MEDIA CLIPS –May 17, 2017

Blackmon shows he's #ASGWorthy vs. Twins Rockies center fielder goes 3-for-5 with homer in win Tuesday

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 1:46 AM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Rockies' 10-game road trip was a success for Rockies leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon even before he showed up for the first game of it at Target Field on Tuesday.

"Yesterday I went fishing at Lake Minnetonka with a friend of mine from Atlanta whose brother lives here. … Caught 20- something pike."

Blackmon reeled in three hits, including a two- homer in the sixth off Twins reliever Tyler Duffey, in the Rockies' 7-

3 victory on Tuesday to run his torrid streak to 8-for-12 over his last three games.

With a strong lineup behind him, the Rockies' leadoff man believes he is being pitched tough, with offspeed pitches in expected fastball counts. The two-seam fastball from Duffey, Blackmon said, was the exception Tuesday, and he has seen few of those.

"I don't really feel like I've been really getting a lot of pitches to ," Blackmon said. "The was middle-up. But the two singles, I maybe shouldn't have even swung at them. I got lucky. Good aim."

Maybe there's something to be said for rest and relaxation.

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Last week, Blackmon went on an 0-for-10 skid. But after going 2-for-4 against the Dodgers on Friday night, he took his first full day off of the season -- he has started all but two games this season. Sunday produced a 3-for-3 performance with two runs in a win over the Dodgers.

After Monday's fishing expedition, he got to Twins starter Phil Hughes, with two singles, and Duffey, with his ninth homer of the season. Blackmon is tied the Astros' George Springer for the Majors lead from the leadoff spot with nine, and his

30 RBIs pace No. 1 hitters.

"You look at a lot of guys, when they're rested, they'll be more effective," Blackmon said. "The body feels good right now.

Maybe that's why a lot of guys had good games today."

But he won't be sitting often. Not with this production.

"He's been pretty steady all year long," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "Charlie's game at the top of the order is exactly what you're seeing. He's getting on base, he's hitting for average. There's some power in there. He's knocking in runs from the leadoff spot, which tells you a little bit about the bottom of the order getting on base for him."

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Rox ride 4-run 6th, pair of HRs past Twins

By Rhett Bollinger and Thomas Harding / MLB.com | 2:35 AM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- Charlie Blackmon and Gerardo Parra both homered, while came through with a go- ahead RBI single off Phil Hughes as part of a four-run sixth to lift the Rockies to a 7-3 win over the Twins in the

Interleague series opener on Tuesday night at Target Field.

Desmond snapped a 3-3 tie with a single off Hughes in the sixth, before Colorado tacked on three more insurance runs, including a two-run shot from Blackmon with two outs. It helped the Rockies improve to a Major League-best 12-5 on the road, which is their best start away from Coors Field in franchise history.

"It's nice that we're winning away from home," said Blackmon, who went 3-for-5 Tuesday and is on an 8-for-12 run.

"Usually you're a little less comfortable, but I don't think we're having any issues."

It was a matchup of first-place clubs -- the Rockies in the National League West, the Twins in the American League

Central. And don't tell Desmond, who has been part of division winners three of the last five years between the Nationals and Rangers, about how early in the season it is.

"I keep on hearing, 'It's early stuff,'" Desmond said. "Back in Washington, we were like 13 games back of the Atlanta

Braves in April or mid-May, and we could never overcome it.

"These games, to us, matter, and I don't think it needs to be discredited. Every win is important, I don't care if it's April,

May or September."

Blackmon stayed hot, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. He now has eight hits in his last 12 at-bats. Parra also smacked a solo homer in the fourth off Hughes, who mostly struggled. The Twins' right-hander allowed five runs on eight hits over five-plus innings, falling to 4-2 on the season with a 5.23 ERA.

"Hughes wasn't trusting his changeup again, which has happened his last couple starts," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I think the home run, he tried to backdoor a cutter, but it came over the inner third. But he gave us a chance. His numbers aren't great when you look at them on the whole, but in all but one, we've been in the game." 3

It was enough offense for Rockies left-hander , who went six frames and worked around three runs on five hits and four walks to register his fifth straight quality start. The Twins scored twice in the second on a pair of RBI doubles from Jason Castro and Brian Dozier before getting a solo homer from in the fourth.

"He battled," Rockies manager Bud Black said of Freeland. "Too many balls mid-thigh to the letters. He really didn't pound the zone like we'd seen Kyle. But there were a couple of key pitches, and he made them."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Freeland gets big double play: The Twins threatened with one out and runners at the corners in the fifth after Freeland walked Dozier and Robbie Grossman on a combined 17 pitches to open the inning. But after Miguel Sano flied out to center, Freeland went to his favorite weapon, the hard, high-and-inside fastball, and got Kennys Vargas to escape the inning with a double play to keep the game tied.

"If they see a fastball up in the zone but in, their eyes are gong to light up and they're going to want to turn and burn on it,"

Freeland said. "If you're able to get in on his hands, where he can't fire them quickly, you can get a good out."

Two-out hits key in sixth: After Desmond's RBI single gave the Rockies the lead in the sixth, Colorado tacked on three insurance runs with two outs against Twins reliever Tyler Duffey. Tony Wolters brought home Desmond with a double to right, keyed by a misplay from Grossman in right field that allowed Desmond to score from first. Blackmon followed with a two-run homer that extended the Colorado lead to 7-3. Blackmon's ninth homer of the year left the bat at 104.9 mph at a high launch angle of 40 degrees, traveling a projected 395 feet, per Statcast™.

QUOTABLE

"I understand those things can speed up on you. But I guarantee you, he'll never do that again. Put it that way. Thankfully for them, it didn't come back to get them." -- Twins Chris Gimenez, who reached first on a that would've ended the game in the ninth, as Wolters didn't throw to first on a ball that hit the dirt, forcing the Rockies to bring in closer Greg Holland with two outs

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Buxton's homer extended Minnesota's streak to 16 straight games with a homer, tying a franchise record set in 1979. It also snapped Freeland's streak of 34 innings without allowing a homer.

HEAD BACK IN THE GAME

Wolters made an impact in his return from a concussion suffered May 2. Hitting ninth, he rolled a fielder's choice grounder to drive in a run in the second and doubled in the Rockies' big sixth inning. Defensively he erased Eddie Rosario on an 4

attempted steal of second to end the fourth with the score tied at 3 and made a sliding catch of a popped-up Jorge

Polanco bunt in the sixth.

WHAT'S NEXT

Rockies: Right-hander German Marquez, who held the Cubs hitless for six innings and scoreless on three hits through eight in his last start, will face the Twins in the second game of the series Wednesday at Target Field at 6:10 p.m. MT.

Twins: Right-hander Ervin Santana (6-1, 1.50 ERA) is set to start against the Rockies on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. CT.

Santana has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and is coming off a strong start, throwing seven scoreless innings against the Indians.

