MEDIA CLIPS May 24, 2018

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1 MEDIA CLIPS May 24, 2018 Rox offense sputters, can't support Freeland By Thomas Harding 1:09 AM ET LOS ANGELES -- After barely hitting at all in a 3-0 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, the Rockies are left hoping for better offense at Coors Field -- where they have performed well below expectations. Such is the situation for the Rockies, who struck out 15 times Wednesday against Kenta Maeda, who held them to two hits in 6 2/3 innings and didn't give up a hit until Ian Desmond's fifth-inning, one-out single. Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland's sixth straight quality start /3 innings, three runs, six hits, three strikeouts -- went for naught, thanks to Maeda. "Hats off to him," said Freeland (4-5), who is 4-2 during his quality start streak and has had just two runs of support in the two losses. "He filled up the zone. He controlled it the whole time." The Rockies return home for a nine-game homestand starting Friday against the Reds leading the National League West by a half-game over the sinking D-backs, who have dropped 13 of their last 14. On the agenda to correct is strikeouts -- they've fanned in double figures in 23 of their 50 games. The K pace actually has slowed. They've reached double figures just four of the last 12 games. Maeda fanned eight while going eight innings in a win at Miami in his previous start. "I'm going to pinpoint him [Maeda] tonight," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "Our strikeouts had been down the last week or so, but tonight was just a lot of Maeda." 1

2 The Rockies are tied with the Red Sox for the Major League lead in road wins (19) after this 4-5 road trip, but hope to finally find some success at home. They're hitting a lighter-than-expected.252 (tied for sixth in the NL) with a.751 OPS (fifth in the NL) at home, but they've played one fewer game at Coors (18) than they've won on the road. "We're playing pretty good -- obviously a tough [last] two games here, but I think we're going to be all right," said Nolan Arenado, who was 0-for-3 Wednesday and 1-for-10 as the Rockies dropped 2-of-3 to the Dodgers.23rd, 2018 Maeda erased the Rockies' best chance -- two on and one out in the sixth -- spectacularly. Charlie Blackmon walked and David Dahl singled to put runners on first and third. But two of the team's better hitters this season -- Arenado and Gerardo Parra -- went down swinging on six offspeed pitches. Arenado looked at a slider, then swung through two sliders, the last not close. "He made some good pitches there. I don't know; I've gotta have a more quality at-bat in that situation," Arenado said. Parra struck out on a curveball and two changeups. "Every pitch from him was nasty today," Parra said.23rd, 2018 Maeda also fanned Trevor Story and Desmond on three pitches apiece to open the seventh, for four straight strikeouts on 12 pitches. SOUND SMART Sometimes the numbers play out. Sometimes they don't. With no score, one out and two on in the fourth, Freeland faced Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe, who at that point was 1-for-18 against left-handed pitchers. But with the count 2-2, after fouling off two pitches, Forsythe lashed a slider to left field for a run-scoring double that keyed a two-run inning. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Desmond's struggles have his batting average at.181, but he has shown some life in the last six games -- 6-for-21 (.286) with two homers and six RBIs. And he became a man of the people in the sixth inning. Desmond leaped, leaned and tumbled into the front row of the stands in foul ground behind first base to snare Enrique Hernandez's leadoff pop foul.,

3 UP NEXT Righty Jon Gray (4-6, 5.34 ERA) is coming off two rough starts -- losses to the Brewers and Giants during which his fastball was ineffective -- and is 2-3 with a 6.04 ERA at Coors Field this season. But he is 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA against the Reds -- the team he will face at Coors Field on Friday night at 6:40 p.m. MT. The Reds will start Sal Romano (2-5, 5.62 ERA). The game will begin a nine-game homestand, and the Rockies hope to turn around a rough start at Coors (7-11). 3

4 Story takes pride in durability, consistency Rockies shortstop plays in 101st consecutive game in finale vs. Dodgers By Thomas Harding May 23rd, 2018 LOS ANGELES -- Wednesday night was the 101st straight game that Trevor Story has taken the field for the Rockies. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Royals' Alcides Escobar leads the list of consecutive games played at 382, followed by the Padres' Freddy Galvis at 214 and the Athletics' Matt Chapman, who was in the lineup Wednesday for the 129th straight time. Story hasn't sat out a game since last Aug. 5. Story has been on the field through hot streaks (like last September when he hit six homers and drove in 22 runs) and cold (a.114 start through April 14 and.155 through May 5). That's because his defense, highlighted by the occasional spectacular play, is there each game, and his speed and aggressiveness on the bases (8-for-8 on steal attempts, going into Wednesday) are consistently part of his package. Just four times, all toward the end of last season, Story wasn't in the starting lineup, but he ended up participating. He has started every game this year. "He's built to play every day," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "He comes to play every day. He takes care of himself physically. He doesn't show any signs of being tired, so his work capacity is large. "Another component is being mentally fresh every day, and he's able to do this." Story is proud he was judged enough of a contributor to stay on the field when his bat slumped. Black has been pushing for Story for Rawlings Gold Glove Award consideration, and his teammates say he is overlooked because of the other high-profile players at the position. "There are other ways to help the team and it's not always with the bat," said Story, who hit 9-for-27 (.333) during a fourgame set at San Francisco, but went 0-for-7 in the first two games with the Dodgers. "It's with the glove and on the bases, and making smart plays. At shortstop you have a lot of chances to do that. I try to take advantage of those." Story, 25, is a key to a new offensive initiative. 4

