Chad Bettis Has Struggled Lately Because…

After Tuesday night’s series opener (and victory) against the New York Yankees, Chad Bettis will take the hill on Wednesday in a matinee that will close out a six-game homestand for the Colorado Rockies.

For Bettis, Rockies fans and management hope that Wednesday will be a turning point for the 27-year-old pitcher. In his last start against Pittsburgh, Bettis lasted just three innings, his shortest start of the year. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

The start against the Pirates was part of a downward spiral for Bettis, who is 0-3 in his last four starts with an 11.57 ERA (16.1 IP, 21 ER).

Bettis has struggled at home and in interleague play, a double whammy with the Yankees in town. He is 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA (26.2 IP, 19 ER), allowing 36 hits, three home runs, and four walks while logging 23 strikeouts at Coors Field in 2016. In 10 career interleague appearances (six of them being starts), Bettis is 1-5 with an 8.90 ERA (31.1 IP, 31 ER).

Colorado manager Walt Weiss says location has been the key to the struggles Chad Bettis has endured lately.

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“It’s been the location and the ball getting in the middle of the plate or leaving rubber at times,” Weiss said. “You want to see the pitch mix too with Chad. You want to see him using all of his pitches. He’s gotten away from that a little bit.”

Despite his recent troubles, Weiss was quick to say he has the utmost confidence in his pitcher.

“The thing is, with Bettis, is that I always feel good when he starts. I feel like we’re going to win the game that day. That hasn’t changed,” Weiss said.

Wednesday brings a close to Colorado’s first interleague home series this year. Weiss said having an American League team visit Denver presents challenges on both sides of the field.

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“We don’t know much about them. You have to rely totally on your scouting reports and video, but it’s not the same. Going into a game with an unfamiliar opponent is probably the biggest challenge of interleague play,” Weiss said. “Playing in the other’s team park is a challenge as well. For an American League team coming in here, they’re not built for the pitcher to hit. When we go to an American League park, we’re not built for a DH to be in the lineup. We’re just not built that way. That poses some challenges too.”