St. Louis Cardinals (61-48) @ Colorado Rockies (50-60)
We split a four-game series with Colorado at home in July, after losing two out of three at Coors Field in June. The Rockies have lost five straight to fall 23 games behind the division-leading Dodgers, but demanding owner Charlie Monfort expects to reach the playoffs. In an attempt to spark his club, Colorado GM Thomas Buckley acquired 3B Luis Vargas from the Yankees at the trade deadline. He was hitting .345 at the time, which translates to .400 at Coors Field. However, Vargas is only hitting .226 since the trade and the Rockies continue to flounder with time running out on the season.
August 6, 2021: G110 (61-49, 1st, +6.5G)
Star: COL SS Troy Tulowitzki 3-3, DBL, HR, RBI, 2 RS
Our 2019 #1 draft pick, Gerald Thompson, makes his major league debut tomorrow.
August 7, 2021: G111 (62-49, 1st, +6.5G)
Star: STL LF Dutch Deol 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB, 3 RS
Jorge Alfaro’s fourth-inning homer was measured at 454 feet.
In retrospect, Coors Field might not have been the best place for Thompson’s first major league start. I considered that he is a ground ball pitcher (67%) with a heavy sinker, but I didn’t consider that excitement would cause him to overthrow and leave the ball up in the zone too often. Shake it off, kid. We won the game.
August 8, 2021: G112 (62-50, 1st, +5.5G)
Star: COL 2B Dominic Nunez 2-5, GWRBI, 2 RS
Players of the Week:
AL: CHI 1B Robert Maddox 12-27, 3 HR, 9 RBI
NL: LA RF Joc Pederson 11-25, 4 HR, 10 RBI
Weekly Power Rankings
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Los Angeles Dodgers (122.5, o), NLW #1 (75-38)
2) Philadelphia Phillies (114.5, o), NLE #1 (70-42)
3) Minnesota Twins (114.3, o), ALC #1 (68-44)
4) San Diego Padres (112.5, ++), NLW #2 (65-47)
5) Houston Astros (111.5, o), ALW #1 (65-48)
6) New York Yankees (111.1, o), ALE #1 (71-41)
7) Boston Red Sox (109.3, +), ALE #2 (68-44)
8) St. Louis Cardinals (100.6, --), NLC #1 (62-50)
9) Chicago Cubs (94.8, ++), NLC #2 (56-55)
10) Atlanta Braves (94.2, ++), NLE #3 (58-54)
Rookie Batting Leaders
Which rookie is leading MLB in wins above replacement (WAR)?
Olaf Oerlemans, MIN, 4.8
Pablo Martínez, PHI, 2.7
Tarou Sano, STL, 2.4
Matt Sweet, LAN, 2.3
Brian Curtis, MIN, 1.7
Sano is a candidate for Rookie of the Year in the National League.