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Wolters feels back to normal after concussion Rockies catcher rejoins lineup Tuesday against Twins

By Rhett Bollinger and Thomas Harding / MLB.com | 2:35 AM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- Catcher Tony Wolters returned to the Rockies' lineup Tuesday with extra padding in the temple area of his new catcher's mask and, more importantly, no trepidation. Wolters suffered a concussion when hit by a bat on May 2.

The Rockies optioned catcher Dustin Garneau (.206/1 HR/6 RBI in 22 games) to -A Albuquerque to make room for

Wolters, who was hitting .346 with three RBIs in 17 games before being struck by the bat of the Padres' Hector Sanchez.

Wolters returned after three games with Albuquerque on a rehab assignment -- two behind the plate, including a full game.

"It just felt like I was playing baseball again," Wolters said. "I was keeping the game simple -- just catch the ball, put down signs, hit the ball."

In his first game back, Wolters went 1-for-4 with a double, run scored and RBI in a 7-3 win over the Twins on Tuesday night at Target Field. Wolters also caught Twins Eddie Rosario attempting to steal second to end the fourth inning.

Wolters, 24, is considered an elite receiver behind the plate, and he hit .321 in 29 games after the All-Star break last year and continued thriving at the plate in 2017.

"He brings an energy to the group, and pitchers like throwing to him," Rockies manager Bud Black said.

The Rockies began the year with Wolters, in his second year, and Garneau, a rookie, catching their young starting rotation. Veteran Ryan Hanigan joined the Rockies when Wolters was out, so the club has a balance of experience and youth. In six games, Rockies pitchers have a 2.89 ERA when throwing to Hanigan.

Black said it was tough to send Garneau to Triple-A. The Rockies' 3.29 ERA with him behind the plate represented the

20th-lowest figure in the Majors.

"We told him to go down to Albuquerque, do his thing … there are some big league arms down there that are going to be up here at some point," Black said.

Worth noting 6

• Rockies , on the 10-day disabled list since Thursday with a left shoulder strain, took swings and fielded ground balls Tuesday, experiencing no pain. He hopes to take batting practice Wednesday. Story said there isn't a rehab assignment scheduled, but he expects to do one.

"I feel real good today, almost back to normal," Story said.

• Outfielder David Dahl, who has been out since early with a stress reaction in the sixth rib, is hitting soft- toss and hopes to resume batting practice Wednesday. He had a setback when he tried batting practice at the end of

April, but he reports feeling stronger.

"I knew it was the kind of injury that could take a while and linger a little bit, but I thought I'd be back by now," said Dahl, who hit .315 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 63 games as a rookie last season. "It's frustrating, but I'm trusting the process"

• Starter , who suffered a navicular stress fracture in his left foot on April 13, is spending short periods out of his walking boot and has been throwing sessions while wearing the boot. It's expected he will be out of the boot fully in less than three weeks. The throwing means his arm should be in shape when he is cleared to pitch in games.

• Catcher Tom Murphy, who suffered hairline fractures in his right forearm and right wrist when hit with the

Cubs' Anthony Rizzo's bat during Spring Training, threw and swung the bat Tuesday and is "getting closer to partaking in batting practice," according to Black.

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Marquez eyes 2nd straight win vs. Twins

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | May 16th, 2017

Twins right-hander Ervin Santana has spent years figuring out how to make opponents hit the ball softly. Rockies rookie

German Marquez demonstrated in his last start, when he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and held the Cubs scoreless on three hits over eight innings, the benefits of throwing the ball hard. They'll meet Wednesday in the second of three games between the clubs at Target Field.

There are reasons for Santana's outstanding start. According to Statcast, the average exit velocity against Santana is 83.2 mph -- third-lowest among pitchers with 100 batted balls against them this season. Just 2 percent of his plate appearances have resulted in "barrels" -- balls with launch angles and exit velocities that signify hard contact.

The 34-year-old Santana is 6-1 through his first eight starts of 2017. He has a 1.50 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP.

Marquez, whose only road start this season was a six-inning, scoreless outing against the D-backs that saw him strike out eight on April 30, is learning early to challenge hitters with his fastball. According to Statcast, Cubs hitters went 1-for-16 on heaters in the strike zone last Thursday, and -- based on the quality of contact -- opponents have a .257 expected average against his fastball.

The Rockies' right-hander will make his fifth start of the season Wednesday. He enters the outing 1-2 with a 4.88 ERA.

Three things to know about this game

• Marquez is not all straight-arrow fastball. In his start against the Cubs, he wiggled a heighten number of curveballs against Javier Baez and Jon Jay, a sign that he and catcher Ryan Hanigan were attuned to hitting approaches. It'll be an interesting matchup with the Twins' Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario, all of whom swing hard but have displayed increased discipline in recent games. Marquez also has the makings of a solid changeup, but that pitch is behind his curve and slider.

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• Santana debuted with the Angels in 2005, with current Rockies manager Bud Black as his pitching coach, and has six seasons of double figures in wins, but at 34, he might be at his best. In his last 26 starts dating to last June 15, his 2.12

ERA is lowest in the Majors. The Nationals' Max Scherzer's 2.69 ranks second.

• There are few Rockies with much history against Santana. Carlos Gonzalez has dominated the right-hander (8-for-15, two home runs, seven RBIs), while Gerardo Parra (0-for-9 with a sacrifice bunt and three ) has languished. Mark

Reynolds has had a strange history. He's 2-for-7, but both hits were homers and he has seven RBIs.

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Chemo done, Bettis eager to 'move forward'

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | May 16th, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Rockies woke up Tuesday in first place in the National League West, but that fact was trumped by even better news: right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis completed the last round of chemotherapy treatments in his battle against testicular cancer.

Bettis made the announcement via Instagram and posted a picture with his wife, Kristina, and their infant daughter,

Everleigh Rae.

Bettis wrote: "Just got done with my last day of chemo!! My family and I want to say thank you for all the support and prayers! We're eternally grateful for y'all. We are excited to move forward and start the process of getting back. Again, thank you! We love you! ???? #letsgettowork"

Bettis was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery on Nov. 29. After the surgery, bloodwork found cancer markers undetectable, and Bettis reported to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Ariz., and even threw a bullpen session. But a follow- up exam in March revealed that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. Chemotherapy began in late March.

Bettis visited the Rockies when they played in Phoenix against the D-backs April 28-30. Bettis did some throwing with

Rockies staff and teammates, and was in the dugout for games. The Rockies have kept his glove on the dugout rail during games throughout the season.

During the Phoenix trip, Bettis was optimistic that once the port through which the medicine is administered is surgically removed and the area heals, he can work toward a return this season.

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Rockies ride Charlie Blackmon’s big night to beat Twins, improve to 12-5 on road Holland had to face just one batter, but he notched his 17th save in 17 tries.

By Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | May 16th, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — With apologies to Minnesota native Robert Allen Zimmerman (a.k.a. Bob Dylan), the times they are a changin’ for the Rockies.

Road kill for nearly all of their existence, the Rockies have been road warriors through the first quarter of the 2017 season.

