GLENDALE, Ariz. — Christian Bergman is a sleeper, in more ways than one.
“Somebody told me once that it looks like I am asleep out there when they watch me pitch. That’s fine, maybe I lull hitters to sleep,” the Rockies right-hander said Tuesday after pitching four scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed two hits and struck out one.
With veteran Jhoulys Chacin getting cut Sunday and left-hander Jorge De La Rosa sidelined with a groin injury, there are spots up for grabs in the starting rotation.
Bergman doesn’t have the firepower of prospects Jon Gray and Eddie Butler, but his unflappable nature gives him an outside shot.
“He had real good command,” manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s what he does. (He worked) both sides of the plate.”
Bergman gave up a leadoff double to Melky Cabrera in the eighth inning, but he didn’t let it faze him. Last season, when he made his big-league debut, that hit might have gotten under his skin.
“It’s just the experience of going through all of that stuff and getting called up last year,” he said. “For me, it was no longer a distant dream anymore, it was something that was a reality. Once the smoke kind of cleared, it was just the same game. So I just go out there to pitch and help the team win.”
Bergman went 3-5 with a 5.93 ERA in a season marred by a broken left hand that cost him 51 games.
He knew he needed to expand his repertoire, so he pitched in the Arizona Fall League and honed his curveball.
“I wanted to get back on top of the ball and iron some stuff out,” he said. “I’m definitely seeing the results of that.”
Hale sidelined. Right-hander David Hale, another candidate for the rotation, was bumped from his scheduled Cactus League start Thursday because of a strained oblique muscle, Weiss said. That, too, may affect the Rockies’ competition for a rotation spot.
Hale was among the front-runners for a spot in the back of the rotation, but an oblique strain, similar to the one that set infielder Daniel Descalso back nearly two weeks, could hurt Hale’s bid.
Weiss said the Rockies will be cautious with Hale but said he remains in the mix to start. The Rockies acquired Hale in an offseason trade with the Atlanta Braves.
