If any conclusion can be gleaned about in his three-plus seasons in the big leagues, it’s that there’s two versions of the Colorado southpaw.
There’s the razor-sharp version of Anderson, as seen in July a year ago, when he posted a 2.16 ERA in five starts to help will Colorado back into the playoff picture. Then there’s the inconsistent Anderson, as epitomized by the 30 home runs he gave up to tie for the National League lead last year.
In Friday’s home opener, the heavy-hitting Dodgers brought out the latter side.
“It goes back to location and changing speeds,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “I thought he did a great job of moving the ball in and out and changing speeds through about the first four innings. But then they started to string hits together … and we got burned.”
Los Angeles tagged Anderson for six runs on nine hits in four innings, including two home runs. It started with an innocuous 1-0 Los Angeles lead on a Corey Seager two-out RBI single in the third and escalated with Max Muncy’s solo homer in the fourth before Anderson’s outing went off the rails in a four-run fourth.
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Cody Bellinger’s three-run bomb in that frame sent Anderson to the showers, and there wasn’t any clapping from the hometown crowd as Anderson trudged off the field having been undermined by lack of fastball location and a fickle changeup.
“Those guys were hot, and they stayed hot,” Anderson said. “Even the (inside fastball) to Bellinger, I thought it was a pretty good pitch. But he’s so locked in, he didn’t miss it.”
Ten of the 18 changeups Anderson threw were balls and although he said his command “didn’t feel that off,” he wasn’t able to consistently disrupt hitters’ timing in conjunction with a low-90s fastball that doesn’t overwhelm. He also walked three batters.
“There were a couple moments and pitches today that I’d like to have back,” Anderson said.
Despite posting a 7.71 ERA in 14 spring training innings, Black voiced a vote of confidence for Anderson toward the end of the Cactus League schedule, noting how he likes Anderson’s ability to change speeds and throw quality strikes. The former first-round pick didn’t do nearly enough of either Friday after a quiet initial two innings. That makes consecutive rough starts for Anderson to begin the season. The Marlins tagged him for five runs in five innings March 30.
“I just need to wash it,” Anderson said. ‘”I’m not going to think on it too long, and then I’m going to just get back to business.”
On Deck
Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler (0-0, 15.00 ERA) vs. Rockies RHP Jon Gray (0-1, 4.05)
6:10 p.m. Saturday at Coors Field
TV: ATT SportsNet Radio: 850 AM/94.1
The last time Buehler faced the Rockies, he mowed them down with six-plus innings of one-hit, shutout ball as the Dodgers clinched the division title in a tiebreaker game at Chavez Ravine. However, the 24-year-old was hit hard in his 2019 debut against Arizona, lasting only three innings while giving up five runs. Colorado is hitting .183 in 109 at-bats against him with four home runs, while Los Angeles is hitting .337 with five homers in 98 at-bats against Gray. Max Muncy and Joc Pederson have both taken Gray deep twice as the right-hander is coming off a decent season debut in which he allowed three runs in six-plus innings against the Marlins.
հԻ徱Բ:Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda has been solid within the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, where he entered Friday with a 3.19 ERA in eight games (five starts). He continued that reliability at altitude Friday, yielding one run on four hits over five innings.
At issue: Colorado takes on the Dodgers 18 more times this season, and as opening day as well as Los Angeles’ historic early home run pace has demonstrated, slugfests with the boys in blue are certainly not in Colorado’s best tactical interests. The Dodgers won last year’s season series 13-7.
Upcoming pitching matchups
Sunday: Dodgers LHP Julio Urias (0-0, 0.00) at Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (0-1, 9.53), 6:37 p.m., ESPN
Monday: Braves RHP Julio Teheran (0-1, 3.60) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1, 2.31), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Braves TBD at Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-0, 0.69), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
