This is the first 5-game winning streak Colorado Rockies fans have seen since September of 2023. It began with an overwhelming win against the San Francisco Giants. Then this winning streak blossomed into the Rockies first series win this season with a sweep of the World Series defending champion, Texas Rangers. Now the winning streak has gone on to include a defeat of the San Diego Padres, who are currently the second-best team in the National League West with a 22-22 record. Basically, things have come together in a way for the Rockies that are producing wins. How can the Rockies sustain this kind of success?
Charlie Blackmon is not only the face of this club, but he also seems to be the spirit because whatever way Chuck Nazty’s batting goes so goes the team. Blackmon was in a slump for three weeks and so was the team. In Spring Training this year, Blackmon showed a respectable .383/.408/.574 with a .982 OPS. Those numbers included two homeruns and six RBIs, which filled everyone with confidence that Blackmon had another good season left in him. Then Blackmon’s numbers started to slump just a couple weeks into the season, and it seemed like there may have been too much expectation. However, the clutch hitting that Blackmon has demonstrated in this winning series reaffirms that he has what it takes to give the Rockies a strong DH in the top of the order.
Brenton Doyle is really starting to stand out as a key player in the Rockies strategy. In centerfield, Doyle is making critical catches at the wall and running down shallow bloops for the outs. He has emerged as a significant part of the Rockies defense in his second year in the majors. The beauty is that Doyle is also a threat on offense. Doyle is a dependable hitter for the second half of the order with 41 hits out of 40 games played, but his magic is in his action on the basepaths. Doyle is consistently turning singles into stolen bases and scoring positions. If Doyle is on the bags, there is a constant threat that he is going improve on any opportunity to get himself home.
The starting rotation has also delivered the needed holds early in the last five games to give the Rockies a chance to start some momentum without having to work from a first or second inning deficit. That kind of consistent showing from the starters is a foundation that is allowing other pieces to work their way into place.
Veterans like Jake Cave and Brendan Rodgers are also being fired up by the team’s recent success. Fans are seeing more diving catches and unexpected defensive showings from these veterans that seem to be inspired by the young performers, like Ezequiel Tovar, and it seems to be inspiring them right back. The Rockies are enjoying reliable leadership from their veteran players and consistent enthusiasm from the rookies.
After five wins in a row, and one full cycle through the starting rotation, there seems to be a coalescing of synergy taking shape. The belief that there was a winning formula within Bud Black’s vision of the 2024 team is starting to earn some attention. Now, at only 14 games back, the Rockies have a tough road ahead, but it finally looks like they have figured out how to play to each other’s strengths for this 2024 season.
