Battling bug and a slump, Moniak shows signs of old form with 4 RBIs

DENVER – The Rockies’ Mickey Moniak donned the attire of a man who didn’t feel good – a jacket to brave the 90-degree late afternoon temperature – before boarding the team bus for the airport on Sunday.

“I’m at the tail end of it,” Moniak said. “Yesterday was probably the worst day, but nothing crazy. Just sinuses, body aches – you know, the standard. It kind of came on Wednesday and then I’ve been just battling it. Today felt a lot better than the rest of the days.”

Moniak felt good enough to crank a couple of swings that were better than he has managed for a while. He knocked a first-inning RBI single and his 22nd homer of the season – a three-run third-inning homer in the Rockies’ 10-8 loss to the Cardinals at Coors Field.

The game, which also featured Jake McCarthy’s 15th homer of the year in a late comeback that fell short, was a rare one of hits for Moniak lately. In his previous 13 games, he went 7-for-51 (.137) with one home run and one double. The struggle goes further back. In August, the left-handed-hitting Moniak batted .188 over 26 games, his worst full and healthy month since joining the Rockies at the start of last season.

Still, he is the first Rockies outfielder with consecutive 20-plus-homer seasons since Charlie Blackmon strung together four from 2016-19.

Being under the weather now is the least of Moniak’s health struggles this year.

Moniak began the year on the injured list with a right index finger sprain, but a right ankle injury – the ghost of which he is still fighting through – is the main impediment.

Moniak had a slash line of .280/.335/.607 with 12 home runs in 43 games before sustaining the ankle injury crashing into the center-field wall in Pittsburgh in May. Those strong early numbers included a slump before he went to the injured list to heal.

Moniak struggled initially when he returned, but he homered in three straight games – June 30 to July 2 at home against the Marlins. At the time, Moniak believed he was moving past some swing habits that had crept in because he was protecting the ankle.

But the pace of the season leads to fatigue, pain and swing habits.

“It’s part of baseball,” said Moniak, who signed a two-year, $16.25 million contract extension through 2028 at the Trade Deadline in early August. “Coming off an ankle injury, I haven’t really felt consistent. The ankle feels fine. I think maybe, I don’t know, the body’s protecting the ankle even though it’s all good. But no excuses. It’s just been one of those months in the game of baseball where things aren’t going your way.”

The Rockies went 3-3 in a homestand against the Orioles and Cardinals in which games were generally tense, high-scoring or both. They were also a display of where the club stands.

Pitching was competitive, but not airtight. Sunday starter Tanner Gordon was effective until the Cardinals were down to their final strike in the fifth, but he ended up being charged with five runs in the six-run frame. Right fielder Troy Johnston came up empty on two diving plays, and a run scored on center fielder Cole Carrigg’s error.

The Rockies had no answer for Cardinals debuting rookie lefty Cooper Hjerpe, a starter by trade who kept Colorado without a baserunner and struck out six in four middle innings.

But when swinging right and matching up properly, the Rockies can score. Moniak had his single and homer off Cardinals right-handed starter Kyle Leahy. The homer was Moniak’s 18th at Coors – most by a Rockies player since C.J. Cron knocked 22 at home in 2022.

Even if not starting, Moniak is valuable against righties.

Regardless of how Moniak feels, manager Warren Schaeffer finds him dependable.

“I mean, he was sick as a dog yesterday, and still getting over it today – and he was huge today,” Schaeffer said. “That’s the thing we know. If he’s not good for a little bit, it’s only a matter of time before ‘Mick’ comes on.”

Moniak has been adamant in saying that the Rockies, though 55-88, are eventually going places, and he wants to help them get there.

“That’s all you can do,” Moniak said. “One of the best compliments you can ever get in this game is you’re the same guy every day. I try to live by that. This game is tough. It’s going to beat you down. You’re going to feel the highest of highs, the lowest of lows. But you try to ride that even-keeled middle ground.”