Colorado Rockies Rotation Getting a Shake-Up This Week

By Kevin Henry | Jun 12, 2016

Jun 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa (29) pitches in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies starting rotation is getting a shakeup this week. Whether the changes can kick start some of the issues Colorado starters have had in recent games remains to be seen.

In Sunday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres, Tyler Anderson will make his much-anticipated MLB debut for the Rockies, drawing the start against former Colorado hurler Christian Friedrich. While it’s Anderson’s first time on the hill, Friedrich has put together a nice season so far, going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA.

After an off day for the Rockies on Monday, Jorge De La Rosa will return to a starting role when the New York Yankees come to town to open a two-game set. De La Rosa’s return to the rotation was a bit of a surprise and could be happening for a number of reasons.

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First, New York will bring a heavy left-handed lineup to Coors Field, making a good matchup for the southpaw who is Colorado’s all-time leader in wins. Also, De La Rosa starting on Tuesday gives another day to Chad Bettis to figure out what has happened to him in recent games.

After Bettis opened April with a 2-1 mark and 3.77 ERA, things have gone downhill for the 27-year-old right-hander. The ERA ballooned to 7.02 in May and has gone up even more in June to 9.00.

In his last eight innings pitched over two starts, Bettis has allowed 17 hits and eight earned runs.

Bettis, however, isn’t the only starter who has struggled in recent games.

Over the last 30 days, Eddie Butler has posted a 6.28 ERA and De La Rosa has a 6.35 mark. De La Rosa did have an 11.81 ERA in May in his two appearances after coming off the disabled list. That number has improved to 1.50 in June, including four scoreless innings with five strikeouts in Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Jon Gray and Tyler Chatwood have been impressive this season. The Colorado Rockies, however, need consistency from throughout the rotation in order to top the .500 mark. At 29-33 heading into Sunday’s game, it’s certainly a possibility. If De La Rosa can rediscover his former winning ways and Anderson can provide a needed shot of hopefulness as Gray has done, it could be a reality.

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