Rockies frustrations boiling over after latest rough stretch
It appears the other shoe has dropped on the Colorado Rockies season. After playing respectable baseball and hanging around .500 deep into May, the Rockies have now lost 12 of 16 overall, including four of their last five to the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres.
Those are the teams they must beat if they’re hoping to be relevant at any point beyond June. Instead, they’ve been thoroughly outplayed. A troubling sign for a team with no margin for error, and perhaps the most troubling sign came on Friday, when they were wiped out 4-0 by San Diego.
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You know, the same Padres team that was just called “miserable failures” by one of their own top executes.
It’s no wonder frustrations are beginning to boil over for some Rockies players. Nolan Arenado, who many see as the face of the franchise, seems to be the most frustrated. He let loose with a dugout tirade during Friday’s game that he insists was directed at no one in particular, but he seemed to have pitcher Chris Rusin and catcher Nick Hundley in his cross heirs.
The outburst came moments after Matt Kemp drilled a first-inning fastball for a three-run home run.
“Just frustrated, just losing gets kind of old,” Arenado said of his explosion. “I’m frustrated with myself. I wasn’t yelling at Hundley. I was just yelling in general. Frustration got the best of me. If I was going to do it, I probably should’ve done it in the tunnel.
“I got frustrated. I let it out. The boys know I love them. … Matt Kemp hit the homer, but I wasn’t yelling at Rus — Rus competed his butt off today. I’m very proud of him.”
Arenado’s outburst has been met with mixed reactions. In Colorado, fans are just happy to see they’re not the only ones sick of the losing, even if Arenado’s explosion was ill-timed. Elsewhere, Arenado has been criticized for making the scene in public. It’s a fine line, but the daily grind of baseball has a way of bringing those emotions out.
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The Rockies were able to hold their emotions in check for the reminder of the game, but still looked miserable on the field. Perhaps their most embarrassing moment was allowing Melvin Upton Jr. to swipe home plate right under their noses.
With that said, there’s a chance Colorado could turn this negative energy into a positive. To do that though, they’ll have to be a team focused on attention to details and execution. Right now, they’re a million miles away. from being that team with any consistency.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
