Davis’ huge home-road disparity
CINCINNATI» Depending on where they’re playing, the Rockies have gotten two drastically different versions of Wade Davis this year.
On the road, the 33-year-old is the “Cyborg” of his all-star Kansas City days while pitching like the best closer in the National League. His 0.68 ERA in 15 games leads the league for closers and is fourth out of all major league relievers in away games, while he’s converted all seven of his save opportunities heading into the weekend against the Reds.
But at home, Davis has been a disaster. The right-hander has a ghastly 9.53 ERA in 19 games, and both of his blown saves have come at Coors Field. He’s often struggled to find the strike zone while opponents are hitting .301 against him in LoDo compared to .178 elsewhere.
Both Davis and manager Bud Black are aware of the extreme disparity in splits, especially compared to Davis’ more balanced performance last year when he had a 4.73 ERA at home and 3.55 ERA on the road.
“Wade and I have talked about this,” Black said. “He’s got to pitch with an aggressive mindset at home, and he’s got to attack. He’s more than capable of throwing strikes when he needs to.
“This guy’s been a major league starter, but with that there’s a litthe tle bit of a dichotomy. Because he has multiple weapons, sometimes he pitches a little bit (too much) in the ninth inning. That’s where the ball-strike ratio gets away from him and the walks show up.”
Davis agreed that he needs to be in attack mode at Coors Field, where the combination of elevation and this year’s more aerodynamic baseball has the stadium back to pre-humidor scoring levels. It hasn’t just been Davis who has struggled there, as Colorado has a 6.75 overall ERA at home.
“I have to be in the strike zone more there, and make better pitches when I’m ahead (in the count),” Davis said. “I’ve given up some hits when ahead that haven’t been good. I need to make better pitches in general.”
The veteran believes he’s “gotten a little bit stronger as the season’s gone on” as he’s continued to fine-tune his mechanics. Davis doesn’t average 96+ mph on his fastball anymore like he did in his prime with the Royals, but the 93.6 mph he’s averaged in 2019 has been effective when properly located while paired with his cutter and curveball.
“I’ve been working on my delivery and different pitches,” Davis said. “I’m trying to be shorter with arm stroke, or shorter with the stride, whatever it might be. It’s about making those adjustments quicker (in-game) rather than trying to fight to get something that’s not there.”
Chi Chi Gonzalez likely a go for Saturday.
Colorado hasn’t officially announced its starter for Saturday’s game against the Reds, but indications are the righthanded Gonzalez will get called up from Triple-A Albuquerque again for his fourth start of the season. Gonzalez has a 5.14 ERA in three major league starts in 2019 following his return from Tommy John surgery, and is 2-1 with a 9.28 ERA in three July starts for the Isotopes.
Chris Rusin update in Triple-A.
It’s been a rough season for the southpaw reliever, as Rusin’s back issues limited him to just two appearances before being designated for assignment on June 7. He was then sent to the Isotopes, where Black said he’s been slowly returning to form.
“Things are starting to turn a little bit on a positive note as far as his stuff,” Black said. “The arm strength is coming back, the velocity is creeping up, the crispness to his offspeed is improving … I think the lingering health issues he had this year, the first couple months, are behind him.”
Rusin has a 5.55 ERA in 15 games (three starts) for the Isotopes, with 16 strikeouts to 11 walks.