Break up the band.
In the annals of great quartets, few historians will mistake the Rockies’ starting pitching rotation for Paul, John, George and Ringo.
All that’s required to describe this idea for a four-man pitching rotation in Colorado is a single four-letter word: dumb.
It’s a gimmick. Add the 75-pitch count, and it’s a slap in the face to every working pro in the Colorado clubhouse with a declaration that team management has next-to-zero faith in the starting staff.
Rockies veteran Jeff Francis dueled Washington phenom Stephen Strasburg on a dead-even basis, but was not given a chance to earn the victory, as Francis was removed after five innings and only 66 pitches in what ultimately proved to be a 4-2 win for Colorado.
“It’s different, that’s for sure. It’s not what we’re used to,” Francis said Monday. “But we’re asked to do a job.”
Everybody knows pitching at Coors Field can be hazardous duty, but Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd has made the problem unnecessarily complex.
The answer can be found by examining a loud and proud nomination for the best starters in franchise history. My dream Rockies rotation includes five men (not four): Aaron Cook, Pedro Astacio, Jason Jennings, Kevin Ritz and Ubaldo Jimenez.
Look to them if you’re looking for a template of how to build a pitcher who can succeed in the thin air of Denver.
Like every good bureaucrat, when O’Dowd doesn’t know how to solve a problem, he commissions a study. This one is called Project 5183, which is either in honor of the elevation of Coors Field or how many extra-base hits Colorado pitchers will surrender this season. Take your pick.
With no reason to waste his summer dreaming about a playoff berth, O’Dowd has rolled up his sleeves and gone to work on an entry for the science fair. The Rockies are turning over every hanging curveball to find a logical explanation why their pitching stinks.
O’Dowd has gone so far as to inspect a decade of game-day weather at the corner of 20th and Blake streets. (Hint: When the thermometer reads 100 degrees at first pitch, it’s hot.) What influence the barometric pressure has on a two-seam fastball remains to be seen. But, hey, if this GM gig doesn’t work out, O’Dowd can probably find work as a meteorologist.
How about we skip the paralysis by analysis? Here is what works:
Against the Nationals, Francis applied the same theory that allowed Cook to win 72 games for the Rockies. Despite the ballpark’s nasty reputation, a pitcher must be 100 percent unafraid of throwing to contact. Put the baseball in play.
Astacio was 28 years old when he joined Colorado in 1997. He was comfortable in his own skin and his identity as a pitcher before taking the mound in LoDo. He gave up a frightening 139 home runs during five seasons with the Rockies. But know one big secret to his success? A lousy short-term memory. Astacio didn’t worry about the consequences. Thinking too much on the mound can be a bad thing.
The body does seem to recover slower at altitude. Jennings, whose 16-8 record made him the National League rookie of the year in 2002, was built like a moose. At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds he could handle the strain.
Kevin Ritz once won 17 games in a season when his earned run average was 5.28. There’s a little control freak inside many pitchers. They want to dictate the game. But, at Coors, you need a personality to go with the flow. The contest often doesn’t really begin until after the first 10 runs are scored. A 6-4 lead in the fifth inning qualifies as a quality start.
Jimenez, the most talented pitcher to ever wear a Colorado uniform, serves as an example for my most radical proposal. The physical and mental fatigue of throwing strikes in this ballpark does take a toll. After five full seasons, Jimenez was burned out. There should be term limits for a pitcher in Denver. Forget a pitch count. After 150 starts, it’s time to move on to another major-league city.
Instead of a pitch count, it might be smarter to stock the Rockies with guys who actually know how to pitch.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
