MEDIA CLIPS – July 22, 2017

Marquez goes for second win vs. Bucs of '17

By Max Gelman / MLB.com | 1:45 PM ET

As the Pirates and Rockies prepare for their second game of a three-game series, both of Saturday's starting are coming off outings that saw them set new career highs.

The surging Pirates, who have won six straight and enter Saturday two games behind the National League Central- leading Brewers, will send right-hander Chad Kuhl to the hill. The Bucs' right-hander fanned seven Brewers in a 4-2 win on Monday, while Rockies rookie German Marquez whiffed nine Padres during a 9-6 win, also on Monday. Kuhl and

Marquez have each struck out 76 batters this year.

The two young starters faced each other once before this season -- a 5-1 Rockies win on June 14. Kuhl gave up three runs in five , while Marquez was charged with one in five.

Three things to know about this game

• After a rocky start lasting through the end of May, Kuhl has righted the ship. In his last nine starts dating back to May 31, he owns a 3.47 ERA and has struck out 7.7 batters per nine innings.

• Since allowing 13 runs in his first two starts at this season, Marquez has allowed nine runs in 33 1/3 innings over five home starts, which is good for a 2.43 ERA. • Ian Desmond is the only Rockies hitter to have a in his career against Kuhl. He his dinger in the meeting earlier this season.

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Arenado homers, but Rox's streak snapped

By Thomas Harding and Max Gelman / MLB.com | 2:49 AM ET

DENVER -- Pirates first baseman Josh Bell didn't waste time. His first two swings Friday night produced four runs.

Otherwise, Bucs hitters forced Rockies rookie Jeff Hoffman into 82 excruciating pitches over three-plus innings, scoring seven runs in a 13-5 victory at Coors Field.

With their six-game winning streak, the Pirates are two games behind the National League Central-leading Brewers and are over .500 for the first time since April 10.

Bell, who had a career-high four hits, hit Hoffman's first offerings for an RBI single in the first and a three-run double in the second. Andrew McCutchen added three hits and three RBIs, and Jordy Mercer's two-run homer in the sixth off Rockies reliever Jordan Lyles traveled a projected 444 feet, according to Statcast™. The Pirates pounded a season-high 18 hits.

"You look up at the top of the sixth and your starting 's hit four times," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Can't count the times that's happened while I was a manager. Everybody found a way on base, everybody contributed."

The Rockies saw their win streak end at four games. Their loss, coupled with the D-backs' 6-5 victory over the Nationals, saw them fall out a tie with Arizona for the top NL Wild Card spot. drove in two runs, one on his 22nd homer of the season, increasing his NL-leading RBI total to 82.

While Bell hunted first pitches, the Pirates used a patient approach to produce nine hits and four walks against Hoffman

(6-2).

"He really couldn't establish the and , which really is his bread and butter," Rockies manager Bud Black said.

The Rockies took a 3-2 lead after one , but Pirates starter Trevor Williams (4-4) settled in and was charged with five runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

"You just go back out there for that second inning," Williams said of his poor first frame. "That first inning, I was trying to feel what I had tonight. What was working, what wasn't working, and unfortunately, I was going 1-0, 2-0 to a lot of hitters."

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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

For him, the Bell tolls: The Pirates regained the lead for good with Bell's bases-clearing double. The three Pirates in front of Bell reached against Hoffman through two walks and a hit by pitch, and Bell capitalized. He matched a career high with four RBIs, a mark he set last Friday vs. the Cardinals.

He's off, man: Hoffman not only struggled on the hill, but also at the plate. In the second inning, after the Pirates took the lead through Bell's double, Rockies catcher Tony Wolters led off with a double. Hoffman was asked to bunt, which he did, but the Rockies starter left the bunt close enough to the plate that catcher Francisco Cervelli fielded it and threw Wolters out at third. The Rockies did not advance past second base until Arenado's solo home run in the seventh.

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There's no way to parse Hoffman's struggles into a positive, but Statcast™ suggests it could've been a better night.

According to strike zone imaging, eight Hoffman borderline pitches were ruled balls. Four of those were first pitches, which meant Hoffman was forced to pitch from behind in the count.

THAT'LL LEAVE A MARK

Colorado's pitchers tied a club record by hitting four Pirates hitters, the fourth time that has occurred in Rockies franchise history. The last time they hit four was against the Dodgers on April 24, 2005.

WHAT'S NEXT

Pirates: The Pirates will send young righty Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85 ERA) to the mound against the Rockies, one start after striking out a career-high seven batters. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET, as the Pirates look to make it seven straight wins.

Rockies: Right-hander German Marquez (7-4, 4.34 ERA) pitched five innings and earned a victory over the Pirates at

PNC Park on June 14 -- the Rox's only win over the Bucs this season. Marquez will aim to put the Rockies back in the win column against the Pirates on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. MT at Coors Field.

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Hoffman loses fastball command vs. Pirates Rookie right-hander allows seven runs on nine hits and four walks in loss

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 1:56 AM ET

DENVER -- No fastball, no chance for Rockies rookie right-hander Jeff Hoffman on Friday night.

Hoffman gave up seven runs on nine hits and four walks in three innings, plus three batters in the fourth, while grinding through 82 pitches in the 13-5 loss at Coors Field that ended a Rockies win streak at four games.

"The fastball command thing -- I just wasn't able to locate it when I needed it," said Hoffman (6-2, 5.10 ERA), who had won his previous two decisions. "I was confident in it, it's tough to get to it. You can't really just pitch with the curveball.

"Everything is going to go back to the fastball command."

At least Hoffman, 24, had his for the first time in three weeks. But still, Friday was his second-worst performance of the season. He coughed up nine runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings against the D-backs at home on June

21.

Rockies manager Bud Black, who also saw Hoffman struggle with the curve but end up with a few good , said it's merely another test in the life of a younger . Hoffman is one of four rookies in the current rotation for a

Rockies team that holds the second National League Wild Card.

But other than the two rough outings, he has gone seven innings four times and fewer than six just four times in 11 starts.

The challenge is to rebound.

"We'll see," Black said. "Jeff is so young in his career. But the guy's shown the ability to do that. That's an early good sign for Jeff.

