A Rocky Recovery

Regardless of how alright the Rockies are doing right now, it's amazing to see Chad Bettis surging again after his cancer scare last year. The guy's a talented enough pitcher, and he's a breath of experience in a mostly-youth-based rotation. And yes, Kyle Freeland is slightly more of a standout here, but Bettis is durable, and can stymie batters without trying too hard, which is in opposition of Jon Gray, a hard-throwing strikeout artist.

However, it's not just Bettis who's recovering from a setback. The Rockies themselves, who started the month at first thanks to a huge slide from the D-Backs, have wound up back in third, thanks to the Arizona resurgence, and the surprise comeback from the Dodgers, a team that most everyone had counted out. So a lot of the momentum that carried them to the lead has completely evaporated.

Surprisingly, it's the rotation that's carrying the team. Freeland, Gray, Bettis, Tyler Anderson and...occasionally German Marquez are doing well enough to stay consistent despite the higher home run percentage of Coors Field. Even parts of the bullpen, like Wade Davis, Adam Ottavino, Jeff Hoffman and Jake McGee, are working for them. It takes away from the fact that the lineup, for the most part, is resulting in a lot of empty space.

And yes, before you cut me off, a lot of players are doing well enough offensively, especially the usual suspects like Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu, but...even more players are slacking in the defensive categories, and bringing WARs down, like Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra and Carlos Gonzalez. This team is not built for defense, nor is it built for RBI-based offense. And so, as the Dodgers begin to show signs of their own organization's life, the Rockies might not have a place in the overall battle that's going to take place in the NL West. They could snap back into it with a few shifts in ideology from players, but...it may take more work than they're intending.

Coming Tomorrow- One of Boston's Killer B's, and possibly the most surprising standout.