Gomez: Weight of ‘favorite’ label may have caused Rockies slow start

Weather forced the cancellation of the final game of the Colorado Rockies first homestand of the season, perhaps a welcome reprieve from the onslaught they faced in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.

But the quick break ahead of a road series against the San Francisco Giants may serve as a mental breather as well for a Rockies team navigating a miserable 3-9 start to a 2019 season with high expectations.

And those high expectations, ESPN’s Pedro Gomez told “Stokley and Zach” on Wednesday, might just be the reason the Rockies have struggled early on this season.

“I think it’s more psychological in the sense that they are one of these teams that normally comes in as an underdog. And for the first time, maybe, in franchise history, they’re coming in as a favorite,” Gomez said.

If a team or franchise hasn’t ever really been in such a position heading into the season, Gomez said it’s not always easy to accept.

“A lot of times, when you come into a season as the prohibitive favorite or as one of the favorites, it’s not as easy,” Gomez said.

But perhaps the recent woes for Colorado could serve to manufacture that mentality that “nobody believes in us” and “we’re going to show everyone,” Gomez said.

“Maybe, them getting kicked to the curb they way they are this first couple of weeks could put them back into that mental state where, OK, we are the underdog,” Gomez said. “We’ve got to play like we’re the little brother playing the bigger brother who’s always kicked our butt.”

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