With the win over the Philadelphia Phillies in front of a sold-out crowd at Coors Field on Sunday, the Colorado Rockies won their third series of the month. In April the Rockies had only six wins and took no series wins, but May has been a turnaround month that included two series sweeps and a lot of unexpected victories like the beating of the Cleveland Guardians to end their 9-game winning streak. The Rockies are still down in the standings, but these numbers seem to chart a path back to a balanced season and some good baseball.
The upturn in Rockies performance coincided with the injured list placement of Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones, and Kyle Freeland. Bryant has returned, which meant Sean Bouchard had to be sent down to make room for the starter’s return. Bouchard was chosen over Jordan Beck to return to the minors because Beck was still having a terrific showing while Bouchard’s numbers had cooled. Then less than a week later, Beck broke his hand while making a catch and was scheduled for surgery, which resulted in the return of Bouchard to the Rockies’ roster. This kind of continual movement due to injury is nothing new for Rockies fans to see, but it is causing some unexpected roster configurations. In May, those new roster combos gave the Rockies a winning edge, but a whole new wave of movement and injuries will mean the team will look very different going into June.
Despite the starting rotation having a great month, they are facing several adjustments and changes. The Rockies are still not really carrying an Ace in the rotation at this point. Ryan Feltner seemed to be possibly rising to that occasion, but his showing on Tuesday against the Guardians was not Ace worthy. Additionally, Austin Gomber was really starting to show consistent impressive performances, but his surprising replacement due to soreness on Monday by Anthony Molina was not a good sign of things to come.
In May the Rockies have swept the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, won a series off the National League East leading Philadelphia Phillies, and ended the 9-game winning streak of the Guardians. The Rockies have proven they have the pieces to be a contender, but it is hard to predict if June will bring more success given the changes enforced by injuries. Either way, May was a great month of baseball for the Rockies.
