Top 3 Issues The Rockies Face Going Into June
DENVER (CBS4) – Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez has found his way out of his slump but the Colorado Rockies have not. Denver Post's Nick Groke stopped by CBS4 studios to talk about the issues the Rockies face going into June while the team tries to avoid another summer slide.
The East Coast road trip proved to be tough for the Rockies, and then they faced the NL West leading San Francisco Giants on their first series back home. They came out of that stretch with just four wins. Colorado has a 23-27 record going into Tuesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds and are 7.5 games back of the Giants. But Groke doesn't think it's time to worry about the annual summer swoon just yet.
"You can hold that off just a little bit longer … it was a difficult stretch, they played the Red Sox – the best team in the AL right now – and then they played the Giants, who are one of the best two teams in the NL right now. It was a difficult stretch for the Rockies. In the last month or so … they've played basically all playoff teams and they're 11-12," Groke said. "That's not great, but it's not horrible. They didn't drown … now they're in a position to just tread water a little bit."
The following are the top issues the Rockies face as the move into June, according to Groke:
Starting Pitching
Chad Bettis, Tyler Chatwood and rookie Jon Gray have been decent on the mound for the Rockies, but they need five starting pitchers. So how do you survive the summer if you can't get five quality starters?
"That's the question they ask themselves every season it seems like," Groke said.
He said Chris Rusin is currently the Rockies' best option as the No. 5 starter.
"He gives them a chance to win. He's not going to blow anybody away, but he gives them a chance to win," Groke said.
The problem with the rotation has been the poor performance of Jorge De La Rosa, who the team was counting on to have a good season.
"He just is not working right now as a starter and it's better for him to be in relief," Groke said.
Groke said later in the season it's possible the Rockies will call up some prospects who have been performing well in the minors.
"Jeff Hoffman is in Albuquerque right now; he's just mowing everybody down. Maybe we'll see him, but the key for them is that they don't want to rush him too early … they'll wait to make it's just right for him to come up."
Groke said bringing up Gray last season might have been a good move to get him acclimated into the big leagues because this season he's much better.
"He won in Boston; a very difficult place to play at Fenway Park. He did really well … he's settled in, he's much more relaxed on the mound … every time he pitches they know they can win behind him."
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Trevor Story
Can Trevor Story maintain his pace after bursting onto the scene? He's cooled off after his torrid debut but still is putting up good numbers.
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"The first thing he needs to do is play defense, and he's done that very well. If he stops playing defense and then we'll have to maybe think about it. The home runs will come, they have not stopped yet," Groke said. "He's striking out too much, he's going to finish with more than 200 strikeouts if he's not careful this season, which is a lot."
Groke said Story is way ahead of schedule as a major league shortstop.
"People are already talking about whether he's All-Star worthy – he might be. Those expectations are a lot more than what they were going into the season, so he's well ahead of schedule."
Jose Reyes
Shortstop Jose Reyes is eligible to return to the team on Wednesday after serving a suspension for violation of MLB's domestic violence policy. He will likely spend two weeks in the minors on a rehab assignment before joining the team – if he isn't traded. There's been speculation the Rockies could flat-out release Reyes after his suspension is complete.
Groke said he has no idea what the Rockies are going to do with Reyes.
"I don't know if they know, to be honest, because what's difficult is they owe him a lot of money – they owe him $15 million this season and they owe him $41 million over the next two seasons. He's a better option as a backup infielder now than what they have, but do you want him as a backup infielder? They can't take Trevor Story out of the starting lineup … that would be a huge mess if they did that."
Groke said Reyes still has some value as a player.
"Maybe they find a spot for him where he can contribute and maybe if they're in a position to win down the stretch he's maybe the guy who makes a difference off the bench."
