DENVER -- Just when it seemed he had been overcome by the dog days of the season, the Rockies’
“I definitely won’t be too disappointed, but me being me, I’ve always got to be working on something because you’re always trying to get better, find a way to improve,” McMahon said. “I’ll sit down at the end of the year and try to figure out how to be a better, more consistent player.”\n\nOne area of improvement is in strength. McMahon reported to Spring Training around 210 pounds, with the idea that he would lose some 5 to 10 pounds to accommodate the move to second base from first base, where he played primarily last year. But after Saturday night’s game, he weighed in at 192.
“One thing I’m really not proud of is I’ve lost like 18 pounds,” McMahon said. “I was hoping to stay at 200-205. But it’s happened gradually, so it’s not like an immediate drop. But I need to figure out what happened.”\n\nManager Bud Black did not start McMahon the previous two games. Yes, the Padres started left-handers Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer, but McMahon had a respectable .271 batting average left-on-left. Fatigue, however, was the real issue.
\n\nEven though he bounced between the Rockies and Triple-A Albuquerque last season, and did well enough to earn postseason playing time, he played in just 91 Major League regular-season games. He didn’t have the concentration of playing time or responsibility that he earned this year.\n\n“It’s a long season, from the middle of February to the first of October, and hopefully next year beyond,” Black said. “You have to learn how to go through it, and he’s learning. He hasn’t done this at this level. The Minor League seasons are a month shorter, Spring Training starts later, there are not the demands on you physically and mentally. Players react differently to that intensity and it wears you out. And he’s learning that.”
Rest did him good Sunday.\n\nMcMahon was a tick late but drove Padres starter