Rockies’ home run drought remains a major problem

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One of the frustrating themes of the Rockies’ season: Failure to launch.

Yes, archetypal baseman C.J. has smacked 21 location runs, 7 of them coming successful August. That’s provided a boost. The 14 homers disconnected the bat of catcher Elias Diaz person been a bonus.

But see these stats arsenic the Rockies entered their three-game bid astatine Chicago against the Cubs:

* Infielder Ryan McMahon deed his 16th location tally connected June 15. Since then, he’s deed lone two, 1 successful July and 1 successful August.

* Shortstop Trevor Story has 16 homers, putting him connected gait to deed 22, which would beryllium the fewest for a afloat play successful his career. As a rookie successful 2016, helium deed 27 successful conscionable 97 games earlier his play ended due to the fact that of a thumb injury.

* Right fielder Charlie Blackmon, present 35, has deed lone 9 homers and projects to deed conscionable 13. That’s rather a measurement down from the 32 helium deed successful 2019.

* Overall, the Rockies person deed 135 homers, ranking 23rd successful the majors. They’ve deed 90 astatine location (fifth-most) but lone 45 connected the roadworthy (30th) and are connected gait to deed conscionable 62 distant from Coors Field, which would beryllium their fewest connected the roadworthy successful a afloat play since 2002 (55).

In an epoch erstwhile putting the shot implicit the partition counts for a lot, the Rockies request much popular successful their lineup. Manager Bud Black is good aware.

“I bash cognize that powerfulness plays, and teams that person had palmy seasons, successful this time and age, request the location run,” Black said Monday. “In the years that we person won, since I’ve been here, there’s been a bully magnitude of homers.”

Especially connected the road. When the Rockies made the playoffs successful 2017, Black’s archetypal twelvemonth connected the job, they deed 82 homers connected the road. The 2018 squad that came 1 triumph abbreviated of winning the National League West rubric deed 91 roadworthy homers.

It’s nary coincidence that successful the lone 3 years successful which the Rockies posted a winning grounds connected the roadworthy — 2009 (92 homers) and 2017 and ’18 — they did a bully occupation of launching agelong balls.

McMahon is having a comparatively coagulated season, slashing .267/.338/.460 with 63 RBIs, but helium admits he’s frustrated by his location tally drought.

“I deliberation my plaything is getting a small agelong and I’m getting a small tired,” McMahon said anterior to Monday night’s game. “I’m not snapping the tube similar I usually tin do.

“Honestly, I’m conscionable grinding. I’m starting to enactment unneurotic bully at-bats and bash what the squad needs maine to do. I’m not conscionable saying that due to the fact that it’s the close answer. It’s the truth. But yeah, I’d similar to deed much location runs. I cognize that we deed location runs, our grounds is beauteous good.”

McMahon is close astir that. When Colorado hits astatine slightest 1 homer, its grounds is 45-29. When it hits 2 oregon more, the grounds is 26-8. But erstwhile the Rockies neglect to deed a homer, they are 12-38. And it can’t beryllium forgotten that the Rockies person been unopen retired 15 times, with each of those games coming connected the road.

Looking toward 2022, Black envisions infielder Brendan Rodgers, McMahon, Blackmon and Diaz arsenic powerfulness producers. He said helium hopes outfielder Sam Hilliard tin proviso immoderate pop, but said that won’t hap until Hilliard cuts down connected his 37.7% strikeout rate.

Cron has launched 17 homers astatine Coors Field but conscionable 4 connected the road. Still, helium has fantabulous earthy powerfulness and is simply a unsafe hitter. The occupation is, he’s scheduled to go a escaped agent, and though the Rockies are funny successful re-signing him, different teams volition besides travel calling.

Story, who deed 37 homers successful 2018 and 35 successful ’19, is lone 28. He seems apt to get backmost connected way adjacent year. The occupation for the Rockies is that Story is scheduled to go a escaped cause and this is astir surely his last play successful Colorado.

All of this means that the Rockies amended motion a large bat oregon marque a woody during the offseason if they privation to adhd oomph to their offense.

Injury updates. Left fielder Raimel Tapia tested his sprained large toed again Monday, taking aboriginal batting practice, moving the bases and going done agility drills astatine Wrigley Field. Black said Tapia could statesman a insignificant league rehab duty this week.

Right-handed reliever Jordan Sheffield (strained lat) has pitched successful 3 simulated games and is present successful Arizona wherever he’ll transportation successful Arizona Complex League games arsenic helium prepares to instrumentality to the Rockies.

Outfielder Yonathan Daza’s lacerated thumb is inactive healing and helium inactive has it bandaged. Black said determination is nary timetable for Daza’s instrumentality but added that helium volition request a insignificant league rehab duty earlier rejoining the big-league club.