Tucson – Say this about Jeff Francis: the kid can take a punch.
Friday, just a day after getting knocked around by Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, Team Canada’s starting pitcher was back in Rockies camp, ready to get back to work.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” Francis said prior to the Rockies’ 8-7 loss to Seattle. “It’s an atmosphere you don’t ever get, even playing in a big-league game. It’s something I did, it was fun and now I’m back here trying to prepare for the season.”
In Canada’s 9-1 loss to Mexico on Thursday, Francis gave up six runs and six hits – all for extra bases – in 1.1 innings. He was tagged for four consecutive two-out doubles and also gave up a 460-foot homer to Jorge Cantu. Francis explained that he left his pitches up and simply didn’t have good stuff.
Despite the pounding, Francis, 25, said he has no regrets about pitching for Canada, even with the pressure cranked up a notch.
“It was more of a playoff atmosphere, which I’ve never experienced at the big-league level,” he said. “As far as nerves go, I’m always nervous before a game. I don’t know if there was any more (pressure) and I was unable to handle it, but when I went out there, I just didn’t have much.”
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle predicted the WBC would make Francis a tougher pitcher.
“It’s a tremendous experience,” Hurdle said. “Knowing the kind of kid he is, I’m sure he took something from it. He said he didn’t locate his pitches well, and when he doesn’t locate, he doesn’t expect to get outs. But to be involved in a game of that magnitude, I’m sure it’s going to do nothing but pay him dividends down the road.”
Francis is scheduled to pitch for the Rockies on Tuesday when the Rockies host Milwaukee. He said he’s prepared to pitch three or four innings and throw up to 65 pitches.
Baker’s dinger
Rockies outfielder Jeff Baker hasn’t got a lot of hits, but when he has, he’s made the most of them. Batting cleanup against the Mariners, Baker hit a third-inning grand slam to give Colorado a 4-0 lead. Although Baker is hitting just .211, three of his four hits have been home run and he leads the team with 10 RBIs. His other hit is a double.
His slam off of Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn cut threw a stiff wind and landed well beyond the left-field wall.
Bullpen blues
For the first time this spring, the Rockies’ front-line relief corps got lit up. Jose Mesa and Ray King both entered Friday’s game having not surrendered a run. But Mesa was torched for three runs on five hits in the fifth inning, and King gave up one run on two hits in the sixth.
“Mesa didn’t locate, the balls they hit off him weren’t really down,” Hurdle said. “I’m sure it will stoke the fires for his next time out.”
Footnotes
Starter Aaron Cook didn’t have his best stuff and a cold, drying wind made it tough to grip the ball, but he showed resiliency in his four innings of work. Relaying a lot on his four-seam fastball instead of his sinker, Cook allowed one run and four hits in four innings, striking out three. Utility man Jorge Piedra’s injured foot (planter fasciitis) is going to take more time to heal. Although the foot has improved, it could be another week before he plays in a game. Former Rockies pitcher Marcos Carvajal, traded to Seattle in exchange for catcher Yorvit Torrealba, worked two innings against his old team, allowing one run, one hit and three walks in two innings. He came into the game with an ERA of 189 (seven earned runs in one-third inning), but he reduced his ERA to 30.86.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com
