Colorado Rockies: Kudos to Ian Desmond’s pitching in Los Angeles

Colorado Rockies fans have been quick to hop on Ian Desmond since he arrived in the Mile High City … and for good reason. He has been unable to live up to the promises that were in so many minds when he inked his five-year, $70 million deal before the 2017 season began.

However, there are moments when we get a glimpse into not Ian Desmond the player, but rather Ian Desmond the person. Such was the case on Monday night in the Colorado Rockies‘ road blowout loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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With the Rockies trailing 16-7 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Desmond reportedly volunteered to throw an inning on the mound. Facing the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth, Desmond allowed one hit and was one of just two Rockies pitchers (out of seven who faced L.A.) to not have a run charged to him.

There’s no question that Ian Desmond, as a person, has good merits. Teammates have talked about his virtues in the clubhouse since he arrived in Colorado and Desmond has worked with the Children’s Tumor Foundation in its battle to end Neurofibromatosis (NF). But Desmond volunteering to take an inning to help a bullpen that has not only been largely ineffective but also worn out says something about him as well.

And, hey, he even hit 92.9 mph on the radar gun.

Following is the quote from Desmond to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post from this article after yesterday’s loss.

"“I told Buddy, ‘Give those guys a break. I’ll go out there and see if I can get a couple of outs,’ ” said Desmond, who had never pitched in the majors before. “It was pretty fun, and then to follow it up with a homer … ”"

And yes, Desmond did follow his one inning of shutout baseball with his 16th home run of the season. For a player who had his athleticism and versatility touted before he arrived in Denver, Desmond certainly flashed it on Monday night.

Myself included, we’ve all been quick to hop on Desmond when he has failed this season. For one inning on Monday, Desmond showed he was putting the team above himself. For that, he gets a momentary, well-deserved tip of the cap from me … and hopefully some other Rockies fans as well.