It was late in the Rockies’ dispiriting 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon when a kernel of optimism popped in Jamey Carroll’s head.
“Just knowing Jeff was going to pitch tomorrow, I immediately thought, ‘We’ll get a lot of strong innings,”‘ the Rockies’ utilityman said. “I knew we had an opportunity to win.”
Thanks to a five-run rally in the ninth inning, they did win, edging Washington 6-5 Friday night. Francis battled – allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings – but it was a long way from the shutdown performance he was seeking.
“I was OK,” he said.
With the Rockies’ starting rotation ravaged by injuries and their postseason hopes fading, the club needs Francis to be more than OK.
“If you’re an elite pitcher, you have to be good every time out,” Francis said. “But I like the challenge of that, because I do expect to go out and do things to help this team win every time I pitch.”
The 6-foot-5 lefty has become the Boy Scout of Rockies starting pitchers: solid, reliable and always prepared. On the mound, the 26-year-old Canadian appears unflappable and analytical. But those characteristics camouflage his raw competitiveness and desire to step up in class and join aces such as San Diego’s Jake Peavy, Arizona’s Brandon Webb and Minnesota’s Johan Santana.
Francis, winless in his past three starts, is 13-6 with a 4.32 ERA. Pitching on normal rest, he would have seven starts remaining this season, giving him a legitimate chance to set a franchise record for most wins in a season. The record is 17, set by Kevin Ritz in 1996 and matched by Pedro Astacio in 1999.
Francis knows, however, that his ability to shoulder his team’s playoff aspirations is more important than digits in the record book.
“I think Jeff is very close,” said general manager Dan O’Dowd, who made Francis the ninth overall pick of the 2002 June draft. “But that next step is always the hardest.”
As playoff jockeying got more serious, Francis discovered that firsthand. From June 14 to Aug. 8, he set a franchise record for a starter by winning eight straight decisions. But on Aug. 14 at San Diego’s Petco Park, the Padres blew Francis off the mound. Lacking essential fastball command, he walked six, gave up six hits and was torched for eight runs in just 3 1/3 innings. It was a case, pitching coach Bob Apodaca said, of Francis trying to pitch too fine.
“It’s much like a golfer who’s trying to hit a drive and put it into a fairway instead of trusting his swing and just letting it go,” Apodaca said. “It’s about trusting yourself. It’s about Jeff telling himself, ‘All my side work and all that film study has prepared me for this, so now I have to trust my talent and just let it go.’ It’s those little things that are preventing him from the next step.”
Francis, a cornerstone of the Rockies’ youth movement, signed a four- year, $13.25 million contract last winter. Already the winningest left-hander in Rockies history, he threw 199 innings last season and is on pace for 200-plus innings this season.
“I’m always searching for some kind of consistency,” Francis said. “I don’t feel like I’ve gotten there yet. I still have points in the season where I have to battle to find things, like my release points, but I think I’m learning that that’s what all pitchers go through. You have to learn what to do when you don’t have your top stuff.”
In a July 18 game at Pittsburgh, Francis was able to do just that. With his fastball on the fritz, he relied on changeups to get through seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits, struck out six and didn’t walk any in the Rockies’ 5-3 victory.
“He wasn’t throwing 100 mph or anything, but I was impressed,” said Pirates outfielder Jason Bay, who befriended Francis when they played on Canada’s 2006 World Baseball Classic team. “From what I’ve seen, his changeup is his best pitch.”
Francis laughed when he heard that.
“Well, I threw a lot of them that day, because I didn’t have my fastball,” Francis said.
Francis doesn’t throw hard. His fastball usually ranges from 84-88 mph, touching 90 on rare occasions. But that doesn’t mean he can’t develop into an ace.
“He’s not an overpowering pitcher, but players in this game come in different shapes and sizes,” Apodaca said. “Tom Glavine won 300 games and has never been accused of being a power pitcher. He’s always been somebody who is very workmanlike. I think that’s what Jeff can be – very workmanlike.”
O’Dowd, who says Francis has grown “tremendously” in his first three seasons in the majors, projects a bright future, in large part because he sees Francis as “a great self-evaluator.”
O’Dowd, however, cautions that Francis hasn’t arrived yet.
“He can’t have outings like he had in San Diego,” O’Dowd said. “You can’t do that, and you really can’t do that when your team is in a pennant-contending situation. You have got to be able to step up and be mentally strong enough to deal with that. That’s all a part of the maturity process.”
Compared to the best
Here’s how Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis stacks up against some of the National League’s best starting pitchers:
(Pitcher Team Record ERA Opp. avg.)
Jeff Francis Rockies 13-6 4.32 .282
Chris Young Padres 9-4 2.12 .184
Jake Peavy Padres 14-5 2.21 .209
Brandon Webb D-backs 14-8 2.63 .229
Brad Penny Dodgers 14-4 2.65 .246
John Smoltz Braves 12-6 3.01 .258
Tim Hudson Braves 15-5 3.07 .251
Orlando Hernandez Mets 8-4 3.09 .195
John Maine Mets 13-7 3.64 .224
Carlos Zambrano Cubs 14-10 3.95 .232
– Note: Statistics through Friday
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
