Saunders: Can’t dismiss ‘how poorly’ Rockies have performed in 2019

On a scale between “it’s a marathon, not a spring” and “ahhhhh,” Denver Post Rockies reporter Patrick Saunders told “The Drive” he’s leaning toward the latter.

And that was ahead of Colorado’s fourth-consecutive loss on Monday — this time 8-6 at the hands of the Atlanta Braves — and eighth in the past nine games.

And the reasoning, Saunders said, is after a poor end to the 2018 season that saw the Rockies have a power outage during their playoff series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, consistency with the offense has been an emphasis.

“The one thing this team needed to do was be more productive on offense, be more consistent. It was a theme throughout spring training. And they have bombed in that regard,” Saunders said.

And yes, the Rockies will argue that it’s too early to judge, that it’s a marathon and not a sprint, but Saunders said, “They are not a good team right now.”

“I don’t think you can dismiss how poorly they have performed so far,” Saunders said.

However, all hope is not lost, as Saunders would tell panicking fans that the Rockies still have Kyle Freeland and German Marquez to anchor its starting rotation, that Nolan Arenado will “start hitting home runs at some point,” and their young core of players will “be much better and will be productive.”

But, the bad news? Colorado still plays in a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I know they’re on a hot streak that is almost unprecedented, but right now they look like the ’27 Yankees,” Saunders said. “They’re great on the mound. Their firepower is unbelievable. They don’t give you a breath.

“They own the Rockies.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.