Colorado Rockies: 3 news items you might have missed

Absolutely, the majority of the focus on Tuesday fell on the ninth-inning collapse by the Colorado Rockies in their gut-wrenching 4-1 loss at the Cleveland Indians. However, there were some other news and notes that happened last night that will affect the Rockies over the next few days.

First, the Rockies seem to have finalized their rotation for the remainder of the road trip. After Wednesday’s finale in Cleveland and an off day on Thursday, the Rockies will head to Miami for a three-game series against the Marlins.

The off day before and after the two-game set against the Indians will allow the Rockies to use a four-man rotation this week. German Marquez, who pitched brilliantly in Cleveland on Tuesday, will get the start on Sunday in the finale in south Florida. Antonio Senzatela will take the mound for the final game against the Indians on Wednesday while Jon Gray gets the call on Friday and Jeff Hoffman takes the mound on Saturday in Miami.

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Speaking of the rotation, there could well be a new face in it when the Rockies return to Coors Field to open a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Monday. Chad Bettis allowed one run and three hits in five innings of work for Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday. He logged two strikeouts and no walks in his 70-pitch outing that was shortened by rain in New Orleans.

As Nick Groke of The Denver Post pointed out in this article, Bettis totaled 26.2 innings during his minor league outings, battling back from chemotherapy after his fight with testicular cancer. In all, he totaled a 3.37 ERA during his time in the minors.

If Bettis returns to the mound on Monday in Denver as is being discussed, you will want to be there for what could be one of the most emotional moments in Coors Field history.

Finally, Rockies manager Bud Black told Groke in Cleveland that Ian Desmond is expected to miss more time than originally thought as his recovery from a right calf strain will take longer than expected. Desmond injured the calf on July 25 in a game in St. Louis and was placed on the disabled list three days later.

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It marks the second time the calf strain has landed Desmond on the disabled list this season. He missed nine games after injuring the calf on a fly ball while playing in the outfield in Arizona on July 2. Desmond also missed the start of the season after suffering a broken bone in his hand following being hit by a pitch in spring training.