2018’s rotation must match 2009’s

Rockies manager Bud Black sat in the home dugout at Coors Field on Tuesday afternoon discussing his team’s hot streak and its playoff potential.

Time and time again, Black mentioned starting pitching as the key.

“You’ve got to pitch well,” he said. “That’s been the common theme for the last month and a half. We’ve had very good starting pitching. That’s critical. Our rotation has been very steady, and that’s what we have to continue to have.”

The Rockies didn’t quite get that outcome Tuesday night when Tyler Anderson took the hill and lost 4-3 against the San Diego Padres. With 37 games remaining in the season, Colorado (68-57) was a game behind Arizona in the National League West.

The gold standard for Rockies starting pitching was set by the 2009 wild-card playoff team. That rotation, featuring Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Marquis, Aaron Cook and Jason Hammel, went 69-50 (a .580 winning percentage), posted a 4.10 ERA and a 1.357 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) and had a .262 batting average against.

Colorado’s 2018 rotation — currently featuring Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Jon Gray, Antonio Senzatela and Anderson — has put up similar numbers: 44-33 (.579), a 4.29 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and a .248 batting average against.

Since the Rockies turned their season around at the end of June, the starting pitching has been excellent, especially by Colorado standards. Since June 28, the rotation has a 3.50 ERA, the third-best mark in the National League.

There are two major differences between the 2009 starters and this year’s corps. The 2009 rotation averaged 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings vs. the 8.4 K’s per nine for this year’s group. The rise in strikeouts across the majors in recent years can certainly account for some of that.

In 2009, however, starters served up only 89 home runs over 162 games. This season, the starters have already surrendered 91 home runs, including 24 by Anderson, who had given up seven over his last three starts entering Tuesday night’s game.

But there is good news as the Rockies enter the stretch run toward a possible playoff berth. Since June 28, Rockies starters have been tagged for only 42 home runs, tied for second-fewest in the National League.