The Rockies’ wobbly rotation has been in motion all season, so why should things change in the second half?
Coming out of the all-star break, right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (4-9, 4.22 ERA) starts tonight’s game against the Pirates at Coors Field. Friday night, left-hander Glendon Rusch (1-1, 6.00) gets the call, followed lefty Jorge De La Rosa (3-5, 7.26) on Saturday and All-Star Game standout Aaron Cook (11-6, 3.57) on Sunday.
Manager Clint Hurdle said today that it’s likely that Kip Wells (1-1, 2.29) will move into the fifth spot and face the Dodgers on Monday. Wells pitched a rehab assignment for Double-A Tulsa on Wednesday night, allowing two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
“We want to make sure he doesn’t have any setbacks before we activate him,” Hurdle said.
Wells has been out since April 29 because of a blood clot in his right hand. The Rockies believe surgery corrected the problem.
Lefty Jeff Francis, the opening-day starter, threw a 50-pitch bullpen session today and said he didn’t experience any pain in his throwing shoulder. Francis, on the disabled list since July 3, said he thinks he’s ready for a minor-league rehab assignment, but said one has not yet been scheduled.
Struggling left-hander Mark Redman (2-5, 7.54) is out of the rotation, relegated to the bullpen. Hurdle picked De La Rosa, 27, over Redman, 34, because De La Rosa has “more possible up side.”
“Jorge has work to do and Mark has work to do, either one of them is in a good place right now,” Hurdle said. “We are taking the younger arm, giving him one more start and see where that leads us.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
