Bleacher Report - Colorado Rockies

Does Roy Oswalt Have Enough Left to Be Rockies' NL West X-Factor?

Josh Schoch — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:05:43 -0400

The Colorado Rockies will call Roy Oswalt up from Double-A back to the MLB on Thursday after completing his rehab, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Official that Oswalt will start Thursday
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) June 18, 2013

After breezing through the minor leagues in his rehab starts, Oswalt is on his way up, according to NBC Sports.

Oswalt made five starts in the minors, throwing 33 innings with a 2.16 ERA and 25/7 K/BB ratio at Double-A, where he was just named the Texas League pitcher of the week. He held opponents to a .211 batting average, but did serve up five homers in five starts.

Oswalt’s most recent outing was 8.1 innings of shutout ball Friday with seven strikeouts versus one walk.

Oswalt will face the Washington Nationals in his first start this year, a team that he has gone 4-4 against with a 3.33 ERA in the last three years.

The timing for Oswalt's return couldn't have been more perfect. He is coming back at a time when the Rockies need him most, as they are half a game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West and are trying to make a push as they head toward the All-Star Break.

Oswalt could play a vital role for the team as it enters a very important part of the season. The Rockies' pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.44 this year, which isn't terrible but it isn't great.

The three-time All-Star can help Colorado in a few ways as it tries to climb up the standings.

First and foremost, Oswalt can win games.

He is just two years removed of his surge in Philly, when he posted an ERA of just 1.74 in 10 starts after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

However, in the last two years Oswalt has dealt with injuries and age. After starting at least 30 games for seven straight seasons from 2004 to 2010, he started 23 in 2011, and just nine in 2012. His stuff was poor in those games too, as his ERA ballooned to 3.69 in 2011 and 5.80 in 2012, not to mention his 1.34 and 1.53 WHIPs, respectively.

At 35 years old, Oswalt is finally back, but he might not be everything the Rockies hope he will be.

Even if Oswalt can't come out and shut hitters down, his most valuable asset is his experience and knowledge.

Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com recently wrote an article about why Oswalt is a great fit for the Rockies, citing his experience in the big leagues.

Oswalt, who has earned $96 million in 12 big league seasons, knows about success. He reached double figures in wins in nine of his first 10 full seasons. He has a 163-96 big league record.

He pitched in the postseason with Houston in 2004 and '05, and with Philadelphia in 2010 and '11. He'd like to add a fifth postseason to his resume in 2013 with Colorado, returning to an NL team after his first AL exposure a year ago.

Oswalt has been around the block a few times, and he has knowledge that the Rockies' pitchers just don't have.

While Jorge De La Rosa and Jeff Francis are 32 years old and have been in the majors for a while, Jhoulys Chacin, Juan Nicasio and Tyler Chatwood are 25, 26 and 23 years old, respectively. These guys haven't been around all that long, and they could definitely benefit from being around a knowledgeable veteran.

The biggest question surrounding Oswalt's return is whether or not he has enough talent and knowledge to help lead the Rockies to the postseason, but it doesn't look good.

We can't expect much out of Oswalt on the mound.

While he dominated Double-A ball, the opponents he faced in Tulsa are a far cry from those in the major leagues, and he will be pitching half of his games in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

The biggest reason why Oswalt won't be enough is the offense.

Led by Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies' offense had been on fire and was carrying the team.

However, Tulo went down with a broken rib and Carlos Gonzalez was hit by a foul ball, taking out both stars in one foul swoop.

While CarGo is back and playing well, Tulo will be out for 4-6 weeks.

With the Arizona Diamondbacks overachieving and the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants hanging around, the west is one of the tightest divisions in baseball, and losing Tulo for this long is essentially a death sentence.

Oswalt will be a nice addition for the Rockies, but don't expect to see them playing in mid-October.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Breaking Down Every Colorado Rockies' Odds of Being Moved

David A. Cucchiara — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:59:43 -0400

We’re approaching the halfway point in the Major League Baseball season and the Colorado Rockies continue to remain in contention, just a half a game behind Arizona in the NL West.

