Chad Bettis crushed as Colorado Rockies blown out by Angels

After Chad Bettis allowed 10 earned runs in 2-1/3 innings, he told the throng of media that it was time to hit the delete button on his start.

Fans of the Colorado Rockies are probably thinking harder about hitting Control-Alt-Delete on the entire season.

The old saying in baseball “it was one of those days” has been used far too many times in 2015, and far too many times over the course of the past four seasons in Colorado. Fans are ready for at least some moderate success. If it seems like it’s been a really long time since the Rockies have been competitive, it’s because it has been a really long time since the Rockies have been competitive.

There is no sense in beating around the bush anymore. The Rockies aren’t even competitive. They aren’t a team that is on the verge of being a contender. They have major holes that need to be addressed and from a high level, it doesn’t seem like they have any clue where to start.

On Tuesday night at Coors Field, the Rockies didn’t stand a chance. They were down by three runs before they had a chance to bat and any momentum that they were hoping to bring into the game after a big win on Sunday in Arizona was washed away with Bettis’ poor start.

For Bettis, he is allowed to have some struggles. He’s been very impressive in his 2015 season. After essentially being written off by most fans and potentially the Rockies front office after his struggles the previous year, Bettis has looked like a different pitcher. His early season success after being called up from the minor leagues has been a huge boost to the confidence in the future of this team. However, with the success comes reality. Bettis isn’t going to suddenly be a dominant pitcher in the big leagues. He isn’t suddenly going to turn the corner and be a dependable starting pitcher every time he takes the mound.

Bettis is going to continue to develop, but he has to be afforded the time to turn into the pitcher he is capable of being. That means showing flashes of being good, but also having outings that aren’t necessarily as bad as Tuesday’s, but aren’t good enough to help his team win. That process takes time.

Unfortunately for the Rockies, Bettis is probably further along in his development than the majority of the Rockies starters. He has some experience under his belt and has traveled in the shoes of a big leaguer for a decent amount of time. The reality is, the Rockies might have some very talented young pitchers in their system, but, like Bettis, their development won’t be overnight. They are going to have to fight the battles of growing up in the big leagues.

If every young pitcher in the Rockies system hits their full potential, the Rockies will have a good thing going. However, to get to that point is going to take plenty of time. Frankly, it is going to take more time than Rockies fans are probably prepared to offer.

The unfortunate reality for the Rockies is that they are going to have to take the long and windy road back to decency. It isn’t a fast process. The decimation of the roster that took place over the final years of the Dan O’Dowd regime is going to take time to rebuild. That process isn’t going to be fun for the fans. It is unfortunate, but that is the simple truth.