PITTSBURGH — Troy Tulowitzki walked slowly through the Rockies’ clubhouse Sunday in Pittsburgh with his left thigh wrapped up high. He said he felt “about the same” as the night before, when he limped to the dugout.
Tulowitzki sat out Sunday’s finale against the Pirates with a strained muscle in his upper thigh, near the hip. He’s considered day to day.
“He’s sore. It could be a couple, three days” before his return, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “We’ll have to monitor it, obviously, and check in with him hourly. He’s sore, but I’m expecting him back in a day or two.”
The Rockies’ all-star shortstop pulled up short of first base in the fourth inning Saturday running out a groundout.
But Tulowitzki wasn’t the only big-name player out of the Rockies lineup. First baseman Justin Morneau (neck strain) missed a third consecutive game.
“(Morneau’s) made some improvement, but not enough to be out there,” Weiss said. “Anytime a guy is not able to play in two, three, four days, you start to get concerned.”
PHOTOS: Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Colorado Rockies 3
And Charlie Blackmon (ankle sprain) sat too after twisting his foot in an at-bat late Saturday.
“Charlie really surprised me the way he showed up this morning,” Weiss said. “I thought he was going to be hurt. I saw a replay, and I also saw a shapshot of when he rolled his ankle. It was really ugly.”
Blackmon got an X-Ray on his ankle immediately after Saturday’s game, and it showed no bone damage.
Reliever Boone Logan (neck strain) was questionable for Sunday’s game, Weiss said.
One-two punch. The Rockies last got back-to-back wins from a starting pitcher June 11-12 — when Tyler Matzek and Jhoulys Chacin did it. They have consecutive wins from a starting pitcher just six times this season (including a three-game stretch in May).
But in Brett Anderson and Jorge De La Rosa — who each got no-decisions in Colorado’s losses in Pittsburgh to start the series — the Rockies have a one-two punch at the top.
“We feel a lot better about where we are with the rotation, and a lot of it has to do with the two guys at the top,” Weiss said. “We didn’t win either game. But chances are, we get starting pitching like that, we’re going to win a lot of those games.”
Anderson on Saturday gave up just four hits and one run and struck out eight. He allowed just one walk.
“He was able to throw 110 pitches, because he was getting stronger as he went,” Weiss said. “He was more effective later in the game. If that’s the case, I’ll run you back out there.”
Looking ahead
Nationals’ Doug Fister (8-2, 2.90 ERA) at Rockies’ Franklin Morales (5-4, 5.26), 6:40 p.m. Monday, ROOT; 850 AM
When Morales re-entered the Rockies’ rotation July 3 for his first start since May, it was a temporary stopgap to help an injured staff. But he’s now the Rockies’ N0. 4 starter. In his two games since, he allowed just two runs in 10 innings. “One of his greatest strengths is how he competes,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said of Morales. “He doesn’t give in. He’s been throwing more strikes the last few times out, and in better counts. When he does that, he has the weapons to go through lineups.”
Tuesday: Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann (6-5, 3.03 ERA) at Rockies’ TBD, 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Wednesday: Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg (7-7, 3.55) at Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (10-6, 4.39), 1:10 p.m., no TV
Thursday: Off
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
