MEDIA CLIPS – September 20, 2016

LeMahieu all about team goals, not title Rockies has reached base in 35 straight games, leads NL in hitting By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 2:02 AM ET

DENVER -- If Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu's plate appearances, which double as clinics in situational hitting, fly under the radar, it's time to recalibrate the device.

LeMahieu drew a first-inning walk, went 2-for-4 and scored two runs in the Rockies' 5-3 loss to the Cardinals on Monday at . The fact he struck out with one on during an unsuccessful comeback attempt in the ninth inning qualifies as news, the way LeMahieu has been performing.

LeMahieu has reached in 35 straight games. His night left his batting average at .349, which leads the by one point over the Nationals' Daniel Murphy.

LeMahieu is better measured by the mission and accomplishment.

For example, on Monday, Cards starter Carlos Martinez was finding the strike zone and his breath -- he needed oxygen at one point -- in Denver's atmosphere when LeMahieu patiently walked on a full-count . With the Rockies down,

2-1, in the third and just needing a baserunner, LeMahieu singled into center and would score on Nolan Arenado's two- out single.

The examples come almost daily.

1

During a four-run second in Friday's 8-7 victory over the Padres, Christian Friedrich had given up two hits and two walks when LeMahieu came up and watched the count go 3-0. The next was down the middle, and one LeMahieu could legitimately have tried to crush. But he let it go, then smoked the next pitch to right for a three-run double.

In a five-run fourth during Sunday's 6-3 win over the Padres, LeMahieu let struggling Jarred Cosart's full-count pitch go for a bases-loaded walk.

"He's very secure in the box; you don't see the game speed up on him when he's taking an at-bat," Rockies Walt

Weiss said this weekend, while noting that LeMahieu set and reached a goal of cutting down his .

It's all because LeMahieu lets the scoreboard dictate the at-bat. And, no, it's not the life-sized batting average number.

"If a runner needs to be moved over or I need to get an RBI, I've been doing that stuff all year, and I'm not going to change that for anything," LeMahieu said. "So that's it, just have good, team at-bats and try to help our team win. If the average is good, then great. If not, helping the team win is all I can do."

LeMahieu and Murphy have been vying for the batting lead for much of the second half, but it seems a byproduct rather than a goal for both. Murphy has been out of the lineup the past two games with what he called "left leg discomfort," and the Nats appear to be making sure he is fresh for the playoffs. LeMahieu is not keeping an eye on Murphy but on a

Rockies club looking to finish strong.

"I'll tell anyone that asks me, I'm trying to get on base for Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez, trying to move Charlie

Blackmon over," LeMahieu said. "That's what it's all about. I don't think of the other stuff too much.

"If I focus on things I need to focus on, personal stuff happens."

2

Rox battle back, but can't catch Cards By Ben Weinrib and Thomas Harding / MLB.com | 1:10 AM ET

DENVER -- Carlos Martinez powered himself to his career-high 15th win with a fourth-inning double, as the Cardinals topped the Rockies, 5-3, at Coors Field on Monday and moved into a tie for the second National League Wild Card spot.

The Cards joined the Giants -- who lost to the Dodgers -- top the second Wild Card, while the Mets lead the first Wild Card by one game.

The Cardinals scored early against Rockies starter Tyler Anderson. Randal Grichuk launched his 23rd homer, a two-run shot, to take a 2-1 lead in the third, and Martinez doubled in two runs an inning later -- after a two-out Nolan Arenado throwing error on a spinning throw to first base -- with his first extra-base hit of the season. Matt Carpenter singled to right to score Martinez.

"It really helped that I was helping my cause," Martinez said through a translator. "Not only my cause but also the team. I knew that the minute that the game was tied, we were going to come back a lot more aggressive and a lot more positive to be able to have the outcome that we had."

Anderson regrouped after the third and lasted seven innings. He yielded eight hits, and five runs (two earned), and struck out seven against no walks. Still, it was a solid comeback from his last outing, when he gave up nine hits and six runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings at Arizona.

"Tonight my focus was to try to get ahead, try to throw a lot more strikes than I did last time, and stay out of hitter's counts," Anderson said.

Although Martinez only lasted five innings -- his shortest outing since Aug. 6 -- he held the Rockies to two runs on five hits with six strikeouts. The Rockies had RBI singles by in the first and Nolan Arenado in the third, but managed little against St. Louis' . They reached base three times against five relievers and scored once, on Ryan Raburn's pinch-hit homer in the ninth against Kevin Siegrist, who earned his third .

3

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Martinez recovers quickly: Following Grichuk's third-inning homer, Martinez was hit in the leg by a pitch from Anderson but remained in the game. Oddly enough, he improved his performance after the hit by pitch. Martinez surrendered two runs in the first three frames but pitched a scoreless fourth and fifth while striking out a pair.

"Luckily I got hit where there's muscle and meat, so it didn't hurt as much," Martinez said. "For a minute I got scared and I thought I was going to be taken out of the game, but I was able to recuperate and stay in the game."

Martinez also had to use an oxygen mask to help him catch his breath after running the bases in the fourth. Manager Mike

Matheny said that he thought Martinez looked "green" at first but got back to full strength midway through the fourth.

"Martinez is tough to square up," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "It's electric stuff -- big-time velocity and a nasty . Even when you get him on the ropes, it's tough to get that big hit."

Battles with Blackmon: Martinez and Cards lefty Zach Duke won matchups with the Rockies' Charlie Blackmon in key two-out, two-on situations. Martinez forced a groundout in the fourth, and Duke coaxed a fly ball in the sixth.