They proved it again Tuesday night at Target Field, beating Minnesota 7-3 to improve to 12-5 away from home.

Considering that Colorado has posted one winning road record in its existence (41-40 in 2009) that early-season success grabs your attention.

But newcomer Ian Desmond said it’s time to discard the “early-season” qualifier.

“These games, to us, matter, and I don’t think that needs to be discredited,” said Desmond, who started at first base and finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. “Every win is important, I don’t care if it’s April, May or September. You want to give yourself a chance to play meaningful games.

“I’m really confident in what we can do and I like this team and direction we are going. … It’s exciting. We’re going to be good and it’s going to be a fun summer. I hope the Rockies fans hang in there.”

The Rockies, 25-15, opened their 11-day, 10-game road trip with timely hits, including home runs by Charlie

Blackmon and Gerardo Parra, and a hang-tough, six-inning performance from rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland.

“He battled, he really did,” manager Bud Black said. “The thing with Kyle is that he had too many balls to the mid-thigh and up. But there were a coupe of key pitches to make and he made them. That’s always a great sign.”

The Rockies took command with a four-run sixth inning. Carlos Gonzalezlashed a double to right and scored on

Desmond’s single. A double by Tony Wolters, compounded by an error by right fielder Robbie Grossman, chased home another run. Then Blackmon stepped up and hit a towering fly to center off Tyler Duffey that drifted over the wall for a two- run homer. It was Blackmon’s ninth home run and was the cherry on top to a 3-for-5, three-RBI night.

Freeland was not especially sharp, walking four batters, but he pitched with guts and guile when he had to. His best pitch of the game arrived with two on and one out in the fifth. After lengthy battles, Freeland surrendered back-to-back walks to

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Brian Dozier and Grossman. Then Freeland went to his escape plan — a worm-burning grounder to get him out of trouble.

It worked. Kenny Vargas grounded into a double play and Freeland let loose a yell as he departed the diamond.

“We chose to bust (Vargas) inside on this hands and we were able to do that,” Freeland said. “We got a broken-bat ground ball to (shortstop Pat) Valaika and he was able to start the double play.”

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Freeland entered the game with a 66.7 percent groundball percentage (82 grounders vs. 19 flyballs), the best groundball rate in the majors. His line Tuesday night: three earned runs allowed on five hits with three strikeouts. He had three groundball outs vs. three outs through the air.

Freeland improved to 4-2 and is carrying an impressive 3.13 ERA, but he wasn’t thrilled with his performance.

“It was a struggle, for sure, tonight,” he said. “I didn’t have my best stuff and you never want to walk four batters … but I was able to get out when I needed to.”

The bullpen quartet of Chris Rusin, Adam Ottavino, Jake McGee and Greg Holland combined to pitch three scoreless innings. Holland had to face just one batter, but he notched his 17th save in 17 tries.

Black is not surprised by the Rockies’ road success.

“This goes all the way back to spring training,” he said. “We just talk about how we play. We don’t worry about the opposition and we don’t worry about where we play. We just worry about playing good baseball.”

The clubs swapped homers in the fourth, leaving the game tied 3-3. Parra, starting in left field, cranked Phil Hughes’ 1-2 pitch deep into the right field seats for his fourth homer of the season. Parra hit seven all last year.

But Byron Buxton countered with a 418-foot solo blast to center off Freeland, the 16th consecutive game in which the

Twins have homered, setting a club record.

Colorado staked a 2-0 lead in the second, capitalizing on Desmond’s leadoff single, followed by a walk by Parra. Pat

Valaika‘s sacrifice bunt advance them, allowing Desmond to score on Wolter’s groundout to first, and setting up Parra to score on Blackmon’s bloop single to right.

The Twins answered in the bottom half. Jorge Polonco walked, moved to second on a balk, and scored on Jason Castro’s

RBI double. Dozier’s laser double off the right-field wall scored Castro, tying the game 2-2. 13

Rockies’ David Dahl, Trevor Story and Tom Murphy moving closer to return It will provide depth in the lineup, but also force the club to make major decisions

By Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | May 16th, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Injuries hit the Rockies like a tidal wave during spring training and in the first month of the season. But players are healing now and outfielder David Dahl, shortstop Trevor Story and catcher Tom Murphy are getting closer to returning.

That will provide depth in the lineup, but also force the club to make major decisions.

The first decision came Tuesday when starting catcher Tony Wolters came off the seven-day concussion disabled list and started behind the plate against Minnesota. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Rockies optioned Dustin Garneau to

Triple-A Albuquerque, choosing to keep veteran Ryan Hanigan as their No. 2 catcher.

Dahl, out since the second Cactus League game of spring training because of a stress reaction injury to his right rib, plans to take batting practice with the Rockies on Wednesday. If that goes well, he’s scheduled to ramp up baseball activities and begin a minor-league rehab assignment after that.

“I’m feeling really good,” said Dahl, who admitted he thought he would be back sooner. “It’s frustrating. I thought I’d be back by now, but it’s about trusting the process. I’m just trying to get prepared to play.”

Story, working his way back from a left-shoulder injury that landed him on the 10-day DL on May 10, is feeling much better and is close to being ready to resume full-scale baseball activities.

“I feel really good and (Monday’s off day) gave me a complete day of rest,” Story said. “I feel pretty much back to normal. I got to take groundballs and swing the bat a little. (Wednesday) will be pretty much my normal (pregame) routine.”

Story doesn’t have a minor-league rehab schedule worked out, but he’s eager to start playing again and test his swing.

“I think that’s going to be part of it,” said Story, who’s hitting .180 with six homers, six doubles and 49 strikeouts in 111 at- bats over 33 games. “Just get into game situations and see how (the shoulder) reacts.”

Murphy, out since spring raining with a hairline fracture to his forearm and wrist, can finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

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“Tom threw today, and threw well,” manager Bud Black said. “He’s getting closer to partaking in legit batting practice.

Each day he’s getting close to taking part in more intense baseball activities.”

Gray’s progress. Right-hander Jon Gray, continues to scoot around in a walking boot that’s protecting a stress fracture in his left foot, but he’s making steady progress toward rejoining the starting rotation.

Gray’s keeping his arm in relatively good shape by throwing bullpen sessions while wearing the boot. There is no specific timetable for his return, but he certainly will have to pitch some minor-league games to build up arm strength.

Gray is 0-0 with a 4.38 ERA in three starts.

Bettis’ battle. Right-hander pitcher Chad Bettis posted some good news Tuesday on Instagram, announcing he’d completed his final day of chemotherapy.

“Just got done with my last day of chemo!!” Bettis wrote. “My family and I want to say thank you for all the support and prayers! We’re eternally grateful for y’all. We are excited to move forward and start the process of getting back. Again, thank you! We love you!”

Bettis, 27, led the Rockies in wins last season (14), but was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the offseason. He underwent surgery in November to remove cancerous cells and in December was told by doctors his procedure was a success and he had avoided the need for radiation or chemotherapy.

