Blackmon not fazed by Rox's early road woes

PHILADELPHIA -- Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon isn't buying into the doomsday thinking that often settles upon his team's fan base when a lengthy road stretch shows signs of going awry.

Blackmon was part of an offense that was as good as any during the first month-plus of the season. But during the current trip, which started 1-4, Blackmon has come back to earth with the rest of the team. Entering Tuesday night, when he was not in the starting lineup against Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, Blackmon was 3-for-13 for the trip, with all the hits coming in the past two games.

For Rockies fans, a bad road trip has often signaled the beginning of the end of relevance, so shutouts at Atlanta on Sunday and Philadelphia on Monday were none too pleasant. But with so much season left and with confidence based on experience, Blackmon does not seem too worried.

"I still think we're going to win this series," Blackmon said of the three-game set in Philadelphia that ends Wednesday. "I still think we're going to have a good road trip. A couple of losses here or there are not going to affect my confidence, affect my outlook on the season or the team. We're going to win games. The best is still to come.

"If this road trip doesn't go well, well, what if I go 0-for-the rest of the season? What if I never get a hit again? We can do that. But that's not something I worry about. If that's how you look at things, you are not going to be a successful baseball player. If you go into a baseball game worrying about not getting a hit or throwing a pitch and worrying about someone hitting a home run, you're going to be a failure."

Blackmon was hitting .402 through April 27, but he knew that wasn't sustainable. Even with the inevitable slowdown, his average entering Tuesday was an enviable .323 -- sixth in the National League.

During the Rockies' latest homestand, Blackmon was seen having treatment on his left wrist. He had it taped before going to the batting cage Tuesday afternoon but said it was not a major issue.

"It's fine, nothing that's affected my gameplay at all," Blackmon said. "It's a maintenance issue, something I want to stay on top of before it affects my game.

"I know I'm not going to hit .400, but I know I'm not going to hit .150 either. It's trying to maintain consistent contact as much as I can. You want to have as many ups as you can and limit your downs."

Blackmon said he did not see a specific problem in approach for the club, which entered Tuesday hitting .195 for the trip, including 1-for-27 with runners in scoring position.

"We've just been lacking that big hit, and that's not something where I'm going to say there's one thing we need to do," Blackmon said. "It's just part of the game. It's going to happen occasionally."