SAN DIEGO — With Ubaldo Jimenez gone and Jorge De La Rosa hurt, the Rockies are taking precautions with their ace-in-waiting.
Stricken with a high fever and a sore throat, Jhoulys Chacin will be skipped in the rotation, his next start pushed back to Friday against the Reds at Coors Field.
The Rockies are also mindful of the burden on his valuable right arm. Chacin has pitched a career-high 170 innings this season and with the team out of contention, his workload will be reduced this month.
“I want to keep pitching. But I also understand that they want to make sure I end the year healthy,” Chacin said. “I haven’t felt well. And rather than rush back, they decided it would be better to give me more time to recover.”
Chacin is 11-10 with a 3.60 ERA. He has fronted the rotation for a month and could pitch opening day next season if a veteran starter isn’t acquired or signed in free agency.
Footnotes.
Given his wrist issues and the Rockies’ desire to keep him injury-free, it’s highly unlikely that outfielder Carlos Gonzalez will play winter ball. . . . Rockies reliever Huston Street, on his eighth-inning exchange with the Diamondbacks’ Gerardo Parra on Wednesday: “If he’s on my team, I probably pat him on the back. But I didn’t like seeing my catcher getting knocked down.”
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
