DENVER -- Right fielder Charlie Blackmon’s return to the top of the Rockies’ lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers was an occasion for manager Bud Black to praise Blackmon’s leadership and professionalism.

Blackmon missed the first two games of the series with a back injury he suffered while lifting weights after Sunday’s getaway game in Cincinnati. During that road trip that saw the Rockies go 3-7, Blackmon hit .333 (13-for-39) with a homer and four doubles.

What impresses Black is Blackmon’s consistency. The stretch that has seen the Rockies fall from National League Wild Card contention to needing a miracle hasn’t affected Blackmon’s approach. While Blackmon has been the subject of some far-fetched trade ideas, some presented on MLB Network for fun, Black described a player the Rockies would have a hard time replacing.

The Trade Deadline was during Wednesday’s game.

“Charlie’s a pro, man, as professional as anybody I’ve been around on a daily basis,” Black said. “Preparing to play, playing hard, playing to win, he doesn’t waver from that regardless of the time of year, day game/night game, winning streak, losing streak.

“It doesn’t matter how he’s doing. That’s the beauty of Charlie, his consistency and his dependability. That’s valuable to a team, because that rubs off on others.”