5 Black pushed the Rockies to increase their basestealing this year, and third baseman Nolan Arenado -- noting Story's speed and confidence -- essentially let Story know Black was talking about him. Story is one of the reasons the Rockies went into Wednesday having succeeded on 15 straight steal attempts, which is tied for the second-longest streak in club history (18 is the high-water mark). "I had the idea to steal more this year, but Nolan kind of nudged me in the offseason, and said, 'Hey man, you need to steal to help us win,'" Story said. "That gave me the confidence to really go for it." But stealing can take a toll on hands and legs, with slamming into bags, gloves and opponents. Story, however, doesn't want that beating to push him off the field. "It takes a toll on your body," Story said. "I learned that a little bit last year, and moreso this year, because it's a little bit more prominent. It just goes into recovery, taking care of your body, knowing how to do that, fueling it with the right stuff." LeMahieu takes another step Second baseman DJ LeMahieu, out of the lineup since May 13 with a left thumb injury, took grounders Wednesday for the first time since the injury and reported that there is less soreness and swelling. However, he didn't know when he would begin hitting or if he would need a Minor League rehab assignment before returning. In the wings? The Rockies were using LeMahieu either first or second in the order, and have scrambled to put a threat near the top to complement center fielder Charlie Blackmon. One possibility is Garrett Hampson, a third-round Draft choice out of Long Beach State in 2016, who on Wednesday started his seventh game at Triple-A Albuquerque after hitting.304 with a.391 on-base percentage and.466 slugging percentage in 38 games at Double-A Hartford. Because of his collegiate experience, solid Spring Training (.278,.381 OBP, six steals in seven attempts) and speed, Hampson, the club's No. 7 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, is an option if LeMahieu needs extra time. 5

6 Rockies lose 3-0 as Dodgers Kenta Maeda dominates hapless offense Colorado finished its nine-game West Coast road trip with a 4-5 record By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@denverpost.com The Denver Post PUBLISHED: May 23, 2018 at 11:00 pm UPDATED: May 24, 2018 at 12:18 am LOS ANGELES Kenta Maeda made the Rockies hapless offense look helpless Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. The veteran right-hander struck out 12 and gave up just two hits over 6⅔ innings as Los Angeles blanked the Rockies 3-0 to clinch the three-game series. Wednesday marked the 23rd time in 50 games this season in which the Rockies, who struck out a total of 15 times vs. the Dodgers, have whiffed at least 10 times. He had good stuff, it looked like he was painting the corners, Colorado manager Bud Black said of Maeda. We were trying, obviously, to put the ball in play. It just didn t happen. Asked about the Rockies propensity to strike out this season, Black said I would pinpoint (Maeda) tonight. Our strikeouts have been down the last week or so. Tonight was just a lot of Maeda. Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland took the loss, falling to 4-5, but he kept his team in the game, despite no support from his offense. Freeland s line: 6⅓ innings, three runs allowed, on six hits with three walks. He s made six consecutive quality starts and allowed just nine earned runs over his past 40 ⅓ innings for a 2.01 ERA. We executed our game plan pretty well tonight, said Freeland, who relied heavily on his changeup. We pitched inside and got a lot of soft contact. But they were able to string together some hits in the fourth and fifth to get them some runs. Remarkably, considering how bad the Rockies offense has been over the first two months of the season, they still lead the National League West by a half-game, because Arizona lost 9-2 at Milwaukee. It was the D-backs 13th loss in 14 games. Maeda no-hit the Rockies for 4⅓ innings and had struck out four in a row before Ian Desmond finally cracked him with an opposite-field single to right. But Maeda coolly struck out Chris Iannetta and got Daniel Castro to chop the ball back to the mound. Colorado s best chance to get to Maeda came in the sixth. Charlie Blackmon drew a one-out walk and David Dahl moved him to third with a single to right, but Maeda struck out Nolan Arenado and Gerardo Parra on only six pitches. Maeda fed Arenado three consecutive sliders, then whiffed Parra with a curveball and two changeups. 6

7 He was good today, Parra said. I told myself to only swing at good pitches, but he was hard to see. Every pitch from him was nasty. Maeda improved to 4-2 in six career career starts vs. Colorado, posting a 2.29 ERA with 45 strikeouts vs. only eight walks, while limiting the Rockies to a.183 average. Freeland dealt with an L.A. traffic jam in the fourth and managed to escape with relatively minor damage a 2-0 deficit and kept the Rockies in the game. An RBI double down the left-field line by L.A. s Logan Forsythe scored Justin Turner, who led off with a single. The Dodgers second run came on Yasiel Puig s fielder s choice to short to score Kike Hernandez. Freeland put down the rally by whiffing Maeda and leaving two Dodgers stranded. In the fifth, Matt Kemp s sacrifice fly to left scored Austin Barnes to account for the Dodgers third run. Kyle pitched well, Black said. I think he located the fastball well. I liked the use of the changeup tonight, and he used it probably more than in any other big-league game. But he got outpitched by the other guy, that was the bottom line. Colorado finished its nine-game West Coast road trip with a 4-5 record. After a day off on Thursday, the Rockies open a nine-game homestand on Friday against Cincinnati at Coors Field. You want to do better, obviously, Black said as he sized up the road trip. We didn t play our best baseball every time. I thought we pitched really well, we strung together some innings, offensively, to win us some games. We played solid defense throughout the road trip. We just didn t hit well in certain games. Some of the credit goes to the opposing pitcher, like tonight. But we need to swing the bats better, for sure. Looking ahead Thursday: Off day Friday: Reds RHP Sal Romano (2-5, 5.62 ERA) at Rockies RHP Jon Gray (4-6, 5.34), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM Saturday: Reds RHP Tyler Mahle (3-6, 4.53) at Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (3-1, 4.74), 7:10 p.m., ATTRM Sunday: Reds RHP Matt Harvey (0-2, 6.17) at Rockies German Marquez (3-5, 4.62), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM 7