At a record of 37-33, Colorado is exceeding expectations and proving worthy of recognition, even with the injury to All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The Rockies’ pitching staff sits at an unprecedented 4.07 ERA – good for ninth best in the NL – and their offense is impressive, as they rank second in all of baseball in runs scored.

With the trade deadline a little over a month away, it’s beginning to look like the Rockies will look to improve their roster in the present, possibly bolstering their pitching to stay competitive and combat injury.

Here are each Colorado Rockies’ odds of being moved by the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Begin Slideshow

Is Superstar Troy Tulowitzki Forever Doomed to Wear Injury-Prone Moniker?

Jason Catania — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:47:57 -0400

Cal Ripken Jr., he is not.

Like Ripken, Troy Tulowitzki is a big, power-hitting, MVP-caliber shortstop.

As far as staying healthy, though, Tulowitzki and Ripken are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Ripken, of course, was nicknamed Iron Man for his record 2,362 consecutive games played.

Tulowitzki, meanwhile, has done it again in the middle of what was shaping up to be a career season.

Hit the disabled list, that is.

This time—and we say "this" because it's happened on quite a few occasions previously—the Colorado Rockies star is out with a broken rib that, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, he suffered when he made a diving stop on a ground ball Thursday night.

Making matters worse, outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler also left Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals with foot and finger injuries, respectively. They're day-to-day.

Tulowitzki, however, is not. He's expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, per MLB.com.

While there's never a good time for an injury, Tulo's latest ailment is particularly poorly timed, given that the Rockies—maybe baseball's biggest surprise coming off a franchise-worst 98 losses in 2012—are in the thick of the NL West race.

At 35-32 heading into play Saturday, they are only 2.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Prior to the injury, Tulowitzki had played in 61 of the Rockies' 67 games (91 percent), which is rather remarkable given that he's participated in more than 75 percent of games only three times in his six "full seasons."

In all likelihood, Tulo will be held out through the All-Star break, which starts on July 15. Even if he returns for the first game of the second half on July 19, he'll have missed 29 games.

Combined with the six he's already sat out, we're looking at yet another campaign with fewer than 130 games played.

And that's not only assuming best-case scenario here, it's also assuming Tulowitzki doesn't suffer any other injuries this season.

While we're on that topic, here's a gander the laundry list of Tulo's more severe injuries, the ones that required DL time, with data from Baseball Prospectus. Fair warning: It's not for the faint of heart.

What's particularly worrisome about this injury is that it's somewhat reminiscent of what happened to him last season.

You may recall that, initially, the groin injury seemed like it would knock Tulowitzki out for a few weeks, but when he kept having setbacks and couldn't get to full strength, surgery was eventually required to remove scar tissue. Tulo wound up being lost for the season, having played his final game of 2012 on May 30.

Eerily, Tulo's latest ailment happened exactly a year and two weeks later.

This is a different injury altogether, obviously, but Tulowitzki indicated that he'd been feeling pain in his midsection for some time prior to Thursday's injury. That could mean he's out closer to the longer side of the estimate, which would be a month-and-a-half.

Or more.

Aside from what this means to the Rockies and their hopes for 2013, it's now obvious—if it wasn't already—that Tulowitzki must be labeled with the dreaded injury-prone tag.

Which is a shame, given how talented the seventh overall pick in 2005 has been when on the diamond.

To that point, the 28-year-old Tulowitzki ranked in the top 10 in the National League in average (.347), OBP (.413), hits (77), homers (16) and RBI (51), while leading the Senior Circuit in both slugging, at .635, and OPS, at 1.048, through Thursday.

As important as he is to Colorado, he's almost as important to baseball as a whole. Injuries are a part of sports, no doubt, but it's troubling to see one of the game's brightest young stars get cut down time and time again, year after year.

A two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner who also has three top-10 NL MVP finishes, Tulowitzki's talent is undeniable.

