BSN Exclusive: Adam Ottavino gives his take on the Rockies’ bullpen struggles

DENVER – It is no coincidence—in fact, it is a direct result of the fact—that the Colorado Rockies worst stretch of 2018 came (and possibly went) during a stint on the DL for reliever Adam Ottavino.

He has, according to most measures including our own Dynamic Player Rating, been among the most valuable pitchers in MLB this season. He has accomplished this not only by being regularly dominant but also by managing the inevitable imperfections that are part and parcel to playing baseball.

Guys will get on base, even though rare in Ottavino’s case, runs will score (he has allowed three in 29.1 IP) making the ability to take your game up a notch as the stakes increase that much more valuable for late-inning relievers who almost always operate with little room for error and no safety net.

“Yeah, you gotta slow the game down,” Ottavino told BSN Denver just after his last outing before going on the DL. In that game, he allowed a lead-off single in a one-run contest but ended up stranding the runner at second. In his first game back, he faced a similar predicament after a walk and a hit batsman with one out.

“After that, I was trying to get a double-play, but it didn’t happen,” Ottavino explains. “Then, once he’s on second, it’s the tying run so you just try to be careful. Make sure you make good pitches. You go after the guys, but don’t give in anything really good to hit. If you walk guys, you walk them. Thankfully, today, that didn’t happen. It’s just uncomfortable. You’d rather have nobody on.”

That process can be a complicated one even for a guy who has induced as many silly swings this year as Ottavino. Sometimes, he tells me, those off-balance swings can lead him into temptation.

“I’m always paranoid they’re looking for it,” he says. “That’s part of the thing. Sure, I throw a lot of sliders. I think everybody knows that, but because of that fact, I try not to throw too many to a guy that might do damage on it. I try not to take too much stock into the really bad swing. Maybe then, they’re going to say, ‘I better readjust.’ So I just try to read the situation the best I can.”

So far, Ottavino has stayed one step (or sometimes two or three steps) ahead of the competition. He’s playing chess. They’re playing tic-tac-toe.

But he knows as well as anyone, considering his season a year ago and also his hometown, that it can all change in a New York minute.

“You’re just trying to do your job when you’re in there,” he said. “Everything can change really fast and that includes me and Wade. Guys can get hot, guys can get cold, but you just try to stay riding the wave you’re on, if you can, if it’s a good one. That’s all I’m trying to do. I know the other guys are really good pitchers and they’re going to get on hot streaks and help the club. A lot of people have already. So, just believe in each other. That’s why we’re all here.”