MILWAUKEE — One of Colorado manager Bud Black’s most-quoted baseball adages is that momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher.If that’s the case, Black has some thinking to do while settling on a rotation for the best-of-five National League division series against the Brewers that starts here Thursday.
Black has tabbed right-hander Antonio Senzatela to start the series opener, with Tyler Anderson the probable starter for Friday in Game 2. Beyond that, staff aces German Marquez (last pitched Monday afternoon in the NL tiebreaker loss) and Kyle Freeland (pitched Tuesday night in the NL wild card win) would both be fully rested for Sunday’s Game 3 back at Coors Field.
“More than likely, you’ll see Marquez and Freeland in some fashion (Sunday),” Black said Wednesday.
Reading the tea leaves, that could mean Black is leaving his decision for later depending on how the Rockies do in the first two games here. Should the Rockies be tied 1-1 or be in command up 2-0 coming back to LoDo, it’s fair to assume Marquez would take the mound with an extra day’s rest, leaving Freeland in reserve for a possible clinching Game 4 start.
But, should Colorado come home down 0-2, it’s possible that Black would hand the ball to the team’s most clutch pitcher, Freeland.The southpaw handled the October pressure cooker with six-plus innings of shutout baseball in the wild card victory in front of a raucous Wrigley Field crowd Tuesday night. There’s no reason to believe the Rockies wouldn’t put their faith in Freeland, on normal rest, with their season on the line.
And, beyond Game 3, the question of a four-man rotation looms with the club’s NLDS roster set to be unveiled Thursday morning.
Obviously, whomever doesn’t pitch between Marquez and Freeland on Sunday will start Monday’s Game 4, if needed. Should the series be extended back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Wednesday, Colorado would then have both Senzatela and Anderson available on normal rest.
That means opening day starter Jon Gray,who has lasted four innings or less in four of his last five starts, is likely to be left off the NLDS roster in order to make room for another position player or reliever.The right-hander posted an awfulSeptember (7.20 ERA in six starts with nine home runs) and his poor showing ( five runs in two innings in his last regular season start against Washington) didn’t inspire confidence.
