Facing Zack Grienke the night after facing Clayton Kershaw just isn’t fair.
The Colorado Rockies had to deal with that reality on Saturday night and they faired about as well as most would expect. Besides a 1st inning run and a two-run bomb from DJ LeMahieu, the Rockies simply couldn’t get anything going on offense.
With the offense dealing with two of the best starters in baseball, the starting pitchers needed to be great. On Saturday it was Jordan Lyles turn. He wasn’t up to the task.
Walks kill a pitcher. Not only do they allow the opposition to get on base without earning it, they also change the entire rhythm of a pitcher. On Saturday night, Lyles walked five in his six innings of work. Those five walks not only drove up his pitch count, but they also turned a one-run deficit into a three-run deficit.
When a team faces a pitcher like Grienke, the starting pitcher has to be on his game, but every aspect of the team has to be solid as well. In the 3rd inning, after Lyles had loaded the bases with one out, Adrian Gonzalez came to the plate with an opportunity to break the game open. Lyles worked a ground ball to shortstop, which should have been a double play. Instead, DJ LeMahieu short-armed the relay throw and Justin Morneau couldn’t scoop it. Instead of getting out of the inning, a run scored and Lyles had to face another batter.
Rockies fans may not want to acknowledge this statement, particularly after the team has begun the 2015 campaign so hot, but it must be said. Watching the Dodgers play the Rockies over the past two nights highlights what great teams have that the Rockies simply don’t. The Dodgers not only have two elite starters in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Grienke, but they also have a lineup that doesn’t back down and keeps fighting.
The Rockies started April on fire. However, they have yet to be battle tested. The pessimists who have seen this franchise start hot in April over the years and falter later are waiting for the annual snowball to roll this team back to the bottom of the division.
Heading into Sunday, the Rockies are staring at their first losing streak of the season. They also have their backs against the wall to avoid a sweep in Los Angeles and essentially give up their impressive sweep of the Giants to start the road trip. In years past, the Rockies would allow a situation like they face on Sunday to effect the way they played that day.
The Rockies have the advantage of not having to face Kershaw or Grienke. They have a chance to score more than two or three runs and feel pretty good about it. The idea of facing Sunday’s starter, Brandon McCarthy, probably sounds like a pretty good idea to the Rockies.
Sunday is pivotal for the Rockies. If someone would have said when the team left Coors Field a week ago that they would come back form their trip 4-2, there isn’t a Rockies fan who wouldn’t be thrilled with those results. While 3-3 is still acceptable, a winning road trip on the West Coast is a nice statement that 2015 is going to be different.
Eddie Butler heads to the mound for the Rockies on Sunday. He has been good, but has struggled with command himself. He held the Giants scoreless in his last time out, but walked six batters. Working out of jams is a great quality to have, but even the best pitchers in the game eventually get burned when they play with fire. Butler needs to stay within the zone and challenge the Dodger batters to try and hit his stuff.
Facing Kershaw and Grienke highlights the importance of every single game on the road. Had the Rockies laid an egg in a game or two in San Francisco, suddenly this road trip would be a disaster. Instead, it can be a positive. The Rockies have a tough task going on the road in the National League West. They are going to face very good pitching nearly every night.
