Carlos Gonzalez Injury: DL Stint is Nail in Coffin for Colorado Rockies Season



By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist (@MichaelMoraitis)

Carlos Gonzalez has done his best to play through a nagging finger injury for some time now, but the Colorado Rockies superstar slugger has finally succumb to the pain.

According to the official Twitter feed of the Rockies, CarGo will take some necessary time off via the disabled list:

The #Rockies announced today that the club has placed OF Carlos Gonzalez on the 15-day DL with a sprained joint of the right middle finger.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 7, 2013

The move isn't a surprising one at all. Gonzalez has been battling with this injury for about a month or so now and has even admitted it to the media recently. It was pretty obvious that when Gonzalez's numbers began to slip he was having difficulty playing hurt.

For the season, Gonzalez has bashed 26 homers and driven in 70 runs with a .302 average. All of those numbers are no doubt impressive, but a slow month of July that was likely the result of the injury greatly slowed down what was once a potential Triple Crown season.

While his average did rise 11 points in July, his run production was down to the tune of four homers and 10 RBI. That was his worst month of the season since April, when he hit five homers and 13 RBI.

Along with CarGo's decline, the Rockies themselves have struggled mightily offensively, and what was once just a three- or four-game deficit in the National League West has ballooned to 11 games heading into Wednesday's action.

Gonzalez's injury is just a microcosm of the issues Colorado has faced this season. The Rockies have sent many players to the DL on numerous occasions this season and Gonzalez is just the latest.



If it wasn't injuries, the Rockies simply couldn't put it altogether this season. If the pitching was solid, Colorado couldn't put the bat to the ball. If the bats were alive, Coors Field and any other National League park wasn't so friendly to the team's inconsistent pitching staff.

The trade deadline came and went and with the Rockies doing nothing, it was clear the players already on this talented roster were going to have to step it up in order to make October baseball happen.

That was the realistic goal of this team, but now the Rockies will start looking to next season barring a miraculous turn of events. It wouldn't be the first time a baseball miracle would happen in the Rocky Mountains, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are the hottest team in baseball and won't be caught.

Next season is still bright for the Rockies in most regards. The majority of their killer lineup will be returning and the team's younger pitchers will be looking to build off strong performances in 2013.

All that's left will be to get some help in both the bullpen and starting rotation if possible to add to the strong core the Rockies already have. If that can be accomplished, there's no reason why the Rockies shouldn't be atop the NL West in 2014.