Rockies Second Half Story Lines

By: Alex Patterson

The second-half of the season is here. The best time of the year for baseball is ready and raring to go. Let’s get down to the Rockies top-five story lines for the second-half of the season:

1. How many wins is Ubaldo going to get? 25? 30? Ubaldo Jimenez is in the midst of the greatest season in the history of Rockies baseball. But the amazing thing is, Ubaldo could be in the midst of one of the greatest seasons in 40 years. This will be the biggest story, especially if, for some reason, this team falls out of contention. If he keeps up his pace, 26-29 wins are possible. 30 might be a stretch, but it’s still possible. And this, anything might just really be possible.

2. Tulo and his return. Since Tulo has gone down with his broken wrist on June 17^th, the Rockies have played very well, to a tune of 15-7. Jonathan Herrera and Clint Barmes have played extremely well in Tulo’s absence. The Rockies were a .500 ball club with Tulo in the lineup, and have won 2/3’s of their games without him. When he does return, does it mess with the recent mojo, or does he only make them better? We can only wait and see.

3. Helton and his bat. Todd Helton has struggled all season with the bat, hitting just .246 with 16 RBI’s. We know he won’t be the 40 home-run hitter he once was, but a solid hitter is what it seems like he would always be. Maybe this back injury that has him on the DL is what has really been bothering him all season. Without Helton and his defense in the lineup everyday, what is the next move? Giambi everyday? Why not one of the Brad’s, Hawpe or Eldred?

4. How many more injuries is their going to be? Francis, De La Rosa, Helton, Hawpe, Street, Tulowitzki. All of these guys have missed significant time this year and, in the case of Tulo and Helton, are still missing time. Who will be next? Hopefully no one. This team has been incredibly resilient with all the injuries that they have had to deal with. Who knows how good this team can be with everyone back and healthy and actually playing well. Which leads to the next point…

5. The race for first. For those that haven’t noticed, the Rockies just finished up their best first half since 1995. That’s a statement to how well they have really played this year, and how good they can be in the second half of a season. With another late charge, this team could end up owning the best record in the National League, which would in turn lead to having home field advantage throughout the playoffs (the National League won last night, so the National League representative would have home field advantage in the World Series). This will be the biggest story line for this team in the second half. A shot at first place is in the balance and so is the National League Wildcard.

This team is posed for a second half run, as long as these story lines are fixed or continue. It’s going to be a great second half for this team.