Bottom of the order steps up: The Cardinals' 7-8-9 hitters Jedd Gyorko, Grichuk and Martinez scored all five of the team's runs and reached base in each of their first two plate appearances. Gyorko doubled and singled, Grichuk homered and reached on an error by Arenado, and Martinez was hit by a pitch and doubled.

"It just shows the depth that our lineup can be," Gyorko said. "Myself and 'Grich' and Jhonny [Peralta] are all at the bottom doesn't mean that that's a weak spot in the order. We take pride in being good from top to bottom and having good at- bats."

A threat: The ninth ended with the possible winning run on base, but the Rockies would not have had that chance without

Raburn, who has four pinch-hit homers this season. The club record is five, by Mark Sweeney in 2004.

QUOTABLE

"He kept his composure well. I thought he came out a little amped. Once again you could see the flying a little bit.

4

He had trouble kind of getting the sinker to cooperate. ... You've got to harness that, and he did a nice job of making adjustments and finding a way to give us a chance through five." -- Matheny, on Martinez

"We've seen him make that play. He makes it look easy. It wasn't an easy play, and the throw was a little high.

He does that play so well. That's the thing with Nolan, you get used to him making highlight plays every night and think he's going to do it for 162 games." -- Weiss, on Arenado, who rebounded from the error for several dazzling fielding plays

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Before Chad Bettis drew two walks Sunday against the Padres, a Rockies pitcher hadn't walked twice in a game since Juan Nicasio against the Giants on April 9, 2013. Well, Rockies didn't wait long for their next two-walk contest. Anderson drew free passes in the fourth and sixth Monday.

HE KEEPS ROLLING

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu drew a first-inning walk to run his on-base streak to 35 games. He went 2-for-4 with two runs, and his .349 batting average put him a point ahead of Daniel Murphy for the NL lead.

WHAT'S NEXT

Cardinals: Right-hander starts as the Cardinals take on the Rockies at 7:40 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

Wainwright hasn't been able to get very deep into games lately, as he finished six innings in just four of his past nine starts. The long ball has hurt him, with eight given up during those starts.

Rockies: Left-hander takes the mound for the second game of a three-game set against the Cardinals on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. MT. De La Rosa has give up at least five runs in his past three starts, with two homers given up in each of his past two starts. He has one quality start in his past seven outings.

5

Scuffling as starter, Hoffman to finish '16 in 'pen Rockies righty prospect confident plan will work for him By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | September 19th, 2016

DENVER -- Rockies right-handed prospect Jeff Hoffman, who has struggled with his execution through his first five Major

League starts, will finish the season in the bullpen.

The move gives another righty prospect, German Marquez, a chance to make his first start Wednesday and most likely another. It also gives Hoffman (0-4, 6.04 ERA) relief opportunities to regain the pitch execution he showed while earning his big league chance.

It's a different strategy for Hoffman, 23, the Rockies' No. 2 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, from what the

Rockies used last year with righty , who made nine starts before being shut down at roughly this time of year. It has worked for Gray, but Hoffman believes this plan will work for him.

"I and everybody else who is in the decision-making process are on the same page," said Hoffman, the ninth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and key prospect the Rockies received in the July 2015 trade that sent Troy

Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays. "I want to compete. I want to earn my stripes. I'm glad they're giving me that opportunity.

"My stuff makes me effective. The only thing I'm focused on is executing pitches, because that's what's gotten me into trouble through my first few outings. Regardless whether it's in the bullpen or a starting role, you've got to execute pitches to get outs."

At Triple-A Albuquerque, Hoffman, who missed 2014 because of Tommy John surgery and arrived in the Majors after 42

Minor League starts, made progress this year in pitch strategy and in the development of his . He added a slider this year and said it's a work in progress. Hoffman admitted trying to be too fine with his pitches.

"I've tried to be too hard to nibble at the corners and to be a perfect pitcher, when in reality my command is not going to be perfect," Hoffman said. "I win with velocity. I win with big breaking stuff. I win with punching guys out. I got away from that.

6

"You want to come up here and show that your command is big league ready and you understand the guy in the box isn't the average Joe anymore. No matter what lineup you're facing, you're facing the best in the world. A little bit of it is giving guys too much credit, and the other part is trying to do too much on your end."

Manager Walt Weiss said Hoffman's innings figured in the decision. After recovering from the surgery last season, he threw 104 combined innings with the Blue Jays' and Rockies' organizations at Class A and Double-A. Hoffman entered

Monday at 141.

"We're trying to protect some innings in his first full season pitching after Tommy John, and we're aware of that," Weiss said. "He's going to work on some things in the bullpen."

No surgery for Reynolds: An examination Monday confirmed that Rockies Mark Reynolds (.282, 15 HRs,

53 RBIs) will not require surgery to mend his fractured left hand. Nonetheless, he will miss the rest of the season.

7

De La Rosa faces Cards in 200th Rockies start By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 1:22 AM ET

The Cardinals' Adam Wainwright is known for comebacks. He recovered from an Achilles tendon injury last year and helped the team late in the year as a reliever during its playoff run. His successful career has included comebacks from finger and elbow injuries. But the return the Cardinals need now is not nearly as dramatic.

Wainwright (11-9, 4.51 ERA), who will start Tuesday night in the middle game of a three-game set against the Rockies and lefty Jorge De La Rosa (8-8, 5.22), merely must return to his dominant form to keep the Cardinals in the National

League Wild Card chase. The Cards entered Tuesday tied with the Giants for the second NL Wild Card, one game behind the Mets.

