that in mind, MLB.com took an in-depth look at the signature pitch for each team in the division.

Some were obvious. Some were surprising. All were filthy.

D-backs

The pitch: Zack Godley's

How he uses it: A lot. In fact, no in baseball has thrown a curveball more frequently than the 198 times Godley has used his this season. That increase in usage has effectively turned him from a No. 5 starter to a front-of-the-rotation type arm.

What it does: Baseball features plenty of curveball specialists with big, looping breaking pitches that are deceptive because they change the pace. Not Godley. His curve gets on hitters quick. So much movement at such high velocity is precisely what makes Godley's curve extraordinarily difficult for hitters to pick up.

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What they say: "It's one of the best curves I've ever seen. It looks like a cutter, then all of a sudden, it disappears." -

- Giants outfielder Gregor Blanco

Statcast™ fact: Godley's curveball has averaged 81.7 mph this season. Among NL pitchers to throw at least 100 curves this season, only Stephen Strasburg has a higher average velocity.

Dodgers

The pitch: Kenley Jansen's cutter

How he uses it: For the most part, Jansen only uses it. His cutter has drawn comparisons to that of Mariano Rivera -- both because of the frequency with which the two right-handers throw the pitch and the way hitters react. Of course, that comp is unfair for any reliever, and Jansen has struggled during the season's first month. But he's shown some signs of turning things around lately, and it's largely due to increased velo and movement on the cutter.

What it does: It cuts. A lot. When it's on, Jansen's cutter can get up to 10 inches of vertical movement. Add velocity, spin rate and extension into that mix, and there's a reason it's been one of the most unhittable pitches in the sport for the past half-dozen years.

What they say: "They're the same. When I say 'the same,' that's as big a compliment as you can get." -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts last season, comparing the cutters of Jansen and Rivera

Statcast™ fact: In each of Jansen's past five outings, his cutter has averaged over 92 mph. That wasn't the case in any of his first seven appearances this season.

Giants

The pitch: Chris Stratton's curveball

How he uses it: Stratton likes to show the pitch early in counts, particularly against opposing power hitters. Because he can throw it for a strike at will, it's his way of setting the tone for an at-bat and keeping a hitter off balance from the start.

When Stratton needs it to finish an at-bat, it entices hitters before darting out of the zone -- and often way out of the zone.

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What it does: For three quarters of its trajectory, Stratton's curveball does nothing but float. Then the bottom falls out.

There isn't much horizontal movement in the pitch. But its 12-to-6 action can give him up to a foot of vertical drop when it's working.

What they say: "The reason that some of these pitches you're going over are great for certain guys is because it looks similar to another pitch they throw. My curveball looks like my four-seam . It has that deception behind it, that it looks the same out of the hand to the hitter, and then I do something different at the last second. They have to adjust to that." -- Stratton

Statcast™ fact: Last season, Stratton's 3,105 rpm spin rate was the highest among pitchers to throw at least 50 . This year, it's at 3,115 -- third in the Majors behind only Garrett Richards and Ryan Pressly.

Padres

The pitch: Brad Hand's slider

How he uses it: Hand pairs his slider perfectly with a high-spin fastball, using one pitch to disguise the other. Since mid-

2016, he has been able to locate the slider with pinpoint precision, and he throws it to all four quadrants of the strike zone.

Its late break generally keeps hitters thinking fastball until the last possible moment.

What it does: Hand didn't begin developing his slider until late 2015 before he arrived in San Diego the following spring. It was essentially a pared-down version of his looping curveball -- one that he could better control and broke later and more sharply. The pitch averages 82 mph and bites hard in on righties and away from lefties.

What they say: "It seems like it breaks twice. It breaks down, and then it breaks, from my angle catching, left. It starts to break down, and then out of nowhere, it breaks again. I know that doesn't seem possible. But that's what it looks like from behind the plate." -- Padres catcher Austin Hedges

Statcast™ fact: Since the start of 2017, Hand's high-spin slider (2,622 rpm) has induced 126 swings and misses -- more than any other offspeed pitch for a reliever in the NL.

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Rockies

The pitch: Adam Ottavino's slider

How he uses it: Ottavino doesn't use his slider the way most pitchers use their breaking balls. He tends to pitch backward, starting counts with sliders and throwing them frequently when he's behind. Ottavino also has tinkered with arm angle and velocity on his slider, and his ad-libbing is partially why the pitch has been so successful.

What it does: Sure, Ottavino throws a "slider." But using one name to define every slider he's thrown doesn't do justice to the overall variance. The version of Ottavino's slider that sparks GIFs of hitters buckling at the freakish movement -- that's more like a curve from a lower arm angle. It can float in between 76 and the low 80s in mph. His hard slider is 86-87 mph.

"It's only one pitch," Ottavino says, "but it's got a lot of different ways I can throw it."

