Rockies-Diamondbacks player grades: An odd start

The Colorado Rockies didn’t get off to the start they wanted, losing 8-2 in relatively non-competitive fashion in the first game, making a strong comeback that fell short in a 9-8 loss in the second, and finally but narrowly pulling out a victory in the third game by a score of 2-1.

Here are our grades for individual performances in the opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Charlie Blackmon (B+) – Blackmon almost single-handedly won the game on Saturday with his two solo home runs, and he tied the Friday contest with a big three-run shot. Those were his only hits in the series. His slight misplay in the first inning of the series contributed to the rough start.

Ian Desmond (B-) – Grabbing four hits, including a two-run home run and drawing a pair of walks, Desmond is already showing more consistent hard contact at the plate than he did for most of last season. He exited the Saturday’s game with right knee soreness and is listed as day-to-day.

Chris Iannetta (B-) – The Rockies new starting catcher quietly collected five base hits in the opening series and also drew a walk, bringing him to a silly .714 early batting average. He showed off his solid fundamentals behind the plate but it is worth noting that the best starting pitching performance came with someone else calling the game.

Nolan Arenado (C+) – We didn’t hear Arenado’s name as often in this series as we are used to. He hit a home run and a double as part of a 4-for-12 effort and made two noteworthy defensive plays but he also missed one that, while not an error, he usually makes. And he got caught in between decisions on a bare-hand attempt, which is also unusual.

Carlos Gonzalez (C-) – CarGo went 3-for-12 with a run scored and an RBI. An ill-conceived dive in the outfield in a tough inning for Colorado pitching hurts his grade a bit.

Gerardo Parra (C-) – Parra had a similar series to CarGo, going 2-for-12 but he did smack a two-run homer. He also had an odd play in the outfield where he unnecessarily tried to bare-hand the baseball which seemed to set a tone for a few poor plays. 

DJ LeMahieu (C) – You probably can’t expect it to continue all season but LeMahieu was driving the ball deep in Arizona, a double and a solo homer accounting for his two hits in the series, with a few other warning track outs. He also drew three walks and played his usual solid second base.

Trevor Story (F) – It was an ugly beginning for the Rockies shortstop who went 1-for-8 with seven strikeouts in the first two games. He put up much better at-bats in the final contest, driving one to deep center but he also committed an error that led to Arizona’s only run in that game. He’ll need to forget this one quickly.

Adam Ottavino (A-) – Ottavino was about as good as is possible given the task he was given. Pitching an inning in the first game and one in the second, he struck out every batter he faced with the exception of one walk. His struggles from a year ago meant these weren’t especially high-leverage situations but he couldn’t have asked for a much better start.

Wade Davis (B+) – In his Colorado Rockies debut, Davis showed why he was such a hot commodity this offseason, pitching a clean inning with a pair of strikeouts. Rockies fans are in for a fun season with this guy and his ridiculous fastball/slider combination.

German Marquez (B) – He walked four guys and only managed to pitch five innings but the Rockies desperately needed this start from Marquez. He allowed just one unearned run on four hits to a potent and hot Diamondbacks lineup, stopping the bleeding and earning the first starting pitcher win of the season.

Jake McGee (B) – The Rockies lefty set-up man hasn’t allowed a baserunner yet over two innings. He has struck out two.

Bryan Shaw (B-) – In his first bit of action with his new club, Shaw picked up two innings, allowing one hit and one walk, notching one strikeout and keeping the run column clean.

Chris Rusin (B-) – Rusin’s first inning of 2018 was a memorable one, coming into a bases-loaded, nobody out situation and keeping the scoreboard clean. He ran into some bad luck in the following frame, leading to a pair of runs, but Rusin appears to have picked up right where he left off.

Antonio Senzatela (C+) – Long relief is a tough job and Senzatela looks like he is going to take to it well. He, too, was tagged for a couple of tough-luck runs but kept his club in the game with 2.2 innings of work after Tyler Anderson’s rough start. He also laid down a great bunt that forced a mistake from Arizona and set the stage for a big Charlie Blackmon homer.

Jon Gray (D) – Only going four innings in the first game is not what Gray wanted but it could have been much worse if he hadn’t settled in. Giving up three runs in the first frame, fans were having flashbacks to his Wild Card outing, but he minimized the damage and was able to give his club a few more innings. He struck out four and walked three.

Tyler Anderson (D-) – Anderson just couldn’t find his command in the first inning of the second game, getting knocked around for five runs which immediately put the team on its heels. He only lasted 2.1 innings ultimately and was tagged for seven runs while walking four batters, striking out two. He also unleashed a pair of wild pitches.