Baseball is timeless and the Rockies are shameless. It didn’t take long to draw this conclusion (again) during the bottom of seventh inning Wednesday. Watching the game vs. the Astros, the question wasn’t whether the Rockies would lose, but exactly how sloppy their play would become.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, a lighthouse in a storm of incompetence this season, lost focus, failing to give way to the center fielder on a popup that dropped for a single, then throwing home on a ground ball when there was clearly no play. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers chunked a throw on a routine double play and then the umpire nailed Michael Toglia for blocking first base on a snapback toss from catcher Jacob Stallings.
The latter call was beyond suspect but fit in perfectly with the fabric of the performance.
Former Colorado manager Clint Hurdle often said that the big leagues are not a try-hard league, but a do-good league. When does this apply to the current Rockies? They want to be evaluated on their effort. When will owner Dick Monfort hold the front office and coaches accountable for results?
The Rockies woke up Saturday 6-19 in June. Worst in the big leagues this month. Their team ERA during this stretch is 6.71, also the basement.
Everyone in the majors works hard. Coaches, players, trainers. Punching the clock is the baseline, like seeing fog in the mirror when you breathe. It is not enough to show up on time, roll up your sleeves and sign autographs for fans.
There has to be logic and a rubric to measure progress.
This season there has been none. The Rockies arrived at the midpoint of the year Friday on pace for 54 wins. This number would not matter if the roster was littered with young players, the season sacrificed for their development. But where are the prospects? Tovar is a star. Then who? Toglia has flashed power, but is a career .188 hitter with 139 strikeouts in 372 at-bats, outfielder Jordan Beck got hurt, and Adael Amador reminded me more of utilityman Jonathan Herrera than Tovar in his espresso in the big leagues this month. Maybe catcher Drew Romo shows he belongs in August, and outfielder Zac Veen arrives and rakes in September.
The promise those two represent — and throw in Amador — is the only thing currently standing between this season and complete embarrassment.
In the end it was a landslide for Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. He won his first MVP award easily, notching 137 of the 194 first-place votes. Nobody goes downhill on the ice like Nate the Great. The only thing missing from his resume is a second Stanley Cup title. …
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Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
