Colorado Rockies: 3 things we have learned so far on this road trip

Mike Dunn of the Colorado Rockies — May 18, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Mike Dunn (38) pitches in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Dunn is coming back to earth

In his initial few weeks with the Rockies, Mike Dunn appeared to be the ideal setup man for the team. In April, the left-hander signed in the offseason away from the Miami Marlins posted a 2-0 mark and 1.17 ERA with 10 strikeouts and just two walks.

Unfortunately for the Rockies, when the calendar turned, so did Dunn’s fortunes on the mound.

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This month, in seven games, Dunn is 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA. Some of those runs came on Saturday night in Cincinnati when he gave up three runs on two hits in just two-thirds of an inning. That included the second homer he’s given up this month, a two-out, three-run blast off the bat of Scott Schebler.

Opponents are also hitting .364 against Dunn this month. Since coming off the disabled list on May 3 after suffering back spasms, the 31-year-old southpaw simply hasn’t been the same pitcher.

Perhaps it shouldn’t overly surprise the Rockies that Dunn is leveling out after starting the season so hot. Opponents hit .270 against him last season. This season, that number stands at .271. He’s appeared in 17 games, a third of the 51 he appeared in last season in Miami. If you take the rest of his stats from this season and multiply them by three as an average, Dunn is almost on par to give up the same number of hits and home runs and record the same number of strikeouts as last season.

If Dunn can follow form last season, it will be solid enough to do what the Rockies need him to do. However, he’ll need to regain his stability on the mound because it simply isn’t there right now.

Mike Dunn is coming back to earth

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