Stubbs thriving in limited outfield role

PHILADELPHIA -- Drew Stubbs has not had consistent playing time with the Rockies this season, but the outfielder goes through the same preparation routines he did when he was a starter with the Reds and Indians in the past.

The results have been strong. Stubbs entered Wednesday batting .333 with three home runs and nine RBIs and six steals in 39 games. Stubbs entered the season with far better numbers against left-handed pitchers than right-handers, but his splits this year have been more respectable -- .375 in 48 at-bats against lefties; .294 in 51 at-bats against righties.

"You've got to find a routine that works for you and stick with it," Stubbs said. "Whether I'm in there or whether I'm not, I try to be consistent. It's got me in a good place. Now I'm trying to stay there."

With left-handed-hitting Charlie Blackmon starting regularly and left-handed-hitting Corey Dickerson (.347 entering Wednesday) and right-handed-hitting Brandon Barnes (.296) also productive, manager Walt Weiss has to keep balancing the playing time to keep them all productive. So far, what has emerged is a system where they all understand the situations in which they can produce. Rather than compete with one another, the outfielders prepare for their likely situations.

"The primary goal of this team is to win games, regardless who's in the lineup," Stubbs said. "Everybody's pulling for one another to get the job done, and that's the bottom line."