Fowler better, but hopes of quick return fade

DENVER -- Dexter Fowler said Saturday his knee was feeling better but had not improved enough for him to make it back into the starting lineup.

Fowler missed his fourth straight start Saturday against the Reds with a left knee bruise sustained in a win over the Giants on Monday.

"He made a little bit of an improvement from yesterday, but still day to day," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Still, I would imagine a couple days away."

As he has in three of the four games Fowler has missed, Charlie Blackmon played center. Corey Dickerson, who has become a more regular piece of the lineup with Carlos Gonzalez on the disabled list, hit leadoff for the third straight game.

Between July 27, his second callup, and Friday, Dickerson was hitting .300 with two homers, six RBIs, five doubles and three triples.