Catcher Serven lined up for big-league debut Wednesday

Catcher Brian Serven was called up and catcher Dom Nunez sent down before the Rockies hosted the Giants Tuesday night at Coors Field.

The roster moves, according to manager Bud Black, had two primary objectives.

First, the Rockies want to see what the 27-year-old Serven can do against big-leaguers. Second, they want to give Nunez more atbats.

“His at-bats have not been a lot,” Black said, referring to the fact that Nunez has just 36 plate appearances in 12 games. “So I think we just felt, ‘Let’s get Dom playing.'”

Nunez, 27, is hitting .143 (4-for28) with six walks, seven strikeouts and two RBIS this season. Officially, Nunez, who was serving as a backup to Elias Diaz, was optioned to Triple-a Albuquerque.

Serven is scheduled to make his big-league debut on Wednesday afternoon, unless, of course, he’s needed in a pinch during Tuesday night’s game.

“Brian had been playing and doing really well,” Black said. “Hopefully he can carry over his play to big-league games. We also have great reports from our minor league player development people (about his) defensive side.”

In 77 at-bats with the Isotopes, Serven slashed .273/.406/. 506 with five home runs and 11 RBIS.

In Wednesday afternoon’s game, Serven will team with lefthander Kyle Freeland, whom he’s caught multiple times during spring training the last two years.

Serven was drafted by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of Arizona State. He was told about his call-up by Isotopes manager Warren Schaeffer and hitting coach Jordan Pacheco while the trio was eating dinner in Salt Lake City on Monday night. The Isotopes began a series against the Bees on Tuesday.

“I was in shock immediately,” Serven said, recalling the emotional moment. “Then I called my parents and broke down a little bit after that.”

Black said Serven already has a solid working relationship with most of the Rockies’ pitchers, so he doesn’t think there will be a communication gap. The rookie catcher agreed.

“The last few years I’ve caught a lot of these guys during spring training,” he said. “I caught (German) Marquez this spring. I’ve caught Freeland a few times, and I’ve caught everybody in the bullpen. So I’m pretty familiar with all of them, so that’s a good feeling.”

Diaz’s slump.

While Diaz has been getting the bulk of the playing time behind the plate, he hasn’t been producing with his bat.

He entered Tuesday’s game hitting .154 (1-for-65) with one home run over his last 18 games after hitting .345 (10-for-29) with one home run over his first eight games.

“Mechanically, there is a little bit of sort of a hard charge at the ball, there’s a hard move,” Black said, explaining Diaz’s slump. “It’s a byproduct of being aggressive and wanting to get a hit. It’s the same thing he fell into a trap (early) last year when he was trying too hard. A lot of times when you do that, especially in his case, his lower body sort of dives, instead of staying back on the ball.”

Diaz got off to a terrible start last year before getting hot and finishing the season with 18 home runs.

He slashed .283/.346/. 550 with 17 homers, 16 doubles, one triple, and 40 RBIS from June 1 through the end of the season.

Fifth starter.

As expected, righthander Antonio Senzatela was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday after suffering a strained lower back in Monday night’s game.

With a day off Thursday, the Rockies can make it through the weekend series with the Mets with a four-man rotation.

Next week at Pittsburgh, however, the Rockies will need a fifth pitcher. The candidates are lefty Ty Blach and right-hander Ashton Goudeau, both long relievers, or right-handed Triple-a starter Ryan Feltner, who’s made one start with Colorado this season.