CarGo can hurt you even when hurt

By Thomas Harding

July 28, 2014

CHICAGO -- Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez showed on Sunday that even in pain, he's a weapon.

Gonzalez didn't play on Saturday and didn't start on Sunday because of a twisted right ankle, but he made a full-length diving catch, complete with a faceplant, to steal a hit from Neil Walker in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Pirates.

With Corey Dickerson battling issues with his left groin, Gonzalez was back in the lineup, in right field, on Monday night against the Cubs.

"I wasn't feeling 100 percent [on Sunday], but [Brandon] Barnes was [dealing with a sore right hamstring], Dickie was sore and Drew [Stubbs] was hurt, too, so I did what was possible to be ready and help the team," Gonzalez said. "Even if you're hurting, you still play the game the right way, and hard."

Manager Walt Weiss praised Gonzalez's defensive play.

"That was a heck of a catch," Weiss said. "He went after the ball real well, and he wasn't feeling great."

Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb.