Over the weekend, Bud Black was asked, more than once, about a major upcoming milestone. That is, passing the late Don Baylor for the second-most wins among Rockies managers in franchise history.
Black deftly danced around the topic and told anecdotes about pitching to Baylor during his playing days.
“I think I hit Baylor more than any player I faced,” Black said. “He was a tough guy. He stood right on top of the plate and never moved!”
Sunday, when the Rockies held on to beat the Mets, 11-10, in a Coors Field hit parade, Black notched the 441st win of his Colorado career, moving him past Baylor. Clint Hurdle, who led the Rockies to their only World Series in 2007, leads the list with 534 wins.
Black, who led the Rockies to the playoffs in 2017-18 — the only back-to-back playoff seasons in club history — has a 441-483 regular-season record, good for a .477 winning percentage, ranking third. Jim Tracy (294-308, .488) ranks first, followed by Baylor (440-469, .484).
Sunday, Black was eager to talk about how his team has emerged from a terrible April to win seven of its last 10 series.
“Our guys are rallying around each other,” Black said. “It’s really a good group of guys who understand their role. We have really started to play better baseball in all three phases.”
Grichuk sizzles. Outfielder Randal Grichuk, who opened the season on the injured list after undergoing surgery to repair a bilateral hernia, has been a hot hitter since being reinstated from the injured list April 29. Grichuk is slashing .366/.424/.512. Although he’s hit just one home run, Grichuk has been a big part of Colorado’s resurgence.
Sunday, he hit 3 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs, his third three-hit game of the season and third multi-hit game of the homestand. Grichuk batted 9 for 21 (.429) with four doubles over six games during the homestand.
“Our winning has sort of coincided with his return,” Black said. “He got off to a really great start and his on-base percentage is about 50 points above his career average. That’s solid. I still think the homer is in there. There have been homers in his past, so I think there are homers in his future.”
Footnotes. Rookie center fielder Brenton Doyle Doyle, who sustained a bruised right knee when he crashed into the center-field wall on Thursday trying to rob the Marlins’ Jorge Soler of a home run, was inserted into the lineup as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning Sunday. Doyle said he expects to be back in the starting line “in the next couple of days.” … Right-hander Dinelson Lamet, who made three encouraging starts while rehabbing his sore lower back at Triple-A Albuquerque, was back in the Rockies clubhouse Sunday. He’s expected to be activated and is the probable starter for Colorado’s game at Arizona on Wednesday. … Veteran first baseman C.J. Cron (sore lower back) has begun doing light baseball activities but there is no timetable for him to come off the IL. He’s begun light running and has also done some hitting drills in the indoor batting cage. He was placed on the IL on May 15.
Monday’s Pitching Matchup
Rockies RHP Karl Kauffman (0-2, 9.35 ERA) at Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-2, 5.02)
2:10 p.m. Monday, Chase Field
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Kaufmann is learning on the job and it hasn’t been an easy task. He’s pitched 4 1/3 innings in each of his first two big-league starts. He’s handled hitters pretty well the first time through the order but then gets tagged. In eight starts at Triple-A Albuquerque, he was 2-3 with a 7.78 ERA. Nelson didn’t factor into the decision in Arizona’s 4-3 win over the Phillies on Tuesday but pitched well, allowing one run on three hits over six innings. He struck out four without walking a batter. Nelson has given up two earned runs or less in three of his four starts in May. He’s faced the Rockies just once in his career, on April 30 at Coors Field, when he was ripped for six runs on nine hits over four innings in Colorado’s 12-4 victory.
Pitching probables
Tuesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-5, 3.86) at Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (6-2, 2.97), 7:40 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Dinelson Lamet (1-1, 12.66 ERA) at Diamondbacks TBA, 7:40 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Rockies RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 1.31) at Diamondbacks Zach Davies (0-1, 5.68), 1:40 p.m., ATTRM
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