In March, Bettis learned his cancer had spread and chemotherapy was required.

Looking ahead …

Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-2, 4.88 ERA) at Twins RHP Ervin Santana (6-1, 1.50), 6:10 p.m. Wednesday,

ROOT; 850 AM

What does Marquez do for an encore? He’s coming off a superb performance, pitching eight scoreless innings against the

Cubs at Coors Field, a game in which he no-hit the Cubs for six innings. The 22-year-old right-hander whiffed eight and walked only one. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he was just the fifth pitcher to throw at least six no-hit innings at

Coors. He did it using excellent fastball command and mixing in a variety of breaking balls, in a variety of counts. Santana is off to the best start of his career, having tossed six-plus innings and allowed one run or fewer in sevn of his eight starts.

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Opponents are hitting just .129 against Santana. He’s 2-1 with a 6.31 ERA with 24 strikeouts and eight walks in four career starts vs. Colorado. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

Thursday: Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-5, 5.25 ERA) at Twins RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 1.17), 11:10 a.m., MLB TV

(No ROOT)

Friday: Rockies LHP (2-4, 6.43) at Reds RHP Tim Adelman (2-2. 5.27), 5:10 p.m., ROOT

Saturday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (6-1, 3.31) at Reds’ Amir Garrett (3-2, 4.25), 2:10 p.m., ROOT

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Lunch Special: When will Jon Gray return, and who will be bumped from Rockies rotation? How will the Rockies work in Jeff Hoffman as the season goes along?

By Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | May 16th, 2017

The Denver Post’s Rockies beat writer Patrick Saunders answered questions from readers about the in a live chat today. The Denver Post will be doing noon chats every Tuesday and Thursday. Topics will vary from Rockies,

Nuggets, Avs, Broncos, etc. Join us on Thursday at noon for a live Broncos chat with Cameron Wolfe.

Here are some of the highlights from the live chat:

Let’s start off on the hot topic of Jon Gray. When will he return and who gets bumped when he’s back in the rotation?

Patrick: I’m thinking the middle of June is a good return date. They don’t want to rush him. As for who goes down to AAA,

I think that will shake it out over the next couple of weeks. Right now my guess would be German Marquez, but it wouldn’t shock me to see (Tyler) Anderson go down for a tuneup.

Hey Patrick, what’s going on at shortstop for the Rockies? Is Trevor Story the answer or will we see Brendan

Rodgers this season?

Patrick: Regarding Trevor Story and Brendan Rodgers … no I don’t see Rodgers coming up this season. If he does it would be in September at the earliest. The Rockies will take their time with Story and give him some “extended time” in

AAA.

The Rockies are playing great this year. What do you think their weaknesses are? And what player(s) do you think they might go after at the trade deadline in July?

Patrick: Yes, the Rockies are playing great. Their weaknesses? Middle-to-back of bullpen and I worry about starting pitching depth as the season goes along.

The offense is still not performing as we expected, but I think that will change. It needs to on this road trip.

The trade deadline is still far away, but if the Rockies are in contention, I think GM Jeff Bridich has to make a move, perhaps for a starter.

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What has made Mark Reynolds so good this year?

Patrick: Great question on Mark Reynolds. First of all, he’s a pro and he’s seen a lot of NL pitching, so that helps.

Second, as Bud Black has explained, Reynolds has tweaked his swing a bit, shortened it up and been more selective.

What I’ve been amazed at is his power. He’s almost has as many homers now as all last season. He and Greg Holland have been the Rox MVPs.

Holland has been awesome, but are we seeing strain in the rest of the bullpen?

Patrick: Holland has been the best free-agent pickup in baseball. I don’t know about “strain” on the bullpen, but teams are starting to figure some things out. The pitcher I’m concerned about is Adam Ottavino. He needs to recover his slider and fastball command. Too many walks, behind in too many counts. It’s not a good combo.

(Rockies manager) Buddy (Black) almost ripped Oberg’s hand off when he took the ball from him after walking the batter on four pitches. How long do the Rockies wait for the results from him and (pitcher Jordan) Lyles to match their ability? Are there any other options in AA or AAA?

Patrick: The best option the Rockies had at AAA was Harrison Musgrave, but he’s been hurt. Carlos Esteves could come back, too, but he was facing the same problems as Lyles and Oberg.

Oberg, and to a less extent Lyles, have raw ability, but they nibble way too much, in my opinion. To be honest, I’m not sure why Lyles is still on the team. Mop-up duty, I suppose.

How do you expect the Rockies to work in Jeff Hoffman as the season goes along?

Patrick: Great question on Hoffman. I think, eventually, he will start a number of games for the Rockies. But it also wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the bullpen in the second half of the season. I really like where he’s at right now. Good stuff, good attitude. I think he’s come to realize he has to earn a place in the rotation … It won’t be handed to him.

What would you consider a successful road trip here across these 10 games?

Patrick: If they can go 5-5, I’d take that. 6-4 or 7-3 would be outstanding. Historically, these long trips east kill the

Rockies, but they are a more complete, more confident team now. The Twins are playing over their heads right now,

Cincy is better than we all thought and the Phillies, well, they’re pretty bad.

Where do you think the Rockies need to improve most? 18

Patrick: Rockies need to improve their offense, and by that I mean stringing hits together. I also think their baserunning has been terrible.

They need to figure out the middle of their bullpen, because right now it’s vulnerable. CarGo needs to snap out of his slump. If he does, watch out, but he’s been a sinkhole in the middle of the order so far.

Do you think outfielder David Dahl will be playing by the all-star break? Also, why doesn’t Ian Desmond get any starts at SS so that Gerardo Parra can play more?

Patrick: Dahl’s timeline is really in flux, but I do think he’ll be back by the all-star break. Bud Black has a good analogy about the injury. He said in Dah’ls case, the injury has to be out completely, like a campfire must be totally extinguished or else one ember can cause it to flare back up.

Regarding Desmond, Black said he wants Desmond putting in time at first and left field. That could change. Desmond is more than ready to play short if asked.

How do you see the season playing out for Parra? Started out hot but is slowly coming back to earth. He is a good 4th outfielder but not much more. If/when Dahl comes back what happens?

Patrick: Regarding Parra, you’re right, he is coming back down to earth, but I think he’s good, solid player this season, as opposed to last year. I think Dahl has a bigger upside and can provide more pop in the lineup, but until he gets back,

Parra will have to step up.

Do you believe there will be innings limits set on Antonio (or any of the younger arms) to keep him/them fresh through the year? Would Hoffman get those spot starts to keep the arms fresh?

Patrick: We have asked that question of Bud Black and he’s been coy about it. But yes, I do believe the Rockies might start to restrict Senzatela if they sense shoulder fatigue. Hoffman might get those starts, but remember, he’s throwing a lot at AAA.

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Kiszla vs. Groke: Do the Rockies really need Carlos Gonzalez?

By Mark Kizsla / Denver Post | May 16th, 2017

Do Rockies need a major contribution from Carlos Gonzalez to make the playoffs?

