Back in the dark ages, the Rockies’ quest for a quality starting pitching corps was as futile as looking for the Holy Grail. This season, at last, there appears hope among fans the Rockies are headed in the right direction.
Although Colorado is three games below .500 (52-55) and a bona fide staff ace has yet to emerge, the starting rotation has been the driving force behind a 13-game improvement over this time last season for a team only 3 1/2 games out of first place.
All of which has general manager Dan O’Dowd eager to see more during the pennant stretch.
“We’ve still got two months left, and you really can’t tell what kind of staff you have, from a durability standpoint, until you get through these dog days of summer,” O’Dowd said. “But I think every one of them has made a step in the right direction. Collectively, it’s been a great unit.”
The Rockies’ starters boast a 4.09 earned run average, well ahead of second-place Florida (4.30) in the National League. And they’re getting better. From June 19 on, the starters have posted a 14-11 record with a 3.23 ERA.
The pitching staff as a whole sports a 4.17 ERA, second in the league and on pace for the best in franchise history. Skeptics, the Brewers’ Jeff Cirillo leading the way, point to the humidor’s black magic as a primary reason. The Rockies laugh at that notion, but they are serious about what they are accomplishing.
“I really think we can keep this going,” right-hander Aaron Cook said. “This is a confident group of guys. If we stay healthy, and if we stay consistent, there is no telling where we can go.”
Cook, Jason Jennings and Jeff Francis, all raised as Rockies, have led the way. Although a lack of run support has led to a combined 22-27 record among the trio, they’ve put opponents in the National League West on watch.
“I think that’s a very formidable one-two-three,” San Diego veteran Brian Giles said. “They’ve shown great improvement this year. It’s a core group you can build around.”
But they are far from a finished product. All three have ridden a roller coaster this season.
Manager Clint Hurdle declared Jennings the staff ace in spring training. Jennings has been terrific, with a team-leading 3.58 ERA among the starters, but has been hit the hardest by a lack of run support. It’s taken a new level of maturity for Jennings to handle that frustration.
“Being the staff ace means taking responsibility as a leader,” Hurdle said. “He doesn’t want to have his teammates looking at him and seeing him looking cross-eyed if things aren’t going his way.”
Former Rockies general manager Bob Gebhard, now an assistant GM with Arizona, said Cook has the potential to be a 20-game winner. And Giles said Cook’s fall-off-the-table sinkerball makes him the Rockies’ real ace.
“When Cookie commands his sinker, it’s one of the better pitches in the game,” Giles said. “He can get away with throwing it for nine innings, that’s how good a pitch it is.”
But Cook is learning he needs more than one dominant pitch to win on a consistent basis. After rough starts last month against Arizona and St. Louis, he figured out teams were laying in wait for his sinker. Monday, he effectively mixed in his slider and fastball with a heavy dose of sinkers for eight strong innings in a 4-2 victory over Milwaukee.
The baby-faced Francis, 25, has been among baseball’s best pitchers the past five weeks. Since June 28, he has a 1.99 ERA, best in the National League. The lone lefty among the starters, he’s also the most cerebral.
“I’ve never been someone who can rely on pure power,” he said. “I’m not going to just blow fastballs by hitters. If I’m going to survive at this level, I need to be able to think my way through things.”
Colorado’s other two starters, Josh Fogg and Byung-Hyun Kim, have been pleasant surprises as the only two starters with winning records. Wednesday night, Kim improved to 7-6 by throwing a career-high eight innings in Colorado’s 8-2 victory over Milwaukee. In his past five starts at Coors Field, Kim has allowed just four runs in 33 1/3 innings, for a 1.08 ERA.
Tuesday night, Fogg (7-6) lost 1-0 to Milwaukee. Earlier this season, he threw a complete-game shutout in Seattle, the first of his career.
Those type of performances would be headline news most years. This season, they’ve become almost routine.
Remember Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton? The Rockies’ high-profile acquisitions of overpaid players did nothing but break the bank. O’Dowd said the Rockies’ current plan is showing signs of paying off.
“This season shows that we can draft and develop our own homegrown players, starting pitchers in particular,” he said. “I think that’s vital for our future.”
How they’re doing it
A closer look at the Rockies’ starters, with a comment from pitching coach Bob Apodaca on how each pitcher has improved this season:
JASON JENNINGS (7-9, 3.58)
Prime pitches: Sinker, four-seam fastball, slider
New and improved: More command and confidence, cut fastball.
Contract status: $4.4 million, with club option for $5.5 million in 2007.
“Dac” says: “He’s harnessed his emotions better than in the past.”
AARON COOK (7-9, 3.79)
Prime pitches: Sinker, four-seam fastball, slider
New and improved: Showing greater command with off-speed pitches.
Contract status: $1.2 million, $3.05 in ’07 with club option for $4.5 million in ’08.
“Dac” says: “The league has learned about his sinker, so he’s learning to counterpunch.”
JEFF FRANCIS (8-9, 3.63)
Prime pitches: Four-seam fastball, curve, sinker
New and improved: Confidence to use his two-seam fastball (sinker) in tough situations.
Contract status: $336,000. Under team control for three more seasons as he enters arbitration process.
“Dac” says: “Jeff reads baseball language very well and he’s able to make his adjustments quickly.”
JOSH FOGG (7-6, 4.39)
Prime pitches: Cut fastball, changeup
New and improved: Throwing cut fastball in tighter on right-handers.
Contract status: $850,000. Free agent after this season.
“Dac” says: “He has supreme confidence in his changeup and can throw it at any time.”
BYUNG-HYUN KIM (7-6, 4.57)
Prime pitches: Rising four-seam fastball, slider
New and improved: Using his sinking fastball more often, more effectively.
Contract status: $1.25 million. Free agent after this season.
“Dac” says: “He’s expanding his game. The next step is to throw tighter and consistently against lefties.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
