Colorado Rockies: A look at Wade Davis’s recent struggles

The Colorado Rockies closer, Wade Davis, has really been struggling for the past two weeks or so.

After three straight scoreless outings, Wade Davis’s recent struggles came up again on Thursday in the first of a four-game series at Coors Field for the Colorado Rockies against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was lit up for four runs (all earned) in a tie game in the 9th inning in the Rockies’ 12-8 loss to the Dodgers.

More from Rox Pile

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead?
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023?

The Rockies have now lost 12 straight games to the Dodgers, going all the way back to September 8th of last year, when the Rockies defeated the Dodgers by a score of 4-2 at Coors Field.

The outing by Davis last night has been representative to the Rockies closer in the past two weeks, going back to the Rockies-Padres ultimate Coors Field series, in which the two clubs broke the modern MLB record (since 1900) for runs in a 4 game series.

In the last two weeks (since June 13), Davis has had eight appearances. In those eight appearances (7 1/3 innings pitched), his ERA is 14.73, bringing his season ERA to 6.00.

Opponents are hitting .394/.487/.727 as he has allowed 13 hits, 12 runs (all earned), 6 walks (compared to only 4 strikeouts), and 3 home runs allowed.

Prior to the last eight outings, Davis had thrown 16 2/3 innings, allowing 15 hits, only 4 runs (which is 1/3 of the amount of runs he has allowed in the last 2 weeks), 10 walks, and 20 strikeouts. His opponents hit .234/.338/.297 in that span and Davis’s ERA was 2.16.

Obviously, those are the numbers that the Rockies would like (and frankly, need) out of the closer spot.

As you may remember last year, Davis also struggled in the month of June as he pitched to a  9.31 ERA for the month as he allowed 10 hits, 11 runs (10 earned), 7 walks, 11 strikeouts, and 2 home runs in 9 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .263/.391/.474 off of him in June as well.

From July through the rest of the regular season, though, he pitched much better as opposing batters only hit .178/.230/.339 in 32 2/3 innings off Davis.

Overall, I personally don’t think that his rough spell will continue for too much longer but, in the interim, it may be best to use Davis less and give him some outings in more low stress situations until he regains his form again and gets through this funk.