Kiz: When Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez awoke Tuesday in Minnesota, he ranked 973rd of 982 major-league hitters in wins above replacement. You don’t need to be a MIT grad to understand a WAR of -0.8 stinks. Colorado, however, is in first place without CarGo hitting. To be a playoff contender, do they really need him? Should the Rockies bench Gonzalez, or even consider trading him?

Groke: CarGo and the Rox (sounds like a Lego set or a Commander Cody spinoff band) are married at this point. In the final year of his contract, his trade value is probably past the point of no return. A trade would require two things: 1. Rox are 15 games out in late July, and 2. A contending team desperately needs a slugging outfielder or DH. So should manager Bud Black bench him? Absolutely not. I can give you 203 reasons why (psst: that’s his career home run total).

Kiz: National League West teams can rake. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks both hit well. In fact, Colorado’s team slash line of .260/.317/.435 ranks third in the division. Say what? That should never be the case for a team that plays half its games in Coors Field. The Rockies bullpen has been lights out, and the rookie starting pitchers have been a godsend. But if the offense doesn’t get it in gear, the Rockies are susceptible to wilting during one of their infamous June swoons.

Groke: I hear ya. The Rox also rank third in the NL West in run differential, in some part because CarGo is not getting on base in front of the Sheriff of Swattingham, aka Mark Reynolds, who could have even more RBIs instead of all those solo home runs. But when Black moved CarGo down the lineup to sixth and Reynolds to cleanup, it seemed to get everyone on track. Gonzalez went 6-for-15 against the Dodgers in a four-game series last week. And he hit into some loud outs. He is about to break out.

Kiz: My social media feed is very anti-social toward Gonzalez. I don’t get it. This is not the first time he has started slowly at the plate. I admit to being an unabashed CarGo fan. His defense, his passion and his positive vibe are invaluable to the

Rockies. This batting order lacks depth when Gonzalez isn’t hitting. Not only should Colorado hold onto Gonzalez, but manager Bud Black better pray CarGo returns to form at the plate, because the Rockies need him to drive in 100 runs if they want to be in the playoff hunt during September.

Groke: The clues are there, Kiz. CarGo is heating up. When he starts hitting 107 mph line drives and third-deck shots during batting practice, it’s a clear sign of a breakout. We’ve seen it before, time and again. And listen, this is not a 20

prediction or cheerleading, but it is a Sherlockian hunch: CarGo might just hit one out of Great American Ball Park in

Cincinnati later this week. He nearly did it in 2013. And if gets cooking, with all the other power in purple, this Rockies lineup could be formidable.

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LaTroy Hawkins, Tommy Kahnle got into fight while with the Rockies Well, this is a new development

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

LaTroy Hawkins was about as all-business is one could be during his time as a major leaguer. The 21-year veteran never got himself into trouble with anything he said to the media or anything he did on the field.

Now that Hawkins is retired, though, he’s not having much of a problem spilling the beans about behind-the-scenes happenings from his playing days. Not long ago, Hawkins said during a Root Sports Twitter takeover that current Chicago

White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle was the most unprofessional players he ever encountered. LaTroy doubled down on that on Tuesday during his debut as a Minnesota Twins analyst for Fox Sports North:

Kahnle and Hawkins were teammates with the Colorado Rockies during the former’s rookie season in 2014 as well as the following year. At some point during that first season, the two got into a fight, according to Hawkins. He didn’t specify whether it was a physical altercation, but LaTroy doesn’t seem like the type to address a situation like that if it was simply an argument.

The Rockies eventually traded Hawkins to the in the deal in 2015 and dealt Kahnle to the White Sox later that year.

Considering how many people—players or otherwise—likely know about this but were sworn to secrecy, don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last we hear of it now that some details are out in the open.

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Colorado Rockies start road trip strong, beat Twins 7-3 The Rockies aim to show that they can compete on the road this year, and Tuesday night’s game showed just that.

By Nick Stephens / Purple Row | May 16th, 2017

Kyle Freeland struggled with command all night, but key pitches and a strong outing from the offense gave the Rockies an impressive 7-3 victory to kick off their road trip.

The Rockies struck first in the top of the second after Ian Desmond singled and Gerardo Parra walked to start the inning. Pat Valaika bunted and advanced both runners, and Desmond scored on a RBI groundout from Tony

Wolters. Charlie Blackmon added a run on a bloop single to right field, scoring Parra.

The Twins promptly responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second.

Parra followed up his rare walk in the second inning with a towering homer over the right-field wall to give the Rockies a 3-

2 lead. The lead didn't last long though, as Byron Buxton drilled a ball over the center-field wall to tie the game at three.

That's all the runs the Twins would get off of Kyle Freeland, as he put together a strong six-inning outing. Although he walked four and allowed five hits, he limited the damage to just three runs while striking out three.

The Rockies offense exploded in the top of the sixth, as they tacked on four more runs. Ian Desmond and Tony

Wolters both delivered a run, and Charlie Blackmon crushed a two-run bomb to center field to give the Rockies a 7-3 lead.

Chris Rusin and Adam Ottavino both came out of the bullpen and pitched an inning a piece, neither allowing a base runner.

Jake McGee came in to close the game, but couldn’t quite get the final out. Chris Gimenez struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt, but made it to first base after Wolters didn’t tag him or throw the ball to first, thinking the game was over.

Greg Holland was then brought into the game to close things out, which, of course he did, and collected his 17th save of the year to secure the Rockies win.

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Colorado Rockies injury update: Catcher Tony Wolters re-instated from 10-day DL, Dustin Garneau optioned The Rockies have their starting catcher back in the fold after a concussion.

By Jordan Freemyer / Purple Row | May 16th, 2017

The Colorado Rockies reinstated catcher Tony Wolters from the 10-day disabled list and optioned catcher Dustin

Garneau to Triple-A Albuquerque, the team announced.

Wolters has been out of action since suffering a concussion against San Diego on May 2, when Padres hitter Hector

Sanchez caught him in the helmet on his follow through.

In his second season, Wolters has shown marked improvement at the plate, hitting .346/.393/.442 in 17 games so far in

2017.

Garneau has been with the team since and has hit .206/.260/.353 in 22 games this season. He becomes the odd man out of the Rockies catching situation because of the fact that he has options remaining and the presence of Ryan Hanigan, who is 7-for-23 with a home run since being called up as the replacement for Wolters and has drawn rave reviews from Rockies coaches and pitchers for his work behind the plate.

The Rockies are still waiting on the return of Tom Murphy, who was expected to be the team’s starting catcher, after he broke his arm in Spring Training.

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Colorado Rockies injury news: Tony Wolters rejoins team after concussion

By Kevin Henry / Rox Pile | May 16th, 2017

We have been talking for the last few days (like in this article) about the Colorado Rockies and some tough decisions they were going to have to make behind the plate. The Rockies made the first of those tough decisions this afternoon.

