CINCINNATI — Only a scant percentage of kids who pick up a ball reach the big leagues. An even smaller number stick once they arrive. Pitching is hard. And pitching for the Rockies is about as difficult as keeping Charlie Sheen sober and roughly as fun as reading parking meters.
Not every kid is cut out for this job. And there are hundreds who never panned out in Colorado, doomed by the altitude, injuries or just sheer awfulness.
Christian Friedrich has no plans to be a statistic or a victim, rebounding after an ugly outing last weekend to help lead the Rockies to a 6-3 victory Friday night over the scalding Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark.
While it’s impossible to assess the left-hander until he pitches more at Coors Field, he showed resolve too often absent in young Rockies pitchers over the last two decades.
The Rockies find themselves in this mess of a season because of not only performance on the mound, but the mind-set.
As one player put it, “Too often we are running away from the burning building, not into it.”
It was hyperbole, of course, but it was salient. The Rockies need starters with titanium guts. Pitching scared produces frightening results. But when the game got greasy Friday, the rookie rolled up his sleeves and went back under the hood.
“We can get better from him, and we want to see better. But he battled his (backside) off,” manager Jim Tracy said.
This wasn’t his best outing. Not even close. He hasn’t approached the Sandy Koufax-like curveball he used to muzzle the Giants in San Francisco. His breaking ball didn’t have much bite. However, the kid had fangs, giving the Rockies a chance to win (which is all the position players have been privately pleading for this month).
The defining moment came in the fifth inning. In 89-degree heat and sloppy humidity, Friedrich’s pitch count was climbing and his command vanishing as he faced the Reds’ Chris Heisey with the tying run on base.
Of course, he couldn’t make it easy. No Rockies pitcher ever does. But once Friedrich reached a full count — that would have allowed Brandon Phillips to likely score from first base — Friedrich didn’t flinch. Heisey fouled off a fastball. Then Friedrich induced a harmless popup to catcher Wilin Rosario.
“I give him credit for hanging in there. If he gets a walk, he’s probably done in that situation,” Tracy said.
There may not be any big games for the Rockies this season. The hole they have dug is enormous, requiring more of a front-end loader than a shovel.
Still, there will be important moments, specifically as it relates to the growth of their young starters such as Juan Nicasio, Alex White, Drew Pomeranz (when he returns) and Friedrich.
Friedrich passed this test. His final line was rugged — five innings, three runs, 95 pitches. But he competed, and gave the Rockies a reason to believe the outcome wasn’t predetermined. Rather than have to break out mops, the bullpen had a realistic bridge to build. Four innings are too many, but reasonable given the way the month has gone.
Matt Belisle, who has regained his traction, continues to reward Tracy’s unwavering faith. In these back-to-back wins — the first since a three-game winning streak since April 20 — Belisle was able to pass the baton to closer Rafael Betancourt. After Josh Outman failed to retire Reds’ star Joey Votto — in fairness, no one did Friday — Belisle struck out Brandon Phillips on his best curveball of the season.
“If our starting pitchers give us a competitive effort and keep us in the game, we can get going in the right direction,” Tracy said. “We beat a really good baseball team tonight. We beat a first-place team tonight.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1294 or trenck@denverpost.com
Maybe, maybe not
The Rockies have had a historic slump this May. Will this affect how many games you attend the rest of the season?
Yes: I’m tired of the product, and tired of ownership not doing anything about it, such as changing its management. Count me out.
No: I’m still a baseball fan, and attending a game at Coors Field is a fantastic experience, even if the Rox aren’t pennant contenders. Vote online: denverpost.com/sports
