It was easy to miss, lost in the drama and the 40,000 collective sighs of relief. But Saturday’s final out against the Diamondbacks provided a revealing peek at catcher Chris Iannetta.
When Huston Street struck out Gerardo Parra on his 32nd pitch of the ninth inning, securing the Rockies’ first victory of the season, Iannetta reacted with a pumped fist and boisterous scream. All that was missing was fire coming out of his nostrils.
Iannetta has been many things in his Rockies career — top prospect, disappointment, starter, backup — but he’s never been this publicly passionate.
“It’s more about taking ownership of the position. You don’t really act like that when you’re not the guy. The last few years, I felt like I was babysitting the spot for (Miguel) Olivo or (Yorvit) Torrealba,” Iannetta said. “It’s different now.”
There’s no questioning Iannetta’s place on the depth chart. He’s the catcher, and more than ever, a rudder for the pitching staff. He didn’t panic when ace Ubaldo Jimenez arrived on opening day with no command and a parachute connected to his fastball. Iannetta guided the right-hander through six innings, and was calling a shutout Saturday when Jorge De La Rosa left after 16 outs with a blister on his left middle finger.
“I feel like it’s my staff. These are my guys,” Iannetta said.
The Rockies caught a break from Sunday’s snowout. It created built-in extra days’ rest for Jimenez and De La Rosa. With no game today, the Rockies will send out Jhoulys Chacin and Jason Hammel in the Dodgers series at Coors Field, with Esmil Rogers facing the Pirates in their home opener Thursday. Jimenez is scheduled to pitch Friday, followed again by De La Rosa and Chacin.
Jimenez (right thumb cuticle) must pitch a side session with proper mechanics Tuesday or Wednesday to make his start. He tossed the ball lightly Sunday. De La Rosa’s blood blister is already healed.
“Giving those guys some more time to heal their fingers is a good thing,” Iannetta said. “We know we have a great staff. We just have to stay healthy and execute our game plan.”
Iannetta loves the mental side of baseball. He’s fastidious in his preparation, his mind devouring scouting reports, checking and rechecking tendencies. That was a driving force in Saturday’s reaction.
“I was fired up,” Iannetta said. “You put a lot of work into getting to that point.”
Manager Jim Tracy has raved about Iannetta’s improvement, specifically in his offensive approach. Last April, Iannetta had four hits the entire month before a jarring demotion to Triple-A. This April, he has collected three hits in the first two games. More important, they have gone to left, center and right.
“He’s a perfect example of what (hitting instructor) Carney (Lansford) is teaching,” Tracy said. “He’s going line to line and he has a much better two-strike approach.”
It’s not going to be easy to maintain. Hitting from the eighth spot in the National League “is one of the toughest jobs,” admitted teammate Ty Wigginton. Iannetta has to balance aggressiveness with patience and recognize when opponents are baiting him to get to the pitcher on deck. It’s a challenge he relishes, after the roller-coaster ride that brought him to this point.
“I am in a good spot. I am more comfortable with my (shorter) swing,” Iannetta said. “Plus, training in Scottsdale, I played a lot more so I felt great coming into the season. It’s been good so far, but I am not thinking about it. I just need to focus on coming with it every single day.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Upcoming pitching matchups
Today: Off day
Tuesday: Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (9-11, 3.28 in 2010), 6:40 p.m., Root
Wednesday: Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley (1-0, 4.50) vs. Rockies’ Jason Hammel (10-9, 4.81 in 2010), 1:10 p.m., Root
Thursday: Rockies’ Esmil Rogers (2-3, 6.13 in 2010) vs. Pirates’ Paul Maholm (0-0, 0.00), 11:35 a.m., Root
Friday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (0-0, 7.50) vs. Pirates’ Ross Ohlendorf (0-0, 6.00), 5:05 p.m., Root
