Saving his Bettis for last
Colorado pitcher ends career season with 14th win
ROCKIES 4, BREWERS 1
As he coasted through the Milwaukee Brewers lineup Friday, picking up his team-high 14th victory of the season, Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis ended his career season by taking another step toward the proverbial next level.
“For most players, it’s just consistency,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said before the Rockies’ 4-1 victory Friday night. “He’s shown to be very durable and very reliable. He’s ultra-competitive. It’s just about consistency in reaching the next level.”
As he limited the Brewers to one run on eight hits during 6M innings, the right-hander capped a stellar second half of the season. It’s a stretch that included his twohit, complete-game shutout against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 5. Bettis was 7-2 with a 3.75 ERA over his final 14 starts this season, finally producing the consistency that had been difficult for the Texas native to pin down during his first 3K seasons with the Rockies.
“More so with the command than the feel I was able to have for it,” he said. “It was huge. We wanted to make sure my fastball command didn’t waver when I was working on stuff like that, so it’s been good.”
Bettis’ career was at a crossroads in 2014, when he was moved to the bullpen and struggled mightily in that unfamiliar role. He was sent to Triple-A midway through that season and began 2015 in the minors as well. Bettis returned to a starting role in May last season and finished 8-6 with a 4.23 ERA.
After an up-and-down first half of 2016, Weiss said he is now seeing a pitcher in Bettis who has found a consistent formula for success centered on his fastball command. He worked quickly Friday night, not allowing a runner past second base until Chris Carter’s home run in the fourth.
The highlight of Bettis’ performance came in the sixth. After walking eight-hole hitter Martin Maldonado to load the bases with two outs, Bettis struck out pinchhitter Josmil Pinto to preserve the Rockies’ 4-1 lead.
“That’s Chad right there,” Weiss said. “He doesn’t waver. The body language is always strong. He always looks like he’s in control, and he pitched his way out of that jam.”
Bettis finished his fourth season with the Rockies at 14-8 with a 4.79 ERA.
Nolan Arenado sparked the Rockies’ offense in the first inning with a two-run shot off Brent Sut- er. It was the 41st home run of the season, giving him the National League lead over Carter, whose fourth-inning homer was his 40th. The homer extended Arenado’s career-high RBI total to 133.
DJ LaMahieu, hunting the NL batting title, went 0-for-2 before being pulled by Weiss in the fourth inning. LaMahieu’s average dropped to .348, one point ahead of Washington Nationals infielder Daniel Murphy. Murphy is nursing a strained buttocks and isn’t expected to start the rest of the regular season. Weiss has said he won’t be afraid to sit LaMahieu if it means earning him the batting title, and that could mean sitting him the final two games of the season.
“He loves his players and sticks up for them all the time,” LaMahieu said of Weiss, adding he wished he had come up with early hits Friday to take the decision out of his manager’s hands. “That’s one of his best characteristics.”
Friday’s victory was the Rockies’ 75th, their most in Weiss’ four seasons as manager.