Already 81 games into the 2017 season, the Colorado Rockies have followed the years-long tradition of blessing their fans with incredibly high highs and dragging them through unbearably low lows. This team, however, seems different than the Rockies of old.
This past week and a half, the Rockies hit the lowest valley of their season to date, but if we’re being honest, we all knew it would happen eventually.
At some point, we all have to come down from our highs. That’s just the game that is life, and baseball is no exception to that rule.
Just 11 days ago, this squad hit the Mount Everest in its season of many Himalayan (read: altitudinous) peaks when its golden boy, Nolan Arenado, made a little history not only for himself, but for his teammates.
After starting off the day with one of the seldom-seem triples by the living, breathing highlight reel that is Arenado, the reigning two-time Silver Slugger secured the next two hits needed to get within one last, important step needed before completing a walk-off cycle. It was only the eighth cycle in team history, and it capped a 14-4 run to start the month of June.
Just 11 days ago, the Rockies held the first-place spot in baseball’s toughest division over the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Oh, what a difference 11 days makes.
During one of the toughest stretches of their road schedule, one that is still ongoing, the Rockies dropped eight straight games and subsequently entered the danger zone. Now 47-31, the Rockies sit in third place in the National League West, 4.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers. They head next to Arizona, who they are two games behind at the moment.
All good teams go through rough patches through a six-month, 162-game marathon such as this. No team is perfect, not even the Golden State Warriors of last season, and that team went 73-9.
Remember the Chicago Cubs, the team that went on that historic run last year to secure the pennant? Even they lost 15 out of 20 games at one point last season, from June 20 to July 9. Although their season seemed to hollow out by that point, they didn’t let that stop them.
Neither will the Rockies.
Before even reaching the midway mark of the season on Wednesday this week, the Rockies built up the best record to this point in franchise history. And they did it with a slew of injuries plaguing their starting lineup. Let’s review.
Ian Desmond fractured his left hand.
Jon Gray fractured his left foot.
Tony Wolters got a concussion.
Trevor Story hurt his shoulder. So did Adam Ottavino.
Tyler Anderson needs arthroscopic knee surgery.
Gerardo Parra strained his right quad.
Tom Murphy fractured his forearm.
David Dahl (remember him?) continues to be tortured by a finicky stress fracture in his rib.
Chad Bettis did not return as quickly as hoped from cancer treatment.
Carlos Gonzalez is battling a right shoulder strain and the worst first half of his career.
The point is that with all this adversity they’ve faced in an otherwise great season, whether it’s a plethora of injuries or a lengthy losing streak, this team is going to be fine. Jon Gray is on his way back, and a lot of the aforementioned injury victims are working back to full strength within the organization as you’re reading this.
The key in all of this, of course, will rely on the stamina and resiliency of the Rockies’ extraordinarily young starting rotation. While the last week hasn’t been encouraging on that front, there’s still plenty of baseball left to be played, and plenty of time for these guys to rediscover their stuff.
So take a deep breath, Rockies fans, we have a long way to go until Rocktober, for better or for worse. But for now, just put your faith in the magic that Jeff Bridich and the rest of the front office has built this year.
It ain’t over yet.