Unfortunately, so are his injuries.

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Tulowitzki, Kinsler and More: Why Ribs are the New Black in MLB

Will Carroll — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:13:27 -0400

About a decade ago, I got a text from Peter Gammons. "When did baseball players start having obliques?" Peter knew that players had always had the muscle, but it did seem that we were suddenly seeing more of them injured about that time. This year, it seems to be rib injuries that are the hot new thing in training rooms around the league.

But why?

Anatomically, there's no difference. Ribs are ribs, and we have to assume that in almost all cases, MLB players have normal ribs in structure and strength. The game is also much the same—at least in terms of the stresses that it places on the ribs.

We then have to look at the method of injury in context. For Troy Tulowitzki, he was injured on a diving stop of a grounder while at shortstop. Ian Kinsler injured himself twisting away from an inside pitch at the plate, though many point to an awkward headfirst slide earlier in the game as a possible injury point. Pitcher Jake Peavy of the White Sox is a bit tougher to pin down, as he was lifted early but showed poor velocity all through the last start he made before heading to the DL.

One interesting point on all these is that the diagnosis wasn't simple. In each case, an MRI was necessary, and in both Kinsler and Peavy's case, X-rays were negative. Simple rib fractures—the result of collisions—tend to be very visible on X-rays, so that fact tells us that the fractures are either small or in an unusual location.

There are other rib injuries around the league, with Edwin Nunez of the Yankees and Josh Kinney of the Mariners also listed, but those go less noticed, in large part because they're not All-Star-caliber players like Tulowitzki, Kinsler and Peavy.

In other words, this may well be a cluster of injuries that is noticeable due to the player's visibility and notoriety rather than an increase in the incidence of the injury itself. Looking through my database of injuries, there is only a slight increase over previous seasons. This seems to be random variation, which is typical of traumatic injuries like this.

Last season, there were six ACL sprains in MLB, but this year only two (and one of those was a flukish recurrence). There is almost no known way of preventing these kinds of injuries, so the focus is on reducing the rehab time necessary.

It appears to be much the same way for rib fractures.

Injuries will happen, on dives, odd pitches or strange swings, but it's up to the medical staff to minimize the time lost. Getting Kinsler, Tulowitzki and Peavy back just a week early could have huge implications for their team.

For example, Kinsler has been worth about a win every 20 games played, so a week is worth around one-third of a win. All you have to do is think back to last season's AL West finish to know how valuable that can be.

There is no answer to why there are more rib injuries because, simply put, there really aren't more. Traumatic injuries are inconvenient and unpredictable, even for big stars like these.

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Will Troy Tulowitzki's Rib Injury End Rockies' Chances of Winning NL West?

Josh Schoch — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:51:06 -0400

Troy Tulowitzki is being put on the shelf, and, as he falls out of the lineup, the Colorado Rockies' hopes of winning the NL West slip away.

After breaking his rib in Thursday's loss, Tulo is officially going to be sidelined for at least a month.

#Rockies #LosRockies SS Troy Tulowitzki confirmed to have broken rib. INF Josh Rutledge likely to be called from @skysox
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) June 14, 2013

#Rockies #LosRockies expect SS Trot Tulowitzki to miss 4-6 weeks w/ broken rib on right side.
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) June 14, 2013

As The Denver Post reports, Tulo was injured on a dive for a ground ball.

An MRI Thursday night of Troy Tulowitzki's right side revealed a broken rib, according to two major league sources. Tulowitzki is likely facing a lengthy absence.

Tulowitzki was having difficulty breathing after his injury, pointing to a possible rib or intercostal muscle issue. The two-time All-Star shortstop has been dealing with soreness in the rib area for a few days, but it wasn't serious enough to prevent him from playing.

A broken rib is nothing to mess around with when it comes to baseball, and it can really hurt an elite batter like Tulo.

