Friday 4x4: Rockies Rotation Has Gone Flat at Coors
The season is young. The Rockies have played only 15 games at Coors Field. But that home-field advantage has been missing in action. The Rockies are 6-9 at Coors Field this season.
The focus has been on the struggles of the Rockies offense, which can't be ignored. But other than Kyle Freeland, the rotation has stumbled at home this year. Freeland is the only one early in the season on pace to have a lower ERA at home than a year ago.
And German Marquez, who already equaled his Coors Field loss total of last year of three, has been particularly flat at home.
"I don't think it has anything to do with pitching here," he said after Thursday's game. "It is just inconsistency."
Manager Bud Black agreed.
"He looked uncomfortable the whole start," said Black. "He was without fastball command. He's a fastball pitcher with secondary pitches that come into play."
What a Difference a Year Makes
| Player | Team | W | L | Pct | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Gray | 2017 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 | 8 | 46 | 43 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 41 | 3.13 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0.5 | 4 | 23 | 25 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 5.09 | |
| Chad Bettis | 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 5 | 31.1 | 30 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 3.45 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 10.2 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 4.22 | |
| Kyle Freeland | 2017 | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 16 | 87 | 89 | 41 | 36 | 7 | 35 | 66 | 3.72 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 2.08 | |
| Tyler Anderson | 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0.5 | 7 | 41.1 | 40 | 19 | 19 | 4 | 13 | 40 | 4.14 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 3 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 4.24 | |
| German Marquez | 2017 | 6 | 3 | 0.667 | 13 | 80.1 | 81 | 41 | 41 | 15 | 20 | 76 | 4.59 |
| 2018 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 15.2 | 28 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 10.34 | |
| The Quintet | 2017 | 21 | 16 | 0.568 | 49 | 286 | 283 | 130 | 124 | 35 | 85 | 202 | 3.9 |
| 2018 | 4 | 7 | 0.364 | 15 | 79.1 | 91 | 48 | 47 | 12 | 29 | 78 | 5.33 | |
| Per 9 Innings | 2017 | 8.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 2.67 | 6.35 | ||||||
| 2018 | 10.3 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 3.29 | 8.85 | |||||||
| Increase 2017-18 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.66 | 2.5 | 1.43 |
It has been a struggle for Ian Desmond, who prides himself on his professionalism and ability to be a positive factor on a team. The Rockies offense has been in a funk this year, and he has become the favorite target for those who need to repeat the same whine every week. But it's not like Desmond is on an island. He is hitting .176 with runners in scoring position. The concerning factor is seven other position players who have spent time on the Rockies this year have an even lower average with runners in scoring position.
Worn Out Clutch
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Dahl | 7 | - | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.571 |
| Nolan Arenado | 28 | - | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 0.321 |
| Charlie Blackmon | 16 | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0.313 |
| Trevor Story | 30 | - | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 13 | 0.3 |
| Tony Wolters | 7 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.286 |
| DJ LeMahieu | 20 | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0.25 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 22 | - | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0.227 |
| Ian Desmond | 34 | - | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 0.176 |
| Daniel Castro | 6 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.167 |
| Ryan McMahon | 6 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.167 |
| Chris Iannetta | 21 | - | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0.143 |
| Gerardo Parra | 15 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.133 |
| Pat Valaika | 15 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.067 |
| Noel Cuevas | 4 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Tauchman | 7 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 248 | 53 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 87 | 37 | 61 | 0.214 |
Marquez allowed 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings of Thursday's loss. It's the second time he has allowed 12 hits in fewer than five innings, but the first time at Coors Field. He also allowed 12 hits in 4 1/3 innings at San Francisco on Sept. 27, 2006.
He became the 13th Rockies pitcher to allow 12 or more hits and work less than five innings in a Coors Field game. Jeff Francis is at the top of the list, the only Rockies pitcher to allow 13 hits in fewer than five innings at Coors Field.
Plenty of Hit, Not Enough Miss
| Player | Date | Opp | W | L | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Francis | 8/11/2005 | Pit | 0 | 1 | 3.1 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jose Acevedo | 8/9/2005 | Pit | 0 | 1 | 3.1 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Pedro Astacio | 7/22/2001 | LA | 0 | 1 | 3.2 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Willie Blair | 7/5/1993 | ChC | 0 | 1 | 4.1 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Mark Brownson | 7/27/1998 | Pit | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Taylor Buchholz | 5/13/2007 | SF | 0 | 1 | 4.2 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Kevin Jarvis | 5/1/2000 | Mon | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Jair Jurrjens | 7/4/2014 | LAD | 0 | 1 | 4.2 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| German Marquez | 5/10/2018 | Mil | 0 | 1 | 4.2 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Armando Reynoso | 8/27/1995 | StL | 0 | 1 | 4.2 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Glendon Rusch | 5/13/2009 | Hou | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Rusin | 8/22/2015 | NYM | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
At the plate the Rockies are on pace for by far their worst season ever offensively at Coors Field. They go into Friday's game hitting .245, which is 29 points lower than the lowest average for a full season set in 2011. This is a team that has hit .300 or better in 14 of the previous 23 seasons at Coors Field. The .398 slugging percentage is 49 points lower than 2011, the lowest in franchise history.
The Offensive Offense of 2018
| Year | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1996 | 2909 | 0.343 | 0.408 | 0.579 |
| 2000 | 2887 | 0.334 | 0.401 | 0.538 |
| 2001 | 2866 | 0.331 | 0.387 | 0.554 |
| 1999 | 2938 | 0.325 | 0.383 | 0.549 |
| 1998 | 2862 | 0.325 | 0.382 | 0.519 |
| 2014 | 2868 | 0.322 | 0.372 | 0.529 |
| 1997 | 2841 | 0.321 | 0.386 | 0.523 |
| 1995 | 2515 | 0.316 | 0.383 | 0.556 |
| 2002 | 2773 | 0.313 | 0.376 | 0.496 |
| 2012 | 2827 | 0.306 | 0.367 | 0.5 |
| 2016 | 2823 | 0.304 | 0.369 | 0.516 |
| 2004 | 2792 | 0.303 | 0.375 | 0.506 |
| 2015 | 2819 | 0.302 | 0.352 | 0.489 |
| 2005 | 2824 | 0.3 | 0.366 | 0.46 |
| 2010 | 2775 | 0.298 | 0.368 | 0.498 |
| 2017 | 2735 | 0.298 | 0.364 | 0.498 |
| 2007 | 2836 | 0.298 | 0.372 | 0.48 |
| 2003 | 2749 | 0.294 | 0.372 | 0.503 |
| 2006 | 2752 | 0.294 | 0.366 | 0.459 |
| 2013 | 2836 | 0.293 | 0.347 | 0.462 |
| 2009 | 2675 | 0.287 | 0.367 | 0.483 |
| 2008 | 2742 | 0.278 | 0.35 | 0.454 |
| 2011 | 2756 | 0.274 | 0.349 | 0.447 |
| 2018 | 485 | 0.245 | 0.325 | 0.398 |