"I know that he's already thinking about Wednesday in St. Louis. He's extremely, I'm sure, motivated. So we have all the confidence in the world in Jeff."

Hoffman also found consistent misfortune with borderline pitches. According to Statcast™ strike-zone imaging, eight borderline pitches (those touching any part of the strike zone border) were balls. Of those plate appearances, six ended

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with a hit or a walk, including Josh Bell's three-run double in the second and two walks that helped lead to the double. Of the four borderline first pitches that were balls, three of them led to hits - including 's leadoff double in the two-run fourth.

Hoffman said he just needs to make better adjustments.

"Coming into tonight, I had a few things in mind," Hoffman said. "I worked on them and they were good in the . But they just didn't translate. I'm just going to continue to work on things we've been working on and just do those things until we can make that translate into a game situation."

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GM Bridich believes in Rox's young starters Colorado looking to add to bullpen, not rotation, ahead of Trade Deadline

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 1:56 AM ET

DENVER -- Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich's confidence has reached the hearts of the team's young starters.

Bridich explained in an interview with MLB.com Wednesday that rather than seek veteran starting pitching, he believes in his current starters, and bullpen help is the priority.

"That says to us that he believes in us," rookie lefty Kyle Freeland said. "And I truly believe that he believes that, too, and

I trust him."

The Rockies currently have four rookies (Freeland, Jeff Hoffman, who started Friday night against the Pirates, German

Marquez and Antonio Senzatela) and a second-year man, Jon Gray. Expected back from injury for the stretch run are righties Tyler Chatwood, 27 (right calf strain), and Chad Bettis (making rehab starts after a bout with testicular cancer),

28, and second-year lefty Tyler Anderson, 27 (expected back in August from cleanup surgery on his left knee).

Chatwood will be eligible for free agency at season's end. Outside of him, the earliest anyone would be up for free agency would be Gray and Anderson in 2022.

And there are waves of young pitching behind them. Three of the Rockies' top five prospects, according to

MLBPipeline.com, are right-handed pitchers -- Riley Pint, No. 2, Ryan Castellani, No. 3, and Peter Lambert, No. 5. Left- hander Sam Howard, No. 13, was a third-round 2014 pick already at Triple-A Albuquerque, and struck out eight in his last start and 10 two starts before that.

Since becoming GM after the 2014 season, Bridich has traded just one starter -- Eddie Butler, during the offseason, to the Cubs for relief prospect James Farris. With an established starter likely to cost some of the young Minor League pitching, and with the success homegrown pitching has shown this year, the Rockies seem likely to try to onto the quality and depth.

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"It's good for the long run, not just this year," said Gray, who started . "Everybody coming up has done really well this year, and getting that under their belt is giving them confidence."

Granted, the young pitchers are discussing new territory. But veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan, who has been to three postseasons, noted that he's seen big-game stuff from the current crew. Hanigan was sold during a rough stretch before the All-Star break, when all of the starters had shaky outings, but with help from manager Bud Black, pitching coach Steve

Foster and bullpen coach , mad adjustments to find their stride again.

"Whatever the front office wants to do, they know what's best for the organization, and I can't comment on that too much, but I've got a lot of confidence in these guys, for real," Hanigan said. "I wouldn't just say that to put it out there. That's how

I feel.

"They've got a lot of confidence. They're getting better. On their good days, they can beat anybody. We just need to have as many good days as we can."

Black said, "What we like about them is what they have on the top of their shoulders -- their intent in how they go about it.

This is baptism under fire for a lot of these guys, pitching in a regular season on a team that's going well.

"With Tyler Anderson, Chatwood and Bettis, we feel as though we have depth and talented depth."

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Chatwood (calf strain) throws live BP Friday Rockies will be exploring top relievers available ahead of Deadline

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | July 21st, 2017

DENVER -- Rockies right-hander Tyler Chatwood, who suffered a right calf strain last Saturday against the Mets, threw two innings of live batting practice session on Friday. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Saturday.

Right-handed-hitting Pat Valaika and lefty-hitting Tony Wolters swung against him. Chatwood (6-11, 4.74 ERA) threw a bullpen session Wednesday -- his first since the injury -- and progressed well enough to face hitters Friday.

"He did fine," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "He felt great. The ball was coming out fine. No issues with the calf. We'll chart the next course of action, but as far as physically, he's in a really positive spot, so we fell good about that. And so does Tyler."

Chatwood is eligible to return from the disabled list on Tuesday when the Rockies take on the Cardinals in the second of three games in St. Louis.

Black offered no update on left-hander Tyler Anderson, who underwent an arthroscopic cleanup on his left knee July 3, but general manager Jeff Bridich said this week he hopes Anderson is back sometime in August.

Rox explore relief market

The Rockies are being tight-lipped about the search for relief pitching, which ideally would net two late-inning arms. So here is some speculation.

Bridich and his staff is expected to take hard looks at pitchers who are closers on their current clubs, among them the

Orioles' Zach Britton, the Tigers' Justin Wilson and the Marlins' AJ Ramos.

The many teams looking at Britton, who is pitching well, want to be sure he is past a left forearm injury that caused him to miss almost two months this season, since he is making $11.4 million this season and is eligible for arbitration for 2018.

But after a sweep of the Rangers, the Orioles may not be looking to sell. Wilson, also a lefty, is making $2.7 million and also is eligible for arbitration next year.

Ramos, making $6.55 million and eligible for arbitration next year, is one of multiple Marlins relievers believed to be available. The Rockies, however, disdain walks, and Ramos is at 4.8 per nine innings this year and was at 4.9 last year. 8

The asking price for a type could be one of the top infield prospects: middle infielder Brendan Rodgers (the

Rockies' No. 1 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com), who is thought to be untouchable, or corner infielder Ryan

McMahon (No. 4), who would be tough to relinquish.

Two classic rental relievers are the Mets' Addison Reed and the Phillies' Pat Neshek. Unlike the closers who have club control, Reed and Neshek have expiring contracts and may have teams asking for young prospects who don't have to be protected on the roster this winter.

One problem is teams not knowing whether they are in the race. For example, before the Pirates swept the Brewers this week, teams were planning to scout lefty Tony Watson and righty Juan Nicasio. The reports are being filed, but it's possible neither will be available.

