Slumping rotation in motion: Anderson replaces Freeland

Black makes move as season-finishing bid for playoffs looms

PHOENIX» Young starting pitching has helped carry the Rockies to the brink of the playoffs for the first time since 2009. But the rotation is beginning to falter, forcing the Rockies to make adjustments as they enter their final 15 games of the regular season.

In an 8-2 loss to Arizona on Wednesday night, 22-year-old right-hander German Marquez was raked for four runs on 11 hits in 3M innings. Thursday afternoon, Chad Bettis, the veteran of the rotation at age 28, gave up five runs on three hits and three walks in one-third of an inning.

“As you know, we talk a lot about starting pitching, and the last two (games) it hasn’t been there for us,” manager Bud Black said.

In a proactive move, Black made the decision to supplant rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland with left-hander Tyler Anderson in the starting rotation. Anderson will start Saturday night’s game against San Diego at Coors Field. Freeland was on track to make the start, but he was bumped because of lack of performance.

Freeland was hit by a line drive during the fourth inning of his start Monday against Arizona, leaving him with a bruised left shoulder, but that is not the reason the Rockies are going with Anderson.

“(Freeland) is fine. We are just going to pitch Tyler,” Black said. “We are going to take Kyle and give him a step back, and we are going to use him out of the bullpen, potentially.

“From what I saw the last five starts with Kyle, I thought he needed to take a step back here and maybe take a little blow from getting a big-league start. I think Tyler is ready to do his job.”

Freeland has had a productive rookie season, going 11-10 with a 4.03 ERA over 28 games (27 starts), and his 149M innings pitched are the most on the team. Over his last five starts, however, Freeland is 0-3 with a 5.73 ERA. Opposing hitters put up a .349 average against him, and he walked 15 batters while striking out 21.

“There are a couple of things that I saw from the pitching side, just from a performance standpoint, that we felt like it was time to go with Tyler,” Black said.

Anderson relieved Freeland in Monday’s game and did “an outstanding job,” according to Black. The game was tied 1-1 when Freeland departed. Anderson allowed an inherited runner to score but gave the Rockies four solid innings, allowing one hit, striking out four and walking none as the Rockies beat the Diamondbacks 5-4, with Anderson picking up the victory.

“I liked the fastball-change combination, and he mixed in a couple of slider-cutters. He really pitched well,” Black said.

It was Anderson’s first appearance in a major-league game since June 25, before he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He is 4-5 with a 5.75 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) this season.

Story checks out OK.

Shortstop Trevor Story grimaced and came out of the batter’s box slowly after flying out in the eighth inning. He did not finish the game, but he said afterward that he’s going to be fine.

“I just cramped up just a little bit,” Story said, referring to his right hamstring. “It released when I started running. It’s nothing big at all.”