Catcher Tony Wolters, who suffered a concussion on May 2 in a game at San Diego, was officially brought off the 10- day disabled list by the Rockies on Tuesday prior to opening their road series against the Minnesota Twins. To make room on the roster for Wolters, the Rockies optioned catcher Dustin Garneau to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Wolters was hit on the head by a swing by San Diego pinch hitter Hector Sanchez during Colorado’s 6-2 loss to the

Padres. At the time, Wolters was hitting .346 with three doubles, one triple, three RBI and three walks. The .346 average is tied for fourth in among with at least 15 games played. The high average was compiled over 17 games as he and Garneau split time behind the plate since Opening Day.

The 24-year-old Wolters was sent to Albuquerque for three rehab games. While at Triple-A, he went 2-for-11 at the plate.

One of those hits, however, was a home run.

Wolters was back behind the plate and in the starting lineup on Tuesday against Minnesota, batting ninth.

Garneau, meanwhile, has shown flashes of solid play during his stint with the Rockies. His seven doubles are tied for third on the team in that department. However, that’s been one of the biggest highlights as he’s posted a .206 average with one home run and six RBI in 22 games played.

In 68 games with the Rockies across three seasons (2015-17), the 29-year-old Garneau has compiled a .199 (41-for-206) average with 16 doubles, four home runs and 20 RBI.

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HIGHLIGHTS: Blackmon’s big night powers Rockies past Twins

By MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | May 17th, 2017

The Colorado Rockies took the first game of their season-long 10-game road trip thanks to a three-RBI night from Charlie

Blackmon. The centerfielder had three hits, including a two-run home run, to power Colorado to a 7-4 victory over the

Minnesota Twins.

Kyle Freeland (4-2, 3.13) earned his fourth victory of the year. Freeland went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits.

Freeland walked four and struck out three. Chris Rusin and Adam Ottavino each pitched an inning of no-hit relief. Greg

Holland earned his 17th save in as many tries after a slightly bizarre ending to the game. Jake McGee worked into some trouble in the ninth inning, then appeared to strike out Chris Gimenez for the final out of the game. Gimenez was called out on a check swing, but reached first on a dropped third strike to create a save situation. Holland got Brian Dozier to pop out to second to end it.

While Blackmon led the way offensively, Ian Desmond and Gerardo Parra each had solid nights for Colorado. Desmond had a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored. Parra scored twice, including a solo home run in the fourth inning. Tony

Wolters had a hit, an RBI and a run scored in his first game back from the concussion DL. Colorado did most of its damage in a four-run sixth inning that included Blackmon’s two-run home run, his ninth of the year.

The win moves Colorado 10 games above .500 at 25-15, now 2.5 games ahead of Arizona for first place in the division.

The Rockies are again in Minneapolis on Wednesday for the second of three games against the Twins. German

Marquez (1-2, 4.88) will have a tall task against Ervin Santana (6-1, 1.50).

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Pat Valaika is taking full advantage of his newfound playing time

By Aniello Piro / Mile High Sports | May 17th, 2017

When Trevor Story was placed on the disabled list with inflammation in his left shoulder retroactive to May 10, the

Colorado Rockies tabbed rookie Pat Valaika as the team’s everyday shortstop. The task, a big one, has seemed like a breeze for Valaika who has managed to step out his his utility role and done a superb job in his newfound role as a starter.

Since Story went down, Valaika has started every game at shortstop and made his impact known both in the field and at the plate. So far, Valaika is error free at short and has hit a steady .296 in eight games as a starter.

His ability to hold the fort down while Story heals has been critical in the team’s recent success. In the club’s final game of their four-game series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, Valaika belted two home runs en route to the Rockies 9-6 victory.

From a rookie utility player to a hero of the game, Pat Valika is taking full advantage of his increased playing time.

“It’s nice to get out there consistently just to get into the flow of the game more regularly,” Valaika said after Sunday’s big win. “It’s been good getting out there and getting consistent at-bats.”

Valaika is another prime example of the Rockies’ roster depth. Already this season, Colorado has promoted and used

Valaika, Raimel Tapia, Jeff Hoffman, and Ryan Hanigan. The Rockies’ bench has helped propel the club this season. If the big guns like Carlos Gonzalez or Nolan Arenado do not produce, or players like Ian Desmond or Story go down win injury, guys like Mark Reynolds and Valaika have stepped up to take their place.

“Pat has been given an opportunity here this week, and he’s responded,” manager Bud Black said of Valaika. “It’s great to see. Does it surprise me? No, this guy’s a good player. This guy has a good heartbeat; he’s got I think a competitive head on his shoulders, he’s a clear thinker, doesn’t rattle, gives you good at-bats. So, that doesn’t surprise me.”

With Story still sidelined, Valaika will continue to get more opportunities to earn his keep with the club. As it stands, the

Rockies are playing their best baseball in nearly a decade and they are off to a franchise-best 24-15 start. Currently, they are tied for the most wins in the National League.

Valaika’s contributions to the club may fly a bit under the radar due to the Rockies plethora of household names, but nevertheless, he’s going to show up and produce while he has the chance. 27

“Coming off the bench is tough, everyone knows that. Playing every day, it’s nice to get consistent at-bats,” Valaika said

Sunday.

“[I’m] just trying to take advantage of it while I can.”

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The Tylers have to be better if the Rockies are going to continue winning

By MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | May 17th, 2017

At times in 2016 Tyler Chatwood and Tyler Anderson represented one of the best pitching duos in baseball. And they clocked in behind Jon Gray and Chad Bettis in the Colorado Rockies starting rotation. Colorado has been without Bettis for the first part of the season as he battles cancer and without Gray for almost a month as he recovers from a foot injury.

Fortunately, the Rockies have been buoyed by an outstanding pair of rookies, Kyle Freeland and Antonio

Senzatela. Unfortunately, Chatwood and Anderson have been less than stellar through the first month-and-a-half.

Chatwood has posted a couple of fantastic outings, but has struggled with control in many of his starts. He’s often been the victim of a big inning that has cost him wins. Entering the Rockies’ season-long 10-game road trip on Tuesday,

Chatwood carries a 3-5 record and 5.25 ERA.

Anderson, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to make batters miss in the same way he did during a strong rookie campaign in

2016. He’s off to a 2-4 start with a 6.43 ERA through eight trips to the mound.

Still the Rockies lead the NL West by two games and have three very winnable series ahead of them in Minnesota,

Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

Nate Lundy and Shawn Drotar, hosts of Mornings at 5280′ on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7, tackled the subject of the struggling Tylers on their show Tuesday. They have optimism for the Rockies as they head out on the road, but know that the longterm success of the season will rest on Chatwood and Anderson returning to form.

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Trading away Charlie Blackmon would have been huge mistake

By Andrew Dill / BSN Denver | May 17th, 2017

This past offseason was an exciting time for both the members of the Colorado Rockies and their fans. The team inked Ian Desmond who can play multiple positions and as it turned out, has needed to. Of course, they addressed their biggest need regarding the back end of their bullpen, signing Mike Dunn and Greg Holland.