Since Aug. 1, Wainwright is 2-4 (and the Cards are 4-5 in his starts). He has given up eight home runs in those nine starts. However, the two wins serve as proof that Wainwright is still dependable. He held the Brewers to three hits and one run in seven innings of a 2-1 nail-biter Aug. 30 at Miller Park. On Sept. 10, he did it again to the Brewers -- one run and six hits in eight innings of a 5-1 victory at .

Three things to know about this game

• Cards leadoff man Matt Carpenter is 0-for-12 with five strikeouts and three walks in his career against De La Rosa.

• Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu ran his career-best on-base streak to 35 games Monday. It's tied for sixth- longest in Rockies history, and the best for the club since reached in 41 straight in 2015.

• Tuesday will mark the 200th Rockies start for De La Rosa, who is a free agent at season's end.

8

Rockies rookie Tyler Anderson “could have had better luck” in loss to Cardinals Rockies unable to dent playoff hopes of St. Louis Cardinals in 5-3 loss By NICK KOSMIDER | [email protected] | September 19, 2016 at 11:46 pm

The Rockies, with their talented lineup and surging rotation, are optimistic they will earn membership into baseball’s

October club in the near future.

For now, they are reduced to a bit role in their opponents’ playoff drama. Their only chance to steal the spotlight down the stretch is to play the role of spoiler, like the kid who agrees to play a nonspeaking part as a tree in the school play so he can get experience on the stage.

The Rockies simply couldn’t steal enough scenes from the wild card-chasing St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at

Coors Field, their three-game winning streak erased with a 5-3 loss.

Rockies Ryan Raburn cut the lead to two runs with a one-out, pinch-hit in the ninth inning, but

Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist recovered to strike out second baseman DJ LeMahieu and, with two outs and a pair of runners on base, drew a line out from Nolan Arenado to end the white-knuckle threat.

The Cardinals moved within one game of the top National League wild-card spot and to within a half-game of the second spot behind the , who played the late Monday.

Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson flashed moments of brilliance, like when he retired the first six batters he faced with a blitzing array of , cutters and four-seam , striking out three of them. He threw 70 of his 96 pitches for strikes and surrendered five runs — only two earned — in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none.

“I felt like he could have had better luck than that,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “I thought he was in control. He kept it together, had a good changeup, commanded the fastball well. He shows a lot of poise out there.”

But the rookie was done in by two damaging pitches. Randal Grichuk blasted a two-run home run into the left-field bleachers in the third. After getting two quick outs in the fourth, a bloop single and a throwing error by Arenado put two

Cardinals on base. St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez then laced a double down the third-base line past a diving Arenado,

9

scoring both runners and giving the Cardinals a 4-2 lead. Martinez then scored on Matt Carpenter’s single to push the lead to three runs.

Carlos Martinez hits a doubleDustin Bradford, Getty ImagesCardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez hits a fourth inning two-RBI double against the at Coors Field on Sept. 19, 2016 in Denver.

Anderson’s start was a major improvement from his last time out at Arizona, when he pitched a career-low 4⅓ innings and gave up six runs (five earned) and fumed afterward.

“I was trying to make some progress,” said Anderson, who fell to 5-6 but dropped his ERA from 3.65 to 3.58. “I’m glad there was some progress, but I’d like it to go a little differently.”

Anderson may have had better luck were it not for the two-out error in the fourth. Arenado shined defensively all night, including back-to-back barehanded plays in the sixth that had a difficulty rating higher than you’d find in an Olympic diving contest.

But on a slow-moving grounder from Grichuk in the fourth, Arenado ranged to his left and then spun around to set himself for a throw, but it sailed forcing Gerardo Parra to jump to make the catch at first base. Grichuk didn’t advance past first, but a putout would have ended the inning. It was Arenado’s 11th error since the All-Star Game and third in five games.

“It was a tough play,” Weiss said. “We’ve seen him make that play and he makes it look easy. It wasn’t an easy play.”

The big hit that followed was redemption of sorts for Martinez, who was hit in the calf by a pitch from Anderson in the third inning after Grichuk’s homer. He also needed 35 pitches to get out of the first inning, but he settled into a groove and gave up two runs in five innings. His big moment came in the fifth. After he gave up a leadoff single to LeMahieu, he struck out

Carlos Gonzalez with a deceptive changeup, got Arenado to swing at a high 96 mph fastball for strike three and induced a groundball out from David Dahl.

“He’s tough to square up,” Weiss said of Martinez. “He’s got electric stuff. It’s big-time velocity and a nasty slider. Even when you get him on the ropes it’s tough to get that big hit because he’s tough to barrel up.”

10

LaMahieu went 2-for-4 to raise his NL-leading batting average to .349. He also extended his career-high on-base streak to

35 games, tied for the sixth-longest in franchise history. He’s batting .414 with a .481 on-base percentage during that stretch.

Dahl gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the first when he singled home LeMahieu, who had drawn the first of two straight walks by Martinez. After the Cardinals took the lead on Grichuk’s homer in the third, LeMahieu singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on an Arenado single to tie the game 2-2.

But Martinez came up with the big hit in the fourth, the Cardinals’ bullpen flummoxed the Rockies minus the scare in the ninth and St. Louis kept its playoff charge in high gear.

11

Jeff Hoffman to finish season in Rockies bullpen By NICK KOSMIDER | [email protected] | September 19, 2016 at 9:49 pm

Rockies manager Walt Weiss joked Monday that his starting rotation might reach 12 pitchers before the season ends given the arms Colorado has added over the past month.

In reality the Rockies are sticking with a six-man rotation, even with German Marquez added to the group and slated for his first start Wednesday against St. Louis. That’s because rookie Jeff Hoffman is expected to finish the season in the bullpen, Weiss said.

“We’re looking at Hoffman a lot like we did Jon Gray last year, where we’re trying to protect some innings,” Weiss said.

