De La Rosa Injury Forces Rockies to Strategize
By John Livingston | October 7, 2009
Colorado Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa has been scratched from the NLDS roster after injuring his groin during last Saturday’s final series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the Rockies rotation has been effective top to bottom this season with every starter compiling at least 10 wins it is a blow to the rotation that is short on lefties.
The loss of De La Rosa comes at a particularly difficult time for the Rockies as they face the reigning world champion Philadelphia Phillies; a team stacked with powerful left handed hitting with the likes of perennial All-Stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.
The injury has forced the Rockies into shuffling around their rotation and it appears as though Rockies Manager Jim Tracy is playing strategy. Ubaldo Jimenez is set to pitch Game 1 in Philadelphia against the Phillies reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee. This sets up Aaron Cook and Cole Hammels as the probable arms for Game 2. Based on the rotation set up over the course of the season it would be expected that Rockies All-Star pitcher Jason Marquis would start Game 3 in Denver, but Tracy has made a move and has slated Jason Hammel to get the ball to start the game.
When asked about the decision Tracy said, “You can’t ignore what you’ve been looking at over the course of time. Hammel has stepped up and pitched extremely well in big games. He has come on like gangbusters in the second half of the season.” (denverpost.com)
Marquis would mostly likely get the nod in a possible Game 4 and he will be available out of the bull pen in the first three games of the best of five series.
Despite Tracy’s vow of confidence in Hammel it would seem to some Rockies faithful that he may be setting up potential match ups to prepare for a hard fought series. Despite winning his last start against the Brewers to record his tenth win, Jason Hammel was hit hard as he has been many times this season. With this in mind it seems Tracy may be bracing for a Game 4 scenario in which the Rockies could be potentially down 2-1 and may want a guy like Marquis manning the mound in a must win situation. Perhaps it would better suit the Rockies, and Hammel, to start a Game 3 assuming the Rockies do not go down 2-0 in the series.
Could Tracy be preparing ahead for a potential must win Game 4 with Marquis on the bump? Or does Tracy really feel more confident right now with Hammel at the helm? These questions may get sorted out soon enough but one thing is for sure, the Rockies hope Hammel will be pitching Game 3 with the chance to win the club a trip to the NLCS for the second time in three years in which Rockies fans and Jim Tracy hope Jorge De La Rosa will be available.
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Comment from Matt
Time: October 7, 2009, 9:28 am
From a purely peripheral standpoint, Hammel has been the second best Rockies pitcher this year (since DLR isn’t an option, currently) and his home/road splits are nearly identical. He has the best K/BB rate on the staff and shut the Phillies down completely a couple of months ago.
He needs to start Game 3 and there isn’t even a question about it.
Comment from John Livingston
Time: October 7, 2009, 9:40 am
I’ve been impressed with Hammel’s progress and he has pitched some stellar games this season but as I have seen it even a lot of outs Hammel gets are very “loud” outs. Marquis has been a little rough since the break but I know if it was in a must win Game 4 situation a coach would like to rely on his All-Star pitcher and hope for him to be in top form.
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