Ottavino feels he can regain his stuff
LOS ANGELES» In the heat of the final weeks of the playoff chase, Adam Ottavino knows he must be better. He expects it.
The righthander has been, by most metrics, Colorado’s best overall reliever this season, posting a 2.25 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP and 105 strikeouts while accumulating a bullpenhigh 2.6 bWAR.
But coming into Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers, Ottavino had given up runs in consecutive appearances for just the third time all season, with leadoff walks setting the tone for poor performances last week against Arizona and Sunday against San Francisco.
“I’m a little frustrated and disappointed with the way I’ve been pitching the last two outings,” Ottavino admitted. “I need to be better about getting into attack mode from the first guy. That’s where my mindset is.”
Ottavino believes a renewed focus on going after the leadoff man will get him right back on course with the bullpen’s other most dependable arms in Scott Oberg (teamleading 0.97 WHIP), Wade Davis (NLleading 40 saves) and Seunghwan Oh (expected to return to action for the Dodgers series after hamstring tightness).
Ottavino said he has been trying to work too perfectly on the corners during the first few pitches of atbats against hitters that — having seen the devastating variance on Ottavino’s various breaking balls — are being more picky at the plate. His 13.13 strikeouts per nine innings ranks third among NL relievers.
“I don’t think there’s too many hitters out there who want the atbat against me,” Ottavino said. “They’re hoping to get into a good count, and obviously I have a propensity to sometimes do that.”
There’s no need to remind the seventhyear Colorado veteran that his ballclub’s postseason chances could very well depend on his ability to cut down on that propensity.
“There’s big games coming up, tough opponents — I’ve got to be on top of my game,” Ottavino said. “And if I am, I know I’ll help the team a lot.”
There are no shortage of stars in Hollywood, from the streets of Rodeo Drive to the Walk of Fame all the way to, and down through, the Dodgers’ starstudded bench at Chavez Ravine.
And a quick comparison between the seasoned subs for the Dodgers and the largely unproven subs for the Rockies in Monday’s series opener says a lot about the drastically different construction of each team.
Los Angeles’ bench featured Matt Kemp (threetime allstar), David Freese (World Series MVP), Bryan Dozier (allstar acquired at the deadline), Chase Utley (fourtime allstar, potential Hall of Famer) and Chris Taylor (last year’s NLCS MVP).
“They have a lot of talent on the bench — allstars and guys who have been proven performers ready to come off the bench at any time,” manager Bud Black said. “We’ve got to always be ready for the big matchup, because you just always know there’s really no soft spot once you get past the fifth, sixth inning.”
Meanwhile, with Matt Holliday starting, the Rockies’ available substitutes at Dodger Stadium were two veterans in catcher Chris Iannetta and outfielder Gerardo Parra but mostly young, albeit promising, first, secondor thirdyear players such as Ryan McMahon and David Dahl.
As Iannetta explains, the Colorado lineup and pitching staff is keenly aware of the Dodgers’ depth of weaponry, but notes relievers will still be in attack mode against Los Angeles’ experienced bats and that the Rockies’ young core of position players doesn’t need to feel compelled to “match” Los Angeles’ star power in what is likely a seasondefining series.
“I don’t think (our young guys) have to do anything to match LA’s bench,” Iannetta said. “The game is going to dictated by who needs to be called on and what the game asks you to do. As long as everyone focuses on his role, we will be fine.”
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said the same mentality’s been adopted in his clubhouse, where his array of accomplished veterans have taken on whatever is asked of them, swallowing their individual pride with the goal of getting back to the Fall Classic. Not including pitchers, the Dodgers have used 110 total lineups this season, as opposed to Colorado’s 87.
“It starts with the guys’ understanding that when they’re called upon, they need to be ready, and they’ve risen to that occasion,” Roberts said. “There’s conversations, but it’s not as tough, because every single guy wants to win and to sacrifice for the Dodgers.”
And while Los Angeles is confident in its ability to outpace Colorado for a sixth straight divisional crown, Carlos Gonzalez was quick to remind that the Rockies wouldn’t be battling for first place this late in the season without occasional contributions — and upward growth potential — from those nationally anonymous role players.
Los Angeles’ ability is unquestioned. Still, Gonzalez noted: “But we’ve got a ton of talent, too. That’s not to be overlooked.”