Colorado Rockies: Daniel Bard great MLB story … except for Arizona

There are plenty of people around Major League Baseball who have been thrilled to see Daniel Bard return to the mound and succeed for the Colorado Rockies. That group, however, likely, deep down, doesn’t include the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team where Bard served as a player mentor in the Diamondbacks’ mental skills department.

Making Colorado’s Opening Day roster after not having pitched in a Major League game since 2013, Daniel Bard hasn’t just been a good story this season. He’s been an effective piece of a Colorado bullpen that has had to reinvent itself after the losses of Wade Davis and Scott Oberg to injury, and the cuts of Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee before the season began.

Heading into Wednesday’s action, the 35-year-old Bard has become one of the veterans of the Colorado bullpen and has performed well. In 14 games, Bard has struck out 17 and posted a 1.29 WHIP.

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Those are his overall stats. However, against the Diamondbacks, Bard has been especially effective.

This season, all three of Bard’s saves have come against the team he helped last season. That includes back-to-back saves as the Rockies have pulled out of a funk in the desert and evened their season record at 15-15.

In four appearances against the Diamondbacks this series, Bard has posted a 2.70 ERA and allowed a pair of hits in 3.1 innings of work. He’s also struck out six of the 15 Arizona batters he has faced.

“I was probably here for six series last year and was in that dugout and on the field for BP and shagging with those guys and in the clubhouse,” Bard told reporters recently. “It feels like it’s been a blink of an eye and I’m over here in a different uniform playing against them. I think it’s fun and ironic how it worked out. I didn’t seek out the Rockies. They found me, and it’s just the way it worked out.”

Colorado is very glad how it’s worked out for Bard so far this season. Halfway through the campaign, the right-hander is not only a great story, but he’s making a great part of his story come at the expense of a division rival who had Bard in their dugout last season.