8 Led by Trevor Story, Rockies stolen bases are on the rise Last season, the Rockies couldn t get arrested for petty larceny By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@denverpost.com The Denver Post PUBLISHED: May 23, 2018 at 8:21 pm UPDATED: May 23, 2018 at 9:21 pm LOS ANGELES In the sixth inning of Tuesday night s game against the Dodgers, Rockies shortstop Trevor Story led off with a walk, setting off a chain of events the led to a precious run for a team in an offensive funk. Story swiped second base, advanced to third on a passed ball charged to Los Angeles catcher Yasmani Grandal and scored on Ian Desmond s single through the right side. The manufactured run gave the Rockies a brief 3-2 lead. Colorado eventually lost the game 5-3, but it was further evidence that Colorado is a team intent on running when the opportunity presents itself. It was a big goal for me coming into this season, because I feel like I have the speed to steal bases, said Story, who was 8-for-8 on stolen-base attempts entering Wednesday night s game. I ve talked to Chuck (center fielder Charlie Blackmon) and Ian (Desmond) about how to improve. Reads of pitchers and getting big jumps is a big part of it. That comes from preparation before the games. It takes a lot of work and discipline, but it s fun when it pays off, for sure. Third baseman Nolan Arenado, sensing that the Rockies needed to improve on the basepaths this season, encouraged Story to run more. It s definitely something we are talking about a lot more as a team, and it s an identity we want to have, Story said. I feel like it puts pressure on other teams when we are aggressive. Nolan kind of gave me the idea to steal more. He kind of nudged me in the offseason and said, Hey, you need to steal more. That s going to help us win. Last season, the Rockies couldn t get arrested for petty larceny. They swiped just 59 bases all season, second to last in the National League. They had 33 heading into Wednesday s game, fourth-most in the National League and on pace for 109 this season. We came into spring training with a mind-set that we had the components to steal more bases, said first-base coach Tony Diaz, the man charged with teaching the Rockies to be better base thieves. Ultimately, the players buying into it was huge. It s been a collaborative effort. 8

9 Over the two months of the season, the Rockies offense has been a huge disappointment. The.230 team batting average ranks 12th in the National League, and Colorado s 4.0 runs per game ranks 11th. Manager Bud Black agreed that the use of stolen bases, hit-and-run plays and an aggressive approach on the bases has been necessary to help jump start the stalled offense. Yet he added that the Rockies plan all along was to cut loose on the bases whenever possible. That was going to be the case regardless of how the offense (performed), Black said. Trevor was motivated. Desmond is too. I think as Desi s (.223) on-base percentage increases, you ll see his stolen bases increase. It s going to be a function of our group. Footnotes. Injured second baseman DJ LeMahieu took infield Wednesday for the first time since fracturing a small bone in his left hand May 13 against the Brewers. The swelling in his thumb is gone and the pain is much less severe. He hopes to take dry swings with a bat Friday. Right-hander Antonio Senzatela, optioned from the Rockies bullpen to Triple-A Albuquerque on May 4, hasn t pitched in eight days because of a slight right groin injury suffered during a throwing session. Black said Senzatela s injury is not considered serious and hopes the right-hander will be back on the mound within a week. Senzatela is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings over three starts at Triple-A. It Takes a Thief The Rockies were awful stealing bases last season, but they ve become much better base thieves early this season. A closer look (entering Wednesday night s game): 2017 * 59 stolen bases (14th in National League) * 63.4 percent success rate (15th) 2018 (49 games) * 33 stolen bases (3rd) * 82.5 percent success rate (1st) Notes: Rockies are 15-for-15 in stole-base attempts in May, the longest streak without a caught stealing since a 15-game streak in The club record for consecutive stolen bases without a caught stealing is 18 in

