SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Left-hander Tyler Matzek is still searching for his lost command. The Rockies are going to give him time to find it, and they say they’re not yet pressing the panic button.
Manager Walt Weiss did not make a big deal of Matzek’s rough first outing of the spring.
“It was his first outing, so we give him some grace there,” Weiss said Thursday morning. “But it’s not something we addressed right after the game. We have a plan in place with Tyler to try and kick-start him and get him over this hump.”
Matzek, a 2009 first-round draft choice whose 2015 season ended abruptly because of control issues brought on by performance anxiety, was clearly out of sync in his Cactus League debut Wednesday. He faced five batters and failed to record an out while giving up three runs on three hits, including a solo home run to lead off the fourth by Arizona’s Welington Castro. Most disconcerting, Matzek walked two and had a wild pitch.
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Asked if his problems were mechanical or mental, Matzek said: “It could have been a number of things. It could have been mechanics, it could have been (in my) head. I will sit back and think about it and figure it out and make a plan not to do it again.”
Weiss said the Rockies have no plans, at least not right now, to take Matzek out of competition while they work on his mechanics and his mind-set.
Rusin scratched. Lefty Chris Rusin was scratched from Friday’s scheduled start against Oakland because of inflammation of the left middle finger, Weiss said. There is no timetable on when Rusin will be ready to pitch again.
Rusin, 29, is seeking a spot in the starting rotation after going 6-10 with a 5.33 ERA in 24 games. Rusin threw two complete games last season and had some of the Rockies’ best starts.
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Rusin is out of minor-league options, so the Rockies might try to keep him as a reliever and an emergency starter. Currently, the penciled-in starting rotation looks like this: lefty Jorge De La Rosa and right-handers Chad Bettis, Tyler Chatwood, Jordan Lyles and Jon Gray.
Hitting his stride. Trevor Story, a talented 23-year-old shortstop prospect, continues to state his case that he is ready for the big leagues. He blasted a three-run, 442-foot homer in the third inning Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields.
Story’s towering drive off Zack Godley landed in the cactus and rock garden high above the 410 sign on the center-field wall. Story hit an 0-2 cutter.
“I’m not even worried about results, really. I just (want) solid at-bats and effective at-bats,” said Story, who hit a total of 20 home runs for Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Albuquerque last year. “To be honest with you, I was just trying to hit that ball to right field. My two-strike approach is to just stay inside it.”
Weiss was impressed by the approach and the results.
“You always want to get off to a good start, make a good first impression, and he certainly did,” Weiss said. “(442 feet) is where the big boys go — he’s shown that power, has got ability to hit the ball a long way. The key with Trevor is to set his sights to the big part of the field and not try to do those things. With his ability, it’ll happen.”
With Jose Reyes out for an indefinite time as Major League Baseball investigates allegations of domestic violence, Story has a chance to break camp as Colorado’s starting shortstop.
