The annual spoiler article (plus Pebble Report)

purplerow.com

18 September 2023

The annual spoiler article (plus Pebble Report)

Three weeks ago, the Colorado Rockies managed to lose six straight games when leading or tied in the sixth innings or later in each of them. The streak of bullpen chaos actually extended to seven games, but the club was able to squeak out a win in the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles to snap their losing streak.

That stretch mainly consisted of games against Baltimore and the Tampa Bay Rays – two teams that are battling for the American League East division crown. Both beat up the Rockies to a considerable degree, bypassing Colorado’s opportunity to play spoiler in that particular race.

That trend continued as the Rockies dropped their next four series after that AL East swing, all against playoff hopeful teams. Two of those series came against NL West foes in the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants, a stretch where they lost five-of-six games.

As the losses piled up, it appeared more-and-more likely that Colorado was going to be little more than a doormat for the playoff hopefuls on the remaining schedule. That all changed over the past week, though, as the Rockies have finally flipped the script and put together a tidy five-game winnings streak that was finally snapped in an 11-10 loss on Sunday.

That five-game streak has come at the expense of the Chicago Cubs and Giants, causing significant pandemonium in the National League Wild Card race in the past week.

The Cubs and Giants took major hits to their playoff odds when each was able to come out of Coors Field with just one win. It got worse for Chicago as they dropped three-straight games against Arizona following their matchup with the Rockies. They entered the week two-games ahead of the Snakes for the second Wild Card spot, but finished it a half-game behind the Miami Marlins for the third and final playoff spot.

The Giants were able to tread water some during this stretch thanks to Chicago’s terrible, no good week and lost just a half-game in the standings. They were lept by the Cincinnati Reds, however, who – along with the Marlins – have greatly benefited from Colorado’s recent success. Each gained 1.5 games in the standings and are very much in the thick of the race with two weeks remaining.

With their last winning season deep in the rearview mirror, the Colorado Rockies and their fans have been accustomed to embracing the role of spoiler to bring meaning to the final stretch of the season. Whether because of schedule or just poor performance, it doesn’t always work out that way. But, sometimes it does.

With this past week, Colorado has at least thrown another wrench in the gears of the playoff picture. But it doesn’t necessarily end there as they still have a three-game road series against the Cubs which should still hold major Wild Card implications. After that, they will host the Los Angeles Dodgers with a possibility to deny them home-field advantage in the playoffs before finishing with an odd interleague series against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins currently sit seven-games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the American League Central and may roll into Colorado with a playoff berth already clinched…or could be on life-support with much-needed wins on the line to finish the year.

It may not be the most invigorating baseball for Rockies fans, but there’s still plenty of meaningful games on the horizon in Colorado’s remaining schedule. If the team is able to give the competition a fight like they did over the past week, there may be a few worthwhile moments left before Colorado’s 2023 season is done.

★ ★ ★

It was a wild night on Friday evening as starter Chase Anderson twirled seven no-hit innings and the Rockies entered the home stretch of possibly achieving their first no-hitter at Coors Field...while losing. Trailing 1-0, the Rockies were able to tie the game and carried the no-no into the ninth before J.D. Davis broke up the bid with a double to left-field. It was still a happy ending as Elehuris Montero delivered a walk-off single to bring home the winning runs in a 3-2 victory.

After surrendering an eight-run seventh inning, the Rockies seemed dead in the water on Sunday. They would rally late, however, but ultimately fall short in an 11-10 loss. Sparking the rally was Hunter Goodman, who hit a two-run, 437 ft. homer to left-center field for his first MLB home run.

★ ★ ★

Pebble Report: September 11 - 17, 2023

It was a quiet week for the farm system as no affiliate will be making the playoffs and the higher levels are finishing out the string. The big news came in the announcement of Arizona Fall League participants, with Benny Montgomery and Jaden Hill expected to suit up for the Salt River Rafters in October. Both products of the 2021 draft, Hill and Montgomery are earmarked as future big-league contributors and a strong showing in the AFL in 2023 could significantly impact their development timeline moving forward.

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (5-1, 65-79 overall)

The Isotopes received solid performances from their rotation in the penultimate series of the 2023 season in El Paso (SDP). Noah Davis tossed seven innings with just two runs allowed, Jeff Criswell struck out six over five innings with three runs permitted and Tanner Gordon punched-out five in six innings with only two across the plate. Coco Montes led the way offensively with eight hits and a .381/.480/.619 slash-line in five games while Jimmy Herron slugged two home runs, two doubles, scored nine runs and drove-in seven on his way to a 1.077 OPS.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (2-3, 57-76 overall)

Six different Yard Goats’ hitters went deep in the final series of the year on the road in Portland (BOS). One of them was Jordan Beck, who put together the best offensive week with a .333/.400/.556 slash-line and team-high six hits in five games. Carson Palmquist threw six innings with just one run permitted while Joe Rock twirled the best start of the week, striking out ten in five shutout innings with just two hits and a walk allowed.

★ ★ ★