DENVER -- Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon’s power stroke has arrived, amid questions whether he’ll be leaving in advance of the July 31 Trade Deadline.
“It drives my wife crazy,” McMahon said, smiling. “I try not to look at it, dude. If I’m going somewhere else, I’m going to do the same stuff that I do here.”
McMahon’s second homer in two games, a two-run shot off Twins starter Zebby Matthews to tie the game in the third inning, helped the Rockies to a 10-6 victory that was a long time coming.
The Rockies were 0-15 in home series this season and had dropped the previous 17 series -- which, according to OptaSTATS, was tied with the 1916-17 Philadelphia Athletics for the longest such skid in MLB history.
McMahon could not have envisioned his ninth season with the Rockies being a struggle. At 24-74, the team’s record is worst in the Majors this year and fifth-worst through 98 games in the Modern Era. Their 12-36 record at Coors Field puts them in a 12-way tie for third-worst through 48 decisions in modern history.
Yet, McMahon believes the Rockies are climbing out of their tunnel. Their guiding light in terms of ability, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, is fully healthy after a first half marred by injury absences for a left hip contusion and left oblique strain.
Tovar celebrated his second game back with a three-run shot in the fifth off Brock Stewart. McMahon believes the Rockies have the proper combination of desire -- which never waned -- and a process that works -- which was elusive through the first half.
Before Friday night’s 6-4 Rockies victory over the Twins, interim manager Warren Schaeffer challenged the club during a meeting, but noted that players did much of the talking.
McMahon is happy with the immediate action.
“I feel we’re capable of this, even more,” McMahon said. “It’s just coming out there and making sure we’re doing it every single day, having a process of how we’re going to get it done, instead of just talking about what we want to get done.”
The fourth year of McMahon’s six-year, $70 million contract was supposed to be better. But McMahon pressed early as he tried to pick up a lineup that often fielded backups and call-ups, with the forces of the universe playing whack-an-injury with the lineup. A couple of lengthy first-half slumps have left his batting average at .214.
Like his team, McMahon is focused on how to improve.
“I’m such a feel hitter,” said McMahon, whose homer was his 15th of the season. “It’s just making sure that I have things in my routine to give me those feels, so I can go out there and compete to the best of my ability.”
For two nights, Tovar and McMahon -- whose leaping snag of Byron Buxton’s line drive ended the Twins’ three-run second inning against Antonio Senzatela -- have looked like what they have been for two-plus seasons: one of the best infield left sides in the sport.
Of course, the Rockies’ bad injury luck continued.
Thairo Estrada, signed as a free agent to work alongside Tovar at second base, is out with a left thumb sprain. Saturday night, rookie Ryan Ritter, who replaced Tovar at shortstop and moved to second for Estrada, took three stitches in his right middle finger after a successful sacrifice bunt. X-rays did not reveal a break, but he will be down for a few days.
Schaeffer noted that even as the Rockies led the Majors in errors during the first half with 80 (they’ve had none the last two nights), McMahon played crisp defense and did his part daily.
“That’s great for ‘Mac,’” Schaeffer said. “He’s trying to set a standard coming out of the break -- raise the standard a little bit as a team.
“I’ve seen him grow as a leader this year tremendously. Even when he’s been struggling, he goes out and plays defense the best I’ve seen him. That’s hard to do.”
Other organizations descended upon this series to see if the Rockies (and possibly the Twins) will deal.
McMahon is unbothered.
He said he “wore sweats the first two days” of the All-Star break. He spent a day frolicking with his daughter in the fountain at Old Town Square in Fort Collins, Colo. His family and in-laws watched the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game together.
Baseball makes him happy, regardless if his future is undecided.
“You’re doing yourself a dis-favor,” he said, “if you’re not mentally where your feet are.”