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Pirates, with a rookie pitcher, conquer Coors Field in runaway victory over cooled-off Rockies Rockies rookie Jeff Hoffman endured just three high-volume innings for the Rockies

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 21st, 2017

Early Friday afternoon within the concrete walls of the visitor’s clubhouse in Colorado, manager Clint

Hurdle huddled his starting pitching staff together for a confab. Hurdle knows up-close, from his eight seasons as Rockies skipper, the exhausting power of Coors Field.

“Just take your ERA, put it in your back pocket and check it a week from now,” he told them. “If you get dinged or doinked, hey, keep going because your offense has a chance to pick things up.”

The Rockies, just as Hurdle cautioned, dinged wide-eyed Pittsburgh rookie right-hander Trevor Williams early Friday for three runs in the first inning. He survived. And the Pirates punched back, doinking Colorado and its two-pitcher piggyback for a runaway 13-5 victory in front of 41,192 fans in LoDo.

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Rockies rookie Jeff Hoffman endured just three high-volume innings for the Rockies. Long man Jordan Lyles suffered through the next three. And Pittsburgh star Andrew McCuthen tore his way to a 3-for-4 night with three runs scored and three RBIs in a lopsided start to a three-game weekend series.

“That was a tough one for Jeff,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “Something had to give tonight.”

In his introductory visit to Coors Field, Williams more than doubled the distance of Hoffman, slaloming through 6 2/3 innings of level-headed pitching. More impressively, he cold-stopped a Rockies offense that had scored 49 runs in four days, all victories. Williams gave up five runs, but on an elevated sliding scale, Hurdle will take it.

Pittsburgh cleanup hitter Josh Bell, too, had his first career four-hit game. And the red-hot Pirates (49-48), who reached

.500 Thursday for the first time since April 16, won a sixth consecutive game and a ninth in their last 10.

“Oh my goodness. Good pitching beats good hitting every day,” Hurdle said. “But if you don’t pitch well here, you get clobbered.”

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That is what happened to Hoffman. ’s leadoff single to open the game was not an impressive display of hitting, but after McCutchen walked, Josh Bell and David Freese singled in two runs. The Rockies volleyed with three runs in the first, on a DJ LeMahieu double and run-scoring singles from Nolan Arenado, and Carlos Gonzalez.

But as Williams blanked the Rockies through the next four frames, the Pirates put up three runs in the second, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and two more in the sixth, capped by Jordy Mercer’s 444-foot, two-run homer off Lyles to left field.

The Bucs were up 10-3 at that point.

“There are rewards all over this park,” Hurdle said. “It’s not like you have to bang it right down the line to cover and carry.

You can hit a ball out of this park from line to line. ”

Hoffman’s issues covered simple command. He walked four batters in three innings, well above his season average of 2.5 freebies per nine innings. And they were poorly timed. After he whiffed Mercer with a fish-hook curveball in the second,

Hoffman then walked Williams at the bottom of the order and hit Marte with a pitch on the top side. Those sins cost him when Josh Bell doubled them to the plate. Black yanked him after 82 pitches.

“Everything goes back to the fastball command, no matter what question you ask,” Hoffman said. “When you don’t have your fastball, it’s tough to get to the curveball. You can’t just pitch with the curveball. You have to have something to go with it.”

Lyles’ three innings included just four hits. But one was a leadoff double to Josh Harrison in the fourth (he later scored) and Mercer’s bases-clearing blast in the sixth. He did not walk anybody, at least.

Arenado slammed a solo homer to left in the sixth off Williams, his 22nd of the year, but LeMahieu before him and Parra and Ian Desmond after, failed to reach base. And the Rockies (56-42) lost a third game in four against the Pirates this season.

“It’s a different game here,” Hurdle said.

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Tyler Chatwood now in wait-and-see mode for Rockies after tip-top simulated game Chatwood suffered the injury in the first inning of a start July 15 at New York against the Mets

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 21st, 2017

Tyler Chatwood, the Rockies’ strikeout leader this season, is currently hung up on the disabled list. But he returned to Coors Field healthy enough for simulated baseball Friday.

The 27-year-old right-hander, the nearest approximation the Rockies have to a veteran starter, threw two simulated innings as part of his recovery from a strained calf. He suffered the injury in the first inning of a start July 15 at New York against the Mets.

“He did fine. Felt great. Ball was coming out fine. No issues with the calf,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “We’ll chart the next course of action, but physically he’s in a really positive spot. So we feel good about that and so does Tyler.”

Chatwood threw about 44 pitches — against utility infielder Pat Valaika, a right-handed hitter, and catcher Tony Wolters, a left. His DL stint can end as soon as next week while the Rockies are in St. Louis for a series against the Cardinals, but

Black would not commit to a timeline for Chatwood’s return.

“We’re working through that now,” Black said.

His 87 are 11 more than the club’s next nearest total, German Marquez. And even with his abbreviated start last week, Chatwood remains the Rockies’ second-most active pitcher this season, hurling 106 1/3 innings, second only to rookie lefty Kyle Freeland.

But the Rockies used Freeland in three innings of relief behind Chatwood in New York, then pushed his next start back to

Sunday. It was part of a continuing effort to keep a rookie rotation fresh with an eye toward September.

Chatwood’s DL stint, then, fits within a pattern, even if unintentionally.

“We’ll continue to throw them out there,” Black said. “And we do know, with Chatwood and Tyler Anderson — when he comes back — and Chad Bettis — when he gets up to full speed — we feel as though we have talented depth to help us.”

Anderson (knee surgery) continues to work only in the training and weight rooms and he played catch in a brace earlier this week. Bettis (cancer) will make his third rehab appearance Sunday for Albuquerque, his first with the Triple-A

Isotopes.

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Nolan look-back. Nolan Arenado‘s outstanding game Tuesday, when he hit home runs in three home runs and went 5- for-6 with seven RBIs, matched a rare feat. The only other player currently active in the majors to homer in three consecutive innings is Baltimore’s Manny Machado, who did it last season, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The only other Rockies hitter to hit three homers so quickly? Andres Galarraga, who did it in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings against the Padres at Coors Field in 1995.

