Poetic justice.
The Colorado Rockies were dancing with negative history, on the verge of losing their 12th straight game, down 4-2 in the top of the 9th inning with two outs and two on.
It was only fitting that the player whose season has mirrored the team, a huge disappointment that has created doubt in even his greatest fans would step to the plate. Carlos Gonzalez, in vintage form, blasted a three-run homer to give the Rockies a 5-4 lead.
The CarGo home run cut through the two-ton dumbbell resting on the shoulders of every member of the struggling Rockies. It also served as a breath of fresh air for those who have been watching Gonzalez struggle mightily throughout the first six weeks of the season.
The smile on CarGo’s face as he slapped hands with his teammates after John Axford finished off the Dodgers in the 9th inning said it all. The happiness looked like it was nowhere to be found for the Rockies throughout the streak and Gonzalez’s somber look has emphasized how much he was struggling.
When the tarp was pulled over the infield at Dodger Stadium in the top of the 6th inning, it seemed appropriate. The Rockies had brought the rain with them. The dark cloud has been following them since the beginning of May. When the club came back out after an hour and 25 minutes, it seemed like it was going to be the same old Rockies.
After scoring a run, the Rockies loaded the bases, then watched Nick Hundley strike out and DJ LeMahieu also swing and miss to end the threat with just the one run. It felt like the Rockies were going to find another way to lose and continue their streak.
The Rockies aren’t going anywhere in 2015. However, they need to improve. They need to figure out who they are as a team and find a way to get better. The strike outs are extremely concerning. The Rockies struck out 14 times on Thursday night, a trend that is alarming to say the least. They also gave up six walks on the mound. Both trends represent the amount of room the Rockies have for improvement.
The stark contrast between the number of walks the Rockies pitchers give up compared to the number of strikeouts the Rockies pick up at the plate is incredible. The pitchers must get better at attacking the strike zone. This team cannot afford for the starting pitcher to walk nearly one batter per inning. The offense just doesn’t have the firepower to score seven runs per night. The reality is, no offense has that capability.
On the other side of the coin, the Rockies batters must figure out how to take better at-bats. They need to make contact with the baseball, learn to foul off pitches that the can’t drive and figure out when it is important for them to shorten up their swings and make contact. The swings have been very big on offense, and far too big with runners on base and two strikes.
For the Rockies, the great news is that they put a win on the board. It is something that this team hasn’t done in over two weeks. At that point, it wouldn’t have mattered if the Rockies would have won by forfeit, it would have been good enough to break a horrible stretch of baseball and get them off of the mat and back in the right direction.
