Wind Beats Rocks

By their meager standards, the Colorado Rockies are having a decent year in the toughest division in baseball, but to this point in the season they’re best known for their aversion to grounds keeping. In Denver during the last game before the All-Star break, with the Rockies down 5-4 to the Phillies, a storm blew in with such force that it folded several members of the Colorado grounds crew into tarp they were trying to spread over the infield. Suddenly the Phillies dugout emptied, and perhaps 20 Philly players rushed out to help the crew secure the tarp as it thrashed on the field and the Colorado crowd cheered. Only one Rockies player joined the effort. The rest hunkered in the clubhouse, where, after the game, they declined to answer questions about their missed chance at valor.

In the Rockies, the Marlins host a team capable of winning 13 of 17, as they did in June -- then of losing eight straight, as they also did in June. In Florida, the Rockies visit a destination with a great chance of suffering some summer rain. Says here the Marlins gain a psychological edge if the tarps need to be rolled out on Wednesday at 7:05 at Dolphin Stadium (2269 NW 199th St., Miami). Tickets start at $9, and are easy to get at the box office, at florida.marlins.mlb.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 954-523-3309.