Ex-Reds help Rockies soar

The Reds sent outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds and relief pitcher Stan Belinda to Colorado for outfielder Dante Bichette on Oct. 31. Hammonds entered Tuesday's game hitting .365 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI, while Bichette was hitting .274 with 12 homers and 36 RBI. Belinda is 1-1 with a save. His ERA is a Coors Field-inflated 5.40 but he's been a reliable right-hander out of the bullpen.

Advantage Rockies.

The Reds sent reliever Gabe White to Colorado for reliever Manny Aybar on April 7. White is 6-0 with a 1.54 ERA and a save for the Rockies. Aybar is 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA.

Again, advantage Rockies.

Hammonds, White and Belinda are big reasons why the Rockies, picked by most experts to finish last in the National Leauge West, entered Tuesday's night game with the Reds only a half game behind Arizona.

The Reds miss all three players. Hammonds was a leader, particularly with the younger players in the clubhouse. Belinda was Scott Williamson's mentor.

In the case of Hammonds and White, Colorado has been the land of opportunity. Hammonds was a reserve outfielder with the Reds. With the Rockies, he's the right fielder.

“I thought I would play more last year,” Hammonds said. “You go into every year wanting to play. It wasn't in the cards for me. They got a great player for me and Stan. I'm happy. Everything's good.”

White was the second left-hander in the bullpen with the Reds. That meant few chances to pitch. With the Rockies, he's getting the ball often and with the game on the line.

“The biggest thing is getting a chance to pitch,” White said. “You can't stay sharp if you don't pitch. The other thing is the people who send me out to pitch have confidence in me. Confidence is a major factor in success. It's the hardest thing to get and the easiest thing to lose.”

White fell behind fellow lefty Dennys Reyes in the Reds' bullpen rotation. He saw few opportunities with the Reds. He was happy for the trade.

“I was very relieved,” he said. “It was like a ton of bricks had been lifted off my shoulders. You know when a team trades for you they're going to want to see what they've got, so you're going to get a chance.”

Hammonds, White and Belinda all say the feeling in the Rockie clubhouse is similar to the feeling the Reds had last year.

“There were no expectations for us last year,” Hammonds said. “That's the same this year. This was a last-place team. No one expected us to do anything.”

Said White: “It feels a lot like last year. There's a sense that good things are going to happen. For me, it's nice because this year I feel like I'm part of it.”

Belinda credits manager Buddy Bell with getting the Rockies going.

“Buddy and his staff sold the idea that the whole was better than the parts from the beginning of spring training,” Belinda said. ... You get the feeling this could be something special.”

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