Clips for 7-12-10

MEDIA CLIPS – April 18, 2017 Same Story, more emphasis on defense Offensive slump means Rockies' shortstop needs balance By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | April 17th, 2017 SAN FRANCISCO -- There's no way around Rockies second-year shortstop Trevor Story's .114 batting average, which includes a 37.7 percent strikeout rate (20 in 53 plate appearances) and the 1-for-25 slump he will carry into Tuesday's opener of a two-game set at Dodger Stadium. But his response -- make that his requirement -- is simple: Story can't let his glove go south, also. Story's start on offense is the opposite of his performance last season, when he homered 10 times in April. But if Colorado is truly different, if the club is going to pitch and defend its way to contention after six straight years of low runs and sub- .500 records, then Story's defense is going to be more important, anyhow. How has it been? It's hard to measure, since the Rockies play defensive shifts often enough that metrics for Story's position are less relevant (they only measure plays from traditional alignments). His fielding percentage (.969) is affected by two errors, but a burgeoning study of defensive metrics (which is still in its infancy) has arisen because fielding percentage says little. But what is apparent is Story is making enough plays -- and is doing a good enough job leaving his offensive woes in the dugout when he takes his position -- that manager Bud Black has started him every game but one this season. 1 "A premium defensive position ... with any middle-of-the-diamond defender, and I'll include the catcher, we need defenders there," Black said. "Trevor's played great defense, which is what we need every day from our shortstop. "I think hits will come. We have exchanges every day with different things, but I know that this guy is a very good all- around baseball player, and that will show up -- the offense, because the defense has already shown up." Searching for offensive highlights, Black said, "He's leading our team in walks." Story, 24, said repeatedly last year when the bat was working that he takes pride in his defense. In that respect, he doesn't believe anything has changed. "That's the most important part about it," Story said. "I try to separate the two and I've done that. What I'm doing at the plate, I won't let it affect me; and vice versa." Story led Major League rookies with 27 homers -- a National League record -- before sustaining a season-ending left thumb ligament injury at the end of July. The Rockies were at the edge of contending for an NL Wild Card spot, but they didn't have a strong enough bullpen to achieve the goal. But Story's absence exposed another issue. Colorado believed, with an infield that included defensive stalwarts Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu, it lost considerable range and continuity. The club signed Alexi Amarista, who has started at short for stretches, partly in case they need someone to step in for a stretch. Beyond Amarista, the Rockies have Cristhian Adames in the Majors and Pat Valaika at Triple-A Albuquerque, but they have been used as multi-position players rather than shortstops. After Story recovered from thumb surgery, he spent most of the offseason at the team's training center in Scottsdale, Ariz. He took grounders and made throws when Colorado was converting newly signed Ian Desmond to first base during the offseason, and he has spent extra time with Arenado and LeMahieu trying to practice every scenario they can think of in which they may struggle when they're stationed in odd places. "I feel confident," Story said. "I want the ball hit to me. Behind our starters, we take pride in knowing that ground balls are going to be outs." 2 Rockies off to strong start despite adversity By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | April 17th, 2017 DENVER -- Considered a sleeper in the National League West when Spring Training opened, the Rockies began the season with four key members of their projected Opening Day roster on the disabled list, and they have seen the top of their lineup, other than Nolan Arenado, shut down in the first two weeks of the season. And they still woke up Monday morning in first place in the NL West. Now the season is only two weeks old. The Rockies do have 148 games left to play. But the short sample has shown that Colorado could be long on resiliency. In the course of a week in Spring Training, the Rockies suffered the following injuries: • Left fielder David Dahl sidelined with a stress reaction in his upper back. • Catcher Tom Murphy suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm when on a throw to second base he hit Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo's bat. • First baseman Ian Desmond suffered a broken left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Reds right-hander Rookie Davis. • And starting pitcher Chad Bettis, who underwent surgery for testicular cancer in November, was told the cancer had spread into the lymph nodes and he would undergo eight weeks of chemotherapy. So what happened? The season opened with the top three hitters in the lineup -- Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez, along with shortstop Trevor Story -- in offensive funks. And Opening Day starter Jon Gray tried to pitch through a left big toe problem that developed during the spring only to find himself on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his left foot after working only 12 1/3 innings in four starts. Oh, and the Rockies won nine of their first 14 games, taking two out of three from the Dodgers and then take three out of four from the Giants, winning a four-game series in AT&T Park for the first time in franchise history. Say what? 3 This is, after all, a franchise that has suffered six consecutive losing seasons, during which time it has the worst combined record (420-552) in the NL. Well, Mark Reynolds -- the starting first baseman a year ago who wound up back in camp on a Minor League contract -- has stepped in for Desmond, leads the team with 11 RBIs despite hitting down in the lineup, is tied with Arenado for the team lead in home runs with four and, at .306, has the third-best batting average on the team behind Arenado (.333) and Parra (.343). Yes, behind Parra, who lost his starting job in the middle of last season to Dahl but has found himself back in the lineup in Dahl's absence. Antonio Senzatela won the final spot in the rotation in light of Bettis' absence, and he is 2-0. Colorado has won all three of his starts, including a 4-3 decision against San Francisco on Sunday, when he gave up three runs in the first inning and nothing else over the next six before turning things over to the bullpen. Ah, the bullpen, which had the highest ERAs in baseball in each of the past three seasons and the highest in the NL in the past four. General manager Jeff Bridich and Co. -- unfazed by the way their offseason plans a year ago backfired with the struggles of free-agent relievers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls -- went back to the free-agent market the past offseason and hit an early-season jackpot with the addition of closer Greg Holland and left-handed late-inning reliever Mike Dunn. The Rockies will go into a two-game series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday with a bullpen that is leading the Majors with eight saves and ranks third in the NL with a 2.68 ERA. Holland is 7-for-7 in save opportunities, having allowed only five baserunners (two singles and three walks) in seven scoreless innings, and Dunn has allowed only three baserunners (a single and two walks) in six scoreless innings. Yes, it is early. For the Rockies, however, it is encouraging. 4 McMahon sets career-high for hits By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | 1:37 AM ET After an impressive spring in big league camp, Andrew Stevenson hasn't skipped a beat to begin the season. On Monday, the Nationals' No. 5 prospect collected a career-high five hits to help lead Double-A Harrisburg past Harford, 16-14, in 13 innings. Stevenson flew out in his first at-bat, but collected singles in his next two trips to the plate. He would then notch RBI singles in the eighth and ninth innings before doubling in the 12th to finish 5-for-7 and improve his average to .381. Stevenson actually had an opportunity to add to his impressive line when he batted in the top of the 13th inning, though Hartford opted to intentionally walk the Senators' leadoff hitter. He would come around to score on a double later in the frame, providing Harrisburg with an important insurance run. He scored four runs in the contest, matching his total from his previous nine games. Ryan McMahon also had a memorable game for the losing Yard Goats. The Rockies' No. 8 prospect set career highs with five hits and six RBIs, ultimately finishing a double shy of hitting for the cycle. He knotted the score at 12 apiece with his third home run of the season, a game-tying, three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and tallied singles both in the 12th and 13th innings to finish 5-for-7.

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