What they say: "It's been my most successful pitch in terms of hits, hard hits, everything. I'm just trying to use it as much, because without it, I'd probably be pretty bad." -- Ottavino

Statcast™ fact: Ottavino used his slider 52.4 percent of the time -- the fifth-highest rate in MLB among the 308 pitchers who have thrown at least 100 pitches entering play Tuesday. It has been devastating as a first pitch. He used it 66.1 percent of the time -- highest among pitchers who faced at least 50 batters this season. Those first-pitch sliders have been strikes 65 percent of the time.

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Ottavino's slider among NL West's best pitches

Thomas Harding / MLB.com | May 2, 2018

CHICAGO -- Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson figured answering his messages Wednesday evening would be more pleasant than the last time he started a game. His strong start in the 11-2 victory over the Cubs wasn't the only reason.

"This time, I get texts saying, 'Good job,' instead of, 'Are you alive?'" Anderson said.

The Rockies pulled Anderson after 1 1/3 at Miami on Friday because of lightheadedness. It became scary because manager Bud Black mentioned a "heart issue" during his in-game interview, although it wasn't quite that serious.

But Anderson was fine through seven innings on Wednesday. His mix of fastball, changeup, cutter and a little bit of a curveball led to nine as he held the Cubs to three hits, even though two of the hits were solo homers by Anthony Rizzo in the fourth and Kris Bryant in the sixth.

Like righty Jon Gray, who threw seven strong innings in a 3-1 victory Tuesday night, Anderson contended with an out- blowing wind. The Rockies ended up with four homers -- two from Nolan Arenado, one apiece from Trevor

Story and Chris Iannetta. The two victories came after a three-game Rockies losing streak and a five-game Cubs winning .

"It was a better job of commanding the zone, forcing contact when we could and when we needed it, and keeping the ball on the ground in a situation where the ball was in the air today, it seemed it was a homer every time," said Anderson, who forced seven groundouts.

"He was crisp from the get-go, arguably one of his better games that I've seen the last couple of years," Black said. "All pitches were working. We talked about the tempo that I think he needs to pitch at, and he did it. He was getting the ball, getting the sign, he and Chris [Iannetta] were great."

Anderson is part of a strong run of Colorado starting pitching -- a 1.68 ERA over the last eight games, five of them

Rockies wins. Opponents hit just .171 against Colorado's rotation during that span. According to Elias, the Rockies have had four straight starts of seven or more innings and three or fewer earned runs for the first time since June 6-9, 2015.

The starts have come during a time when 15-hit performances like Wednesday's haven't been the norm.

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"I'm not standing a lot, that's a good thing," Arenado said. "I'm not out there standing all the time. The momentum is great.

Our starting pitching lately has kind of carried us."

Anderson walked just one, and during the last eight games, the starters have 51 strikeouts against 11 walks.

In his last start, Anderson felt something in his rib cage, and in investigating that his heart raced, which led to the lightheadedness. Anderson said it "wasn't quite a panic attack -- it was a high adrenaline rush, and then dump, which makes you lightheaded and faint." He was OK with it long before his family, friends and the television audience on AT&T

SportsNet Rocky Mountain.

"As soon as I came out of that game and there was nothing wrong, I turned the page and forgot that it ever happened,"

Anderson said.

The biggest stress was reassuring others.

"Right away people were saying I had a heart issue," he said. "So everybody was like, 'Oh, my gosh. Are you alive? Are you OK?' Fortunately, it was nothing like that, so it was fine. But there was a lot of outreach from my family and friends and people trying to make sure I was OK, which was nice."

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Following his playing days, Ellis Burks has enjoyed lengthy career as a special assistant — and he could see managing in his future Burks: “The big thing I have is relationships with a lot of the players, and that’s really what managing is about.”

Kyle Newman / Denver Post | May 4, 2018

Since retiring as a player in 2004, former Rockies star Ellis Burks has enjoyed a lengthy career as a special assistant to the general manager with multiple teams.

Burks currently holds that position with the San Francisco Giants, a job he enjoys due to the balance of spending time in the big league front office and time spent traveling to minor league teams to scout. But just because he’s become as comfortable in his special assistant role as he was mashing home runs during his career doesn’t mean the 53-year-old

Blake Street Bomber would pass up an opportunity to manage.

“I know so much of today’s game is analytic-driven, but the big thing I have is relationships with the players, and that’s really what managing is about — players knowing that someone’s in your fox hole with you over the course of a 162-game season,” Burks said. “It’s all about getting the opportunity to manage, but I could definitely see myself doing that.”

Burks, who splits his residency between Scottsdale, Arizona, and Chagrin Falls, Ohio, recalled fond memories of his time in the Mile High City and said a move back to Denver might also be in the cards.

“When I came to Denver in 1994, the year after they set all those attendance records at Mile High, there was still so much excitement in the city just because baseball was still so new to the area,” he said. “Being a part of that atmosphere, and the team that went to the playoffs in 1995 is something I’ll always remember.”

The two-time all-star and two-time Gold Glove winner’s son, Christopher Burks, is an outfielder in the Giants’ farm system.

