DETROIT — Youth is not always pretty. The Rockies are discovering that in nearly every game.
In a 4-1 loss to the Tigers at steamy Comerica Park on Saturday, the growing pains were on full display as the Rockies tumbled to their ninth time in 10 games.
Rookie starter Christian Friedrich, though blessed with a powerful fastball and wicked curve, was undone by wildness and a bad decision in the field. Rookie Wilin Rosario, blessed with power at the plate and thunder in his right arm, illustrated why he’s still a catcher in the raw.
That youth collided in a Little League moment in the fifth inning.
Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera led off with a chopper back to Friedrich, who couldn’t field it cleanly. Not realizing he still had plenty of time to throw out Cabrera at first, Friedrich rushed, uncorking a wild throw past Todd Helton.
Rosario, hustling all the way, finally tracked down the ball. Thinking he had a chance to nail Cabrera at third, Rosario made an ill-advised throw across the diamond to Friedrich, who was covering the bag. The ball skipped away, and Cabrera’s should-be groundout turned into a comical unearned run.
The prudent thing to do was hold onto the ball. Instead, the two rookies tried to force the action.
“Cabrera is not going to try and run all around the bases,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “At some point and time, you just grab the ball and run it back in. But that’s a teaching tool.”
Rosario has hit nine homers this season, and he was 1-for-3 on Saturday. But he also struck out twice, including in the fifth inning with two men on base. Detroit starter Doug Fister fed Rosario curveballs out of the strike zone and he went fishing for them.
Rosario’s quest to better recognize pitches and become a more disciplined hitter is the next stop in his development.
Friedrich gave up just three hits, but he needed 98 pitches to get through five innings, and 50 of those pitches were out of the strike zone. He’s recently been struggling to command his curveball and changeup, and that’s made him less aggressive on the mound. After a fast start, he’s slumped and is now 4-3 with a 5.60 ERA.
In the fourth, he walked Jhonny Peralta, hit Ramon Santiago and issued a bases-loaded walk to Austin Jackson to force in a run.
“The walks today are just unacceptable,” Friedrich said. “That’s just me being a little too tentative and feeling like I have to throw a strike instead of just letting my body take care of it. … I just have to think about the next pitch, because when I’m thinking about mechanics out there, that’s when things start to go wrong.”
Trusting his stuff and minimizing damage is Friedrich’s next big step.
“It’s about mind-set,” Friedrich said. “Sometimes I overanalyze. I just need to stay aggressive. When I’m mixing all four of my pitches and trusting it, that’s when it call comes together.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
SUNDAY
Rockies at Tigers, 11:05 a.m., ROOT, 850 AM
Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie could be pitching to save his spot in the Rockies’ rotation. Following Guthrie’s last disappointing performance, manager Jim Tracy put Guthrie on a short leash. “We need to see improvement,” Tracy said. Guthrie has lost four times in his last five starts, his ERA inflating to 6.91. In his last start vs. Oakland, Guthrie allowed seven runs and eight hits (including three home runs) in five innings. Guthrie will be making his 11th appearance and eighth career start against the Tigers today. He owns a 3-2 record and 3.91 ERA against them. In 2010, as a starter for the Orioles, he dominated Detroit, tossing an eight-inning shutout and a seven-inning shutout and winning both games. The Rockies would be overjoyed to see Guthrie return to that kind of form.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming Pitching Matchups
Sunday: Rockies’ Jeremy Guthrie (3-5, 6.91 ERA) at Tigers’ Max Scherzer (5-4, 5.76), 11:05 a.m., ROOT
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Rockies’ Josh Outman (0-2, 8.44) at Phillies’ Cole Hamels (9-3, 3.34), 5:05 p.m., ROOT
Wednesday: Rockies’ Alex White (2-5, 5.56) at Phillies’ Joe Blanton (6-6, 4.93), 5:05 p.m., ROOT