Because of the torque involved to swing a bat, a serious rib injury could take several weeks to heal before the player is able to play again. Tulowitzki was clearly worried before heading to the hospital, leaving teammates bracing for the worst.

'The ribs have been a lingering problem for him. When he came off the field, it was very evident he was done,' said manager Walt Weiss, admitting he was concerned about a potential extended absence.

The loss of Tulowitzki is a devastating one for the Rockies. He has become more than just a staple of the offense, he has become the best batter in the National League and is/was an early favorite for MVP.

He ranks in the top five in the major batting categories in the NL, ranking second in batting average (.347), third in home runs (16) and third in RBI (52).

Here is a look at Tulo's batting average by pitch location:

Troy Tulowitzki with another HR today for Rockies ...Here's a look at his BA by pitch location this season pic.twitter.com/MFFK94mP34
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 9, 2013

The Rockies were barely hanging on in the NL West race, and it was all thanks to the team's incredible offense. Colorado ranks third in runs, fifth in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage and second in slugging in MLB, but those numbers will likely nosedive with Tulo on the DL.

Unfortunately for the Rockies, the team can't rely on its pitchers to help mitigate the loss of its superstar. The team's top pitcher in just about every category is Jorge De la Rosa, whose 3.49 ERA is less than spectacular.

Unfortunately for the Rockies, Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez are also both day-to-day, as CarGo was hit with a foul ball in Thursday's game.

Now, the Rockies have (likely) fallen from a team contending for a playoff spot to one that is just trying to tread water.

The NL West is very competitive right now, as the Arizona Diamondbacks are overachieving at 37-29, and the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants (34-31) are unlikely to sit behind the Rockies (35-32) for very long.

The Rockies might now be forced to turn to the wild-card spots. However, considering that the three best teams in the NL are all in the Central division, a wild-card spot will not likely be spared for the Rockies.

While it's a bit premature to completely rule the Rockies out, it's going to be an uphill battle for the team, and Rockies fans shouldn't hold their breath.

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Troy Tulowitzki Injury: Updates on Rockies Star's Rib

Alex Ballentine — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:09:11 -0400

The Colorado Rockies will need to find a way to remain competitive without star Troy Tulowitzki for a while, and it appears the shortstop could be out for quite some time.

UPDATE: Friday, June 14, at 4:40 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

According to MLB Roster Moves, Tulowitzki has been placed on the 15-day DL:

---End of Update---

UPDATE: Friday, June 14, at 12:42 a.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to MLB.com's Thomas Harding, Tulowitzki "is expected to miss four to six weeks" with the broken rib that he suffered vs. the Nationals on Thursday.

#Rockies #LosRockies expect SS Trot Tulowitzki to miss 4-6 weeks w/ broken rib on right side.
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) June 14, 2013

---End of update---

UPDATE: Thursday, June 13, at 11:15 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Tulowitzki expressed his disappointment about the injury in a report from Denver Post reporter Troy Renck:

"I'm just really upset, I worked so hard (to get back)," Tulowitzki said in a text to The Post. "I'm in a lot of pain right now; I'm not sure how long (I'll be out).

"It's just an unfortunate thing that happened. I will be back and be even better."

---End of update---

According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, an MRI revealed that Tulowitzki has a broken rib on Thursday.

Tulowitzki exited the field in the eighth inning as the Rockies went on to lose to the Washington Nationals, 5-4. It wasn't a good day for the Rockies, as Carlos Gonzalez was injured earlier in the game when he was struck by a foul ball, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

While Gonzalez is listed day-to-day with a contusion on his foot, it appears this injury will be more serious. And as Renck tweeted, more devastating is that Tulowitzki is a huge part of the Rockies' success both at the plate and in the field.

Hard to overstate tulo's importance. He's team's best hitter and anchors defense. History has not been kind to Rockies when he's out
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) June 14, 2013

Tulowitzki currently leads the Rockies in batting average, on-base percentage and hits. He's also in the top five in the National League in home runs, RBI and batting average.