“It’s his first full season pitching after Tommy John (surgery). He had that two years ago, but this is his first full season.

We’re aware of that. He’s going to work on some things in the bullpen.”

Hoffman, the prized prospect the Rockies got in last summer’s trade of Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto, is 0-4 with a 6.04 ERA since making his debut with the Rockies on Aug. 20. Weiss has said Hoffman’s results have largely been a result of inconsistent command.

Weiss said the Rockies want to get at least “a couple” starts for Marquez, who was also a part of the Tulowitzki trade.

Rusin impresses. The Rockies bullpen was been an overall disappointment for roughly two-thirds of the season, but left- hander Chris Rusin has largely been a bright spot.

Perhaps Rusin’s biggest asset has been his versatility. He’s made seven starts, worked in long relief and has recently performed well in situational appearances.

Weiss called Rusin a “Swiss army knife” for his ability to contribute in multiple ways.

“He’s kind of evolved,” Weiss said. “He’s naturally a long man because he was a starter. He can give us some length at there, and that’s typically how we’ve used him for most of the season. As guys got hurt and things changed in the bullpen and we had struggles back there, we started using him in different roles. He’s performed very well.” 12

Rusin’s recent work has been some of his best. In six appearances since Aug. 29 that have spanned six innings, Rusin has given up zero hits and zero runs. He has struck out eight of the 19 batters he’s faced in that span and has walked none.

Footnote. First baseman Mark Reynolds will not need surgery from the season-ending broken bone he suffered in his left hand Sunday. His one-year contract with the Rockies is up at the end of the season.

Looking Ahead…

Jorge De La RosaDavid Zalubowski, The Associated PressColorado Rockies Jorge De La Rosa watches a throw to a San Francisco Giants batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, in Denver.

Tuesday: Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (11-9, 4.51 ERA) at Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (8-8, 5.22), 6:40 p.m.,

ROOT

Wainwright, in the third year of a five-year, $97.5 million contract, is suffering through one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. He’s been part of a disappointing veteran portion of a rotation that has struggled as the Cardinals have continued to lose ground in the National League wild-card race. The 34-year-old gave up four earned runs in less than six innings in his last outing, a loss to San Francisco. Depending how the schedule and the Rockies’ rotation shakes out, De

La Rosa could be making his final start at Coors Field. His two-year, $25 million contract with the Rockies expires at the end of the season. He’s had good success against the Cardinals, going 8-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 18 games (12 starts).

Wednesday: Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver (1-3, 3.21) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-0, 5.06), 1:10 p.m., ROOT

Thursday: Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (11-9, 4.13) at Dodgers RHP Brock Stewart (2-2, 6.00), 8:10 p.m., ROOT

Friday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (10-8, 4.42) at Dodgers TBA, 8:10 p.m. ROOT

13

Colorado Rockies drop series to St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3 By Ryan Freemyer - Sep 19, 2016, 9:45p / Purple Row

The Colorado Rockies lost the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night by a final of

5-3.

David Dahl kicked off the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single to left that drove in DJ LeMahieu and gave the

Rockies an early 1-0 lead that wouldn’t last long. In the third inning, Randal Grichuk took Tyler Anderson deep for his 23rd home run of the season and the Cardinals’ National League-leading 210th to make it 2-1, St. Louis.

The bottom of the third saw the home team get a run back on Nolan Arenado’s RBI single, but the following half inning his throwing error led to three Cardinal runs when Martinez doubled and Matt Carpenter followed with a single of his own to make it a 5-2 game.

That would prove to be all the Cardinals needed, as a combination of Martinez and relievers Matt Bowman, Zach Duke,

Dean Kiekhafer, Jonathan Broxton, and Kevin Siegrist combined to allow just one run—a ninth inning home run from

Ryan Raburn—over the final five innings to get us to our 5-3 final. After Raburn’s home run, LeMahieu and Carlos

Gonzalez reached to get Arenado to the plate as the winning run with two outs, but his line drive to left field was hit right at

Brandon Moss who made the catch to end the game.

That error (though it’s tough to be upset about Arenado’s defense in this one) and a lack of offensive production overshadowed another brilliant performance from Anderson. The 26-year-old rookie allowed just two earned runs on eight hits in seven innings of work with no walks and seven strikeouts. In 108 innings on the season, Anderson now has 98 strikeouts to just 26 walks. If he’s able to that ratio for the rest of the season, he’ll become the first Rockies pitcher ever with a -to-walk ratio of 3.75 or better (min. 100 ).

The loss dropped the Rockies to 72-78 on the year while the Cardinals improved to 79-71. They’ll face off again tomorrow night at 6:40 pm mountain time. Jorge de la Rosa will take the ball for the Rockies against fellow veteran Adam

Wainwright for the Cardinals.

14

Charlie Blackmon is the second-best in baseball The Rockies center fielder has been better offensively than every other player at his position, with one, obvious exception. By Isaac Marks - Sep 19, 2016, 12:00p / Purple Row

By all accounts, Charlie Blackmon is having a career year. His offensive numbers are up across the board and he’s been a key part of the explosive top half of the Rockies . Sadly, there’s a chance that he might not be in a Rockies uniform as early as 2017 and that’s something GM Jeff Bridich will have to reckon with. But just how good has he been?

Lets take a look.

There have been five other center fielders that have been on Blackmon’s level, and they are Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr., the Cubs’ Dexter Fowler, the Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes, the White Sox’ Adam Eaton, and, of course, the Angels’ Mike Trout.

All five of these players have has excellent seasons and are great players in their own right, but Blackmon has been better than all of them except Trout. (Trout is still on his own proverbial cloud where he drinks from the fountain of youth, is endowed with the strength of Hercules and the speed of Hermes to create a man-god on a baseball field. But I digress.)