During his career, the elder Burks also played for the Red Sox, White Sox, Giants and Indians.

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Rockies’ No. 1 problem? At $22 million, Ian Desmond higher paid than Von Miller, but doesn’t hit nearly as hard Since April 5, Desmond has 10 hits in 85 at-bats (.117 batting average). That’s not a slump. It’s a catastrophe.

Mark Kiszla / Denver Post | May 4, 2018

The biggest waste of money in Denver sports is Ian Desmond.

The Rockies are paying Desmond $22 million in 2018. Are you kidding me? Desmond is higher paid than Broncos linebacker Von Miller.

Desmond’s bat isn’t worth 22 cents. Combine his woeful on-base percentage and alarming lack of power, and Desmond’s wins above replacement ranks 598th in the major leagues. He’s also miscast as a first baseman, although manager Bud

Black keeps inserting Desmond’s name on the lineup card at the wrong position, because it echoes the misguided logic that prompted general manager Jeff Bridich to waste all that money on Desmond in the first place.

This, it seems to me, is a problem. What, if anything, can the Rockies do about it?

Well, firing the hitting coach won’t help. Maybe Duane Espy will be made the scapegoat for the team’s offensive struggles, but it’s not Espy’s fault that since April 5, Desmond has 10 hits in 85 at-bats (.117 batting average). That’s not a slump. It’s a catastrophe.

Ryan McMahon quickly showed he’s not quite ready for prime time at age 23, and was sent back to the minors to work on his craft. Carlos Gonzalez has volunteered in the past to take ground balls at first base, but that move would have no more potential than stopgap relief.

Bridich needs to do what should have been done no later than January, if the Rockies were truly serious about being a playoff contender. He needs to acquire a proven first baseman. I like Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox. Maybe other hitting connoisseurs would prefer Bridich go after star Joey Votto in Cincinnati.

But why wait until mid-summer to obtain help for Colorado’s sputtering offense? I would prefer to applaud victories rather than point a finger of blame at Desmond, wouldn’t you?

At this point in his career, with Colorado on the hook for $38 million to him beyond this season, what is Desmond?

He’s an amazingly versatile defensive player. So let the salvage project begin there. The Rockies are not the Yankees or

Dodgers. Colorado can’t afford to admit the five-year, $70 million deal Bridich gave him in December 2016 was a mistake and simply move on. 8

Here’s what Black can do: Quit relying on Desmond as an everyday player at any single position, but keep writing his name on the lineup card as a super utility player.

Desmond made his name as a shortstop with the , where he not only demonstrated a reliable glove at the game’s toughest position to field, but also hit .292 with 25 homers in 2012, earning him an invitation to the All-Star

Game.

When forced to remake himself as an outfielder for Texas in 2016, Desmond’s work ethic not only drew praise from the

Rangers, he adapted so well moving from the dirt to the grass that Desmond should no longer be viewed as a corner outfielder, but also trusted to roam the much larger territory in center field.

His command at first base has improved through pure tenacity, one of Desmond’s more admirable qualities. And here’s betting he could look smooth turning a double play at second base, given a little time to master the footwork around the bag.

When the Rockies acquired Desmond, I figured the deal only made sense if they were signing him to be a jack of all trades, in the mold of Ben Zobrist or Marwin Gonzalez, whose versatility has helped teams win the World Series in each of the last three seasons.

We all now understand playing half a major-league schedule at 5,280 feet above sea level is tough on the body.

Desmond could play five days a week for the Rockies, and in the process give much-needed rest and recovery time to Trevor Story at shortstop, DJ LaMahieu at second base, David Dahl in left field, Charlie Blackmon in center and Abreu

(a guy can dream, can’t he?) at first base.

Sure, there would be complications in the math of getting Desmond on the field, because Blackmon is too valuable to sit down once a week, and there would be times when LaMahieu is swinging too hot a bat to take out of the lineup. But this isn’t advanced calculus; Black is more than capable of figuring out a position next to Desmond’s name in the seven hole of the batting order.

What have the Rockies got to lose? Desmond’s time in Denver seems doomed to end poorly as a first baseman.

But, at age 32, it’s not too late for Desmond to begin re-inventing himself as the best Swiss Army Knife in baseball.

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Slugging Rockies know they can’t keep winning on home runs alone Nolan Arenado says team will have more-balanced offense

Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | May 4, 2018

NEW YORK — The visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field was a joyous place Wednesday evening. Rap music was blaring and deep-dish pizza was served as the victory dinner before the players packed up and headed for the Big Apple.

There was plenty of reason to celebrate. The Rockies had just rapped out 15 hits, including four home runs, to rip the

Cubs 11-2, clinching the three-game series and improving to 17-15.

But the Rockies head into this weekend’s three-game series vs. the Mets at Citi Field with an all-or-nothing offense. Their

41 homers lead the National League, and of Colorado’s 129 runs scored this season, 63 have came via home runs (48.8 percent).

