To understand the bullpen’s resurgence, don’t examine its performance. Study its warm-ups.
It’s common to see double-barrel relievers getting loose under Rockies manager Jim Tracy. The acutely organized approach has brought certainty and success to the relievers. Their ERA was 5.25 through May and is 4.09 since.
In Thursday’s eighth inning, Tracy used Joel Peralta, Alan Embree and Juan Rincon to record three outs, a plan he mapped out in the sixth when he learned that Matt Daley was available to pitch so Rincon could be used to retire Martin Prado.
“If a certain matchup is marked in my highlighter, I won’t do it. But everything else, I will go on what I see,” Tracy said. “I don’t want to look in the mirror and think there was something more I could have done to help us win.”
The relievers have responded to Tracy for two reasons: They trust him to put them in positions to succeed, and he doesn’t bury them after a single failure.
“He’s the best manager I have ever had at running a bullpen,” closer Huston Street said. “The fewer times the phone rings, the better the bullpen is. He calls, and it’s message delivered. And he has your back. That’s huge. When I was at Oakland, guys would go nine days without pitching. Then on the 10th day, they would struggle. I mean, come on. Get real.”
Atkins trade winds.
Garrett Atkins’ revived bat has increased his trade value but also decreased the likelihood he will be shipped out. The Rockies like having him as an insurance policy, albeit a $3.4 million one, for Ian Stewart. They will continue to monitor what Atkins can bring back in a deal, mainly relief help.
“We are not going to just move him to move him,” Tracy said. “There’s zero chance of that happening.”
Footnotes.
The Rockies have been baffled by reports of their interest in Pittsburgh’s Freddy Sanchez. They are not attempting to acquire him, their focus squarely on bullpen arms. No deal is expected until it gets closer to the July 31 trading deadline. . . . Before the game, Jason Marquis and Brad Hawpe were honored with an all-star sendoff, receiving the red jerseys they will wear in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. With Carlos Beltran sidelined, by rule, Hawpe will start because he received the most votes from his peers.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