The chart above outlines the stats of the six center fielders sorted by Offensive WAR. Looking at that chart it’s hard to make the argument that anybody has had a better season than Blackmon has. As you can see, Trout’s 60.7 Offensive

WAR is insanely high and nobody is going to be close to that. He’s eliminated from this conversation.

Traditionally, center fielders are the speedy, leadoff types, but today’s elite have evolved into complete hitters. Only

Blackmon and Fowler were in the leadoff spot on Sunday, while Eaton hit second, Trout and Cespedes hit third, and

Bradley Jr. was in the eight-hole. In order to judge these players and truly assess their impact, it’s best to approach it from three angles: power, on-base ability, and defense.

Blackmon has had an uptick in power, surpassing his previous single-season home run total by eight already this year.

Cespedes has a few more homers, sure, but there’s more to power hitting than home runs. Blackmon and Cespedes have

15

the same slugging percentage because Blackmon has made up that difference with doubles and triples. Hell, they’re both

.001 percentage points behind Trout in that category.

Blackmon leads all center fielders in batting average at .321, and it’s not just a Coors Field creation. In 299 plate appearances on the road, Blackmon is hitting .320 and has hit 17 of hit 27 home runs outside of friendly confines. The road numbers show that he’s a good hitter regardless of where he’s playing, but still doesn’t make up for his on-base deficiency. Blackmon’s 6.9% walk rate this year is not as nice as it should be and is the most glaring deficiency in his offensive game. Luckily, that low walk rate is coupled with a low strikeout rate which makes it easier to stomach. Even with the low walk rate, Blackmon is still top three in on-base percentage behind Trout and Fowler.

This second chart outlines the six outfielder’s road performance this year. As you can see, the “LOLCoors” argument doesn’t work for Blackmon. He’s arguably been better on the road than he has been at home. In order to truly appreciate how good Blackmon has been, we need to acknowledge that fact.

According to Fangraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average (Def), Blackmon is 13th out of 18 qualified center fielders with -

4.7. It’s hard to judge a Rockies outfielder on their defense because of how expansive Coors Field’s outfield is. Not only does the ball fly at altitude, the Rockies have one of the largest outfields in baseball, making it difficult for any outfielder to cover that much ground. Range Factor has Blackmon as average, ranking 9th out of 17 qualified with a -0.7. On the flipside, Cespedes has only played half of his games in center field and has a -8.1 Def. His value comes from his bat, but

Blackmon has shown that he’s his equal this season and his defense, while not great overall, puts him as the second best center fielder in baseball this year.

16

Honestly, I think Blackmon is destined for a corner outfield spot. He’s not quite good enough to continue to cover center field, but would profile as a plus corner outfielder and, with his newfound power, has a better chance of slotting there than he had previously. Blackmon’s status in Colorado is unclear, but one thing is: Chuck Nazty is the second-best center fielder in baseball.

17

Rockies Drop Series Opener With Cardinals By Michelle Stalnaker – September 21, 2016 / Rox Pile

The Rockies kept things interesting tonight, but they were not able to hold the Cardinals’ offense at bay and lost 5-3.

At this point in the season, the Rockies aren’t playing for anything worth mentioning, but there are a couple of accomplishments in reach. One of those is to finish above .500, a tough but attainable goal. The other is to play spoiler to one or more teams hoping to reach the postseason. If you’re an optimist, you could look at their series with the Cardinals thusly: every game the Rockies win pushes the Cards further back; every game they lose helps the Cards overcome the

Giants.

The Rockies couldn’t quite seem to make up their minds about which version they wanted tonight. In the first inning, they dominated: Tyler Anderson retired the first three batters in short order and then the Rockies flat-out handled St. Louis pitcher Carlos Martinez. Their game plan was clearly to mostly not swing at anything and take advantage of whatever command issues he might have for as long as possible. For one inning, that worked really great: Colorado went up 1-0 and Martinez threw 35 pitches.

Unfortunately, Martinez found his command rather quickly, and his 96-mph fastball started crossing the plate. He only lasted five innings thanks to that elevated pitch count, but the Rockies could only scratch across one more run in that time.

Meanwhile, Anderson had a couple of rough innings that included a two-run home run by Randal Grichuk, plunking

Martinez (who later came off second base to give him a fist bump, so I guess they’re all good), and three unearned runs that resulted from a rare high throw by Nolan Arenado that Gerardo Parra had to leap for. Don’t worry, Arenado made up for that later with several Nolan-being-Nolan plays.

Props to the bullpen, which kept the game within reach in the late innings, though not without a little baserunning drama courtesy of Carlos Estevez. Ultimately, the St. Louis bullpen was just as effective, and the only run the Rockies managed after Martinez’s exit was a pinch-hit solo homer by Ryan Raburn.

18

The game wasn’t without its special moments, though, and perhaps the best was in the 5th inning when reached on a single and then tried to score on Jhonny Peralta‘s double down the left field line. David Dahl got to it fast and threw it to Daniel Descalso, who relayed a perfect strike to Nick Hundley at the plate. Molina, who certainly does not run the way he used to, was cut down easily.

Hey, at least we made it harder for the Giants!

19

Was Jon Gray’s Performance the Best Ever by a Rockies Pitcher? By Trevor Irvine – September 19,2016 / Rox Pile

Colorado Rockies starter Jon Gray had himself a Saturday night to remember against the San Diego Padres at Coors

Field. Gray had his first , only allowing four singles and set a new Rockies-record with 16 punchouts. Was his effort the best ever in a game by a Rockies pitcher?