But there is a down side to the occasional pyrotechnics. The Rockies’.226 team batting average ranks 14th in the NL, their .303 on-base percentage ranks 13th, and their 295 strikeouts are the third most. It’s not a sustainable formula over the long haul.

The Rockies are quite aware that they cannot count on four-homer days with the wind blowing out at Wrigley. To stay in the hunt in the National League West — where the (21-9) are setting a torrid pace — they must find more balance at the plate.

“It’s still early, but I think we’re a good team,” all-star third baseball Nolan Arenado said. “But we know we have to be better. It’s just a matter of putting it together. It’s good to hit the ball out of the ballpark, but we still have to have those quality at-bats.”

The list of Rockies who have started the season in sluggish fashion is long: Shortstop Trevor Story (.235 average/.321 on- base percentage); outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (.233/.260); first baseman Ian Desmond (.173/.223); catcher Chris Iannetta

(.218/.307) and catcher Tony Wolters (.128/.239).

Desmond’s slump is the most troubling. Before the 2017 season, he signed a five-year, $70 million contract and the

Rockies expected him to be versatile, high-impact player. But since April 5, Desmond has 10 hits in 85 at-bats (.117 batting average). Manager Bud Black has moved Desmond up and down the lineup, but so far, nothing has worked. 10

The Rockies have shown firepower and consistency in the top third of the order where Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu

(currently on the disabled list with a strained hamstring) and Arenado reside. But the bottom two-thirds of the order, apart from Story’s seven homers and 20 RBIs, has slumped.

Neither has the bench done well. A number of players have come and gone this spring, including struggling rookie first baseman Ryan McMahon, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

“You have to have faith in your group,” Black said. “These guys made this team for a reason. They have talent, and we saw how they performed in spring training. But we are hoping that the next five months are different than what we saw that first month.”

ALL OR NOTHING

The Rockies’ offense has been a hit-and-miss unit early this season:

* .211 batting average in April was the lowest for a full month in franchise history

* .303 on-base percentage ranks 14th in the National League

* 41 homers leads the NL

* 295 strikeouts are third most in the NL

Note: Statistics entering Thursday’s games

Looking ahead

Friday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-3, 5.46 ERA) at Mets RHP Zack Wheeler (2-1, 4.09), 5:10 p.m. ATTRM

Marquez was tagged for six runs on eight hits in 3 ⅓ innings of work against the Cubs on April 22 at Coors Field. Though his control is still cause for concern — his 12.3-percent walk rate ranks third-worst in the National League — the good news is Marquez is giving up home runs at less than half the pace he did last year, from 1.39 per nine innings down to

0.64. Marquez previously faced the Mets once in his career, in August of last season, and fared reasonably well, yielding three runs in six innings in a no-decision. Meanwhile, Wheeler is coming off a solid outing in San Diego last week in which he gave up two runs over five innings. Only five current Rockies have faced him, but it could be a chance for Ian

Desmond to jumpstart his bat, considering he’s hitting .294 with a homer in 17 at-bats against the right-hander.

Saturday: Colorado RHP Chad Bettis (3-1, 2.43) at Mets LHP (1-2, 4.98), 5:10 p.m., ATTRM

Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-4, 4.24) at Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard (2-1, 3.10), 11:10 a.m., ATTRM

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Rockies Insider: Why this series against the Mets is critical

Kyle Newman / Denver Post | May 4, 2018

As far as early season crises go, the Rockies found themselves smack in the middle of one following Monday’s loss to the

Cubs, the third consecutive defeat for a team headed to their worst showing on offense for one month in club history.

But as the calendar turned to May, Colorado’s fortunes changed on its first three-city road trip of the season.

First, it was three solo homers and Jon Gray’s gem on Tuesday that resulted in a 3-1 win, and then the Rockies went yard four times in Wednesday’s 11-2 victory to take the series from Chicago.

The team’s ability to rebound with wins in the road — especially considering how Colorado continues to trend toward an all-or-nothing approach at the plate with an NL-best 41 homers paired with 295 strikeouts, second-worst in the league — makes this weekend’s three-game series in New York all the more interesting.

Can Colorado (17-15) shake off its sluggish start and finally find a groove against the Mets? Can recent call-ups David

Dahl, Noel Cuevas and Daniel Castro inject some much-needed juice into the Rockies’ lineup?

And finally, can starters German Marquez (Friday), Chad Bettis (Saturday) and Kyle Freeland (Sunday) continue to steady a Rockies’ rotation that has turned in five consecutive quality starts?

Winning the series over New York — and coming back to Coors Field with momentum following the 1-3 start to the trip — might just be the confidence boost the Rockies need to start putting the whole package together.

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Colorado Rockies: Takeaways from the series with the Cubs

Aaron Hurt / Denver Post | May 4, 2018

I am back home from Chicago and we have some takes from the 3 game series against the Chicago

Cubs.