10 Maeda allows 2 hits in 6 2/3 innings, Dodgers beat Rox 3-0 Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Kenta Maeda dominated Colorado's hitters, retiring 10 of his final 14 batters on strikeouts. The Japanese right-hander is coming up big at a time when the Los Angeles Dodgers are down three starters: ace Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Maeda tossed two-hit ball into the seventh inning and struck out a season-high 12 to help the Dodgers beat the NL Westleading Rockies 3-0 on Wednesday night and win consecutive series for just the second time this season. Maeda has struck out 20 and allowed no runs in his last two starts, both victories. "Being able to put away guys quickly, like on three pitches, has been key to racking up strikeouts," he said through a translator. Maeda didn't give up a hit until the fifth inning, when Ian Desmondsingled to right with one out. Maeda (4-3) walked a career-high-tying four over 6 2/3 innings in earning just his second win since April 18. "He was in control," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He's attacking and he's more efficient, allowing for him to go deeper. Even in the seventh, there were some 92s (mph) in there." The Dodgers took two of three from the Rockies, outscoring them 9-5 to improve to at home. Los Angeles has won six of seven, including a three-game sweep at Washington last weekend. Maeda struck out the side in the fourth and struck out four in a row over the sixth and seventh innings. "He's doing a really good job of getting ahead of hitters," catcher Austin Barnes said. "His last two starts he's executed really well." Maeda was on his way to an immaculate inning in the seventh, having struck out Trevor Story and Ian Desmond on six pitches. But he was removed after giving up a two-out walk to Chris Iannetta and throwing a season-high 111 pitches. "I thought of that," Maeda said of possibly throwing nine pitches in the inning. "I was a little greedy so maybe that's why I couldn't get there. I really wanted to be able to finish that last hitter." Kenley Jansen struck out three and allowed a single to Story in the ninth for his 10th save. Reliever Scott Alexander gave up the only other hit by the Rockies on a single to Charlie Blackmon in the eighth. 10

11 The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Logan Forsythe had a ground-rule RBI double to left field and Yasiel Puig added an RBI when he grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop. Matt Kemp added a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Trailing 3-0, the Rockies had runners on first and third in the sixth. Charlie Blackmon walked before David Dahl lined a single to right with one out. Maeda got Nolan Arenado and Gerardo Parra on back-to-back swinging strikes to end the threat. "It looked like he was painting the corners with all of his pitches," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "We were trying to put the ball in play but it just didn't happen. His last start was outstanding. He followed it up with another good one." Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (4-5) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings while having his three-game winning streak snapped. The left-hander struck out three and walked three. The heart of Colorado's order failed to generate much offense. Dahl went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts, Arenado had three strikeouts and a walk, and Parra was 1 for 4 with three strikeouts. "He beat us pretty good," Arenado said of Maeda. TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (left biceps tendinitis) threw a bullpen session that manager Dave Roberts said went well. TURNER TURNS IT UP Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner improved his average to.303 in nine games since coming off the disabled list after missing the start of the season. He went 2 for 4 with a run scored. UP NEXT Rockies: They return home to open a three-game series Friday against Cincinnati. RHP Jon Gray (4-6, 5.34 ERA) starts. He's coming off a season-low 3 2/3 innings while giving up five runs and nine hits in his last start on May 19 at San Francisco. Dodgers: After an off-day, RHP Ross Stripling (1-1, 2.08) takes the mound Friday in the series opener against the Padres. He is 1/3 with a 4.05 ERA in eight career games against San Diego. 11

12 Rockies strike out 15 times, lose game and series to Dodgers By Rich Allen - Posted on May 23, 2018 BSN Denver With yet another loss earlier in the day by the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies were guaranteed to conclude their nine-game road trip atop the National League West. However, division leads in May are worth nothing but pride and targets on backs, and the rubber game between the team and the Los Angeles Dodgers was still an important game to walk away from with a win, and perhaps a little breathing room as they return to the Mile High City. Yet the offensive woes that has plagued the team all season cost the Rockies the game and the series, despite a strong outing from their pitching staff. Wednesday night was Kyle Freeland s turn to take the mound, looking to build off his recent success. He entered the game with a 1.59 ERA and a batting average against of.183 in his last five starts, and lead the Rockies in bwar at 1.8 coming into his 10th start of the year. The Dodgers trotted out Kenta Maeda, who entered the game with a 3.89 ERA, allowing exactly one hit per inning. But the early part of this game would tell a different tale, as the Rockies failed to record a hit off Maeda until Ian Desmond lined an opposite field single with one out in the fifth. It was the fourth time in their last 10 games the team failed to record a hit through the fourth. Fortunately for Colorado, Freeland matched him nearly pitch-for-pitch in the first three innings, allowing only a single to Yasiel Puig. Things started to unravel in the fourth, however. A trio of hits and an RBI fielder s choice by Puig put the Dodgers ahead 2-0, with further damage avoided by the help of Trevor Story, who caught Logan Forsythe leaning on Puig s grounder. The Dodgers tacked on another run in the fifth on a Matt Kemp sacrifice fly that scored Austin Barnes, but a heads up cutoff play by Nolan Arenado allowed the Rockies to catch Justin Turner trying to advance from first and end the inning. The Rockies seemed to be posing a response in the sixth with a one out walk to Charlie Blackmon followed by a single by David Dahl to move him to third. However, strikeouts by Arenado and Gerardo Parra, the latter of which was Maeda s 10th of the game, ended the threat and the score remained