Footnotes. Arenado hired a professional DJ to blast music from portable speakers in front of Colorado’s dugout during batting practice. “There were all sorts of situations I pitched in, in different environments,” Black said. “But I haven’t pitched in 23 years. The music was a little different back then. But I like it.”… Former Rocky Mountain High standout

Marco Gonzales was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Gonzales, a 25-year-old lefty, missed all of 2016 after Tommy John surgery. The Cardinals received Triple-A outfielder Tyler O’Neill, the 38th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America.

Looking ahead

Pirates RHP Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85 ERA) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (7-4, 4.34), Saturday 6:10 p.m., AT&T

SportsNet, 850-AM

Marquez, like his first-year mates in the rotation, has pitched an above-average rookie year. His nine strikeouts last time out against the Padres tied a career high. San Diego nicked him for eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, but Marquez is limiting his free passes, allowing fewer than two walks per outing. He defeated the Pirates earlier this season in Pittsburgh. Kuhl, on the other hand, will be pitching at Coors Field for the first time.

Sunday: Pirates RHP Ivan Nova (10-6, 3.27) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (9-7, 3.67), 1:10 p.m., AT&T SportsNet

Monday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (10-3, 4.67) at Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (6-8, 3.39), 6:08 p.m., AT&T

SportsNet

Tuesday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (3-1, 6.19) at Cardinals TBA, 6:15 p.m., AT&T SportsNet

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Charlie Blackmon's Trash 2004 Jeep Just One Layer of MLB's Quirkiest Superstar

By Scott Miller / Bleacher Report | July 17th, 2017

What is Charlie Blackmon looking at?

He is stepping out of the batter's box and staring straight up into the night sky. It is 2010, and Blackmon is with the

Double-A Tulsa Drillers. What is it? Is there a UFO swooping in? A Baseball God to beseech for more hits? What in the world is up there in the Oklahoma heavens?

"I was having trouble adjusting my eyes at night in the lights," says the Colorado All-Star, who sees and hits the ball as well as anybody in today's game.

He felt like they were exceptionally bright, producing more glare than light. The result, in his mind, produced a "sun-glare- like" effect that would cause his vision to blur.

"So I was, like, OK, that means there's too much light getting into my eyes and so, in my thinking, my pupils were too big, so what I'm going to do is step out of the box and direct my face at a light," he explains. "Don't look at the light, right? That will hurt your eyeballs. But if I point my face at the light, there will be a lot of light coming into my face and what that will do is constrict my pupils, make them smaller, so it will let less light in."

Then, he figured, when he stepped back into the box and looked out at the pitcher, his blurred vision would be gone and he wouldn't feel like the lights were too bright.

"Whether or not that made sense, it helped me at the time," Blackmon says. "But people would ask me, 'what are you looking at?'"

Charles Cobb Blackmon, 31, Rockies leadoff man, hitting savant and all-around goofball, sees things that others do not.

His mind works in ways that others do not. He knows this.

"Yeah, I do some weird stuff," he says.

This is not breaking news to any of his teammates.

"He's not being funny," outfielder Carlos Gonzalez says. "He's just being Charlie. That's just the way he is. He's a great player and a great teammate."

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"Every day he comes up with something," Trevor Story chimes in. "He's the most quirky guy I've ever been around."

"He is a legend, that's for sure," says DJ LeMahieu, one of Blackmon's closest friends on the team.

"Charlie's one of a kind."

Blackmon burst onto the Colorado scene for good in 2014 with a spring so sizzling that he forced his way into the club's plans. Then he went 6-for-6 in the home opener with three doubles, one homer, five RBI and four runs scored.

He is one of the hardest-working players on the team, starting his days with a no-nonsense pregame routine each afternoon and finishing with a strict 30-45-minute postgame routine built around an elaborate stretching regimen.

"Certain parts of my body, like my hips, are tight and I think postgame is the best time to improve your flexibility," he explains. "So there are certain parts of my body that I'll stretch out to make sure that, anatomically, I work right and efficiently.

"I probably spend too much energy getting ready to play the game if you ask other people. I do a lot of pregame stretching and warming up, and to me it's important mentally to know I'm ready to play the game, that I can tear out of the box for a triple maybe the first pitch of the game."

Given that he leads the majors with 11 triples, who's to argue?

Also inarguable is the fascination that surrounds his quirky adventures. He is the subject of so many stories that you wonder how much is fact and how much is pure, unadulterated legend.

"I'm embarrassed to admit," Blackmon says, "probably a lot of them are true."

It was LeMahieu who rescued him on the side of the freeway one morning in January, 2016, on their way to work out.

Blackmon, who still drives the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that served as his high school wheels, sometimes likes to challenge the fuel light by seeing how far he can push it before the tank runs empty. That day, he lost.

"I'm always late to workouts, and that morning, it was still early and I had just gotten out of bed when he called me and said, 'Hey, where you at?'" recalls LeMahieu. "'I'm on the side of the highway.'"

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So LeMahieu rescued his buddy, picking him up, driving him to the gas station and bringing him back to the Jeep with a full gas can. Then, to the everlasting gratitude of the Rockies, he alertly snapped a photo for posterity.

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"That was really nice of him to take that picture of me," Blackmon says, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Everyone thought that was staged, but it was real life," LeMahieu says. "He was on the side of the road looking like a homeless man.

"When he was filling up, I said, 'I've gotta get a picture of this.'"

The Jeep has roughly 140,000 miles on it, and if vehicles could become cult heroes, this heap would qualify.

"I hate it," Gonzalez roars. "I told him I'm going to get some gasoline and burn it in the parking lot. I might get in trouble for it, but it will be worth it."

Initially, the Rockies cut Blackmon some slack for refusing to part with his rolling high school sweetheart.

"At the beginning, I get it," CarGo says. "He was a young guy. We all go through that process where we're not making much money, and then you make money but you've got to it for your family."

"I've told him many times, 'It's about time you get a new car,'" Nolan Arenado, Colorado's All-Star third baseman, says.

"'You're one of the best center fielders in the game. It's time.' But he's very laid back.

"He's not into material things. That's what I love about him."

Maybe the closest he's come to getting a new ride happened one time when the Rockies returned home from a road trip.