The pitching

The pitching is looking as good as it has all year. Six games into the nine game road trip, the Rockies have limited the opponent to a total of 13 runs. The starting staff was excellent at Wrigley. Jon Gray looks as if he has figured things out, Tyler Anderson was practically untouchable for 7 innings except for one pitch to Anthony Rizzo, and the offense ruined a Chad Bettis‘ chance of improving his record to 4-0.

The offensive outlook

Rockies have to find a way to manufacture runs. 10 of the 16 runs scored in the series came via home runs. As we all know, this team is relying heavily on the long ball and that is not a good blueprint for success.

Nolan Arenado is happy he doesn’t have to play in Miami again this season. After going 1 for 10 in three games against the Marlins, Nolan broke out going 5-for-14 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs. His 2 homers on Wednesday were big blasts, including his majestic 3-run shot onto Wayland Ave.

Daniel Castro may only gone 1 for 8 in his 2 starts at second base but I was very impressed by his hustle and defense.

He was just called up when the Rockies optioned Ryan McMahon back to Triple-A Albuquerque just before Tuesday’s game.

In Wednesday’s 11-2 win, he manufactured one of those rare non runs to stretch an early lead for his first MLB

RBI since his tenure with the Atlanta Braves in 2018. Later in the game, he hustled out a reviewed ground ball to first base for his first hit with the Rockies.

Some questions, though

I don’t know what Rockies manager Bud Black was thinking by batting Ian Desmond lead off Monday night. I am just going to leave it at that because those who have read my past articles know my disdain for Desmond, like in this article. 13

Two final takeaways

Cubs fans are still super annoying and entitled, and even more so now that they have won a World Series. When you pack 30,000 or more of them into one place, it can be almost unbearable. Luckily, taking 2 of 3 from them kept them fairly subdued.

And finally, do not drop and break your phone on the first day of a trip. It made my time in Chicago much more expensive and frustrating than it ever should have been.

That said, it was great to get out of Chicago with a series win and it was even better to watch the offense bust out for 11 runs on Wednesday. Time to carry it over to New York.

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Hartford Yard Goats: Late sacrifice fly secures Hartford’s series win

Edison Hatter / Denver Post | May 4, 2018

HARRISBURG, PA. — On Wednesday morning, the Hartford Yard Goats and Harrisburg Senators met one more time to finish off their three-game series in Harrisburg. After a Hartford win on Monday and Harrisburg win on Tuesday, the series was tied at one apiece and Wednesday’s rubber match decided the series. Peter Lambert (1-1, 2.11 ERA) got the ball for the Yard Goats, while Wirkin Estevez (0-2, 5.23 ERA) received the nod for the Senators.

A strong combination of good pitching and good defense led the Yard Goats to success in the early innings at FNB Field on Wednesday morning. Starting pitcher Peter Lambert delivered six innings of scoreless baseball, but ran into some trouble in the seventh inning.

Lambert’s defense was able to aid him when he needed it the most. In the bottom of the first inning, he found himself in trouble after allowing a leadoff single to Daniel Johnson, who stole second and third base. However, Lambert got a ground ball off the bat of Yadiel Hernandez and second baseman Garrett Hampson threw out Johnson at home to keep the Senators off the scoreboard.

Later, in the fourth inning, the Yard Goats were able to turn a slick 3-6-1 double play to erase a one-out single from

Senators’ catcher Taylor Gushue. Lambert got in a groove starting in the fifth inning and retired six batters in a row, including four on strikeouts.

The seventh inning, however, spelled some trouble for Lambert. Hernandez lashed a leadoff homer to pull the Senators within one run. With his homer, Hernandez has now homered in the past four consecutive games, including all three games of the series against the Yard Goats.

A few batters later, Kelvin Gutierrez doubled down the left field line to tie the game up at 2-2. Lambert labored through the rest of the inning, but was able to hold the Senators to two runs and keep the game tied.

The offense struggled in the early stages of the game, but the Yard Goats were able to push across a two-out run in the second inning to get on the scoreboard. With two outs and nobody on, Omar Carrizales lined a single into left field and came home on a Chris Rabago RBI double to deep center field.

The bats finally came to life a little in the seventh inning as Sam Hilliard picked up a leadoff single to start the inning and Mylz Jones slashed a double to center field immediately after to put two runners in scoring position with no outs.

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A Bobby Wernes sacrifice fly plated the Yard Goats’ second run of the game, but they were unable to add any more in the frame.

A similar situation unfolded in the top of the ninth as Hilliard led off the inning with a double to center field, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and once again came home on a sacrifice fly from Wernes to give the Yard Goats a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Matt Pierpont was brought into the game in the eighth inning and delivered the last two innings for the Yard Goats. He allowed a single in the eighth inning, but shut the door on a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the 3-2 win for the Yard Goats and pick up the win in the process.

With the win, the Yard Goats now once again move back above .500 on the season with a 13-12 record. Hartford has had

Harrisburg’s number in the first two series of the year against them, winning five of the six matchups.

