(Photo courtesy of Colorado Rockies Baseball)
The Rockies lost five games in a row heading into Wednesday’s matchup against the San Diego Padres (which they narrowly won 5-4). During the 5-game losing streak, all against divisional opponents, the Colorado has been looking a lot like its 2014 self. The Rockies have hit decently, but bad pitching has derailed their efforts to win.
Colorado was the most lopsided team in Major League Baseball last season. As a team it hit tremendously, but from the pitching side of the equation the Rox were awful. It came as no surprise that they only won 66 games last year.
The equation for success is the same in 2015. Pitch better. But do the Rockies’ pitchers have what it takes this year? Well, it’s still early, but let me highlight that the odds are stacked against them. The NL West is very arguably the best division in baseball.
When I look at the Rockies pitching staff, I see a lot of room for fluctuation. The staff’s “ace,” Jorge de la Rosa, just returned from starting the season on the Disabled List. The 34-year-old veteran has earned a reputation as one of the few pitchers who are consistently effective at the hitter-friendly Coors Field. Despite that, the Padres roughed him up badly Monday night at home when he gave up nine runs in two innings.
Offseason acquisition Kyle Kendrick has been shaky too. He’s 1-2 with a 7.56 ERA on the year and opposing teams are hitting .328 off of him. It seems to me that the veterans aren’t necessarily going to be carrying the team this season.
It’s become evident that the Rockies are going to rely heavily on their three young starting pitchers to win games. But how reliable are they?
Well, Tyler Matzek has a Major League season under his belt. He posted decent numbers in his rookie campaign, with a 4.05 ERA in 19 games started. This year, he’s pitched well enough—he’s 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA through his first three starts. He’s walking too many batters though. In his last outing he gave up six free passes to the Padres while getting a No Decision.
Eddie Butler is in the same boat. He made the starting rotation very late into spring training, and since then, in his first three starts, is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA. But again, his walks need to be cut down. On the year, he’s walked 11 batters and has K’d 10.
Finally, there’s Jordan Lyles. He’s 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA to start the season. But same with Matzek and Butler, his walk rate is too high. He has nine BB’s on the year to go along with ten punch-outs.
Mark my words, a continuous high walk rate from the starters will be the nails in the coffin for the Rockies down the road.
Let’s not forget the bullpen, though. Holding leads is just as important as getting a good outing from the starter. Right now, the Rockies’ relievers have a combined 3.96 ERA, which is 22nd in the Majors.
That’s not terrible, but when the starters are getting knocked out of the game early, as has been the case often this year, it’s going to spell disaster for the bullpen, who could be overworked within a month of the season starting.
Although the Rockies stand at an 8-7 record, the way things have gone so far worries me. If things get out of control, who will the Rockies turn to? I hope it doesn’t come to that. Management will likely have to sit back and let these pitchers get comfortable and start performing better.
I know we’re only three weeks into the season, but raising the alarm now is necessary. Every game matters. If you don’t think so, wait until the end of the season and see which teams miss the playoffs by one or two games. It happens every year. Winning games now matters. With the NL West looking more formidable than it has in recent years, trust me when I say that if the Rockies don’t remedy their pitching problems, it’s going to be a long season that will be painful to watch.
Contact CU Independent Rockies Beat Writer Justin Guerriero at justin.guerriero@colorado.edu and follow him on Twitter @TheHungry_Hippo
