Colorado Rockies: 3 things to watch against the Cincinnati Reds

How a rested bullpen fares

It seems like forever since Father’s Day weekend when the Rockies and Padres put up historic numbers at Coors Field. However, that series was not only eye-popping in terms of offensive numbers but also what those numbers did to the Rockies bullpen.

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Flash back to the Friday game of that series when Colorado was seemingly cruising to a win over the Padres with an 11-5 lead heading into the ninth inning. Mike Dunn enters the game in what looks like mop-up duty and proceeds to give up four runs while recording just one out as San Diego rallied with six runs in the top of the frame to tie the game. Three other pitchers would have to be used after that (including Scott Oberg throwing two innings) as the Rockies lost 16-12 in 12 innings.

Colorado’s bullpen would seemingly never recover after that, which would be Dunn’s last outing before being designated for assignment.. Colorado’s bullpen struggled to find its rhythm as different pitchers were unavailable for Bud Black to use throughout the rest of the first half.

That series would also signify a downward trend for Bryan Shaw, who would give up at least one run in five of his last seven outings before the All-Star break.

How tough has it been for the Rockies bullpen at home lately? On July 3, Chad Bettis, Jairo Díaz and Wade Davis combined to log four scoreless innings against Houston. That marked the first time the Colorado bullpen had tossed at least three scoreless innings at home since June 2 against Toronto.

Can Colorado’s now-rested bullpen shut down the Reds in the late innings? The answer to that question could provide a big clue to how the Rockies fare in the three-game set.