Hartford will now return home for a six-game homestand against the Portland Sea Dogs ( AA affiliate) and the Binghampton Rumble Ponies ( AA affiliate).

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Colorado Rockies are finally finding their offensive power, but will that be enough?

MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | May 4, 2018

Back on the last day of April, the optics surrounding the Colorado Rockies were bleak. The clubhouse was in the midst of losing three of four games in which they scored a total of just four runs. On top of that, the Rockies also completed the month of April batting just .222, which is a franchise-worst mark for any month. While things have improved in the past couple days thanks to the long ball, it seems that the improvement has been more fools gold than actual offensive resurrection.

The reason for the illusion and confusion is that Colorado has hit seven home runs in their last two games compared to having just 34 bombs in the previous 30 games stretched between March and April. While hitting the ball over the wall is incredibly important for a Rockies team that thrives on offensive power, Colorado needs help from the rest of their lineup to get on base for their star players. As of right now, Colorado leads the National League in total home runs (41), but are just ninth in total runs scored (129) and 10th in total hits (238).

The Rockies desperately need some level of production from the rest of the lineup beyond Arenado, Blackmon, and

LeMahieu. Trevor Story continues to struggle doing much else other than hit for power inconsistently. He is batting just

.235 and has 14 more strikeouts (41) than hits (27). Ian Desmond’s struggles in purple and black have not been alleviated. He is still batting an atrocious .173 and has just eight extra base hits all year which culminates into an OPS of just .550. Chris Iannetta it hitting just .218. Carlos Gonzalez is hitting just .233. Even the ever-steady Gerardo Parra is hitting just .241. Simply, the rest of the Rockies lineup has been abysmal at best and they need to find a way to get on the base paths.

Without the rest of the lineup finding a way to get on base, it is going to be a long year headlined by Blackmon and

Arenado’s incredible individual offensive numbers without many wins to show for it. Thankfully, the pitching staff has been as strong as ever, but Colorado needs more than just the long ball and strong starting pitching to make waves in the

National League and catch the streaking Arizona Diamondbacks, who are currently running away from the rest of the competition in the NL West.

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Who’s on First? The Rockies Are Open to Suggestions

Derek Kessinger / Mile High Sports | May 4, 2018

For 17 years, the Colorado Rockies never questioned who played first base. It was No. 17 — Todd Helton. Helton’s glove made everyone, including Nolan Arenado and Troy Tulowitzki, better defenders. He hit into the gaps at Coors Field better than anyone—smacking 592 doubles for his career.

Todd Helton was first base for the Rockies. He’s the only Rockies player who has had his number retired by the team.

The Rockies even gave him a horse when he hung up his spurs for good.

Since Helton left, the Rockies have filled his old job with veterans Justin Morneau and Mark Reynolds.

Last offseason, Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich decided to go in a different direction. When Bridich signed Ian

Desmond to play first base, we all fell into the trap.

Just imagine ‘Family Feud’ host Steve Harvey asking the question: “Who’s on first base for the Colorado Rockies?”

By and large, the Rockies’ community was the ‘Family Feud’ team whose crazy uncle shouts out a terrible answer.

“Ian Desmond!”

We froze, looked at each other, started clapping and cheered in unison, “GOOD ANSWER, GOOD ANSWER.”

It wasn’t.

Sure, Desmond was coming off his second All-Star season for the Texas Rangers, but he had never played first base.

Then, during 2017’s spring training, he broke his hand and the Rockies had to bring Reynolds back to play first. Reynolds thrived while Desmond struggled to stay on the field because of injury and poor play.

This is what happens when you try to fit a player into a spot on the field that he doesn’t really play.

So this year, the Rockies decided to give the reins to one of their top prospects, Ryan McMahon, and move Desmond around the field when he wasn’t playing first base. McMahon was sent down to the minors this week after batting .180.

Even worse, Desmond is batting .173. 18

They played utility infielder Pat Valaika at first on Wednesday to give Desmond a break. They currently don’t have another first baseman on the roster. Valaika hasn’t shown that he can be an everyday player. Worse, Valaika played the second- worst defense in the series—only overshadowed by Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ brief stint in left field.

The Rockies plan right now seems to be hoping that McMahon finds himself in the minors and hoping Desmond figures out how to play first base and to hit again. Their minor league affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes, play Jordan Patterson at first, but the Rockies didn’t call him up when the first base spot opened up. Patterson has even won a player of the week award in his Triple-A league, but the Rockies didn’t give him the call.

Part of the issue is a broader Rockies’ problem. Except for Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, no one else is healthy and hitting all that well. Recent call-ups David Dahl and Noel Cuevas are showing some promise, but they’re just adding to a cluster of outfielders.

So maybe the Rockies could convert an outfielder?

Their options are really limited to Gerardo Parra and Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s outfield play makes it hard to see them moving him to first. However, Gonzalez has said he’s willing to play first base. Parra played first a few times last year, so maybe he’s an option. It just seems like playing people out of position isn’t a great idea.