13 Maeda was finally chased in the seventh, after coming within one pitch of an immaculate inning, before losing Chris Iannetta to a walk. After it was all said and done, Maeda had struck out a season-high 12 batters while allowing only two hits in 6.2 innings. On the other side of the ball, Freeland got help from his defense in the sixth, including a diving play into the stands by Desmond and a typical Arenado play. Freeland would get the first out of seventh before giving up a double and being pulled. It was Freeland s sixth consecutive quality start. The bats went quietly, first to Scott Alexander in the eighth and Kenley Jansen in the ninth, though Trevor Story lined a single and stole a base. Final score: Rockies 0, Dodgers 3. The Rockies drop to 26-24, but maintain a.5 game lead in the NL West. The Dodgers improve to FINAL STATS Kyle Freeland: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R (3 ER), 3 K, 3 BB Adam Ottavino: 0.2 IP,, 0 R, DP Brooks Pounders: 1 IP, 0 R Ian Desmond: 1-for-3, K David Dahl: 1-for-4, 2 K Nolan Arenado: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K WHAT S NEXT The Rockies take Thursday off before beginning a nine-game homestand with three-game sets against the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and a rematch with the Dodgers, respectively. On Friday, Jon Gray will try to bounce back after not reaching the fifth inning in his last start. Cincinnati will counter with Sal Romano, the six-foot-five, 270-pound right-hander, who is currently 2-5 with a 5.62 ERA. First pitch is 6:40 Mountain time. 13

14 BSN Exclusive: Rockies shed light on their new identity By Drew Creasman - Posted on May 23, 2018 BSN Denver DENVER For 150 years, it has been understood that in order to consistently win baseball games, it all starts with pitching. But for 25 years in Colorado, the Rockies have been known for their famous sluggers. Debating the Top 10 position players in Colorado Rockies history brings up names known around the nation like Walker, Helton, Bichette, Galarraga, Castilla, Cargo, Tulo, Blackmon and Arenado. When it comes to the men who have taken the mound with the most power over the final outcome? Ubaldo Jorge Francis? From the fans out in the stands to the movers and shakers up in the front office, to the guys in uniform, nobody around this organization has seen a team that is specifically built around run prevention to the degree that the 2018 squad is. And, therefore, nobody is quite sure what to expect from it. Take DJ LeMahieu s statement to BSN Denver, a sentence that would have seemed straight out of science fiction a mere three years ago: Our pitching is kind of taking the pressure off our offense. We haven t been stringing a ton of huge innings together. We re on our way there. And then this It doesn t surprise me at all. The way they ve pitched isn t anything like Oh my gosh, they re pitching out of their minds you know? They re just pitching really well. And when you have quality starters one-through-five and they get hot at the same time, it s gonna make for some winning streaks. The Rockies best run of baseball this season saw a six-game winning streak that came right in the midst of a stretch of 13 out of 14 quality starts. And like LeMahieu said, there was nothing especially mind-boggling, or even surprising, about it. It s progressively carrying on, says top-of-the-rotation starter Jon Gray. We re feeding energy off each other. If I see someone go out the night before me and throw a really good game, I m super motivated to go out and do that or better the 14

15 next day. I think that s what we got going on. Everyone s competing with each other, we re on the same page. We re talking about each other s games and how we match up with lineups. I think we re getting the best out of it that one. The guy that just so happens to pitch before him in the rotation, Kyle Freeland, is on a streak of getting into the seventh inning in five straight games, all quality starts. He s super competitive, Gray says of the lefty. You ll never catch him not competing. He s gonna give everything he has and leave it out there which is what I love about him. Even if you look at his delivery, it looks aggressive, it looks like he is attacking every time. I think that s what you have to have here. If he s working the bottom corners and the heater up and in, he s tough to hit. This shift in team identity has been noticed by at least one of its two star players. It s been fantastic, says Nolan Arenado. Those guys have been competing, throwing strikes and they re just giving us a chance to win. And I think we re taking advantage of that right now. Hopefully, we can sustain that throughout the whole year. The pitching has done a great job and it s a credit to them. But how good they have been is only a small part of the equation says the team captain. They re pitching good, but some of these guys that can be even better than what they are, continued Arenado. They re good, but they can be better. That s a good thing to know. I think we don t need to put that pressure on them. Let s just let them keep doing their thing. Just keep going out there and competing. Even for the men at the helm of the movement, the end results are still taking some getting used to. We ve seen a lot of games lately that are like 3-2, 2-1 those are becoming more of a thing, Gray said. When you have games like this, it feels like momentum is on your side the whole time. You don t feel like you are going back and forth. I just feel like it keeps momentum behind us. When asked to pinpoint exactly what has led to a Rockies pitching staff that, while they ve still had ups-and-downs, has managed to put forth more consistent quality efforts than almost any other in franchise history. Gray answers with one onfield reason and one that may run a bit deeper. I think we re doing a good job not walking a lot of guys, he said. We re attacking people and making work their way on. 15

16 That s good for just about any staff in baseball but definitely must be driven home over and over again for this young group with wicked stuff that can sometimes start to lose trust in it. But the final thing he said represented a true turning point in the history of this franchise. Whether or not it bears out for a postseason run in 2018, and as innocuous as it may sound, the truth of it is showing fans of major league baseball something they ve never seen before; a team at altitude that wins with run prevention. How? We take a lot of pride in being Rockies, says Gray. That s a huge step in the right direction. 16

