The keys to the Rockies’ future are on full display at Coors Field.
Three young pitchers — Juan Nicasio, Alex White and Christian Friedrich — are growing up beneath the unblinking spotlight of the major leagues.
How they handle the pressure, and how Rockies manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Bob Apodaca mold them at this critical juncture, will affect the franchise for years to come.
White, who provided seven solid innings Friday night in the Rockies’ 4-0 loss to the Mariners, made a bold statement Thursday.
“We would rather struggle a little bit early and get this thing figured out,” he said. “We are getting the experience now. After we have gone through these troubles as pitchers, and when we do win nine or 10 games in a row, it’s going to be because of our pitching staff.”
On the heels of Kevin Millwood’s two-hit, seven-strikeout performance Friday night against his former teammates at Coors Field, that winning streak is certainly hard to envision right now.
Entering the game, Rockies starters owned a 5.07 ERA, and opposing batters were hitting .292 against them. Those numbers were by far the worst in the National League.
The one thing turning Tracy’s hair shades whiter are the boatload of walks — an NL-most 85 by Rockies starters. Tracy’s solution is for the pitchers to stop dancing around the strike zone.
“If someone barrels the ball up and hits it a long way, so be it,” he said. “I think the general message is very simple. If you pitch defensively, you will fail. It’s that simple. That theory has never changed.”
That tentative pitching approach is what most bothered Tracy about the Rockies’ 9-7 loss to Arizona on Thursday.
“You can’t pitch any worse than that. It’s just that simple,” he said. “We did not pitch well from the first inning on.”
As instructed, White went after the Mariners on Friday night. He got burned on a solo homer by Mike Carp in the second, but he kept the Rockies in the game. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and struck out seven. He didn’t walk any, though he did plunk Brendan Ryan in the second.
Nicasio, the strong-armed right-hander from the Dominican Republic, has displayed both his potential and his immaturity. He struck out seven Diamondback hitters Thursday and gave up just one run on two hits. But he also walked five, threw two wild pitches and needed 106 pitches to get through 4 innings.
Tonight, Friedrich, the left-hander who opened the season in Triple-A Colorado Springs, gets his first taste of Coors Field. Over his first two big-league starts, the 24-year-old has allowed just two earned runs and posted a 1.38 ERA. But those were West Coast affairs. How he adjusts to Coors, a ballpark that can quickly turn into a chamber of horrors, will provide a measure of reality.
Tracy has not been shy about venting his frustration with his pitchers during recent postgame sessions, but said he believes in the future of his young arms. “I really do,” he said. “I’m not so sure as we go along here that we are going to have to wait until next year.”
Tracy doesn’t envision a smooth ride, but he believes.
“When you are dealing with young people, you know there is going to be some ups and downs,” he said. “You have to roll with the punches, but you stay the course and remain patient. You know full well that there are going to be jabs taken and there is going to be criticism, but if you stay with your vision, you are going to get rewarded.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