The Rockies are stuck with this hole at first base. When Todd Helton rode off into the sunset on his horse, who knew it would be the hardest position to fill in Colorado.

Who’s on first for the Colorado Rockies?

Any answer, at this point, would be a good one.

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‘The Thinking Man’s Closer’: Confident, stoic Wade Davis gives Rockies a sense of security

Nick Groke / The Athletic | May 3, 2018

CHICAGO — Something does not track with Wade Davis, but his manager finally figured it out. “You really have to bear down,” Bud Black said, “because he doesn’t move his lips when he talks.”

This quirk can be deceptive. But a stoic closer carries certain advantages. Davis doesn’t move in a hurry around a ballpark because he never needs to move for anybody. The game comes to him. The Rockies’ $52 million right-hander — the most expensive reliever in baseball history by annual value — waits for the ninth inning, ready to pitch at his pace, on his terms.

After a shutdown ninth inning Tuesday at his former home of Wrigley Field, Colorado’s closer recorded an 11th save in just more than a month, most in the National League. He is the backend piece of a bullpen double-down by Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, who spent $106 million in the offseason to upgrade Colorado’s relief corps.

Last winter, the Cubs decided Davis’ price would be too steep, despite his ticking off 32 consecutive saves on Chicago’s path to the postseason. Davis believes he is sturdier and healthier this season, and better, a step above the pitcher who finished last season with a 2.30 ERA and a third All-Star Game appearance, something nearer the dominant closer who notched a sub-2.00 ERA in three prior seasons.

“I feel convicted and strong and confident,” Davis said in the corner of Wrigley’s visitors clubhouse this week.

He is a pitcher whose reputation advanced in the fire of the postseason. His assignment for the Royals in a wild Game 6 of the ALCS against Toronto is one of legend. His complete domination in the World Series that year seemed effortless as

Kansas City won a championship. He held a 1.23 ERA over his final three seasons with the Royals, including an 0.94 mark in 2015.

It was not always this easy. In his evolution from a middling starter at Tampa Bay to an elite closer with Colorado, Davis developed faith in his arm only over time. This is why Black beams at the Rockies’ excessively young Rockies rotation.

They are talented, certainly, with 23-year-old German Marquez and Kyle Freeland, 25, holding the third and fifth spots and

Antonio Senzatela, 23, and Jeff Hoffman, 25, waiting in the hopper.

And their late-season fade and playoff flameout last year at Arizona, when 26-year-old Jon Gray lasted less than two innings, does not worry Black. Because Davis is the template of how to translate experience into authority.

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“Some guys are so good and you don’t understand why they’re so much better than you,” Davis said. “You feel like you should be as good as them, but you can’t. And you can’t handle it. It takes a long time to hopefully get to that point where you feel confident.

“These are some of the most confident individuals in the world,” he said, looking around at nearby Rockies lockers. “But

(as a young player) when you see someone whose talent level is the same as yours, but you’re not even in the same ballpark as them for production, you don’t understand it. It’s tough. But there’s a way of thinking and you don’t know what that is until you find it. You either find it some day or you don’t.”

Davis needed the stress of early playoff appearances with the Rays in 2010 and ’11, in his mid-20s, when the transition from starting rotation to the bullpen first became his reality. He needed the assignment of high-leverage situations in

Kansas City. He craved the pressure.

In 2015, Royals manager Ned Yost handed him an overwhelming task. In Game 6 of the ALCS, he whipped through two quick outs in the eighth inning against Toronto, including a swinging to Troy Tulowitzki. Then the rains hit and

Davis sat on his hands for 45 minutes, plus 15 more for another half inning.

Yost never blinked. “I sat in the corner of the dugout completely convinced he was going to get out of it,” the manager said. And Davis did, even after a leadoff single and two stolen bases in a one-run game turned worrisome. He struck out the next two hitters and forced AL MVP Josh Donaldson to ground out to win the series.

“He’s different than the rest of us,” Yost said. “He’s totally fearless. He has the utmost confidence in his abilities. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, he will attack and get out of it.”

Davis’ first month with the Rockies breezed by with little concern. He gave up three runs in 13 appearances, but none of them resulted in losses. One was a non-save situation. One cut Colorado’s lead to 3-1. And another, his only blown save, against Atlanta at Coors Field on April 7, turned into an extra-inning victory.

Greg Holland, a former teammate of Davis in Kansas City, set in motion a new philosophy in Colorado, affirming Bridich’s thought process that spending for a free-agent, shutdown closer can pay off. Last season, Holland settled the nerves of

Rockies hitters, who had grown accustomed to thinking no lead was safe, that they always needed to win high-scoring games with an overwhelming offense.

Davis sands away that stress in the same way. “Closers who passed the test of time were all calm,” Black said.

