Earlier this month, general manager Bill Schmidt expressed optimism regarding the Rockies’ direction.
“I believe in the club,” he said at the trade deadline. “We haven’t performed to our expectations, but we are continuing to grow in a lot of areas. And I think the future is bright.”
Looking at talented young position prospects such as outfielder Zac Veen, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, catcher Drew Romo and first baseman Michael Toglia, all of whom are on track to debut in 2023 or ’24, you can see where Schmidt is coming from.
But Colorado’s starting pitching is more problematic, as illustrated by a 5.22 ERA that ranks as the second-highest in the majors. Only Washington’s 6.10 ERA is worse. And, as the Rockies have struggled to find back-end starters, their rotation has sputtered to a 6.06 ERA in 24 games since the All-Star break.
Manager Bud Black touted the rotation as a team strength during spring training, but it hasn’t worked out that way. And major injuries to prospects such as left-hander Ryan Rolison and right-hander Peter Lambert have left the top shelf of the minor-league cupboard all but bare.
Of more immediate concern is the core of the rotation: Right-handers German Marquez (6-9, 5.08 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) and Antonio Senzatela (3-6, 4.67, 1.65), and lefty Kyle Freeland (7-8, 4.84, 1.41), have all been wildly inconsistent.
Finding pitchers to fill spots four and five has been hit and miss. Right-hander Chad Kuhl (6-7, 5.16, 1.52), who will be a free agent at the end of the season, started off hot, but now he’s injured and struggling. The same goes for righty Jose Urena (1-4, 5.02, 1.60), a late-season addition who’s also scheduled to become a free agent.
Left-hander Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.56, 1.41), who pitched well most of last season, has spent much of the past two months in the bullpen. Right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-4, 6.39, 1.48), who’s shuffled between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Rockies this season, is suffering major growing pains.
“With Ryan, I think we are seeing a pitcher who is still figuring out what it truly takes to get big-league hitters out,” Black said Sunday after Arizona mashed Feltner for six runs over 4 1/3 innings.
“The mistakes and missed locations that you make in the minors don’t show up as much because the hitters are not as good,” Black continued.
Black then listed a litany of things a young pitcher must master: hitting spots, changing speeds, mixing pitches, and elevating pitches to certain hitters in certain situations.
“You can’t be sporadic with those things,” Black said. “And that’s what’s happening. So we can talk at length about what it takes for a young starting pitcher — not just Ryan Feltner, but a lot of them — to become an established starting pitcher over time.”
Rolison, a first-round draft choice in 2018, was on track to debut this season, but he ended up having shoulder surgery and was lost for the season. Lambert, a second-round selection in 2015 who’s not pitching because of elbow pain, has been struggling to recover from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in July 2020.
The Rockies have a few prospects who could push the envelope and make the big-league team by the end of 2023, starting with lefty Helcris Olivarez and possibly right-hander Karl Kaufmann.
As Black noted, it takes time for young pitchers to mature into effective big-leaguers.
For the Rockies’ bright future to emerge, they have to fix their rotation’s core and they have to hope that their prospects stay healthy and develop quickly. Otherwise, the window for talented position players and the window for solid starting pitching won’t be open at the same time.
On Deck
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (7-8, 4.84 ERA) at Cardinals LHP Jose Quintana, (4-5, 3.37)
5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Busch Stadium
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Freeland was quick to admit that he didn’t have a good feel for any of his pitches in a loss to the Cardinals last week at Coors Field. The lefty, who had been pitching very well, was roughed up for six runs on 10 hits with two walks and one strikeout in 4 1/3 innings. Freeland is 0-3 with a 4.98 ERA, 13 strikeouts, and 10 walks in four career starts vs. St. Louis. He’s only made one start at Busch Stadium, on Aug. 1, 2018. He took the loss, allowing three runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Quintana, acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, posted his first victory in a Cardinals uniform in the Redbirds’ 9-5 win over the Rockies last Wednesday at Coors. Quintana was charged with two runs on seven hits and struck out six over his six innings. In eight career games (seven starts) against Colorado, he’s 3-3 with a 5.27 ERA. He’s never faced the Rockies at Busch and six of his eight career appearances against the Rockies were in Denver, where he posted three wins.
Trending: Reliever Dinelson Lamet, claimed off waivers on Aug. 5, tossed two scoreless innings in Colorado’s loss to Arizona on Sunday. In three appearances with the Rockies, he has not given up a run across five innings.
At issue: The Rockies took two of three games from the Cardinals last week at Coors Field, but the Rockies have a terrible track record at Bush Stadium, where they have lost seven straight and are 1-13 over the last four seasons (they didn’t play at St. Louis in 2020).
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (6-9, 5.08) at Cardinals RHP Dakota Hudson (6-6, 4.17), 5:45 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (3-6, 4.67) at Cardinals TBA
