Relievers are underachievers

Bullpen, considered strength at start of season, looking for answers

The Rockies’ big, bad bullpen, counted on to be a team strength, has been simply bad early in the season.

Heading into Tuesday night’s weather-delayed game vs. San Diego, its 5.40 ERA was the third highest in the National League and the .249 batting average against was fourth highest.

Not everyone in the bullpen is a culprit. Closer Wade Davis has nine saves in 10 attempts and sports an impressive 1.93 ERA. Right-handed setup man Adam Ottavino has been almost untouchable, allowing just two hits and one run over 12M innings, with 24 strikeouts vs. two walks.

But the rest of the bullpen has a cumulative ERA of 6.85, and that includes a 7.59 ERA from righthander Bryan Shaw, who has served up three homers in 10M innings, carries a 7.59 ERA and has a .362 batting average against. The Rockies signed Shaw to a threeyear, $27 million contract during the offseason.

Rockies starters have only pitched past the seventh inning three times this season, twice by Chad Bettis and once by Jon Gray. That has put a lot of weight on the relievers’ shoulders and the burden is beginning to show. Monday, the club had to call up reinforcements. Hard-throwing righthander Scott Oberg was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque, and right-hander Brooks Pounder was called up to the big club.

The most egregious example of this season’s mid-bullpen meltdown came Monday night in a 13-5 loss to San Diego at Coors Field in which the Padres scored nine runs, walked four times and sent 15 batters to the plate in the seventh inning. That tied a Rockies franchise record for the most plate appearances in an inning by an opponent.

Oberg was at the core of Monday’s meltdown. He gave up five runs on three hits, with two walks, and he needed 30 pitches to record a single out. He understood why he was demoted.

“It was lack of two-strike execution,” said Oberg, who owns a 6.55 ERA with five walks vs. 10 strikeouts. “I tried to get pitches to a certain spot last night and I didn’t. It hurt me. And the two walks didn’t help me either.”

Last season, Oberg allowed just 6-of-38 inherited runners to score (16 percent). This season, 11-of-13 inherited runners have scored (85 percent). When manager Bud Black sat down with Oberg on Tuesday afternoon, Oberg’s inability to quash rallies was a big part of the discussion.

“They wanted to give me a bit of a blow, but I also know I have not done as well as I would like to with inherited runners,” Oberg said. “That’s been something I have prided myself on and done well with in the past.

“Buddy also told me I have to be more aware about runners on base and guys stealing. Those are things I’ll work on down in (Triple-A).”

Black thinks Oberg can still contribute for the Rockies this season, after he gets a minorleague tuneup.

“The stuff is there,” Black said. “You look at the velocity and you look at the secondary pitches, they are all of major-league quality. But for any player, that has to show up consistently between the lines. He’s aware of that.”

Pounders’ promotion.

Pounders, 27, made seven relief appearances at Triple-A this season, posting a 3.60 ERA with four walks and nine strikeouts.

“I’m in a good spot,” Pounders said. “I feel like I’ve got command of all three pitches (four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball and a slider). I’ve been doing what I need to right now to get the callup, and hopefully I can continue that success.”

Pounders was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2009 draft and made his big-league debut for Kansas City on July 5, 2016. He was traded to the Angels in December 2016 and appeared in 11 games for them in 2017. In his major-league career, he is 3-1 with a 9.78 ERA, eight walks and 25 strikeouts in 24 relief appearances.