Rockies Bet on Bettis and Hit the Jackpot
Chad Bettis continued to reaffirm his status in the rotation with seven shutout innings in Saturday's 2-0 victory against the Mets at Citi Field. Bettis has made a strong statement after his battle a year ago with testicular cancer.
Consider that he has the fifth best ERA among NL starters (2.05) and his 1.35 ERA on the road is second best. He is tied for second in the NL with four wins, and eighth in the NL with 44 innings pitched.
"It's awesome to see him back, healthy and at full strength," said third baseman Nolan Arenado. "He's extremely competitive.. ... He's pitching good and competitive. We have a lot of confidence in him."
BETTIS DAY BY DAY
| Date | Opponent | W | L | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | AVG | #Pit | |
| 4/2/2018 | @SD | W 7-4 | 1 | 0 | 3.6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0.25 | 88 |
| 4/7/2018 | Atl | W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 2.53 | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.237 | 88 |
| 4/12/2018 | @Was | W 5-1 | 1 | 0 | 2.04 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0.2 | 94 |
| 4/17/2018 | @Pit | W 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 1.44 | 7.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.2 | 85 |
| 4/23/2018 | SD | L 13-5 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0.21 | 94 |
| 4/29/2018 | @Mia | L 3-0 | 0 | 1 | 2.43 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.202 | 106 |
| 5/5/2018 | @NYM | W 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 2.05 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.206 | 94 |
| Totals | 4 | 1 | 2.05 | 44 | 32 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 27 | 0.206 | 649 |
Bettis is setting the pace for a rotation that has put together a series of back-to-back starts that is as impressive as any the franchise has enjoyed in 25-plus years of existence. And it is why the Rockies go into Sunday in second place in the NL West, 3 1/2 games back of the division-leading Diamondbacks.
Twice through the rotation and the Rockies have had nine quality starts. The one exception wasn't because of a failure to perform. It came in the opening game of the nine-game road trip that concludes on Sunday. April 27 in Miami, Tyler Anderson retired only four batters before being removed because he was light-headed. The bullpen picked up 7 2/3 innings that night, and the Rockies won.
"(The rotation) has been carrying us," said Arenado. "It has kept us in games. It has given us a chance."
Rockies Starters Day By Day Last 10 Games
| Date | Opp | W | L | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | AVG | |
| Kyle Freeland | 4/24/2018 | SD | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0.125 |
| Jon Gray | 4/25/2018 | SD | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0.158 |
| Tyler Anderson | 4/27/2018 | Mia | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| German Marquez | 4/28/2018 | Mia | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.25 |
| Chad Bettis | 4/29/2018 | Mia | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2.57 | 0.167 |
| Kyle Freeland | 4/30/2018 | ChC | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3.86 | 0.231 |
| Jon Gray | 5/1/2018 | ChC | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1.29 | 0.125 |
| Tyler Anderson | 5/2/2018 | ChC | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2.57 | 0.125 |
| German Marquez | 5/4/2018 | NYM | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0.25 |
| Chad Bettis | 5/5/2018 | NYM | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.231 |
| 6 | 3 | 54.1 | 41 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 60 | 1.82 | 0.201 |
The Rockies pitching staff has been critical, and the last 10 games it has put together a stretch that is the most impressive in franchise history. Yes, they are 7-3, but they have allowed only 22 runs, the fewest runs the Rockies have ever allowed in a 10-game stretch.
A Franchise-Best 10-Game Run
| 1st Game | Last Game | Runs | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/24/2018 | 5/5/2018 | 22 | 7-3 |
| 7/21/2016 | 7/30/2016 | 23 | 9-1 |
| 6/9/2007 | 6/20/2007 | 24 | 8-2 |
| 8/19/2012 | 8/28/2012 | 24 | 8-2 |
| 6/5/2009 | 6/14/2009 | 25 | 10-0 |
| 5/22/2010 | 6/1/2010 | 27 | 8-2 |
| 5/31/2017 | 6/10/2017 | 27 | 8-2 |
| 9/20/2007 | 9/30/2007 | 29 | 9-1 |
| 9/3/2010 | 9/12/2010 | 29 | 10-0 |
And it's not just the best in franchise history, but over the last 10 games the Rockies pitching staff has allowed the fewest runs of any pitching staff in Major League Baseball in its last 10 games. Only four teams, in fact, have even allowed fewer than 32 runs.
Rockies Pitchers Enjoy Rare Air
| Teams | Runs | W-L |
|---|---|---|
| Rockies | 22 | 7-3 |
| Yankees | 23 | 9-1 |
| Marlins | 25 | 7-3 |
| Nationals | 28 | 7-3 |
| Brewers | 32 | 5-5 |
| Cubs | 33 | 5-5 |
| Astros | 33 | 5-5 |
| D-Backs | 38 | 6-4 |
| Cardinals | 39 | 6-4 |
What underscores how much the Rockies have relied on strong pitching to get off to their solid start this season is the fact that they actually have been outscored by 11 runs. In other words, when the Rockies don't overpower opposing hitters they are in trouble. The Rockies are one of only three teams with a winning record despite a negative run differential.
At the other extreme is Houston, which is seven games above .500 despite having outscored the opposition by 65 runs. The Astros are one of five teams that hold a run-scored advantage of 30 or more on the opposition.
| Team | Record | Diff | Team | Record | Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockies | 19-15 | -11 | Astros | 21-14 | 65 | |
| Mets | 17-14 | -8 | Red Sox | 24-9 | 62 | |
| Mariners | 19-13 | -1 | Yankees | 23-10 | 59 | |
| Giants | 18-15 | 0 | Braves | 19-13 | 43 | |
| A's | 17-16 | 2 | Cardinals | 19-12 | 30 |