Colorado Rockies morning after: The rotation is not a strength right now

When Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela gave up a solo home run in the top of the second inning on Tuesday night, it not only tied the game but also extended a streak that is anything but a good sign for the Rockies rotation.

Evan Longoria‘s blast off Antonio Senzatela marked the 12th consecutive game that a Colorado Rockies starter had given up a home run. And it wasn’t just one homer that Senzatela surrendered in a 14-4 bludgeoning by the San Francisco Giants. Longoria’s shot was the first of three that the Giants launched against Colorado’s 24-year-old right-hander.

In all, Senzatela gave up seven runs in 4.2 innings of work. It was another disappointing outing from a member of the Rockies rotation, which hasn’t logged a quality start now in 11 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, the shaky start allowed San Francisco a rare win at 20th and Blake. In 2017, the Giants were 1-9 in Denver. Last season, they were 1-8. This year, they’re 1-0, thanks in part to the long ball and five-run fourth inning tagged on Senzatela.

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For a component of the team that was supposed to be a strength heading into 2019, the Rockies rotation has been anything but in recent days.

Tyler Anderson has been demoted to Triple-A. Chad Bettis is in the bullpen. Kyle Freeland is struggling and the Rockies are trying to figure out why … and we are wondering just how worried we should be about it. German Marquez has given up nine runs on 13 hits in his last 13 innings pitched. Jon Gray has given up five runs in three of his six starts.

When looking for the silver lining in Colorado’s rotation, it’s very hard to find at the moment. The Rockies entered Tuesday night’s game with a cumulative 5.52 ERA, the third-worst mark in Major League Baseball. The 1.40 WHIP was 25th in the league. Opponents were hitting .264 against Rockies starters, the sixth-highest mark in MLB. No team has given up more earned runs than Colorado.

You get the picture. You also get that Senzatela’s Tuesday performance did little to help any of those numbers, which are more reminiscent of Rockies past than recent seasons.

"“We’re going to play defense, and if we starting pitch, we’re going to rattle off some wins,” Bud Black said after Tuesday’s loss. “But until that consistency in the rotation happens, it’s going to be a little uneven, so we have to get that.”"

So what can be done? Sure, there are options, including hoping that Freeland and Marquez regain their 2018 form quickly. But is hope enough? Is there more that needs to be done?

Do the Rockies do a very un-Colorado thing and pull a trade for Marcus Stroman? Do they give up a draft pick and sign Dallas Keuchel to a deal? Those are the extreme external options.

Internally, Colorado could decide to give prospects Peter Lambert or Ryan Castellani a chance. Jeff Hoffman could also get another run.

Make no mistakes there are options, but there are no perfect options. Colorado is, at the moment, looking to simply plug the holes in the dam on the mound and give its offense a chance to actually grab a lead instead of consistently having to come from behind.

Gray and Freeland will take the mound the next two days against the Giants, weather permitting. They will also take with them the burden of trying to help the Rockies rediscover some of the pitching magic that has helped them reach the postseason for the last two years.