BETTIS MAKING RETURN TO ROCKIES’ ROTATION
Veteran fills the gap left by Senzatela, and does so with an altered grip on his fastball
It never hurts to have six dependable starters, especially down the stretch of a divisional title chase that’s still wide open.
And with Antonio Senzatela placed on the disabled list Sunday because of a sore shoulder, the depth and legitimacy of the Rockies’ rotation is again set to keep things running smoothly, as Chad Bettis is slated to start on Tuesday night against the Pirates, making his first appearance since being sidelined by a finger blister July 3.
“When he joined us on the road trip, I could tell from the way he and I spoke that he felt confident in where he was as far as his finger, and even as far as how he threw the ball with his pitch mix and how the ball was coming out of his hand,” manager Bud Black said.
Bettis tossed 95 pitches in six innings of work in his third and final rehab start for Triple-A Albuquerque last Thursday, when the right-hander allowed four earned runs but said he felt no discomfort where the blister once was.
Bettis, 29, will return to Coors Field with an altered fastball grip, one specifically designed by the right-hander and the Colorado pitching coaches to alleviate pressure on the middle throwing finger, where the blister was problematic.
“There’s some things we switched up on the grip after looking on the slowmotion camera,” Bettis said. “That was
the main concern — with me being fastball heavy, just to make sure nothing came up again, and the new grip hasn’t affected anything (negatively).”
Bettis will start against the Pirates’ Jameson Taillon who, like Bettis, is also a survivor of testicular cancer and dealt with a minor digit issue (a laceration on his middle finger) this season — topics about which the two righthanders have exchanged information and support.
Meanwhile, Black noted Senzatela’s progress has trainer Keith Dugger feeling confident about the 23-year-old’s impending return.
“He’s probably going to play catch here in a day or two, but early reports are that he feels good and that a lot of the initial soreness he felt over the weekend in Milwaukee has sort of gone away,” Black said of Senzatela.
As for beyond Bettis’ Tuesday start, and for when Senzatela does return, the staff’s senior starter said he has no qualms about a potential bullpen role — something Black has said is a possibility.
“If would be a little bit different, if that’s what happens, but I think I’m better suited for it now than I was four years ago,” Bettis said, referencing his 21 relief appearances in 2014. “Hopefully I can take some of those trials and errors from that season and be a little bit better for it.” Oh, steady from go. Since being traded from Toronto on July 26, Seunghwan Oh has quickly become a much-needed third stabilizer out of the Rockies’ bullpen alongside Adam Ottavino and Wade Davis. And Oh’s contributions have been even more critical considering the recent struggles of Davis, who blew his last two saves.
Oh earned the save in Colorado’s 11-inning win over Milwaukee on Sunday, punctuating the victory with acrobatic hustle at first base to cover for the tail end of a double play. And in five appearances so far with Colorado, he has yet to allow an earned run.
“He’s stepped right in, he’s given us some big innings and he’s gotten some big outs,” Black said. “The thing I like about his style is that he knows how to get his outs — he does it (uniquely). He’s very confident in all four of his pitches to be used at any time, and he’s acclimated extremely fast to the group.”
Plus, Oh and his interpreter, Eugene Koo, did their part to raise the collective confidence of the clubhouse amid the 2-5 Midwest road trip marred by three walk-off losses.
“As other guys struggled throughout the road trip, he was one of the guys who would show up and do the opposite, and bring everyone up with his energy and his performance,” outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said.
Oh, a 36-year-old veteran who first made a name for himself as a professional in South Korea and Japan, is currently living at a Denver hotel and can still be sighted in the clubhouse, alongside Koo, rifling through cardboard boxes shipped from Toronto, which contain gear and other personal possessions.
And even though Oh hasn’t yet found a new permanent residence — and even though he’s still working to familiarize himself with Colorado’s three catchers — he noted the whirlwind of the trade hasn’t distracted him from his purpose on the mound.
“Baseball’s a universal language, and we all try to get the W every time we go out there,” Oh said. “It makes it easier when you have guys with the same mentality out there, so I’m just focused on pitching like every game counts, and like every game is very important to get us
to the playoffs.”