According to Renck, manager Walt Weiss wasn't clear on who would be the long-term replacement for Tulowitzki if he is forced out of the lineup for an extended period of time. However, Renck lists DJ LeMahieu, Jonathan Herrera and Josh Rutledge (who is currently playing Double-A ball) as possibilities.

The trio has combined to play 102 games for the team this year.

Tulowitzki missed the final four months of last season as he recovered from surgery after an injury to his left groin. The Rockies finished the season in last place in the NL West.

The Rockies are currently second place in the division and just 2.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks—a position that will be difficult to keep without Tulowitzki in the lineup.

Check back with this page for the latest on Tulowitzki's status.

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Carlos Gonzalez Injury: Updates on Rockies Star's Foot

Alex Ballentine — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:29:38 -0400

The Colorado Rockies suffered a serious stroke of misfortune on Thursday afternoon against the Washington Nationals.

UPDATE: Friday, June 14, at 6:12 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to the MLBLineups Twitter, Gonzalez is back in the lineup for Friday night's game:

---End of update---

According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was forced out of the game at Coors Field after sustaining an injury while in the on-deck circle.

Gonzalez was warming up in the bottom of the first inning when a Jordan Pacheco foul ball struck him in the foot. The left fielder was able to leave under his own power and X-rays were negative. However, per Saunders, the team believes that he has a left-foot contusion and will be day-to-day.

Gonzalez was replaced in the lineup by Tyler Colvin, an outfielder who was called up to take over for Jon Garland just five days ago, per the Denver Post.

As the Denver Post Sports observes, Gonzalez's injury was a scary moment for the Rockies:

The Rockies, who are just two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the highly competitive NL West, can breathe easy knowing that he's merely considered day-to-day. It would be a big blow if the prognosis were any more disconcerting than that.

The All-Star is a huge part of one of baseball's most potent offenses. He currently leads the team in home runs with 18 and RBI with 52. He managed just 22 home runs and 85 RBI all of last season, but the 27 missed games definitely limited his production.

Given his battles with knee tendinitis in the past, keeping Gonzalez healthy is a priority for the team's hopes of contention.

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Jonathan Gray: Rockies' No. 3 Overall Pick Gets $4.8 Million Signing Bonus

Chris Stephens — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:59:35 -0400

Jonathan Gray has officially joined the Colorado Rockies after agreeing to a $4.8 million signing bonus on Wednesday. Jim Callis, executive editor of Baseball America, tweeted:

#Rockies sign 1st-rder Jonathan Gray for $4.8 mil. Oklahoma RHP has fastball than can hit 100 mph, wipeout slider. #mlbdraft

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisBA) June 13, 2013

It should be noted that the $4.8 million Gray signed for is well below the $5,626,400 assigned pick value for the No. 3 spot in the draft.

He will start the season in Grand Junction, the Rockies' Rookie league affiliate. He went 10-3 with a 1.64 ERA and 147 strikeouts at Oklahoma this year.

So, what can Rockies fans expect? The first thing is for Gray to make gradual progress this year; he's already pitched 126.1 innings on the year. At most, he'll throw 60 more innings in Grand Junction...if that.

Full Scouting Profile

Gray's Probable Rise Through Minors

Gray is going to get his feet wet this year in rookie ball and will likely finish the year with a start or two at Class-A Tri-City.

Next year will likely see him go through Class-A Asheville, Class-A (Advanced) Modesto and (possibly) Double-A Tulsa at the end of the year. Once his second full season begins in 2015, he'll spend time in Triple-A, with a possible promotion to the big leagues late in the season.

This is all assuming that there are no injuries or hiccups in his development. At the very latest, Gray should be in the big leagues to begin the 2016 season. Even with success at every stop, the biggest question will be if he can succeed as a power pitcher at Coors Field.

If and when Gray makes it to the big leagues, will he suffer the same fate as Ubaldo Jimenez, and others before him?

I guess we'll get to debate that question until the day Jonathan Gray makes his debut in Colorado.

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