The team bus made the 45-minute trek from the airport into Denver around midnight, and as the sleepy traveling party arrived at Coors Field, Blackmon became alarmed when he couldn't find his Jeep to drive the short distance to his downtown home. Hey, who stole…

Then it hit him: He met the team at the airport to start the trip, and his vehicle was parked there.

"Oh yeah, I did that," Blackmon shrugs. "So I've got to get in a cab and go get it at the airport. Drive 45 minutes back to the airport, get my car, drive 45 minutes back."

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What, LeMahieu couldn't save him that time?

"I don't know," Blackmon says. "He let me down right there."

Adds LeMahieu: "I can only help him out so many times. He's gotta eventually figure things out on his own."

On the field, Blackmon has done that as well as anybody in the game. Aside from triples, he also leads the majors in total bases (226) and hits (122) through Sunday and is tied for third in runs scored (75). Brian Jones, the Rockies' longtime video director, says Blackmon has become so adept at studying hitting video that he probably could run the club's digitized system himself.

It's just that, well, when he crosses that stark threshold from baseball back into real life, let's just say some of his good friends in the clubhouse still view him as a ball of clay that could use some shaping.

"Everybody thinks my look is a joke, my hair and my face," Blackmon says. "And apparently, I'm not a very good dresser.

"I think I look amazing."

He favors jeans and a collection of shirts ranging from various things that catch his eye on the internet. Teammates have been known to hoot loudly when they see him pair a Tommy Bahama shirt with that scraggly (stylish?) beard that he's been growing since 2013.

"His clothes…" Arenado groans. "He's not wearing no Louis Vuitton or Gucci. He's wearing … I couldn't even tell you.

"He asked me once, 'Do you want some shirts? I'm going to go on Amazon and get 'em.' And I'm like, Amazon?!"

In the clubhouse when the televisions are tuned to other games before or after Colorado plays, Blackmon will see something that will cause him to go into a rant that Arenado describes as some of "the best rants ever." Which, of course, spurs the Rockies to fire him up even more.

"We'll tell him, 'Oh man, that guy is better than you,'" Arenado says. "And he'll go, 'What?! He doesn't do this as good as me, he doesn't do that as good as me!'

"Oh yeah, we'll tee him up."

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That's easy, because while Blackmon may not take himself seriously, he takes his baseball dead seriously. Manager Bud

Black throws batting practice to him several times a week, at his request, because Blackmon likes to get a look at the left- handed sliders Black feeds him because he knows that later that night, in a high-leverage situation, he likely will be facing the other team's lefty relief specialist.

Then there was the first time teammate Mark Reynolds met him in 2016. Reynolds came away amazed because as their group was hitting against a batting practice pitcher in the cage, Blackmon remarked that the protective L screen was a little too close. Blackmon stepped off the distance from home plate to the screen, and sure enough, it had been placed a step too close to the plate.

"He's very particular," Reynolds says.

He's also very talented.

Blackmon grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, transferred to Georgia Tech University as a pitcher from Young Harris College and even tossed a shutout inning for the Rambling Wreck in an exhibition game against the .

"He always was one of the freakiest athletes we had in college," says Nationals catcher Matt Wieters, whose last year at

Georgia Tech was Blackmon's first. "There are some things God gave him that you can't teach.

"And the longer he's been in the game, the more his mind has developed. You can tell he's always thinking about things."

A classic case of great arm but no command, Blackmon was an outfielder by the time he left Georgia Tech, when

Colorado picked him in the second round of the 2008 draft. Four years later he met LeMahieu at Triple-A Colorado

Springs when the Rockies acquired him from the Cubs, and they bonded even more living near each other in Georgia at the time during the offseason.

"My house was close to the place we worked out," LeMahieu says. "He'd stay over, and slowly but surely, he kept leaving his clothes there. Pretty soon, the bathroom was filled up with his stuff. Before I knew it, he was, like, living with me.

"That's Charlie, man."

Interesting thing was, LeMahieu was married.

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"He'd text, asking what my wife was making for dinner that night," LeMahieu says. "He was figuring out where he was going to eat."

It wasn't long before Jordan LeMahieu started asking her husband: "Can you find out if Charlie is coming over for dinner again tonight? I need to know how much to make."

Now the two pals are All-Stars living in Denver.

"And my wife goes furniture shopping for him," LeMahieu says, shaking his head. "Charlie will call every once in a while.

Not as much now that he has a girlfriend, but I'm pretty sure [Jordan has] helped him buy a couch and a couple of chairs."

He's also bonded with Julian Valentin, Colorado's social media director, partly because they both attended Atlantic Coast

Conference schools (Valentin played soccer at Wake Forest University) and partly because, well, Blackmon is a nice dude and his quirks are perfect for capturing on social media. In fact, it was during a Q&A with fans when Blackmon was in the minor leagues in 2011 that Valentin helped create the outfielder's social media alter ego, Chuck Nazty.

"He did this trip in Europe that I think personifies that personality," Valentin says. "It was a couple of offseasons ago, and instead of flying first class and staying in nice hotels, doing the typical pro athlete thing, he hoofed it. He carried a backpack and stayed in hostels. A friend canceled at the last minute, and he went by himself and enjoyed the experience."

Blackmon sees things. It's just that he doesn't always see the same things others see.

"I'm very analytical and concrete," says Blackmon, who earned his degree from Georgia Tech in business administration with a concentration in finance. "Things have to make sense to me. I always feel like I need to know why things work the way they work. I always ask a lot of questions."

Yes, Charlie Blackmon is an absolute classic, and he doesn't care who knows it. Take, for example, the fact that his walk- up music at Coors Field dates back to 1985, a song called, "It's Your Love" by The Outfield. It's the same tune he's been using since college, and way he figures it, by not choosing something in this century he doesn't have to keep up with "the new trends, or whatever."

Yes, he's quirky, but get close enough to him and the rewards are immense. Why, he's even let Story ride in his Jeep.

"It was a high honor," Story says. "I don't think he lets just anyone ride in the Blessed Chuck Jeep." 19

Inside of which is an eclectic assortment of items that includes a Wiffle ball bat (used as recently as this past , Blackmon says), a fishing pole, ice chests….

"It's a mess," Story says.

Hey, one man's trash is another's treasure.