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But Davis does not pitch like Holland. The 6-foot-5 right-hander closes like a starter, with five usable pitches, topped by a

95-mph fastball, a cutter and a knuckle curveball. Through 12 1/3 innings this season, he is getting by with a low batting average on balls in play (.167) and a home run rate (0.73 per nine innings) that might increase with coming games at

Coors Field. But his walk rate is down and his strikeout rate is up.

“He’s the thinking man’s closer,” Black said. “He’s got weapons. He’s got a legit curveball. And he truly pitches to a scouting report.”

Davis’ three-year deal is among the most expensive in Rockies history for a free-agent pitcher, reliever or starter. The club was burned by burdensome deals for Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle in the early ’00s. And it responded by avoiding spending on pitchers, believing the decreased benefit of pitching at altitude did not warrant the cost.

The Rockies have morphed that idea to acknowledge the need to know the ninth inning is safe. And with Davis, Black does not submit to the thought of using him in earlier, high-leverage situations. He is the Rockies’ late-game closer and whatever vague baseball term you might consider — a “slow heartbeat,” Black said, or an “eye of the tiger,” as Yost tells it

— applies to what Davis brings to Colorado’s ninth inning.

“There are a lot of things that go into maintaining the idea that ‘I can still get out of this,'” Davis said.

And when he moves around the mound in the ninth inning with little expression and an earned confidence, the Rockies feel secure.

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Despite Charlie Blackmon’s proven ability as a fearsome leadoff man, Bud Black will shake up Rockies’ lineup

Nick Groke / The Athletic | May 3, 2018

CHICAGO — Before this week, the last time a Cubs pitcher gave up two home runs to open a game at Wrigley Field was in 1937, when the Boston Bees tagged Tex Carleton for back-to-back leadoff shots.

Charlie Blackmon, like the Bees did, can pounce on starting pitchers from the jump. On Tuesday, he cracked a full-count home run to deep center field off Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks in the game’s first at-bat. David Dahl immediately followed with another homer. On Wednesday, Blackmon’s reputation got the best of Yu Darvish, who pitched around him for a five- pitch walk. Blackmon soon scored when Nolan Arenado homered.

The burly, bearded center fielder is an immediate fright for opposing pitchers atop the Rockies lineup. Since 2012, he has more leadoff home runs than any player in baseball, with 29.

“To me, he’s the best lead-off hitter in the game,” Arenado said. “He gives quality at-bats, he can slap a hit the other way or have the power to drive a home run. Pitchers know that. They know he can homer on any pitch. That’s an advantage for us.”

But Rockies manager Bud Black has featured a variety of lineups this season, dating to spring training, in an effort to rev a reeling lineup. The offense finished April with the worst batting average over a calendar month in club history. Four of their heavy hitters — Blackmon, Arenado, DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez — have all missed time. So Black has opted for a rotating order atop the lineup.

And that means a change for Blackmon.

The Rockies will likely move forward with LeMahieu leading off and Blackmon hitting second, Arenado third. It allows a right-left-right combination that is difficult for opposing managers to match up against with relievers in late innings. It forces a decision: Use a right-hander against LeMahieu and suffer the batter-friendly right-left matchup with Blackmon? Or switch out multiple relievers to get through the obstacles?

“It’s a little different. I’m not used to it,” Arenado said. “I’m used to seeing Charlie, then DJ, then me. Or Charlie, DJ,

CarGo, me. That’s how it’s been the last couple years. But listen, we’re trying to find ways to win. And as an offense, we haven’t been doing our part like we know we can. If the lineup changes sometimes, that’s just the way it goes.”

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In spring training, Black experimented with Blackmon hitting third, in an effort to maximize the slugger’s power potential with runners on base in front of him. That idea faded when the Rockies re-signed Gonzalez to a one-year deal. His appearance bumped Blackmon back to the top.

But then LeMahieu, a contact hitter who won the National League batting title in 2016, started swinging like a slugger. He hit more home runs (five) than even Arenado over the first month. And he continued to get on base. So Black decided he could sacrifice some of Blackmon’s immediate fear factor by bumping him to the second spot to create a gauntlet of power. LeMahieu will soon be a regular leadoff man.

“Charlie over the last number of years has really set a standard for other lead-off hitters in a couple different ways,” Black said. “He has power. He’s got on-base. He works a good at-bat. He’s not afraid to hit with two strikes.

“When you have that type of player leading off the game, there’s danger. It’s a good combination,” Black added. “Even when DJ is in there. DJ’s ability to get on base, that’s a good thing too.”

LeMahieu currently sits in the Rockies’ infirmary, on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. He expects to return Tuesday when the Rockies return to Coors Field to start a two-game interleague series against the Angels. He will return to the top spot in the order for a six-game homestand.

As they head into a three-game series at New York against the struggling Mets this weekend, the Rockies lead the NL in home runs. But they rank 10th in runs scored. They will soon try to maximize their production by making the intimidating

Blackmon wait on deck to start games.

“We have power through the lineup,” Arenado said. “At anytime, a game can change. That’s a good feeling.”

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