3 years ago
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As the Rockies play retired the season, Sam Hilliard finds himself nether the microscope. He’s conscionable good with that.
“I person been getting a batch of playing clip since I’ve been backmost up, a accidental to amusement what I tin do,” Hilliard said Thursday earlier starting successful halfway tract against the Giants astatine San Francisco. “I’ve ever been of the sentiment that what was holding maine backmost was constricted reps. It’s a hard (thing), but a batch of guys person to spell done it. But I consciousness a batch much assured with reps I’ve been getting. And it’s been fun.”
Since getting recalled from Triple-A connected July 16, Hilliard slashed .281/.352/.625 with six location runs, 4 doubles and 12 RBIs successful 22 games, entering Thursday. He deed his career-high eighth homer of the play Sunday vs. Miami and blasted 4 location runs successful six games from Aug. 1-8.
It’s been an encouraging agelong for a Rockies squad that’s looking to beef up its inconsistent offense. And arsenic the Rockies look toward 2022, they request to cognize conscionable what they’ve got successful players specified arsenic Connor Joe, Yonathan Daza and Garrett Hampson. But of each of the players nether crisp scrutiny, it’s Hilliard whose endowment is astir tantalizing.
He stands 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, yet helium runs similar the upwind and gobbles up crushed successful halfway astatine Coors Field. A left-handed hitter, helium has the benignant of earthy powerfulness that makes hitting homers into the 2nd platform look graceful and easy. He launched a monster 465-foot homer past week against the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta, the third-longest homer deed by a Rockie this season, down lone Ryan McMahon and Trevor Story.
But Hilliard has a batch of enactment to bash if he’s going to fulfill his potential. First connected his to-do database is cutting down his strikeouts. He’s struck retired successful 35.5% of his at-bats this season, and his vocation strikeout complaint is 33.4%. That fig is down to 28.1% since his July call-up, but it’s inactive excessively high.
“It starts with his swing,” manager Bud Black said. “His plaything is simply a small spot much compact present and it’s a small shorter and much nonstop to the ball. That’s thing that helium has to proceed to enactment on.
“He has to proceed to enactment connected putting the shot successful play. And we person seen a much concentrated effort to bash that, adjacent with 2 strikes. Sam, with his strength, if helium conscionable puts the shot successful play more, I deliberation the mean volition climb.”
Hilliard believes he’s connected the close track.
“I judge I tin springiness america the benignant of accordant discourtesy that volition assistance america win,” Hilliard said. “Most of all, it’s astir shortening my plaything and shortening my stride a small bit.
“I’m a agelong feline and I person agelong levers, truthful I’m conscionable shortening my plaything arsenic overmuch arsenic I can. I judge I’m connected my mode to getting the astir retired of the plaything that I have. That’s conscionable astir cleaning up immoderate things.”
Hilliard has talked rather a spot astir the intelligence broadside of his crippled and however helium struggled erstwhile helium was sent backmost to Triple-A Albuquerque aft helium came retired of the big-league gross hitting .108 (3-for-34).
“That wasn’t me,” Hilliard said. “It was idiosyncratic other who was down successful the dumps.”
Black, however, believes that the solution to Hilliard’s struggles is much carnal than mental.
“I cognize he’s mentioned the intelligence portion of it, but for me, it’s physical, due to the fact that the plaything has to change,” Black said. “And it has been changing.”
Pitch designation is besides thing Hilliard is moving on.
“The breaking shot has fixed him a hard time,” Black said. “The high-velocity fastball gives a batch of players trouble, particularly if it’s located well. But I deliberation with Sam, breaking-ball designation has to amended arsenic well.”
Rodgers inactive out. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers, deed by a transportation successful his close manus successful Saturday’s crippled against Miami, was retired of the lineup for the 4th consecutive crippled Thursday. Black said that Rodgers’ manus is inactive sore and that squad trainers are trying to get the swelling down.
The wounded interrupted Rodgers’ blistery streak. He extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games connected Saturday earlier leaving the game. The streak is the second-longest progressive streak successful the majors and longest successful the National League. He’s hitting .362 (21-for-58) with 4 location runs, 4 doubles and 1 triple during the streak.
“I would similar to deliberation he’s adjacent (to returning), I’d similar to deliberation tomorrow,” Black said. “But he’s day-to-day.”
On Deck
Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (9-6, 3.79) astatine Giants RHP Anthony DeSclafani (10-5, 3.28)
7:45 p.m. Friday, Oracle Park
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
Gomber was bully again successful his past start, striking retired a career-high 9 implicit six scoreless innings against Miami astatine Coors Field. The left-hander is 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA successful 8 location starts but has been little effectual connected the road, going 4-5 with a 5.40 ERA successful 11 starts. He’s been bully and atrocious astatine Oracle Park this season. On April 9, helium held the Giants to 2 runs implicit 6 1/3 innings, but connected April 26, the Giants ripped him for 9 runs successful conscionable 1 2/3 innings. DeSclafani is scheduled to instrumentality from the injured database Friday. He’s been connected IL since Aug. 4 due to the fact that of close enarthrosis fatigue. He was pitching poorly, posting a 6.63 ERA and 1.47 WHIP implicit his anterior 4 starts. In his past start, against Arizona connected Aug. 2, DeSclafani allowed 5 runs (four earned) connected 7 hits and a locomotion with 5 strikeouts successful 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander served up 8 homers successful his past 7 starts aft giving up conscionable 8 successful his archetypal 15 starts. In 5 vocation starts vs. the Rockies, the right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA.
Trending: While astir of his teammates person struggled to deed connected the road, close fielder Charlie Blackmon has done well. Entering Thursday night’s game, his .292 roadworthy batting mean led the Rockies and was tied for 13th successful the NL. In his past 28 roadworthy games (since May 30), he’s hitting .327, the highest roadworthy mean successful the National League crossed that span.
At issue: The Rockies were unopen retired for the 14th time
on Tuesday astatine Houston, each connected the road, the astir shutouts successful the majors and the astir successful franchise history. They were held to 5 oregon less hits successful 13 of those shutouts, the astir scoreless games connected the roadworthy with 5 oregon less hits since the 1972 Texas Rangers had 15 specified games.
Pitching probables
Saturday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (3-6, 4.65) astatine Giants RHP Johnny Cueto (7-6, 3.89), 7:05 p.m., ATTRM
Sunday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (7-8, 3.85) astatine LHP Alex Wood (9-3, 4.03), 2:05 p.m, ATTRM
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