It’s translating to the field. Colorado sits at 25-15 and first place in the National League West.

Let’s all not forget, however, that the Rockies also dabbled with the idea of trading fan favorite Charlie Blackmon.

In Toronto’s case, it’s very obvious why they didn’t want to give up Stroman for Blackmon straight-up. Toronto’s right- hander was 25-years-old at the time, now 26, opposed to Blackmon who is currently 30. Not to mention, Stroman is under team control for more years. Colorado would have had to toss in a prospect or two to make the deal happen.

Stroman is off to a strong start in his 2017 campaign despite giving up a career-high 10.0 hits per nine. In eight starts,

Stroman is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.33, recording ground balls at a 58.7% clip. He fits the mold Rockies general manager Jeff

Bridich is trying to build with his starting rotation. Hard-throwing, sinking action creating ground ball outs.

A must at Coors Field.

With the absence of Jon Gray and Chad Bettis, Stroman would have likely been the teams ace moving forward, until Gray returns that is. Let’s just say that if he was in fact on the roster, he takes away a spot from the youth wave that is putting the Rockies on the map. One of these players, Antonio Senzatela, German Marquez, and/or Kyle Freeland, would be starting in Triple-A Albuquerque.

As of right now, Blackmon is arguably in the top three center fielders in the game. Mike Trout is the obvious choice at number one while players such as Lorenzo Cain, A.J. Pollock, and Kevin Pillar are very much in the mix.

Tuesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins is a prime example of how valuable Chuck is to the Rockies. With

Colorado leading 5-3 in the top half of the sixth inning, the lineup flipped over to Blackmon with a runner on. With one swing of the bat, the Rockies took a four-run lead thanks to a two-run shot from Blackmon. Earlier in the game, he fought off a tough pitch to bloop a single to right field to make it 2-0, Colorado. Both hits came with two outs.

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Keep in mind this is a leadoff hitter producing as if he were batting third or fourth in the order.

In 38 games this season, Blackmon is slashing at a line of .319/.360/.619 with nine doubles, six triples, nine home runs, and 30 RBI with an OPS+ of 129. For comparison, Charlie has an OPS+ of 108 for his career.

Blackmon currently leads all Major League center fielders in hits (51), triples (6), RBI (30), total bases (99), and extra- base hits (24-tied with Mike Trout).

Granted this trade made a little bit more sense at the time it was discussed due to the fact that Colorado has emerging young players such as David Dahl and Raimel Tapia — two outfield prospects that will be everyday players in the very new future. Those two, along with Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra make for a very crowed outfield. Not to mention,

Ian Desmond is mainly playing in the outfield now due to the strong start from Mark Reynolds.

Unfortunately for Colorado, 23-year-old Dahl suffered a stress reaction in his right rib in Spring Training and has been out ever since. Dahl impressed in his first stint with the Rockies this past season, hitting .315 with 12 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, and 24 RBI in 63 games. The outfielder is on-track to take batting practice Wednesday afternoon which is a good sign moving forward but will make roster decisions that much tougher.

But there is a way to look at Blackmon as the most valuable player on this team, up to and including Nolan Arenado.

Since the beginning of the 2016 season, only Bryce Harper has bested Blackmon in fWAR among NL outfielders. And he doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

It’s a safe bet to say the Colorado Rockies made the right decision by keeping Charlie Blackmon on the roster.

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Adam Ottavino gets candid about his recent command struggles

By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | May 17th, 2017

DENVER – For Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Adam Ottavino, 2017 has been the best of times and the worst of times.

After the club acquired Greg Holland this offseason, it became pretty clear that eventually, Ottavino would move into a set-up man role. The job description is pretty simple: Bridge the gap to the closer and keep the lead (or sometimes tie) intact going into the final frame of the game.

Ottavino has been the very best in all of baseball in this regard, leading MLB with 12 holds. So why did he tell BSN

Denver that he is currently in the midst of one of this toughest stretches of pitching since entering the bullpen? Walks.

Ottavino said after his most recent home outing against the Dodgers — where he gave up two hits, two runs, and a walk

— it has been a long time since he struggled with his command like this.

“Not as a relief pitcher. As a starter, yeah,” he says. “I had some command problems earlier in my career. It’s just been a weird thing, I started off wild and then I righted the ship for a couple weeks. Felt like I was throwing the ball really well then

I don’t know. The last couple just got away from me a little bit. Today I was able to get ahead of pretty much everybody but wasn’t able to put anybody away. It’s a little bit of one thing or the other thing right now. We still won so that’s the big thing.”

On the flip side, Otto’s signature fastball/slider combination remain incredibly difficult to square up. While he would certainly prefer a lower number, the 3.38 ERA shows both an ability to work out of trouble and the strength of the bullpen that has been able to pick him up at times.

“Yeah I think my stuff is fine,” he says. “Every game is different but today’s game it felt like they did a good job against me, really. I didn’t get [Enrique] Hernandez to swing at a pretty good breaking ball that I typically get. It’s kind of been a theme, taking close pitches and hitting the ones in the zone. Puig, too. I thought I threw him a decent 3-2 pitch. He was all over it.

Just fighting right now, just fighting hard. Obviously, the walks are brutal. Haven’t experienced this before.”

Manager Bud Black says he thinks the veteran righty is close. He says he has seen “flashes” of the old dominant, nearly unhittable Ottavino. “I think the first-hitter walk has happened,” Black continued. “Otto self-admittedly — which I appreciate

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the tremendous self-evaluation of the base on balls — but I think if you string together his whole season you can see a little bit of the variables and that’s why over the long haul he’s going to be productive more so than not.”

Black pointed to games in Milwaukee and Arizona as examples of what he meant — the first of which saw Ottavino strike out the side after walking a pair, and the second saw him pitch two innings for the first time sine 2014 in a game that the

Rockies won in .

“He’s been fine. But if you were to nitpick on one thing, it would be the initial batter and a few of the base on balls.”

And they are both right, it really hasn’t cost the team. The one game in which he did blow a save, the Rockies still one the game in extra innings. There is the chance Otto rights the ship before it ever got that far off course. Tuesday night in

Minnesota he pitched his first perfect inning since April 30 in Arizona.

“I feel like, luckily I haven’t blown anything yet, haven’t taken any losses or anything. Guys have done a good job around me. I know that my best pitching is ahead of me this year. I still got four and a half months to be who I wanna be out there.

It’s up to me to do it and that’s it.”

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Everyone is awesome, Rockies win to stay atop the NL West

By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | May 17th, 2017

Kyle Freeland was uncharacteristically wild but still kept his ridiculous ground ball rate and showed remarkable poise working through a game that remained close until the Rockies offense broke out into song in the final act. By the time it was all over, the Rockies got contributions from just about everyone on the roster in a 7-3 win.