"I just feel like every man should have a certain amount of things in his car," Blackmon explains. "At any given time you'll find protein, a Wiffle ball bat, Wiffle ball, duct tape, a couple bottles of water. It's just kind of a rolling box of junk."

Across the clubhouse, CarGo rolls his eyes.

"He told me two years ago he was building a car. A classic car," Gonzalez says. "Two years later, I ask and he says he's still working on it: 'It's going to be a muscle car, but I don't want to give you any details yet.'

"I asked again recently, 'Charlie, what's happening with the car?' He said, 'Oh man, it's taking forever.'"

CarGo howls, laughing at the transparency of it all and how he knows and Charlie knows that this is a ruse to change the conversation.

"He's such a liar," Gonzalez says, smiling broadly. "But that's why we love him."

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Jeff Hoffman and the bullpen struggle in Rockies 13-5 loss to Pirates Nothing went right for the Rockies in Friday night’s loss

By Eric Garcia McKinley / Purple Row | July 21st, 2017

The Colorado Rockies lost 13-5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, ending the team’s four-game winning streak. Jeff Hoffman struggled through three innings. And while the Rockies scored five runs off of rookie starter Trevor

Williams, by the time they scored their fifth run the Pirates had already posted 12. That’s because the bullpen struggled mightily as well. Jordan Lyles and Scott Oberg combined to allow five runs in four . It was one of those nights.

Not only was Hoffman’s outing rough in the hits and runs department, but he also walked four and hit a batter in his three innings. Even if some of the hits he gave up were BABIP products, a night like Friday’s is rarely going to lead to success.

The Rockies did have one big highlight. Nolan Arenado blasted his 22nd home run of the season in the sixth inning. It sent Twitter into “Arenado for MVP” mode that was roughly 100 percent more serious than the “MVParra” and “MarkVP” tweets we’ve seen.

Twitter Ads info and privacy

The Rockies and Pirates will play the second of their three game set tonight at 6:10 MT. Chad Kuhl will start for the

Pirates and Germán Márquez for the Rockies.

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Colorado Rockies injury updates: Tyler Chatwood and Tyler Anderson

By Kevin Henry / Rox Pile | July 21st 2017

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black gave an update on a pair of his injured pitchers on Friday before the Rockies opened a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field.

On Friday, Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood took his first steps toward returning from the disabled list with a right calf strain.

Under the watchful eye of manager Bud Black as well as coaches and trainers, Chatwood threw two simulated innings. In all, Chatwood threw 44 pitches and showed no ill effects from the injury he suffered just before taking the mound against the last Saturday.

“Felt great. Ball was coming out fine. No issues with the calf. We’ll chart the next course of action. Physically, he’s in a really positive spot so we feel good with that, and so does Tyler,” Black told media members on Friday.

Black said that Chatwood’s next action and next steps were being decided and had no further update.

Chatwood tried to overcome the calf injury and take the mound against the Mets but only lasted 19 pitches. He recorded just one out and gave up four runs, walking three and allowing one hit. He took the loss, moving his record to 6-11 on the season with a 4.74 ERA in 19 starts.

Additionally, Black said starter Tyler Anderson was progressing in the training room and in the weight room. Anderson, bothered by inflammation in his left knee for a majority of the season, underwent arthroscopic surgery in early July. The surgery was expected to sideline him for around four to six weeks. It is his second stint on the disabled list this season with knee issues.

The 27-year-old southpaw has made just 12 starts this season, recording a 3-5 record and 6.11 ERA.

With injuries to Chatwood and Anderson, Black has been forced to ride his rookie pitching corps of Jeff Hoffman, Kyle

Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and German Marquez perhaps a little more than expected. In late June, the foursome had pitched 65 percent of the innings accumulated by Rockies starters. With that in mind, Black had hoped to limit their innings. However, injuries have made that plan hard to follow.

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Charlie Blackmon meets two-year old Tommy Carlson

By Noah Yingling / Rox Pile | July 21st, 2017

Today, before the Rockies game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Charlie Blackmon surprised two-year old fan, Tommy

Carlson, who, during the All-Star game, was ecstatic to see Blackmon at the All-Star Game.

Ten days ago, the All-Star game was played in Miami, Florida and Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon was starting in center field for the National League. During the pre-game introductions on TV, when two-year old Tommy Carlson saw and heard Blackmon be announced, his dad, Tom, was filming him and caught this:

The meeting today and Blackmon’s reaction

Tommy Carlson and Blackmon met each other earlier today and Carlson seemed a bit stunned and shy. He had a baseball and a jersey signed by his favorite Rockies player and Blackmon talked to him as he looked on.

Blackmon was interviewed by reporters, including our own Kevin Henry, after meeting Carlson in person and he discussed his meeting with Carlson. Blackmon said that, “he was a little timid. I’m probably more scary in person than on

TV.” Blackmon said that when he first saw the video that he was “trying to figure out why he was so excited.”

He also said this:

[Carlson’s feelings were] super genuine…it was kind of nice and it makes you realize that I’m lucky to do what I do and I try real hard to be a role model because people watch baseball…I really enjoy working with kids. You know, they love life, they’re having fun, I don’t have to be too serious–it’s the complete opposite of how I try and play baseball…it’s something

I really enjoy…[Carlson] clammed up a little bit–he got a little intimidated, I think, but he came over to me right away, which he apparently doesn’t do a lot [but] there wasn’t a lot of dialogue but it was fun. It was nice to meet him.

Blackmon added that “he’s pretty famous now. He’s been on TV more than the Rockies have lately so I’m happy for him.”

Blackmon mentions that because the Rockies, obviously, did not play yesterday and the game on Wednesday was not televised (much to the chagrin of Rockies fans who could not see Nolan Arenado‘s career day.) AT&T Sports Rocky

Mountain will be broadcasting every game through Thursday August 3 vs. the New York Mets.

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Blackmon’s hit streak ends as red-hot Pirates thump Rockies

By MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | July 21st, 2017

Charlie Blackmon‘s MLB-best 14-game hitting streak came to an end on Friday night in a 13-5 loss to the Pittsburgh

Pirates at Coors Field. The Pirates recorded 18 hits against five different Rockies starters, including four by first baseman Josh Bell. It was the fifth time this season Colorado has surrendered at least 18 hits in a game. The Pirates are now winners of six straight and 12 of their last 14.