17 Freeland Has Quality; Deserves Wins to Go With It TRACY RINGOLSBY - MAY 24, 2018 InsideTheSeams.com Kyle Freeland has provided plenty of quality for the Rockies this year. The results, however, aren't favoring him. Freeland has seven quality starts, tied for second in the NL behind Max Scherzer of the Nationals, who has nine. There are 14 NL pitchers with six or more quality starts. There is, however, only one of the 14 with a losing record -- Freeland, who is 4-5. Player Team QS W-L ERA QUALITY COUNTS -- SOMETIMES Max Scherzer Nationals Kyle Freeland Rockies Aaron Nola Phillies Tanner Roark Nationals Tyson Ross Padres Stephen Strasburg Nationals Kyle Hendricks Cubs Carlos Martinez Cardinals Miles Mikolas Cardinals Sean Newcomb Braves Noah Syndergaard Mets Trevor Williams Pirates Jacob degrom Mets Source: Stats, Inc. And Freeland is setting the tone for the rest of the rotation. The Rockies, after all, rank third in the NL in quality starts. There is, however, one interesting turn of events: The Brewers have the best record in the NL, but they are tied for the fewest quality starts with

18 Team QS W-L Pct. Washington Nationals Philadelphia Phillies Colorado Rockies St. Louis Cardinals Chicago Cubs Los Angeles Dodgers Pittsburgh Pirates Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves San Diego Padres New York Mets San Francisco Giants Miami Marlins Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers Source: Stats, Inc. Freeland put together his sixth consecutive quality start on Wednesday night, but Freeland and the Rockies still loss, 3-0. In his streak of six quality starts, in fact, Freeland is only 4-2 in those last six starts. In both losses he went six innings and gave up three runs -- on the road. A SEASON OF QUALITY Date Opponent W L IP H R ER HR SO BB #Pit L

19 Date Opponent W L IP H R ER HR SO BB #Pit 4/8/2018 Atl L W L /24/2018 SD W L /6/2018 NYM W /12/2018 Mil W W L Totals ERA Source: Stats, Inc. While Freeland does lead the Rockies in quality starts with seven, he is tied with Chad Bettis and Jon Gray for the team lead in victories with seven. Player QS W-L ERA IN SEARCH OF VICTORIES Kyle Freeland Chad Bettis Tyler Anderson Jon Gray German Marquez Source: Stats, Inc. 19

20 Freeland does, however, is the only Rockies starter with a winning record at home. That's the good news. The bad news is the Rockies open a nine-game homestand on Friday. If the Rockies stay in rotation, Freeland will start only one of the nine games -- Tuesday night against the Giants HOME BODY Player W L GS CG IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA AVG Kyle Freeland Jon Gray Tyler Anderson Chad Bettis German Marquez Source: Stats, Inc. 20

21 Ryan McMahon could be a second base solution for the Colorado Rockies There are a lot of reasons for McMahon to keep the keystone warm until DJ LeMahieu returns By Samantha Bradfield@SammieB_27 May 23, 2018, 8:00am MDT Purple Row In case you haven t heard, the Rockies offense is pretty bad this year. After 48 games they have scored 193 total runs. It s the worst park-adjusted offense in the National League. Even unadjusted stats don t tell a great story. The Rockies overall slash line is.230/.305/.391 (12th/12th/10th in the NL). Not good. To add insult to injury (or vice versa in this case), DJ LeMahieu was off to a red hot start again only to be sidelined not once, but twice by injuries. After never spending a day on the DL in his Rockies career, he is now on it for the second time this season. The Rockies have been trying to fill the gaping hole with a variety of middle infielders, but none have panned out so far. Pat Valaika has a slash line of.127/.195/.183 in 34 games around the infield and Daniel Castro has a slash line of.158/.158/.263 in 12 games at second exclusively. Not good. It s time to think about LeMahieu s injury as long term. Despite all of the poor replacements available on the roster, there is one solution that they haven t tried yet: Ryan McMahon. Yes, he s a corner infielder by trade. Yes, he wasn t very good in limited playing time in April. Yes, it may seem crazy. But it might be crazy enough to work! Real talk: Patty Barrels is so Last year, Pat Valaika slugged.533 in 195 plate appearances. But he s currently slugging an abysmal.183 in 78 plate appearances (which is somehow lower than his.195 on-base percentage). Daniel Castro has been the regular replacement for LeMahieu, but he isn t playing very well either. He s slashing.158/.158/.263 in 12 games and 38 plate appearances. In comparison, Ryan McMahon has been slashing.233/.309/.397 in 18 games with the Albuquerque Isotopes. It s not a great line, but it s a lot better than what the major league guys are hitting and much better than the.180/.317/.200 that he started off the year with in the majors. He also has 25 strikeouts in 73 at bats (34% of the time). If he can cut down on his strikeouts, he ll be a much better option at second, even if it s only temporary. He can give the offense a youthful boost. 21

22 Castro could be shifted to backup infield utility man, and it might be time for Valaika to spend some time finding himself in Albuquerque again. Second base wouldn t be completely new for McMahon. The Rockies have been working their prospects at different positions so that they are comfortable around the diamond. Trevor Story was drafted as a shortstop in 2011, but split time between second base, shortstop, and third base in the minor leagues. Brendan Rodgers was also drafted as a shortstop in 2015, but he is currently also spending time learning second and third base. McMahon was drafted as a third baseman in 2013, but is blocked at that position by some guy named Nolan Arenado, so he has been working on transitioning to first base. In 2017, the Rockies also played McMahon at second base for 39 games 24 in Albuquerque and 15 in Hartford. Since being optioned to Albuquerque on May 1 of this year, he has played five games at second base. That number might increase if the Rockies feel it is necessary. Another reason to consider McMahon as a temporary second baseman is simply that he enjoys playing the position. Maybe let a guy have fun? In an interview with Purple Row s Eric Garcia McKinley in April, McMahon said second base was the most fun position to play. Turning double plays is fun. Moving around is kind of fun. he said, [I played] second base from when I was nine until I was twelve. In his five games at second, McMahon has helped turn six double plays. While he finds it to be the most fun position to play, he also finds it to be the most challenging: Second base is the hardest one. [My] natural skill set plays better at corners. [Second base requires] more moving around, more involvement, and different footwork things that you have to practice. It s worth a shot trying McMahon at second. At this point, he s better than the other two guys who have been trying to fill in for LeMehieu. It would also give him consistent at bats, which is most likely what caused his early season slump. At the very least, it would allow him to have more fun and that fun (and hopefully successful at bats) could be contagious. 22

