SAN FRANCISCO — weaved among Giants fans in a lower concourse at AT&T Park on Sunday, earbuds in and sweats on. He was wearing a protective boot on his left leg. The visitor’s weight room there is down the hall from the Rockies’ temporary clubhouse. None of the fans stopped him.
Colorado’s opening-day starter broke his foot on the mound last week fielding a ground ball. And now he is left to work out on his own, another displaced pitcher in the Rockies rotation.
“It’s already happened. It’s done. I’ve accepted it,” Gray said. “I’m just thinking what I can do now.”
Less than a month into the season, the Rockies rotation is missing two key pieces, Gray and fellow right-hander , who left spring training last month as he began chemotherapy to treat testicular cancer. Now Colorado is digging into its depth again, looking for a way to get by with more young arms.
“Losing Chad for half a year, we hope, and losing Jon for a month, we hope, I mean those guys were at the top of our rotation,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “You take the top two guys off anybody’s staff, that’s a blow.”
A battle over the final two weeks of spring training pitted five pitchers for two spots in the season-opening rotation, jobs won by 22-year-old right-hander Antonio Senzatela and 23-year-old Kyle Freeland, both rookies. German Marquez, 22, just missed earning a nod in the rotation, landing a spot in the bullpen. He did not appear in a game before being shuttled back to Triple-A. He is now in contention, again, to get a starting spot, along with right-handers , 24, and Harrison Musgrave, 25.
“These guys, they know what’s ahead of them,” Black said. “They probably know there’s a start coming up for them and they want to be that guy.”
With two off days this week, Monday and Thursday, the Rockies can go with a four-man rotation until Tuesday, April 25. For the first time in several years, the Rockies actually have a depth of pitching talent available.
“I’d like to have as many options as possible,” Black said. “That’s a good thing, when guys are healthy and competing and doing their thing and your decisions get tough. That means in most cases the performance is there. We want these guys to pitch well.”
The Rockies, in streaking to the top of the National League West with a 9-5 record, have hid their starting pitching issues with a rebuilt bullpen that had the seventh-best ERA, 2.68, in the big leagues entering play Monday. Rockies starters have a 4.68 ERA, 26th. And the team has a minus-7 run differential, which usually does not equate to a winning record.
Relying so heavily on their relief corps will likely haunt them at some point. The Rockies need more from their starters so the bullpen doesn’t become exhausted.
Left-hander Chris Rusin, who has started 49 games in his career, has settled in as a valuable piece of the bullpen as a long reliever. Black said he likely will remain there.
So the competition for replacements is happening in Albuquerque. Marquez has been the most effective pitcher in limited work, with a 1.69 ERA over 5 1/3 innings. But he is not stretched out ready to throw deep into a game. He is scheduled for five innings and 75-80 pitches in his next start, Thursday. His days off on regular rest line him up to be available April 25.
Hoffman, the heralded pitcher acquired in the trade with Toronto two summers ago, lasted four innings in a loss Sunday, giving up six hits and two runs. Musgrave, in two starts, has a 5.19 ERA and a control problem, with eight strikeouts and six walks.
“The inexperience of the starting rotation will test us,” Black said. “But the best teacher will be in the fire.”
Rotation bending
The Rockies lost a second significant starter to their pitching rotation last week when Jon Gray broke his foot. Here’s where the rotation stands and who might step up:
Starters
LHP Tyler Anderson, 27
RHP Tyler Chatwood, 27
RHP Antonio Senzatela, 22
LHP Kyle Freeland, 23
Injured
RHP Jon Gray, 25, broken left foot
RHP Chad Bettis, 27, testicular cancer
Candidates for 5th spot
RHP German Marquez, 22, 1.69 ERA in 5 1/3 innings
RHP Jeff Hoffman, 24, 4.80 ERA in 15 innings
RHP Harrison Musgrave, 25, 5.19 ERA in 8 2/3 innings
LHP Chris Rusin, 30, 1.69 ERA as Rockies long-reliever
Looking Ahead …
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1, 5.91 ERA) at Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-2, 5.79), 8:10 p.m. Tuesday, ROOT; 850 AM
Freeland needs a better approach out of the gate. After dominating the Dodgers in his major-league debut during the Rockies’ home opener on April 7, Freeland was ambushed in the first inning by San Diego in his second start. The Padres pounced on Freeland’s fastball early in the game. The rookie left-hander settled down after that, but he’ll need a better plan against the Dodgers Tuesday night. Ryu doesn’t look like the pitcher he was before he had shoulder problems. The Cubs bombed him for two homers in four innings on Thursday and his fastball velocity was down to 87-88 mph. In his first two seasons with the Dodgers, Ryu allowed 0.6 home runs per nine innings. In his three starts since returning, one last year, two this year, he’s allowed four home runs in just 14 innings and has yet to complete five innings in any of those three starts.
Wednesday: Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (1-2, 8.59) at Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 2.53), 8:10 p.m., ROOT
Thursday: Off
Friday: Giants RHP Johnny Cueto (3-0, 3.79) at Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (1-2, 3.54), 6:40 p.m. ROOT
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