Gray was simply dominant for the Rockies. He had the command back on his slider, and his fastball was painting both sides of the plate. He struck out four batters in the second inning (one on a passed ball) and between the second and the third innings he struck out six Padres in succession.

Gray’s best pitch is his slider, but it had gone missing in his last four or so starts. He had it back on Saturday night – of his

16 strikeouts, 12 were from the slider, three were from the fastball and one was on a curveball, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

Gray was excited about his complete game effort, not knowing he had set a new strikeout record.

“I didn’t even know about the (strikeout) record,” Gray said via Saunders. “I just knew I had thrown a complete game and I was really pumped about it.”

Gray’s final line read:

9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 16 K, 113 pitches (78 for strikes).

So how does Gray’s performance compare to other Rockies’ great pitching performances?

The first great pitching performance that comes to mind is Ubaldo Jimenez‘s no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves on April

17, 2010:

9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 7 K, 128 pitches (72 for strikes).

20

Jimenez’ effort was sensational, and it remains the only no-hitter in Rockies history. However, despite it being a no-hit performance, the six walks really stand out as a negative.

Darryl Kile struck out 14 Expo’s in a 6-3 Rockies win on August 20, 1998.

Aaron Cook threw a 79-pitch complete game against the Padres on July 1, 2008:

9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 79 pitches (58 for strikes).

Gray’s performance was also the most strikeouts thrown at Coors Field, breaking Randy Johnson‘s 14 strikeouts for the

Arizona Diamondbacks on May 13, 2001.

The Padres didn’t have the same potent lineup compared with a or a Boston Red Sox, but they are not chump change either. They had scored seven runs the night before, and they were coming off a sweep of the San

Francisco Giants were they scored 13 runs in the series at batter-unfriendly AT&T Park.

I think Gray’s performance was the best-ever by a Rockies pitcher in a game. There are some worthy candidates (and I only touched on a couple of them), but Gray was sheer domination. Not one Padre reached second base and Gray had only five three-ball counts.

Per Adam Peterson of Purple Row, Gray had the highest game score of the season by any pitcher in any game this season:

His game score of 102 (according to MLB.com) is the highest in MLB this season and he allowed just four hits in the game and walked none. In all it was easily the most dominant pitching performance at Coors Field since Hideo Nomo no-hit the

Rockies twenty years ago to the day. (Nomo walked four and struck out eight in still the only no-hitter thrown in Coors

Field history.)

21

Though it is tempting to go with Jimenez’ no-hitter as the best ever by a Rockies pitcher, for sheer dominance, at hitter- friendly Coors Field, in completely overwhelming a MLB lineup coming off twenty runs in their last four games, Gray’s performance gets the nod.

And with a bit of luck, we may see more games like this from Gray, as he went into this game with a new-found mindset.

“It’s night and day difference,” he said via Saunders. “I feel like I belong out here this year. I told myself, ‘I’m here for a reason, so when not show it off?’ That has been my thought process this year: ‘Go show it off.’”

Yes, Jon, please do keep showing it off!

22

There is still plenty to learn in this Rockies season By Aniello Piro - September 19, 2016 / Mile High Sports

Baseball season is almost over, and yet another season without postseason baseball is upon us at 20th and Blake; however, there is still a lot to learn from this Rockies season.

The Colorado Rockies are playing solid baseball in recent times, sweeping the division rival San Diego Padres which included a dominant 16 strikeout performance by Jon Gray.

Sadly, the news flew under the radar due to the triumphant return of football around the country.

I’m not trying to take anything away from the football; I like the sport as much as the next person. In as my job as a

Rockies reporter, I am simply trying to shed some light on stories that were overlooked this weekend.

While their season is basically over, there is still a lot to learn from the handful of games the Rockies have left.

Some headlines to keep an eye on in the final weeks of Rockies season are:

 The team’s opportunity to play spoiler for the St. Louis Cardinals’ postseason hopes

 See if Gerardo Parra has a legitimate shot at playing first base in the future

 Finish with a home record above .500 for the third time in four seasons

 See how Walt Weiss finishes out the final year of his contract

 Watch young guns Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, and David Dahl finish off their strong rookie seasons

 Nolan Arenado could claim his second NL home run crown and should be a lock to lead the league in RBIs

 DJ LeMahieu could finish the regular season with the highest batting average in the National League

A lot of these headlines are historic ones as well as franchise altering moves that could effect the team next season and beyond.

23

So, Colorado sports fans keep an eye out on your Colorado Rockies as the season dwindles down. There is still plenty to get excited about between Sundays.

24

More deserving of NL ROY: , Jon Gray or Tyler Anderson? By Andrew Dill on September 19, 2016 / BSN Denver

The Colorado Rockies are experiencing a season full of production from players coming up through the farm system.

During this youth wave, Colorado’s games have been must-watch stuff, especially with the call-ups of David Dahl in July and most recently, Raimel Tapia in early-September. As of right now, on the active roster, Colorado is carrying 14 rookies out of the 37 players. Three of those players, Trevor Story, Tyler Anderson, and John Gray, are well deserving of the

National League Rookie of the Year.

So the question is, who deserves it more out of the three mentioned above?

Trevor Story’s record breaking season was cut short after a sliding attempt at second base on July 31 against the New

York Mets. Later on, in the same game, Story dove to his right for a ground ball that aggravated the injury even more. A few days later, the club announced that Story would miss the remainder of the 2016 season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. A huge blow to a team with playoff aspirations.

