OAKLAND, Calif. — The quick flip from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning kept Troy Tulowitzki out of the Rockies’ lineup for a series finale against the Oakland Athletics.
That has been Colorado’s regular mode of operation with their star shortstop this season in an effort to keep him fresh and healthy for the long haul.
But on Wednesday, the Rockies had a new opportunity with Tulowitzki. Manager Walt Weiss could have used him as a designated hitter.
Tulowitzki put together a red-hot June, leading the National League in batting average at .381. He is on a 14-game hitting streak and had a hit in 24-of-25 games in June.
Tulo’s current average of .320 was ninth-best in baseball entering Wednesday.
But he has never been a DH. In his mind, if he’s going to play, he should play all the way.
“If I’m going to be the DH, I would say: ‘Hey, just put me in the lineup. I wanna play defense,’ ” Tulowitzki said.
Weiss also had an opportunity to use Tulowitzki as a DH in Houston last month. But Tulo witzki said, essentially, ‘If I can play, why can’t I be a shortstop too?’
“Yeah, I was going to DH him there. He said something to that effect,” Weiss said. “So I didn’t even ask him today.”
RELATED:
Backup catcher Michael McKenry used as pinch hitter
With the Rockies trailing Oakland 4-1 in the eighth, Weiss used Michael McKenry as a pinch hitter instead of Tulowitzki.
“We were waiting for an opportunity,” Weiss said. “In the ninth, if somebody gets on, (Tulo was) gonna hit.”
Finger issue continues for Jorge De La Rosa
Jorge De La Rosa, who is 5-1 since May 16, had his left middle finger wrapped again after pitching seven strong innings in a victory Tuesday.
“The ball felt really weird (Tuesday) night,” De La Rosa said. “My finger was numb. It feels the same (Wednesday).”
He will probably make his next start Sunday at Arizona. The Rockies are 7-1 behind De La Rosa in his past eight starts. And he’s 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA in four road starts this season.
Chad Bettis not his best against A’s
After a loss Wednesday against the A’s, Chad Bettis fell to 2-3 with a 4.82 ERA over his past five starts.
“It wasn’t my best,” Bettis said. “Stuff was flattening out in the middle innings. If you don’t have sink or depth on your pitches, they get hit.”
Bettis said his mechanics were off. He wasn’t pitching over the top of his windup. It will be a quick fix — “I need to be more rotational,” he said — but quicker work is what he’s aiming for.
“I need to be a lot more efficient with my pitches,” he said. “I can’t be at 110 pitches at 5 .”
Looking ahead
Rockies’ Chris Rusin (3-2, 4.69 ERA) at Diamondbacks’ Jeremy Hellickson (5-5, 5.38), 7:40 p.m., Thursday, ROOT; 850 AM
Rusin, who joined the Rockies last September after they signed him off waivers from the Cubs, will face Arizona for the first time in a Colorado uniform. He last pitched against Arizona in 2013. More recently, Rusin got through 6 innings in San Francisco, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits. The Rockies lost that game 7-5, and they’ve won in only three of Rusin’s seven starts. Hellickson has a 5.22 ERA in his past seven starts — but he has won four of them.
Friday: Rockies’ Kyle Kendrick (3-10, 6.07 ERA) at Diamondbacks’ Chase Anderson (4-2, 3.66), 7:40 p.m., ROOT
Saturday: Rockies’ David Hale (2-3, 5.95) at Diamondbacks’ Allen Webster (1-1, 7.11), 8:10 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 4.59) at Diamondbacks’ Rubby De La Rosa (6-3, 4.60), 2:10 p.m., ROOT
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