Pittsburgh jumped on top early against Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman (6-2, 5.10 ERA). Bell knocked in his first of four RBIs on the night in a two-run first inning. He added a bases-clearing double in the second inning after Hoffman walked opposing starter Trevor Williams, hit Starling Marte and then also walked Andrew McCutchen. Hoffman allowed seven runs on nine hits and four walks in three-plus innings. He allowed three consecutive hits to open the third, including an

RBI single to McCutchen. Jordan Lyles allowed three runs over three innings, hitting three batters (including David

Freese twice). Lyles also allowed a home run to Jordy Mercer. Scott Oberg surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk. Mike Dunn allowed a hit in the eighth, and Jairo Diaz gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth.

Williams (4-4, 4.74) let the Rockies take the lead in the bottom of the first inning, allowing four hits and a walk in the inning. He settled down from there, allowing just three more hits in over a total of 6.2 innings. Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. He and Tony Wolters were the only Rockies hitters to have multiple hits on the night. Pat

Valaika had a pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh to drive in Wolters.

The loss drops Colorado to 56-42 and back into second place behind the Diamondbacks (56-40) in the NL Wild Card race. Pittsburgh is 12-2 over their last 14 games and now a game above .500. They trail the Rockies by 6.5 games in the

Wild Card. German Marquez (7-4, 4.34) will start for Colorado on Saturday. Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85) will try and stay hot for

Pittsburgh.

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Saved By The Bell: Bucs backed by Josh Bell’s four hits in rout of Rox

By Jake Shapiro / BSN Denver | July 21st, 2017

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies defense fell apart, Jeff Hoffman had another rough home start and the offense could only do so much. The Pittsburgh Pirates took advantage of all this en route their sixth consecutive comeback win in a 13-5 rout.

The Bucs plundered 18 hits, raised the jolly roger and absolutely sunk Jeff Hoffman and the Rockies.

The Rockies had a brief lead in this game, driving in three on four hits in the first. Charlie Blackmon walked, DJ LeMahieu doubled, Nolan Arenado singled to drive one in, Gerardo Parra drove another in on a base knock then too did Carlos

Gonzalez. But the three merely answered the Pirates who scored two in the first frame themselves.

The Bucs nabbed four base hits off of Hoffman, the only one really hit hard was by rookie first baseman Josh Bell. Bell answered the, well, Bell once more in the second inning with a back breaker for Hoffman. First, it was a four pitch walk to the opposing pitcher Trevor Willams that started a Pirates’ rally, a hit by a pitch and another walk issued juiced the bases for Bell, who drove two in with a hard hit single. Another run was brought home by David Freese and the Pirates were out in front 5-3.

The third saw the Rockies luck out because a bad misplay by Charlie Blackmon led Francisco Cervelli to the races, fortunately for Colorado, he is the Pirates catcher and not speedy so he stayed 90 feet shy of an inside the park homer.

Hoffman worked around the leadoff triple as he got two grounders with the infield in to stop the Pirates chance. But the

Rockies rookie was soon on his way out.

He got into trouble again in the fourth. A leadoff double by Josh Harrison raised the sails and Andrew McCutchen left the dock and singled to drive in one. Bell was next and he singled, again, this time chasing Hoffman from the game. Jordan

Lyles came in and got Freese into an 0-2 count then hit him with a pitch. Gregory Polanco knocked in one on a fielder’s choice but left with left hamstring discomfort. Lyles then forced Cervelli into an 0-2 count before he hit him. Lyles would escape by getting Jordy Mercer to ground into a .

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Lyles made it a bit messier getting into a jam and allowing one to come across in the fifth. He allowed his league worst (for a reliever) home run No. 11, which drove in tow and pushed the Bucs to a seven run lead.

Arenado hit a solo homer deep into the night in the sixth to cut it back to six. This was pretty much the highlight for the

Rockies on Friday.

The Pirates touched Scott Oberg for two more in the seventh and were up top by eight. Pat Valaika showed more prowess pinch hitting, socking a double to get a run back for the Rockies in the seventh.

It wouldn’t matter and the final would be 13-5 after the Pirates added one off of Jairo Diaz in the ninth.

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Bell has 4 hits, McCutchen 3 as Pirates beat Rockies 13-5

By Associated Press / ESPN.com | July 21st, 2017

DENVER -- A rough first inning could have meant an early exit for Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams. The rookie settled down, though, and rode his offense to his first win in more than a month.

Williams pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, and the surging Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 13-5 on Friday night.

Pittsburgh has won a season-high six straight and 12 of 14 to move a game above .500 for the first time since starting the season 3-2.

"When we play our best baseball we can compete with any team out there," said Andrew McCutchen, who had three hits and reached base five times. "Right now we're doing it. Our starting pitchers have been phenomenal, and that's the main reason we're doing what we're doing."

Rookie Josh Bell had a career-high four hits and Jordy Mercer homered for the Pirates (49-48), who tied a season high with 18 hits to kick off a nine-game road trip. They are within two games of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.

"We're playing really well right now and this road trip is big for us," Williams said. "If we finish good with this road trip, things are looking up for us."

Pittsburgh jumped on Colorado starter Jeff Hoffman (6-2) and chased him three batters into the fourth inning. Bell had an

RBI single in the first and a three-run double in the second when the Pirates took the lead for good. Bell had a season- high four RBI.

Hoffman struggled in his worst outing since allowing nine runs in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona exactly one month earlier.

He walked four, hit a batter and left after Bell's third hit of the game.

"It was my fastball command. I couldn't locate it," Hoffman said. "Especially when I needed it. When you can't locate that one it is really hard to get out of any kind of jam."

Nolan Arenado homered for the fourth time in two games and drove in two runs for Colorado, which had its four-game winning streak stopped.

Arenado's 82 RBI leads the majors.

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Williams (4-4) allowed three runs in the first inning but after Tony Wolters' leadoff double in the second he didn't allow a hit until Arenado's solo homer, his team-leading 22nd, in the sixth. Williams left after a two-out single by Wolters, who scored on a double. "We got a big, big effort from our starting pitcher," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "For him to pitch into the seventh inning after giving up three in the first, with the pitch efficiency he had, it was impressive. That won't go down as a quality start but that's a quality start -- and even more."