Story was phenomenal, and that’s putting it lightly. In only 97 games, the native of Irving, Texas clubbed 27 home runs while hitting at a clip of .272/.341./.567. What’s even more incredible is the fact that Story still leads the entire MLB in home runs at the shortstop position. Marcus Semien of the Oakland Athletics trails him by one home run (26) while Corey

Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a shoe-in favorite for the NL ROY, trails him by two (25). Keep in mind that those two players have played in 146 and 145 games respectively.

According to Baseball Reference, Trevor Story currently ranks fifth on the entire team with a WAR (Wins Above

Replacement) of 3.0. The four players above him: Nolan Arenado (6.1), DJ LeMahieu (4.9), Charlie Blackmon (4.3), and fellow rookie Tyler Anderson (3.2). The only downside of Story’s game, however, was his strikeout percentage. 130 strikeouts in 372 at-bats is quite the concern; that’s a strikeout rate of 35%.

The glove was better than advertised. Most Rockies’ fans were quick to diagnose Story as a bat-only type of player. Well, he proved them wrong and then some. Story committed just 10 errors in 442 chances, good for a fielding percentage of

.977. According to Baseball Reference, Story ranks first among National League in terms of Range

Factor/Game for shortstops at 4.50. That’s the calculation of putouts plus assists per game. 25

Moving on to Tyler Anderson.

Anderson was Colorado’s first-round draft choice, 20th overall in the 2011 draft. After battling injuries most of his Minor

League career, Anderson has made his name known this season, and not just among Rockies’ fans. Anderson has drawn

Clayton Kershaw comparisons, mainly due to the somewhat hitch his has in his windup. Now, he should be getting

Kershaw comparisons for his pitching alone.

The 26-year-old has made 17 starts this season for the Rockies, compiling a record of 5-5 to go along with an average of 3.65. That mark is the best for a rookie in franchise history. In 118 innings pitched, Anderson has given up 37 runs, 26 of which were earned while walking 40 and striking out 106. Prior to Anderson’s last hiccup against the Arizona

Diamondbacks, the southpaw was dealing in three-straight games.

In those three starts against the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants respectively,

Anderson totaled 17 strikeouts over 18.2 innings pitched, giving up just four earned runs which is good for an ERA of

1.98. Although he lasted just five innings on August 24 against the Brewers, Anderson recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in Colorado’s 7-1 loss.

Last but not least, Jon Gray.

Gray is said to be the savior of Colorado’s pitching staff. You know, an which Colorado has desperately needed for the longest time. Well, his last start against the San Diego Padres showed us a glimpse of what could be at his absolute best to fulfill the promise of being the third overall pick.

Jon Gray was brilliant, needing 113 pitches to capture his 10th win of the season. Not to mention, Gray finished the game with a 102 game score, the best that we’ve seen in a Colorado Rockies uniform. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched a complete game shutout, yielding four hits while striking out a career-high 16 batters; also a Rockies’ record.

As for the season overall, it’s been up-and-down for Gray. His last two starts were bumpy ones, possibly due to fatigue or simply just missing location. Gray lost two-straight prior to the 16 strikeout performance, giving up 10 earned runs over

26

11.0 innings pitched, walking four while striking out just six batters. One of those starts coming against the same Padres team.

On the season, Gray boasts a 10-8 record, striking out 172 batters over 158.2 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .239 batting average. Believe it or not, The Wolf of Blake Street, as coined by Drew Creasman, has pitched slightly better at home than opposed to the road.

At home, Gray is 7-2 with a 4.30 ERA, giving up just 40 earned runs over 83.2 innings pitched. Gray has struck out 94 batters compared to 18 walks. As far as the road goes, Gray is 3-6 with a 4.56 ERA, yielding 38 earned runs over 75.0 innings while striking out 78 batters and walking 35.

Similar results can be seen with Tyler Anderson, who has collected all five of his wins at home with a 3.04 ERA, opposed to going 0-4 on the road with a 5.10 ERA.

When it’s all said and done, Trevor Story, in my mind, is the easy candidate for this award. For what he did in a short amount of time is remarkable and just to think what he could’ve done barring injury is mind boggling. Tyler Anderson would finish second in my voting followed by Jon Gray. But however you look at it, this is the best class of rookies the

Rockies — or maybe any team — has seen in a long, long time.

27

Red Birds rough up Rockies 5-3 By Jake Shapiro on September 19, 2016 / BSN Denver

DENVER – If you’re reading this it’s too late.

The Colorado Rockies season has almost officially come to a close as they are now on the brink of mathematical elimination from the NL West at 72-78. Trailing the division by 12.5 games. Still six games away from that mathematical number in the wildcard at 7.5 back, it doesn’t seem like the Rockies can get there. On Monday, they dropped their contest with the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3.

There were hopes of another Rocktober after the club had won three straight all in fascinating fashion. Friday a walk-off winner, Saturday possibly the best game pitched in franchise history and Sunday another stellar outing from a starter. On

Monday, however, it was mundane in LoDo as the Rockies went quietly into the night.

The Rockies jumped out to an early lead thanks to the patience of DJ LeMahieu. His first inning walk turned into a run on a David Dahl single.

After two perfect innings to start the game Tyler Anderson struggled in the third frame. Giving up a leadoff double Jedd

Gyorko, Randal Grichuk followed by rocking one into the bleachers to put the Cards up 2-1. The Rockies would have an answer tying the game via a Nolan Arenado single. The Rockies star third baseman drove in, guess who? LeMahieu. He singled earlier in the inning.

Again came the redbirds in the fourth. This time really touching up the Rockies defense. After Anderson retired the first two easily the bottom of the lineup was once again ready to get to him. Gyorko singled and Grichuk reached on an

Arenado error. Pitcher Carlos Martinez, who was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, double on the first pitch which scored two.

