Colorado Rockies: Starting rotation spiraling downward mid-season
By Kyle Cardoza
The Colorado Rockies have never boasted a top-tier rotation. When they advanced to the World Series in 2007, their team ERA was 4.32, less than stellar compared to the Cubs’ 3.15 team ERA last year. Colorado’s young rotation was mostly consistent during the first two months of the season, but has faced some growing pains during the past few weeks.
It seemed bound to happen.
Once Jon Gray went down with a foot injury, the Colorado Rockies‘ inexperienced rotation was destined to fall apart. Instead, it passed through each test with flying colors in surprising fashion for the season’s first two months.
But after a stretch of dominance to begin the season, the rotation has finally hit a mid-season slump.
During the team’s seven-game losing streak, starters have a bloated 11.61 ERA and have yielded 25 walks in 31 innings – thank you, Tyler Chatwood, for contributing eight in one outing. Colorado’s starting pitchers now sport a 4.53 ERA overall, which ranks 15th in the league.
The splits per month suggest that nothing has been different this season, that the Rockies would rank near the bottom once again in starting pitchers’ ERA – they ranked 26th or worse in each season since 2011. But it’s tough to argue that after seeing their numbers from May, compared to April and June.
Starting pitchers’ ERA by month, per ESPN
April: 143 2/3 innings pitched, 76 earned runs, 4.76 ERA
May: 172 innings pitched, 66 earned runs, 3.45 ERA
June (so far): 136 2/3 innings pitched, 75 earned runs, 4.94 ERA
Colorado still has two more games this month, so it can lower that stat a little or push it just above the 5.00 line. For the most part, this young group of starters – the oldest is 27 years old – has pitched well, despite the recent struggles.
What may be most surprising is that most of the starters are pitch-to-contact guys, based on their strikeout rates. Jeff Hoffman, the team’s prized pitching prospect the past few seasons, owns the highest K-rate at 9.35 strikeouts per nine innings. The rest have what could be considered substandard rates – the team’s starters rank 22nd in that category overall.
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Starters’ strikeout rates (min. 40 IP), per ESPN
Kyle Freeland: 87 2/3 innings pitched, 53 strikeouts, 5.44 K/9
Jeff Hoffman: 42 1/3 innings pitched, 44 strikeouts, 9.35 K/9
Tyler Chatwood: 93 2/3 innings pitched, 73 strikeouts, 7.40 K/9
German Marquez: 63 2/3 innings pitched, 56 strikeouts, 7.29 K/9
Antonio Senzatela: 90 1/3 innings pitched, 65 strikeouts, 6.48 K/9
Tyler Anderson: 63 1/3 innings pitched, 63 strikeouts, 8.95 K/9
While they own low strikeout rates, the corps of pitchers does not possess low walk rates. Colorado ranks second in the league in most walks allowed, averaging 3.5 walks per nine innings.
Gray’s return to the rotation could help the team gain some consistency on the mound, at least if he pitches as well as he did down the stretch last season. Or, as in the past, the starters will continue to falter, making their way toward the bottom of the rankings in most pitching categories.
Next: 10-game win streak makes Dodgers best in baseball
Even with a bullpen that has performed exceptionally well throughout the season, pitching continues to be a problem for the Rockies.
(Editor’s Note: Statistics do not include game played June 28.)