Williams helped the cause with a walk and a run in the second and his second career hit in the fifth. The Pirates had 10 players get hits, including both pitchers. Reliever Jhan Marinez had a double in the eighth for his first career hit.

"You have a lot of advantages here in this ballpark as a hitter," McCutchen said. "The altitude, the ball plays fast on the ground and it's very big, a lot of room to run. You have all that going for you."

McCutchen, who walked twice, had a chance to reach base for a sixth time but grounded out in the ninth. Bell followed with a triple to finish a homer shy of the cycle.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco left the game in the fourth inning with left hamstring discomfort. Polanco was injured running out a fielder's choice and immediately went to the dugout and was replaced by John Jaso. The Pirates announced

Polanco was day-to-day.

Rockies: RHP Tyler Chatwood(right calf strain) threw 44 pitches in two simulated innings Friday and felt fine, manager

Bud Black said. "No issues with the calf," Black said. "We'll chart the next course of action but as far as physically, he's in a really positive spot, and we feel really good about that. And so does Tyler."

TARGET PRACTICE

Colorado pitchers combined to hit four batters Friday, which tied a franchise record. It was done three times previous, the last time coming April 24, 2005, against the Dodgers.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85 ERA) struck out a season-high seven in his last start but had a no-decision against

Milwaukee on Monday. Rockies: RHP German Marquez (7-4, 4.34 ERA) will face the Pirates for a second time this season. Marquez got the win in Pittsburgh on June 14.

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5-by-5: Pirates Rising

By Tracy Ringolsby / Inside the Seams | July 21st, 2017

The Pirates have been the best team in baseball since July 4, and now they are playing the Rockies, who they have dominated since the start of last year. … Pat Valaika comes through in the pinch. … Ubaldo’s rising ERA and they are finally notcing the Indians are still in Cleveland.

THE PIRATES are 12-2 since July 4, allowing them to pick up five games in the NL Central standings. They are now just two games back of division-leading Milwaukee and only a game behind the defending World Champion Cubs.

The Rockies are 7-6 since July 4. It hasn’t helped them pick up ground on the NL West leading Dodgers (11-2), but they have moved with a game of wild-card leader Arizona, which is 4-9, the second worst record in the NL.

NL records since July 4:

Team W L Pct

Pittsburgh Pirates 12 2 .857

Los Angeles Dodgers 11 2 .846

Washington Nationals 8 4 .667

Chicago Cubs 8 5 .615

San Diego Padres 8 6 .571

Colorado Rockies 7 6 .538

Miami Marlins 7 6 .538

Atlanta Braves 7 7 .500

Milwaukee Brewers 7 7 .500

New York Mets 6 6 .500

St. Louis Cardinals 7 7 .500

Philadelphia Phillies 5 8 .385

Cincinnati Reds 5 9 .357

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 9 .308

San Francisco Giants 4 10 .286

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AND THE PIRATES have two more games this weekend with the Rockies, which has been an enjoyable experience for the Pirates since the start of the 2015 season. With Friday’s victory the Pirates are 14-4 against the Rockies, equaling the second best record in MLB since the start of last year against one team (minimum 15 games). The Dodgers are No. 1 with a 17-3 record against the Reds.

Team Opponent W-L Pct.

Dodgers Reds 17-3 .850

Pirates Rockies 14-4 .778

Royals Rays 14-4 .778

Astros Orioles 14-4 .778

Rangers Royals 16-5 .762 Pat Valaika

ROCKIES ROOKIE PAT Valaika is hitting .355 as a pinch-hitter, which ranks fifth in MLB for hitters with at least 20 pinch- hit plate appearances. The rest of the Rockies pinch-hitters are a combined 12-for-86 (.139).

Team G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Avg.

Albert Almora Jr. ChC 25 23 4 9 2 0 0 6 0.391

Jon Jay ChC 32 29 6 11 0 0 1 7 0.379

Adam Lind Was 32 29 6 11 1 0 3 9 0.379

Kelby Tomlinson SF 31 28 5 10 1 1 0 3 0.357

Pat Valaika Col 35 31 7 11 6 0 1 7 0.355

Matt Adams StL-Atl 23 19 1 6 0 0 0 3 0.316

Stephen Drew Was 24 19 0 6 3 0 0 5 0.316

Tommy La Stella ChC 23 16 4 5 2 0 0 2 0.313

Jesus Aguilar Mil 42 39 5 12 3 0 1 6 0.308

Ubaldo Jimenez

FORMER ROCKIES PITCHER Ubaldo Jimenez continues to battle inconsistency with the Orioles. His 7.19 ERA this season is 1.75 runs per game higher than last year, the fourth biggest negative increase in ERA in the AL from last year to this year.

Five biggest AL ERA increases from 2016 to 2017: 30

Pitcher, Team 2016 2017 Difference

Kevin Gausman, Orioles 3.61 6.11 2.5

Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees 3.07 5.33 2.26

Marco Estrada, Blue Jays 3.48 5.52 2.04

Ubaldo Jimenez, Orioles 5.44 7.19 1.75

Justin Verlander, Tigers 3.04 4.54 1.5

THE INDIANS ARE the defending AL champions. They are in first-place in the AL Central. And finally it appears the baseball fans in Cleveland have discovered that the Indians are still in town. The Indians did sellout Friday night’s game and they are sold out for Saturday that gives them only five sellouts this year — home opener, July 4, July 8 and the two this weekend. The Indians were 26th in MLB in average attendance going into the weekend.

Per Game Avg. Team ▼

Dodgers 44,714

Cardinals 42,917

Giants 41,455

Blue Jays 39,645

Cubs 39,279

Yankees 38,659

Angels 37,429

Rockies 37,221

Red Sox 36,038

Rangers 32,674

Nationals 32,195

Braves 31,755

Mets 31,435

Astros 31,058

Brewers 29,532

Tigers 29,144

Royals 27,489

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Phillies 26,849

Orioles 26,842

Padres 26,467

Mariners 25,295

D-Backs 25,079

Pirates 24,230

Twins 24,060

Reds 23,983

Indians 23,230

White Sox 21,327

Marlins 21,078

A’s 18,683

Rays 15,340

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