Brian Fuentes is no longer the Rockies’ closer, but pitching coach Bob Apodaca believes he will soon return to that role.
The job devoured Fuentes last week when he blew four saves, leading manager Clint Hurdle to provide a mental break.
While Fuentes works as a setup man, the Rockies will rely on a crew to fulfill a job he could no longer bear alone. Jorge Julio, for instance, would have closed Sunday’s game, if necessary. But this isn’t the ideal situation, Apodaca said.
“With committees you rarely, if ever, see that work out well,” said Apodaca, whose primary ninth-inning options are Manny Corpas and Julio. “As Clint said when we made this move, we are just keeping the seat warm for Brian. We desperately need him.”
A more reflective Fuentes spoke at a news conference Monday to discuss his all-star berth, which he earned through players’ votes that were submitted before his demotion. Until last week, Fuentes had never blown consecutive saves. He blew four consecutive chances – the first pitcher to do that since the Yankees’ Dave Righetti in 1988.
“It’s a life experience. As a player and as a person, you learn a lot about yourself,” Fuentes said. “It’s made me stronger.”
There’s been a lot of talk during the past few days that Fuentes’ struggles can be traced to poor pitch selection. It came to a head when he surrendered a grand slam to Houston’s Carlos Lee on Thursday on a changeup.
“It’s execution. I will never second-guess a pitch,” Apodaca said. “He can’t be worried about his stuff. It’s about making his pitches.”
Fogg ready for rebound
Two difficult outings on the road trip have clouded Josh Fogg’s future in the rotation beyond Wednesday’s start. Hurdle said he needs to see more consistency from Fogg and Jason Hirsh. Taylor Buchholz provides an alternative, but Fogg isn’t concerned.
“I have pitched too many years in my career to be worried about my job. I am done doing that,” Fogg said. “The numbers have been horrible, but I don’t feel horrible out there. Having two bad games isn’t the end of the world. Stopping this skid at two is the key.”
Getting penciled in
Chris Iannetta started Monday for the fourth time in five games, his offensive surge attributed to “being more aggressive,” according to Hurdle.