Colorado got the first two runners on base to lead off the first two innings, capitalizing the second time around. After a single from Ian Desmond and a walk from Gerardo Parra, Pat Valaika sacrificed himself with a bunt to move the runner up which paid off on a Tony Wolters ground out to first that scored the first run of the game.

Charlie Blackmon delivered a two-out RBI single to make it 2-0, Rockies, on a pitch just off his fists.

Minnesota wasn’t down for long. Freeland walked (see?) Jorge Polanco who then moved up on an iffy balk call. Jason

Castro hit a cue shot off the end of the bat but it just hopped over the third-base bag for a double that scored Polanco.

Castro came in on a more traditional, two-out double from Brian Dozier to tie the game.

In the top of the fourth, Gerardo Parra hit his second home run of the season, a high shot over the right field fence to put the Rockies up 3-2, but again the lead was short-lived. Byron Buxton, who has struggled with a .182 batting average this season, hit his second home run of the year to tie it again.

Carlos Gonzalez put together one of his better-looking at-bats of the season, sticking with a tough breaking ball and lining it down the right-field line for a double to begin the sixth inning. He came around on Desmond’s second opposite-field single of the game to make it 4-3, Colorado. After a pair of fielder’s choices left Valaika at first with two out, Tony

Wolters — in his first game back from a 10-DL stint with a concussion — delivered a clutch double. Valaika scored with some heads-up base running.

Then Blackmon came through with his third, and by far biggest, hit of the game, smashing a two-run home run over the right-center field fence. It was his ninth homer of the season, moving him into a tie for team lead with Nolan Arenado.

Blackmon also improved his batting average to .321 with his three-hit game and moved into the Top 10 in RBI in MLB despite being a lead-off hitter. He is now tied for third in MLB (just ahead of Arenado) with Mike Trout at 24 extra-base hits.

Charlie Blackmon is the best player on this team right now.

Freeland stayed on through the bottom of the sixth which actually ended up being one of his cleanest and quickest innings.

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His final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. He threw 59 or his 91 pitches for strikes and induced eight groundouts to just three outs in the air.

Chris Rusin pitched a clean seventh, Adam Ottavino did the same in the eighth.

Jake McGee gave up a tough-luck double to Castro on a ball that Blackmon slightly misread but bounced back, striking out Buxton and Chris Gimenez. But in an odd sequence of events, Gimenez reached because the strikeout came on a ball in the dirt but also a check swing. While the Rockies were waiting for the appeal to see if he went (he did) Gimenez ran to first with no throw. Heads up play from him.

This put two runners on and set up a save situation which meant it was Greg Holland time. Holland got Dozier to pop out and after just four pitches, recorded his 17th consecutive save on the season. He has five more saves than the next most in MLB.

Every member of the lineup got involved on offense except for Mark Reynolds whose bat carried the team through the first month. Freeland did his job and kept the team in the game and the bullpen was dominant. It was a true full-team effort.

Everyone was awesome. Everything is cool when you’re part of a team. Especially when that team is in first place in the division.

Colorado moved back to 10 games over .500 at 25-15 and tied the with the most wins in the

National League. The Rockies are now 12-5 on the road. This is real life.

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Blackmon's 3 hits, HR lead Rockies past Twins 7-3

By Associated Press / ESPN.com | May 17th, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Ian Desmond and the Colorado Rockies don't care what time of year it is.

Colorado is winning games, even on the road, and believes this success can last through the whole season.

Charlie Blackmon hit a towering two-run homer during a four-run sixth inning and finished with three hits to lead the

Rockies over the Minnesota Twins 7-3 on Tuesday night.

Blackmon had three RBI, Gerardo Parra added a solo homer and Kyle Freeland pitched six innings as first-place

Colorado earned its 12th win in 17 road games.

"I don't think it needs to be discredited," Desmond said of the early season sample. "Every win is important. I don't care if it is in April, May or September. You want to win games. You want to win series and you give yourself a chance to play meaningful games at the end. ... I'm really confident in what we can do."

Freeland (4-2) allowed three runs, five hits and four walks while striking out three. Greg Holland recorded his 17th save in

17 chances after Minnesota put two runners on in the ninth against Chris Rusin.

Byron Buxton hit a solo homer for the Twins, but Phil Hughes (4-2) had another disappointing outing. He gave up five runs, eight hits and a walk in five innings.

"I kind of had to rely on just cutters and four-seamers, really," Hughes said. "It's kind of tough when you can only lean on two of your four pitches."

Colorado has adjusted well to playing away from altitude this season with a pitching staff that entered with the best road

ERA and opponents' batting average in the majors. Freeland is one of three rookie members of that rotation.

The Rockies haven't had a winning record on the road since 2009 and went 33-48 away from Coors Field last season.

"When we've gotten together, and this goes back to spring training, we've just talked about how we play," Colorado manager Bud Black said. "We don't worry about the opposition. We don't worry about where we play. We worry about playing good baseball. I think that's the message that is circulating around the clubhouse."

Freeland managed his way through trouble as Minnesota left five runners on in the first four innings and went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Jason Castro and Brian Dozier had RBI doubles in the second against Freeland. 37

Minnesota is also in first place, but the AL Central leaders dropped to 8-11 at home.

Hughes has allowed at least four runs in three of his past four starts and at least four runs in each of his three starts at home. Hughes departed after allowing a double to Carlos Gonzalez and an RBI single by Ian Desmond to open the sixth.

WOLTERS RETURNS

Colorado reinstated catcher Tony Wolters from the 10-day disabled list prior to the game and optioned catcher Dustin

Garneau to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Wolters left with a concussion on May 2 after he was hit in the head by a bat on a swing. His .346 average this season is tied for fourth among major league catchers with at least 15 games played.

Wolters was 1 for 4 on Tuesday and threw out Eddie Rosario trying to steal second base in the fourth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: SS Trevor Story is scheduled to take batting practice with the team Wednesday as he tries to recover from a left shoulder strain. Story fielded ground balls Tuesday with no issues. ... OF David Dahl (rib stress reaction) could take batting practice with the team on Wednesday. Dahl has been out all season with the injury. ... C Tom Murphy (fracture right forearm) threw and also swung the bat Tuesday, and manager Bud Black said he's getting closer to taking batting practice.

UP NEXT

Rookie RHP German Marquez (1-2, 4.88 ERA) starts Wednesday for Colorado against Minnesota RHP Ervin Santana (6-

1, 1.50). Marquez is coming off eight scoreless innings in his last outing against the . Santana allowed four earned runs in a no-decision against the White Sox.

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Rockies' Chad Bettis finishes last round of chemo for testicular cancer

By Associated Press / ESPN.com | May 17th, 2017

DENVER -- Colorado Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis says he has finished his last round of chemotherapy two months after doctors discovered his testicular cancer had spread.

Bettis posted a photo Tuesday on his Instagram account of his new daughter sitting on his lap and his wife standing nearby.

The 28-year-old Bettis had surgery in November to remove the cancer, but it returned and he was forced to leave the team in March for chemotherapy. There's no timetable for his return to the NL West-leading Rockies.

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