KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Colorado Rockies brought such gaudy offensive stats into their two-game interleague series at Kauffman Stadium this week that Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost joked he had to reach for his glasses to confirm those numbers were real.
LEADERBOARD: Team-by-team batting leaders
After the Royals swept the series by limiting the Rockies to three runs — they have tallied four in a season-worst three-game slide — a closer look indeed is called for.
Are these Rockies again the product of their explosive ballpark? Or are they an emerging force with a lineup no longer mostly dependent on superstars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez?
At a time when offensive numbers in baseball have dwindled to their lowest levels since the early 1970s, the Rockies regularly field a lineup with five players hitting above .300 despite missing reigning National League batting champion Michael Cuddyer and power threat Wilin Rosario. Both are expected back from their injuries within a week.
With Tulowitzki setting the pace by flirting with the .400 mark and reaching base in nearly half his plate appearances, Colorado leads the majors by plenty with 5.6 runs scored a game, a team batting average of .296 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .837.
Those figures rise substantially within the mile-high confines of Coors Field — to 7.7, .353 and a preposterous .998 — although the Rockies rank in the top half of the NL in offense on the road, where they have gone 10-14.
"I know from a national perspective we're always going to be seen as a Coors Field product," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "But it's a good offensive club, and we make it tough on pitchers regardless of where we're playing."
Particularly Tulowitzki, who won NL player of the month honors with a torrid April, only to get even hotter in May. He leads the league with a .391 batting average, .497 on-base percentage, .750 slugging percentage and 11 home runs (tied), while ranking second in RBI with 33.
Perhaps as important, Tulowitzki has played in all but four of Colorado's 42 games after missing an average of 52 games over the last four seasons with an assortment of injuries, especially to his legs.
Every explanation for the three-time All-Star's monster start begins with an acknowledgment he's healthy. However, he also is walking more and striking out less than his career norms.
"With age I've become better," said Tulowitzki, who has toned his body with improved nutrition. "If you would ask me, right now I'm probably the best I've been as an overall complete hitter. And hopefully next year I can say the same thing."
There's a much better chance he could say it while wearing a Rockies uniform if they continue to contend — at 23-19, Colorado sits in second place in the NL West despite losing five of its last six — after back-to-back last-place finishes.
Tulowitzki's $157.75 million, 10-year contract — a huge load for a small-market team — along with his extended injury absences and the Rockies' futility have fueled trade speculation in recent years. Assistant general manager Bill Geivett doesn't hesitate to shoot it down.
"From what I see of this team, I don't see any reason why we'd get in a spot where we'd want to trade a guy like him," Geivett said. "I think a guy like Tulo is the type of guy you're trying to acquire."
Tulowitzki and Gonzalez remain the backbone of the lineup, but their burden has been lightened by the development of outfielders Charlie Blackmon (.333, nine homers), Corey Dickerson (.350) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (.315), an emerging star who set a team record with a 28-game hitting streak.
"They can play small-ball if they need to, and they also can hit homers," said Royals starter James Shields, who beat the Rockies 5-1 on Tuesday. "Their lineup is very similar to the (Detroit) Tigers lineup, very diverse. They don't have too many weak spots."
They filled a hole with the offseason addition of first baseman Justin Morneau, signed as a free agent to replace franchise icon Todd Helton, who retired after last season. Morneau has recovered his power stroke after battling the aftereffects of a concussion the last four years and is batting .320 with eight homers and 30 RBI. He attributes much of that success to the plethora of runners he often finds on base.
"There's not really a break in our lineup," Morneau said. "The guys who come off the bench can drive the ball out of the ballpark. We have a lot of weapons, so it's hard to pitch to our lineup the way we go left-right, left-right, left-right, with power throughout the lineup."
Yet the power has not led to high strikeout rates. After ranking 14th in the majors in plate appearances per strikeout last year at 5.11, the Rockies have emphasized a two-strike approach since spring training, with startling results.
As Wednesday dawned, Colorado had improved to fourth in baseball — and first in the NL — with 5.75 plate appearances per strikeout. Moreover, the Rockies were the only team in the majors batting better than .200 (.216) with two strikes and set the pace with 21 homers in those situations.
"It is as simple as the first swing not looking like the third swing, or vice versa," said new hitting coach Blake Doyle, espousing a philosophy the club calls "controlled aggression."
Of course, the Rockies have a long history of offensive exploits. Whether their encouraging first quarter of the season portends better things to come likely hinges on their pitching, forever an Achilles' heel.
So far they have registered a 4.04 ERA, 13th in the NL, while plugging holes in the rotation because of injuries to starters Brett Anderson and Tyler Chatwood — neither is expected back before July — and Jhoulys Chacin. A 14-game winner last year, Chacin made his third start of the season in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.
Given their ballpark's unique characteristics — "A ball in the air at Coors Field is a dangerous thing," Geivett said — the Rockies have committed to building a staff around pitchers who generate ground balls.
Offseason acquisition Jordan Lyles (5-0, 2.66 ERA) has excelled at the practice, and the pitchers in general have embraced the concept. Going into Wednesday, they ranked third in the majors in ground ball percentage at 49.7. That's still no guarantee of success but certainly a better formula whether at altitude or sea level.
"It's tough to outslug people for six months," Weiss said. "You can do it from time to time, and we've done it pretty well at this point in the season. I still feel ultimately you have to pitch well to win in this league."
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