23 Colorado Rockies: Just how high is Adam Ottavino s ceiling? by JD Jensen1 day ago RoxPile Luckily for Colorado Rockies fans, there are a handful of players who have the opportunity to make an impact on Major League Baseball as the season rolls along already on the roster. Some of them are already making their mark, like Adam Ottavino. He has had a spectacular start to the season, playing with one of the best bullpens we have ever seen the Rockies assemble. At age 32, Ottavino is still on the rise in Just how high is his potential? When you look at the improvement Ottavino has pulled off to begin this year, it looks as though he could be one of the best relievers in all of Major League Baseball. His ERA is one of the best we ve seen in years from a Rockies reliever at this point in the season, at Sure, it is safe to say he isn t going to finish the season that well, but just look at his improvement. We are talking about a guy who posted an ERA last season that was all the way up at 5.07 in just over 53 innings pitched. This year, he already has 25 innings under his belt. Chances are his ERA could be an entire two runs lower than the previous year. Heading into Tuesday night s game, Ottavino had a 1.3 WAR, or wins above replacement. This WAR is good enough to be ninth in the National League. This can almost all be credited to what is one of the dirtiest sliders in the league. That is no secret. While there isn t a stat to prove just how effective the slider is, you can chalk this up to the eye test. In fact, the eye test would also tell you if Ottavino could hit his location with his off speed pitch with more consistency, he would be impossible to hit. Unfortunately, Ottavino happens to be in a bullpen with a number of big names. This means he is not really the closer. In fact, he only has one save on the season. It s a change in thinking from as recently as 2016 when he went 5-for-6 in September save opportunities. Here is the good news: He is breaking his individual records in just about every stat in the game and he is getting plenty of attention for the way he is slider is moving this season. Sure, he may not be known as the guy in Colorado s bullpen. However, that does not make him elite. All it does is show just how good the Rockies bullpen is capable of being. 23

24 Rockies lose series to Dodgers as Kenta Maeda strikes out 12 By Rich Kurtzman - May 23, 2018 Mile High Sports Kenta Maeda might just sit ya down. The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher did it 12 times to the Colorado Rockies hitters Wednesday night, including a 10- of-14 strikeout run at one point. Maeda seemed to get stronger as the game went on and the NL s third-worst batting team the Rockies at.230 batting average were blanked in a 3-0 loss. The loss was important for multiple reasons. First, it meant the Dodgers won the series 2-1. And second, it means the Rockies the best road team in baseball with 19 wins went a mere 4-5 on their nine-game roadie. The road trip s finale started out a rubber match of Kyle Feeland versus Maeda, but Maeda shone brightest on this night, going 6.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, giving up two hits and four walks. Freeland was a freak of nature early, throwing his cutter with success, striking out Justin Turner and Matt Kemp before giving up the first hit of the game for either team. That came in the bottom of the third to Yasiel Puig. But, Freeland was still able to work out of that jam and not give up a run. For the Dodgers, Maeda really heated up in the fourth inning, striking out the side. Meanwhile, Freeland started struggling in the bottom of the fourth, allowing two runs to the Dodgers to fall behind 2-0. After giving up hits to Justin Turner and Enrique Hernandez, Logan Forsythe hit a ground rule double, sending one home. Hernandez scored when Puig reached on a fielder s choice. Maeda struck out four straight Rockies into the fifth inning before giving up his first hit of the night to Ian Desmond, of all players. But, he came out of the inning again unscathed. LA put another run on the board in the sixth when Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to score Austin Barnes. That pushed the Dodgers ahead 3-0, the eventual winning margin. In all, Colorado struck out 15 times in the game as their offense couldn t string together hits to score any runs. The Rockies entered the game in first place of the NL West ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and are holding onto that spot by the narrowest of margins at 0.5 a game, at

25 For Colorado, a much-needed day off awaits and then a nine-game homestand begins on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds who are However, the Rockies are only 7-11 at Coors Field this year, which is third-worst in the MLB. Play of the night: Ian Desmond tracked down a ball which was popped up in the bottom of the sixth inning, diving into the first row of Dodger Stadium and grabbing it for the second out. It was the best catch Desmond s short Rockies career, and then he made a great tag on Puig later in the inning when Nolan Arenado s throw went off-line. Notes: While Freeland was out-shone by Maeda, Freeland was still quite good Wednesday. It was his sixth quality start per Rockies PR. And look at that ERA: Rockies #Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland has worked six consecutive quality starts. He's allowed nine earned runs his past 40.1 innings for a 2.01 ERA 10:33 PM - May 23,

