Evans: The real reasons — not me — for the Rockies recent slide

While I appreciate and feel honored so many Colorado Rockies fans believe I possess the mystical powers to doom the team, I am not “Jinxy Cat” and not responsible for the recent slide.

Here are the real reasons:

» Boy, did the Rockies best hitters pick a bad time for a collective slump.

During their 1-5 swing through San Francisco and Los Angeles, the group of Matt Holliday, Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, D.J. LeMahieu, Ian Desmond, Chris Iannetta, and David Dahl went a combined 22-124 with just five runs, six RBIs and a whopping 30 strikeouts.

For those scoring at home, that’s an anemic .177 batting average between those guys.

» I hate excuses in sports.

Let’s add this one to my most unwanted list.

This notion when the Rockies have a long homestand that they go out on the road and the bite of the off-speed stuff is so different at sea level compared to altitude in Denver … what a crock.

» It’s a bad look for Nolan Arenado.

Back near the end of June, Nolan put himself above the rest of his teammates when he questioned whether he wanted to stay with a team that didn’t contend for the playoffs and didn’t go out and improve like other teams in the division.

Since then, Arenado has hit .307 in July, .286 in August and just .239 in September.

If you want to talk tough, you had better be able to back it up. And Nolan has not done that.

» What I love about playoff-style baseball is it reveals what a player is made of.

By this measure, Jon Gray isn’t made of much.

It sounds harsh, I know, but isn’t it clear big moments and the big right-hander don’t mix?

Last year, he came up short in the wild card game against Arizona, and the other night, against the Dodgers, the stage was again too big for him.

» Late season baseball is also a time when a manager’s decisions are scrutinized.

If the Rockies end up missing the playoffs, the long winter discussion will most certainly include Bud Black’s curious move to pitch the scorching hot Yasiel Puig with first base open in a 2-2 game in the seventh.

You can’t pin a loss directly on a skipper, but this comes very close.

» It says a lot about fan and media expectations …

… and I suppose the team’s itself, that having to refocus our goals on the wild card instead of the division seems like such a major come down.

But, that’s where we’re at. Catching the red-hot Dodgers for the division seems unlikely.

Good news, St. Louis is beatable.

Will Rockies fans be able to channel their enthusiasm for a final weeklong push for the wild card or is there already a sense the season has slipped away?

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