Despite injuries, surgery, demotions and failures, Peter Lambert never lost touch with his quest.
Now, more than four years after his glittering major league debut, the Rockies’ 26-year-old right-hander is looking for another chance. The organization is bereft of starting pitching, not just this season, but in 2024 as well. Could Lambert help fill the void?
“Definitely,” Lambert said. “I would love for that to happen.”
Why is he so optimistic?
“I have a little experience starting in the big league and I think that’s important,” he said. “Although I’ve struggled, sometimes that’s what a pitcher needs.”
Saturday night, with Colorado utilizing a bullpen game, Lambert, the usual long reliever, opened the game. It was his first big-league start since Sept 29, 2021, vs. Washington — a span of 641 days. Before that, he went 736 days between starts, from Sept. 20, 2019, to Sept. 24, 2021, as he battled through persistent elbow pain and rehabbed after Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander certainly gave the Rockies’ brass something to think about. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out two. He threw 45 pitches (27 strikes) and needed just 10 pitches in a one-two-three first inning.
“I told him (Sunday) morning: ‘That looked different than your previous four of five outings as a reliever,’” manager Bud Black said. “‘Your delivery was better, you looked under control, the effort level was maintained.’”
Lambert was pleased with how he met the moment.
“There is no doubt that I was happy with my performance,” he said. “But I was an opener. It’s not like it was a real start.”
Perhaps not, but it earned him a promotion — by way of a demotion. Lambert was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque, where the plan is for him to make about three starts, build up his pitch count and then, possibly, return to join the Rockies’ rotation. With the All-Star break coming next week and the club having multiple days off in July, the Rockies can mix and match their rotation until Lambert is ready.
“You have to look at the positives,” he said. “I’m not happy to go down to Albuquerque, there’s no doubt about that. But hopefully, it’s a good thing in the end.”
Colorado plans to limit Lambert to 100-120 innings this season. He’s pitched 47 1/3 so far (34 1/3 with the Rockies, 13 with the Isotopes), so he still has a chance to make a statement and rise above his 7.17 career ERA.
“It’s the smartest thing to do,” Lambert said of the innings limit. “I would rather be pitching in September than shut down in August.”
Lambert missed the 2020 pandemic-shortened season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 21, 2020. He returned late in 2021 but made only two big-league starts, posting an 11.12 ERA over 5 2/3 innings. He pitched just 8 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year as he tried to get his elbow right.
“His last couple of years have been uneven,” Black said. “Every Tommy John (surgery) is not the same.”
That’s why the Rockies have been proceeding with caution. But now they have a pressing need and the right-hander has his chance.
“Peter views himself as a starter and so do we,” Black said. “‘It makes sense now that he’s mentally and physically ready. He’s a healthy pitcher. I told him, ‘You’re back, let’s not talk about Tommy John.’ He agreed.”
Then Black added: “He’s there (at Albuquerque) to earn it. That’s the same message I gave to Noah Davis when we sent him down.”
Colorado drafted Lambert in 2015, selecting him in the second round out of San Dimas (Calif.) High School. He quickly moved up the ladder and made his major league debut June 6, 2019, against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. At 22 years and 49 days old, he was the third-youngest starting pitcher to debut in franchise history. He also set a franchise record with nine strikeouts in his debut. And then he won his next start, too.
There’s been a lot of hardship since then, but also a chance to learn.
“With everything I have gone through, I feel like I’m a better person now,” Lambert said. “And as a pitcher, I have learned a lot. For a time, all I could do was watch games, basically.
“There is no secret to pitching, I don’t think. You just have to do the important, but obvious, things. Get ahead, stay ahead, and continue to pound the zone. And then you have a chance in a leverage count, you can go for the punchout.”
Lambert said his time as a reliever will make him a better starter.
“I think it was a good experience for me to be in the bullpen,” he said. “I fell into tendencies where maybe I was trying to make my stuff better than it was, or I was trying too hard.”
Footnotes. Outfielder Nolan Jones will rejoin the Rockies for their Tuesday afternoon game at Houston. Jones was away from the team Saturday and Sunday when he was the best man at the wedding of his older brother, Peyton. Jones asked for the time off about a month ago. … Colorado has recalled infielder Alan Trejo from Triple-A Albuquerque and optioned infielder Coco Montes to Triple-A. Trejo began the season with Colorado, hitting .241 with no homers and 13 RBIs in 41 games before being optioned on June 10. Trejo batted .370 in 10 games for Albuquerque. … Black said on Sunday that right-handed closer Justin Lawrence, who did not pitch over the weekend, has some arm soreness but he thought Lawrence would be fine for Tuesday’s game against the Astros.
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-8, 4.88 ERA) at Astros RHP Brandon Bielak (3-4, 4.37)
2:10 p.m. Tuesday, Minute Maid Park
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Freeland is trying to fix some mechanical things in order to regain his command and also increase his fastball velocity that has dipped about 2 mph over his last six starts. The lefty was tagged for six runs over five innings in Colorado’s 9-8 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. Freeland struck out seven but he also issued five walks, tying a career-high. He’ll be making just his second career start vs. the Astros. Beilak, 27, is being recalled from Triple-A for the second time this season. He went 3-4 with a 4.37 ERA over nine appearances (eight starts) during his first stint. In parts of four seasons with Houston, he’s 9-11 with a 4.89 ERA.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Chase Anderson (0-3, 6.50) at Astros TBA, 12:10 p.m., ATTRM and ESPN-Plus
Thursday: Off day
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