26 By the Numbers: The Rockies offense has been historically bad By Colin Barnard - May 23, 2018 Mile High Sports Prior to the 2018 campaign, the Colorado Rockies worst offensive season came in In fact, that s the only year in franchise history that the Rockies finished in the bottom half of the majors in offense, and one of just eight seasons in which they finished outside the top 10. The 2008 Rockies ranked 18th in offense with 4.61 runs scored per game. Nearing the completion of two months of baseball in 2018, though, this year s Rockies are on pace to set new lows in offensive production. Through 49 games of the season, Colorado is averaging an even 4.0 runs per game, 21st in the big leagues. When adjusted for park factors, though, the Rockies have the worst offense in baseball. To further understand the struggles these Rockies are facing at the plate, and to see where they stack up with 2008 s struggles, let s compare both teams at the same point in the season. In some ways, the batting statistics through the first quarter-plus in 2008 are similar to Coming off a National League pennant, the Rockies struggled to duplicate the same success at the plate, ranking 22nd in baseball by scoring 4.2 runs per game through 49 games. Though marginally better than this year s run production, the teams ranked within one spot of each other. However, the route by which both teams accrued those runs is vastly different. The 2008 Rockies began the year hitting.256 and averaging 9.0 hits per game, good for 18th and 11th in the majors. In 2018, the Rockies are only batting.230 (26th) with 7.7 hits per game (22nd). What this year s squad has lacked in batting average and on-base percentage (.304, 25th), they have slightly made up for with top-10 power. The Rockies have hit 60 home runs in 49 games this season, a per-game average that ranks 10th in the major leagues. In 2008, the Rockies began the season averaging just above 0.70 long balls per contest to rank 23rd. Each team s approach at the plate has also been different. Though it has resulted in top-10 power, the Rockies average nearly nine strikeouts per game, a figure that ranks in the bottom third of the majors. That is up more than two strikeouts per game compared to the beginning of the 2008 season. So what does all this mean? For starters, it s important to recognize that the offensive inadequacies have not derailed the season. Despite having a historically bad offense, Colorado holds a one-game lead in the NL West with a record of

27 At the same point in the 2008 season, the Rockies sat 16 games below.500 and were 11 games back of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite playing great baseball in July, the Rockies were in too deep a hole and never got closer than eight games below.500. Though it ranks in the bottom third of the MLB, Colorado s 4.40 ERA would be its best single-season mark since the 2010 staff tossed This year, Colorado is allowing nearly a half-run less per game at the same point of the season in It s also useful to examine how the 2008 club finished the season. After the slow start, the Rockies improved in nearly every unadjusted offensive category. Despite a slight drop in OBP and increase in strikeout rate, statistics improved across the board. The unadjusted average of 4.61 runs ranked 18th, and the team had a slash line of.263/.302/.415 (16th/25th/15th in baseball). The Rockies current slash line of.230/.304/.390 is significantly worse when compared to league averages (26th/25th/23rd). All that said, two things are apparent. First, in terms of offensive production, this year s team would set lows in nearly every per-game statistical category if the season ended today. Even if steady improvement were to happen, as it did in 2008 after a shoddy start, the Rockies offense has long way to go just to produce an average season for the team s offensive standards. However, by no means does their start offensively signify a letdown year. In a division that has collectively underperformed, the Rockies are in first place. For that to continue, adjustments must be made. Whether it be lineup changes, coaching adjustments or something else, there s no denying the need for progress across the board. Should improvement bestow itself upon this year s club as it did during the team s worst offensive season in 2008, though, the Rockies could be in store for October baseball once more. 27

28 Rodgers powering Hartford to victories Top Colorado prospect slugs go-ahead homer in second straight By Andrew Battifarano / MiLB.com May 22, :43 PM ET Brendan Rodgers has found his power stroke in May, and even on nights when he's been relatively quiet at the plate, he's proven difficult to contain for long. The top-ranked Rockies prospect cranked a go-ahead two-run homer in his second straight game Tuesday, powering Double-A Hartford to a 5-3 win over Portland at Hadlock Field. Rodgers also plated a run with a sacrifice fly and improved his average to.295., 2018 During a 2-for-4 day at the plate Sunday, MLB.com's No. 12 overall prospectstepped up to the plate with two runners on in the seventh inning. On an 0-1 pitch from Akron reliever Argenis Angulo, Rodgers slugged an opposite-field threerun shot to propel the Yard Goats to a victory. Two days later, the 21-year-old found himself in a similar situation against Portland in the eighth inning and cashed in again. Following a single by No. 20 Rockies prospect Yonathan Daza to start the stanza, Rodgers slugged a 2-2 offer from Josh Taylor over the left-field wall for a two-run roundtripper. The 2015 first-round pick sports a five-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all but three games this month. Rodgers, fourth in the Eastern League and the leader on Hartford with 10 dingers this season, has switched on the power over the last 19 contests. After hitting.286/.326/.488 in April, he's batted.306/.358/.653 in May. The six homers and 22 RBIs he's amassed over the latest stretch mark the most the Florida native has recorded in either category in any of the five months he's played in Double-A over the past two seasons. For the season, Rodgers has amassed a.295/.341/.564 slash line with 37 RBIs, which rank second on the circuit behind MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with 45. Daza notched his ninth multi-hit game of the month on a 3-for-4 night, improving his average to.310 and OPS to