Jorge De La Rosa Continues To Exert His Dominance On The Mound

Whenever that fifth day rolls around for Colorado Rockies ace Jorge De La Rosa, the Rockies and their fans hold a certain confidence that he will in fact get the job done, giving his team the best chance to win. Colorado was riding a three-game losing streak and on the verge of getting swept on Sunday afternoon, but De La Rosa put an end to that stretch while making history as well.

De La Rosa, 34, has been a mainstay in the Rockies rotation for quite some time now. If you remember correctly, the Rockies traded reliever Ramon Ramirez to the Kansas Royals back in April of 2008, landing De La Rosa. That turned out to be one of the better trades in Rockies history.

More from Colorado Rockies News

De La Rosa went 10-8 with a 4.92 ERA during his first full season with the club, collecting ten wins for the first time in his professional career. The very next season, De La Rosa went on to collect 16 wins en route to a Rockies playoff run. Needless to say, De La Rosa has been Colorado’s most consistent pitcher on the mound for quite some time.

From 2010-2012, De La Rosa battled some adversity. In 2010, Jorge suffered a torn flexor tendon in his left finger, sidelining the southpaw for nearly two months. In 2011, Jorge suffered ‘a complete tear’ of the ulnar collateral ligament, ending his season. De La Rosa optioned for Tommy John Surgery which would sideline him for nearly the entire 2012 campaign.

De La Rosa did make three starts towards the end of 2012, but bounced back in a huge way for the Rockies in 2013. De La Rosa went on to start 30 games for Colorado, posting a 16-6 record and an ERA of 3.49. De La Rosa tied a career high for wins in a season, yet Colorado was far out of contention. 2014 was no different for the southpaw, starting 32 games while earning a record of 14-11.

Fast forward to 2015 and Jorge De La Rosa is now the all-time wins leader in Colorado Rockies history. On Sunday afternoon against the Miami Marlins, De La Rosa put an end to Colorado’s three game losing streak, passing Aaron Cook (72) for most victories in a Rockies uniform.

Jorge pitched seven strong innings, yielding just one run on four hits while striking out four. Command has always been somewhat of a problem for the veteran pitcher, but he knows how to work his way out of those jams. With the victory, De La Rosa improved to 4-2 on the season.

De La Rosa isn’t much of a first-half pitcher, which showed in his first four starts of the regular season. His first start was brutal, lasting just two innings while giving up seven runs on nine hits to the San Diego Padres. Jorge gave up 17 earned runs over his first four starts, equaling out to 17 innings pitched — a run per inning.

Since that time, De La Rosa has been a stable part of Colorado’s rotation. Over his last five starts, De La Rosa has given up just eight earned runs over 31.2 innings pitched. Not to mention, Colorado has won all five games.

Either way you spin the dice, De La Rosa continues to exert his dominance on the mound for the Colorado Rockies. Every time you see his name listed as the probable starter, you have a pretty good feeling that Colorado will pick up a victory that afternoon/night. Also, congratulations to Jorge for capturing the most wins all-time in Rockies history — well deserved!

Schedule