Then Matt Carpenter singled home Martinez putting the Red Birds ahead 5-2. Two of the three runs scored in the fourth would be unearned.

The Rockies would get base runners on in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings but failed to bring them home.

28

“Martinez is tough to square up,” Walt Weiss said of the club’s failures to get a big hit. “It’s electric stuff, big time velocity, nasty slider, so even when you get him on the ropes it’s tough to barrel up.”

In the ninth, still down three the home nine finally cut the lead. Ryan Raburn smacked a pinch-hit solo shot to the short porch in right. Charlie Blackmon would follow with a single leaving the Rockies with the tying run at the plate in the ever- hot LeMahieu.

He would strikeout but Carlos Gonzalez extended the game with a walk leaving the tying run at first for Arenado. Battling

Kevin Siegrist he swung on and nailed one, but it was straight at the . Ending the Rockies night, and perhaps their last ditch effort at the postseason.

QUOTE OF THE GAME:

“I thought he did a good job, he had the three-run fourth but I thought we could have better luck than that. He was in control. Ended up getting through seven so it was as good outing.” – Weiss on Anderson

BY THE NUMBERS:

3-5 – Arenado has made three errors in five games.

7 – Tyler Anderson still managed to pitch seven innings.

9-3 – The Rockies need to go 9-3 in their remaining 12 games to finish .500 on the year.

.349 – LeMahieu leads MLB with a .349 BA.

WHAT’S AHEAD:

The Rockies have 12 games remaining, only five more at home. As the Boys of Summer wrap up their season veteran

LHP Jorge De La Rosa (8-8, 5.22) will face-off against veteran RHP Adam Wainwright (11-9, 4.51) on Tuesday night. First pitch will be at 6:40.

29

30

Martinez's arm, bat help Cardinals to 5-3 win over Rockies

By PAT GRAHAM - Sep. 20, 2016 1:21 AM EDT / Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Carlos Martinez labored most of the game. Not with his pitches, but catching his breath.

31

Martinez threw five effective innings despite struggling to take a deep breath in the thin air and added a two-run double, helping the St. Louis Cardinals gain ground in the NL playoff race with a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

The Cardinals moved into a tie for the second wild card with the Giants, who blew a ninth-inning lead in Los Angeles and lost 2-1 to the Dodgers.

St. Louis and San Francisco are one game behind the , who lost to Atlanta.

Martinez, who turns 25 on Wednesday, gave himself an early birthday present by holding Colorado to two runs while striking out six. The right-hander is 9-1 on the road this season.

Martinez (15-8) helped his own cause with a two-out double as part of a three-run fourth. He also was hit just below the left leg by a fastball from Tyler Anderson (5-6) in the third — two pitches after Randal Grichuk lined a two-run homer.

Really, though, the biggest issue for Martinez was breathing in the Mile High City.

"The altitude affects everybody a little differently," Cardinals manager said. "It affected him today, for sure."

Martinez was cruising along until one out in the fourth, when Matheny came out to check on him. Martinez was quite winded, and a ball boy brought out a cup of water, which he quickly chugged and continued on his way.

"I tried to take deep breaths and stay focused," Martinez said through a translator. "It didn't take away my focus in the game."

Martinez was pulled after the fifth because of an elevated pitch count. The bullpen bottled up the Rockies until pinch-hitter

Ryan Raburn hit a solo homer off Kevin Siegrist in the ninth to make it 5-3.

After allowing a single to Charlie Blackmon, Siegrist struck out DJ LeMahieu before walking Carlos Gonzalez. The left- hander got Nolan Arenado to line out to left field for his third save. 32

Anderson allowed five runs — two earned — in seven solid innings. The rookie is 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 starts at

Coors Field.

"He ended up getting through seven, so it was a good outing," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

Arenado, a Gold Glove third baseman, made a costly throwing error in the fourth. Martinez followed with a two-run double

— giving him six RBIs this season — and Matt Carpenter added a run-scoring single.

"We have seen (Arenado) make that play. He makes it look easy and that wasn't an easy play," Weiss said. "And then the throw was a little high. It was a tough play."

LeMahieu finished 2 for 4 to raise his average to .349 and take a slight lead over Washington's Daniel Murphy in the NL batting race. Murphy is hitting .348.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: Matheny said there's been no discussion of possibly activating OF (broken right thumb) to serve as a . Holliday is still dealing with some swelling issues in the thumb after batting practice sessions.

Rockies: There are no plans for surgery on the broken left hand of 1B Mark Reynolds after he was hit by a pitch Sunday, ending his season. "It's a tough break for Mark," Weiss said.

HOLD THE ONIONS

A launched baseball in batting practice left a burger joint in quite a pickle.

The Helton Burger Shack located behind the bleachers in left field was closed Monday after a ball broke the glass protecting the prep area.

33

No official word on whose liner actually broke the window pane — Twitter conversations credited Holliday — but it wasn't the restaurant's namesake; retired after the 2013 season.

BAD BLOOD?

The Rockies have some history with Martinez. In July 2015, things got a little heated after he hit LeMahieu with a pitch.

Martinez didn't think there was any purpose to the pitch that plunked him Monday night, even though it did sting.

"I don't think it was any retaliation. That happened last year. It's a new year," Martinez said. "I wouldn't like to think that. I think it just got away."

Anderson downplayed it, too.

"It was a ball that cut and hit him in the shin," he explained.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: With 132 wins, RHP Adam Wainwright (11-9, 4.51 ERA) tries to move to tying (134) for sixth on the team's career list.

Rockies: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (8-8, 5.22) is 4-0 with a 4.01 ERA in four starts against St. Louis at Coors Field.

34

35