Los Angeles – At first glance, lanky, 6-foot-5, Canadian-born pitcher Jeff Francis appears to have nothing in common with a certain 5-11 Swedish tennis player who won five straight Wimbledon titles.
But when the easygoing Francis heads to work, his face becomes a blank canvas and his will turns into iron.
“Jeff gives you that Bjorn Borg look when he’s out on the mound,” Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “He’s able to function so well under the most stressful situations.”
That’s why the Rockies will be a confident bunch when Francis leads them against the Arizona Diamondbacks and ace Brandon Webb tonight at Coors Field. With the Rockies’ playoff hopes on a tightrope and a sellout crowd expected, it will be the biggest start of the left-hander’s career.
Francis flew home to Denver on Thursday afternoon, saving himself a late-night flight. Despite pitching a career-high 209 1/3 innings already this season, he should be rested and ready.
Adding to the drama is the fact that with a victory tonight, Francis (17-8) would set a franchise record for most victories in a season. He’s tied with Kevin Ritz (17 in 1996) and Pedro Astacio (17 in 1999) for the club record.
“That’s something I’ll think about after the season,” Francis said. “Right now I’m trying to get us to where we want to be.”
The Rockies are 22-11 when he takes the mound this season, and they have won 13 of his past 17 starts. The last time Francis faced Arizona, in a May 23 game at Chase Field, he pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits in Colorado’s 2-0 win.
Those statistics, combined with Francis’ demeanor, have the Rockies feeling sassy.
“He’s a smart guy who keeps his poise,” Todd Helton said. “He’ll be just fine.”
Josh Fogg, who came through with 6 2/3 shutout innings in the Rockies’ 2-0 victory Wednesday night over the Dodgers, certainly has faith in his fellow starter. As Fogg surveyed a visitor’s clubhouse at Dodger Stadium jammed with September call-ups, he quipped, “There is no one else I’d rather have on the mound in that game, and I’m sure there are 74 other guys in here who feel the same way.”
That’s not to say Francis has been perfect down the stretch. In an Aug. 14 game in San Diego, he lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and walking six. On Sept. 13 at Philadelphia, he suffered a carbon-copy meltdown, giving up eight runs on eight hits and walking four in 3 1/3 innings. At the time, that loss to the Phillies looked like it might doom the Rockies’ season, but he recovered with impressive wins over the Padres and Dodgers.
“Nobody puts more effort and more time into his pitching than Jeff does,” Apodaca said. “He looks at film and he goes over the scouting report as much as I do. He’s always prepared.”
Apodaca couldn’t predict how Francis will pitch tonight, but he’s sure Francis won’t be defeated by shaky nerves.
“More than anybody else we’ve had here, he goes out each night the same way,” Apodaca said. “I don’t think the largeness of this game is going to affect him at all.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
