Chris Rusin grabbed the ball from catcher Michael McKenry as they slapped hands after the game. He tucked the ball into his back pocket before getting in line to slap hands with his teammates.
The keepsake commemorates Rusin’s complete-game shutout of the San Diego Padres. It also marks an exclamation point on the season that Rusin has had, coming out of nowhere, to be a strong contributor to the Rockies battered and bruised starting rotation.
The complete game was the first for the Rockies in 2015. It was the first since last September when Tyler Matzek twirled his own complete-game shutout against the same San Diego Padres. In the Rockies history books, it was just the 19th time in the history of the franchise that a pitcher had completed the feat.
Rusin, acquired in late September when the Rockies snagged him off of the waiver wire from the Chicago Cubs in a move that was less than a blip in the headlines, or even something that was mentioned once by hardcore Rockies fans. Without fanfare, however, Rusin has been a very strong contributor to a rotation that has been in a world of hurt for some time.
Complete games are tough for any starting pitcher, but for a Rockies pitcher, they are extremely difficult. The club is notorious for their extremely strict pitch count that rarely allows a pitcher to pass the 100 pitch mark, let alone stay in a close game late. On Sunday, however, manager Walt Weiss gave Rusin the long leash and he took advantage of it.
When all was said and done, Rusin finished the game with just 106 pitches, 71 of which were strikes. It was a template for what the Rockies need to be shooting for when they develop pitchers. Of course, expecting a complete-game shutout is ridiculous. However, what Rusin did well was to command the strike zone. He wasn’t afraid of contact, but he also wasn’t afraid to go out and get a strike out when he needed it. The fact that he walked only one batter helped keep his pitch count down, which kept the relievers as spectators.
No one would argue that Coors Field isn’t a difficult place to pitch. History doesn’t lie, and the fact that no one has had sustained success at elevation beyond Jorge De La Rosa suggests that it is a pitcher’s graveyard. However, there is a model for success at Coors Field, and frankly, it is the same model as winning anywhere. Pitchers get in trouble when they start trying to induce swings-and-misses, or try and make sure they stay in the lower half of the zone so that they induce ground balls. While overthinking and trying to throw the perfect pitch, they forget that they have the talent that got them to the big leagues in the first place. Sometimes a pitcher simply has to trust his stuff and believe that he is good enough to get a batter out. That is how Rusin pitched on Sunday afternoon.
In a season that has essentially become a rehearsal for who is going to be kept and who will be discarded as the Rockies begin their rebuilding process, Rusin has certainly earned his keep. No one is going to suggest that he will suddenly be the ace of the team, but there is no reason to believe that he hasn’t earned himself a Major League contract for the 2016 season, and a penciled in spot at the back-end of the Rockies 2016 rotation.
The reality is, the Rockies are not a very good team. They have plenty of issues. However, winning at Coors Field doesn’t require an ace. It doesn’t require some secret formula that no one can figure out. Winning at Coors Field requires confidence and willingness to throw your best pitch when the game is on the line and believe that it is good enough to get outs.
The Rockies can use all of the depth that they can get in their rotation as they rebuild and allow their young starters to develop in the minor leagues. Rusin is a great addition to the rotation as a stop-gap until the young pitchers arrive.
