The little things are making Tom Murphy’s second taste of big-league baseball more familiar.
“You’re just more comfortable, you know where things are,” Murphy said. “You know how coaches interact and that kind of stuff. So it’s a lot easier this time.”
Murphy, who made his debut with the Rockies last September, made the first start of his second stint with the team Saturday. The catcher was slotted into the sixth spot in the lineup behind David Dahl.
“We just want to get him involved, make him a part of that catching rotation,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.
The Rockies will be closely evaluating Murphy’s defensive improvements during the final month of the season. He hit .330 with 19 home runs in 77 Triple-A games this season. His offense comes with few question marks. But Murphy has worked hard to make himself a more valuable asset behind the plate.
“It’s just being consistent from pitch to pitch,” Murphy said. “Obviously, you’re involved in every play. The more locked in you are with every pitch, the better off you’re going to be. That’s been my whole goal this year, and it’s worked out pretty well so far.”
The Rockies’ other ballyhooed September addition, outfielder Raimel Tapia, also made his first start in center field. Tapia was a late addition to the lineup after Charlie Blackmon was scratched with back tightness.
Rotation juggled. With Tyler Chatwood returning from a stint on the disabled list and starting Saturday, the Rockies have had to shuffle their rotation as they fit in, at least for now, six pitchers.
The extra arm has also added flexibility. Jon Gray flipped spots with Chad Bettis and was scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale with the Diamondbacks, with Bettis starting Monday against the San Francisco Giants.
Weiss said he switched the two because Bettis has already started four games against the Diamondbacks this season while Gray has not yet faced Arizona.
Also, rookie Jeff Hoffman has had his next start pushed back to Thursday against the Padres. Weiss said he wanted to give Hoffman a couple more days to heal from a blister on his pitching thumb.
Footnote. Reliever Jason Motte, on the disabled list since July 26 with a right rotator cuff strain, could face live hitters soon, Weiss said. As to whether Motte will return this season? “I think he can,” Weiss said. “I’m not sure. We’ll have to see how he responds. It’s possible.”
Looking Ahead…
Sunday: Diamondbacks RHP Archie Bradley (5-8, 4.95 ERA) at Rockies RHP Jon Gray (9-6, 4.41), 2:10 p.m. ROOT
It will be a battle of hard-throwing Oklahoma boys when Bradley and Gray square off. Bradley was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma. Bradley had been committed to the University of Oklahoma as a quarterback and planned to play football and baseball at the school, but he couldn’t pass up a pro contract after being selected as high as he was out of high school. Gray, of course, pitched at Oklahoma. The Rockies rookie franchise record-holder for strikeouts in a season with 150 will be making his first career start against the Diamondbacks.
Monday: Giants LHP Matt Moore (9-10, 3.88) at Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (11-7, 5.17), 2:10 p.m., ROOT
Tuesday: Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija (11-9, 4.06) at Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (5-5, 3.43), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Wednesday: Giants RHP Albert Suarez (3-3, 4.29) at Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (8-7, 4.88), ROOT
