How long before the Colorado Rockies tank again?

It’s deja vu for the Colorado Rockies in the NL West. They are currently 7-2 and perched atop the division rankings. In 2014, the club went 16-12 last April and showed promise from the onset hitting the ball, just as they are now. They won only 50 more games the rest of the season, winning as few as eight games each in the months of June and July.

The problem with the Rockies is that they will be considered pretenders playing well until they prove they can win consistently both at home and on the road. It’s a double standard almost, because their bats are awesome at home where as their pitching is terrible. However on the road, their bats experience a significant drop-off, but the pitching improves moderately.

At high elevation, the Rockies hit .322 with 119 home runs. They struck out a combined 546 times in 81 games and posted a 45-36 record at home. Away from their mountainous safe haven, the team went 21-60. They hit only .228 in road contests, a difference from ranking first in the league at home to 29th. Their 67 home runs was almost half of their production at Coors. Why they struck out almost 200 times more in visiting parks is anyone’s guess, because the thin air in Colorado only affects the flight of the ball once it actually leaves the bat.

When it came to pitching, the staff allowed the second most home runs (83) in the league on the road, which can’t bode well for how many they gave up back home, which was 90 — the third most league-wide. The team ERA away and at home was 4.62 and 5.05, respectively.

Headlined by Kyle Kendrick (75-69, 4.43) in the rotation, expectations should be tempered. Rookie Eddie Butler is a touted pitching prospect, but he’s already showing huge red flags and getting by on luck. His ERA is 1.69 but his FIP is 6.07 and he’s given 10 free passes already in only 11 innings of work.