It’s been a common theme for the 2015 Colorado Rockies.
The starter goes out and gives up a few runs early and the offense is forced to play catch-up all night long as the starter continues to slowly give up runs.
On Monday night in Oakland, David Hale gave up four 1st inning runs on two, two-run home runs. In a pitcher’s park like Oakland, the Rockies were essentially done before the sun had a chance to set over the bay. Fortunately for the Rockies, Hale’s rough outing wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t make through the 4th or 5th inning. Hale was able to dig in and get through seven innings.
The fact is, for the Rockies, part of growing up and becoming a team that is respectable, is bridging the gap from the really bad years to some better years. With a farm system depleted from years of poor drafts and bad development, the Rockies are going to be forced to have guys like Hale take the mound. That isn’t to say that Hale shouldn’t be on a big league roster, he is clearly talented. However, in a perfect scenario, he would probably be refining his game at Triple-A before being forced to learn on the job.
The problem for the Rockies, however, is that they don’t have the depth at the minor league level to allow Hale to iron out the wrinkles in games that don’t matter. The point where the Rockies are currently at requires every single member of the team to contribute in a significant way. It would require Hale to pitch to his potential, guys like Eddie Butler and even Tyler Matzek to not have their struggles and pitch like seasoned veterans instead of the young pitchers that they are.
The game on Monday night wasn’t one that would convince a non-baseball fan to start following the sport. There was nothing exciting or thrilling about it. The reality is, the Rockies gave the game away early and the A’s didn’t truly do anything exciting themselves, beyond hitting three home runs. It was a game that the Rockies were never in and the A’s never made any mistakes to help the Rockies crawl back.
The Rockies can’t overcome their road woes against the American League. They have lost 14 straight on the road against the junior circuit. For whatever reason, the Rockies can’t seem to figure out how to win when they have a designated hitter in the lineup. That should make their potent offense even better. Yet, it also makes it that much more difficult to pitch when the opposing team doesn’t have an easy out in the nine-hole.
The Rockies season is rapidly approaching the point of no return. No rational person expected the Rockies to contend, but there was some hope that the team would put forth enough effort and growth that they would be at least be taken seriously as July rolled around. Instead, the Rockies look like they are at the point where they are playing out the string of games before the season hits the halfway point.
For the Rockies, they must find a way to continue to grow as the season reaches the midway point. They have to utilize the time to iron out the wrinkles and refine their overall game. The only way for the Rockies to improve and truly become a respectable team in 2016 is for them to have goals that don’t necessarily involve wins and losses for the remainder of the season. They must raise the standards for themselves and not accept excuses.
The 2015 team has shown growth, but they must continue to play hard every day and not accept losing.
The Rockies have the talent to compete, but they must get to the point where they are comfortable and confident that they can beat anyone on any given day.
