Starter Senzatela emerges as bright spot in 2020
Perhaps the best thing to come out of the Rockies’ frustrating 2020 season has been the emergence of right- handed starter Antonio Senzatela.
He proved himself again Sunday, allowing just one run over 6 1/ 3 innings in Colorado’s 6- 3 victory over the Dodgers at Coors Field.
“Today was about fastball command, and his fastball had life to it,” manager Bud Black said. “He threw the ball well. He’s pitching with a lot of confidence and a lot of conviction in his stuff. He’s attacking the hitters.”
The Dodgers nicked Senzatela for three hits. He struck out three and walked two, lowering his ERA to 3.13. He was coming off the first complete game of his career, meaning that Sunday marked the second time in his career in which he had consecutive starts pitching six or more innings while allowing one or fewer runs.
Colorado has won six of Senzatela’s starts, during which he’s gone 5- 0 with a 1.60 ERA.
“I feel really good right now and I have confidence with my pitches in the zone,” Senazatela said. “Evting ery time, I’m putting it in my mind that every day is a new day.”
Ramos’ rebound. Veteran righthanded reliever AJ Ramos says he’s finally pain- free and that’s made all of the difference.
Ramos made his first big- league appearance in more than two years on Saturday night in Colorado’s 6- 1 loss to the Dodgers. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one hit with one walk and a strikeout. He said it was his first time pitching without pain since he first began experiencing shoulder issues in 2014.
“Now I’m not worried about how I can throw a pitch with the least amount of pain while trying to get out some of the best hitters in the world,” Ramos said Sunday. “When you have so many thoughts that take away from getthe guy on the plate, it definitely makes you a worse pitcher.
“There would be times where I’d grab the rosin bag behind the mound, just like squeeze it, and just say, ‘ All right, man, it’s only going to be a few seconds of pain, you got to get through this and you got to get the job done.’ “
Now that the pain has eased, Ramos figures he can hook up with the Rockies or another team in 2021.
Fuentes en Fuego. Josh Fuentes, who’s making a splash in his audition to be Colorado’s starting first baseman next season, pounded out three hits for the third time in his career and the second time over his last three games. He went 3- for- 4 with a three- run homer Friday night against the Dodgers and his hitting .369.
Fuentes said that being able to relax and not try too hard at the plate has been a big key.
“I think sometimes, you want ( to succeed) so bad, and want to get a hit so bad, that I kind of fall into that trap,” he said. “But I’ve definitely been a lot better about taking some pitches and finding the ones I could hit. But I still kind of expand ( the strike zone) a little bit because that’s what I do best.”