Moving past injury proving difficult for Fowler

DENVER -- Dexter Fowler went 1-for-4 with a walk and scored twice in the Rockies' 10-1 victory over the Pirates on Friday night. The Rockies are 11-2 when Fowler scores twice, and they would prefer to get him on and around the bases more often.

Fowler's work from the leadoff position is key to the Rockies' offense, but his production has been compromised since June 13, when the Nationals' Ross Detwiler hit Fowler on the right hand with a pitch while Fowler was attempting to bunt.

Through June 13, Fowler was hitting .302 with a .399 on-base percentage, with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 63 games. The Rockies were a contending team in the season's first few months.

Fowler attempted to play through the injury, but he wound up sustaining his wrist injury that sent him to the disabled list. From June 14 through Friday night, he was hitting .167 with a .295 on-base percentage, with two home runs and five RBIs. He had played in 31 games and sat out 19.

Fowler's production truly fell off during a 1-9 road trip. He appeared in eight of the games and hit .138 (4-for-29), although he drew eight walks to manage a .324 on-base percentage.

Fowler has said pain in the hand and wrist will linger until the season is done. Manager Walt Weiss said he believed Fowler would work his way out of his slump.

"He's fine," Weiss said. "It's just the ebb and flow of the season, especially offensively that players go through. His energy is good. I've given him a couple days here recently to take a breather. I try to watch to see signs if a guy is getting beat up by the game a little bit. I think he's ready to take off again."