Monday 4x4: Struggling Rockies Offense Gets no Break With Cubs
The Cubs are coming off a weekend of domination. They didn't just sweep the Brewers in a four-game series they shut them out three times and allowed two runs in the other game. The sweep allowed the Cubs to pull within a half game of first-place Pittsburgh in the NL Central.
How dominating was the weekend?
| Cubs Since 1913, 4 consecutive games |
|---|
| Starters Allowing zero earned runs |
| Sept. 1913 (1 game vs. Pirates, 3 games at St. Louis |
| Starters: Larry French, Lon Warneke, Bill Lee and Charlie Root |
| April 2018 (4 games vs. Milwaukee) |
| Starters: Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood |
| 1st team since 1971 Tigers to have 3 shutouts and allow 2 or fewer |
| runs total in a 4-game sweep |
| 1st team since 1975 Mets to sweep 4-game series |
| scoring 9 or fewer runs |
| Source: Stats, Inc. |
Nolan Arenado just struggled through a 2-for-10 weekend in which he walked twice against the Marlins at Marlins Park, which is not a favorite park of Arenado. His career average at Marlins Park is .194. The only park where he has had less success is SunTrust Park, the new home of the Braves where Arenado has only played three games. Wrigley Field isn't what could be considered a get well park for Arenado. He has hit .235 in the not-so-Friendly Confines in his career.
| at Stadium | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Park | 0.436 | 0.5 | 0.872 | 1.372 |
| Nationals Park | 0.345 | 0.406 | 0.672 | 1.079 |
| Coors Field | 0.317 | 0.368 | 0.598 | 0.966 |
| AT&T Park | 0.291 | 0.349 | 0.57 | 0.918 |
| Great American | 0.286 | 0.349 | 0.5 | 0.849 |
| Chase Field | 0.278 | 0.326 | 0.477 | 0.804 |
| PETCO Park | 0.275 | 0.344 | 0.488 | 0.832 |
| Dodger Stadium | 0.263 | 0.33 | 0.469 | 0.798 |
| Wrigley Field | 0.235 | 0.274 | 0.412 | 0.686 |
| Citi Field | 0.23 | 0.258 | 0.426 | 0.684 |
| Busch Stadium | 0.228 | 0.29 | 0.404 | 0.694 |
| PNC Park | 0.222 | 0.263 | 0.315 | 0.578 |
| Citizens Bank Park | 0.22 | 0.242 | 0.39 | 0.632 |
| Marlins Park | 0.184 | 0.244 | 0.303 | 0.547 |
| SunTrust Park | 0.143 | 0.143 | 0.214 | 0.357 |
Source: Stats, Inc.
The Rockies are in need of an offensive lift. They have struggled to score runs all season, but there hasn't been a bigger challenge than last weekend. The two runs scored in the three games against the Marlins equaled the fourth lowest run total for the Rockies in a three-game series in their history.
| Start Date | Opp | G | R | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/28/2012 | LAD | 3 | 1 | 0.214 | 0.267 | 0.306 |
| 7/4/1997 | SF | 3 | 1 | 0.133 | 0.188 | 0.189 |
| 7/11/2008 | NYM | 3 | 1 | 0.131 | 0.255 | 0.179 |
| 5/6/1994 | SD | 3 | 2 | 0.191 | 0.269 | 0.255 |
| 7/5/2013 | Ari | 3 | 2 | 0.136 | 0.165 | 0.227 |
| 7/1/2016 | LAD | 3 | 2 | 0.132 | 0.202 | 0.231 |
| 4/27/2018 | Mia | 3 | 2 | 0.167 | 0.265 | 0.256 |
| 9/8/2014 | NYM | 3 | 2 | 0.189 | 0.252 | 0.316 |
Source: Stats, Inc.
The Rockies do have a pitching staff has enjoyed life on the road. The Rockies pitchers have allowed the fourth lowest batting average among NL teams this season.
| Team | AVG |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | 0.211 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0.218 |
| San Diego Padres | 0.222 |
| Colorado Rockies | 0.223 |
| Chicago Cubs | 0.229 |
| Atlanta Braves | 0.237 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 0.237 |
| Washington Nationals | 0.244 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 0.246 |
| New York Mets | 0.248 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 0.259 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 0.26 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0.26 |
| Miami Marlins | 0.268 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 0.269 |
Source: Stats, Inc.