Home has not been so sweet for Isotopes pitcher Hoffman

Jeff Hoffman hasn’t exactly found his comfort zone in Albuquerque this season.

The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher who had hoped to crack the Colorado Rockies starting rotation out of spring training, struggled at home, again, Friday night for the Isotopes, whose bats offered no relief in a 6-1 loss to Reno, giving the visiting Aces a series win.

“Too many balls over the middle of the plate,” Isotopes manager Glenallen HIll said rather matter of factly. “They (Aces batters) seemed to not be off balance.”

Hoffman (0-2) allowed six runs (four earned) off eight hits, a walk and a pair of wild pitches in six innings in front of an announced Isotopes Park crowd of 6,066. His ERA for the season grew to 5.14 over four starts this season for the ‘Topes.

He has allowed four earned runs and nine hits in 10 innings in two road starts this season. At home, he’s allowed eight earned runs and 14 hits in 11 innings.

But his issues, Hills said, aren’t about pitching at home or on the road.

“I just think it’s command, in general,” Hill said. “... He would, most definitely, like to have one of those outings you’ve seen in the past where he’s had eight or

nine strikeouts and it’s looked easy. It doesn’t look easy for him right now. He’s working through some things. He’s battling through some issues.”

Without getting into specifics, Hill made it clear, as he has done many times in the past, that at the Triple-A level, the game plan is about player development, not winning. Hoffman, it seems, is working in games on some specific parts of his game the parent club would like to see him add to his arsenal before recalling him to the Majors.

Reading too much into the results at this point, Hill says, might be premature.

“Jeff needs a little more refinement,” Rockies manager Bud Black told the Denver Post in March when Hoffman was optioned to Albuquerque. “And when he shows he’s consistent at making pitches, he’s a guy who is on the radar for us, for sure.”

Friday, the struggles for Hoffman began instantly. He allowed a leadoff triple to Ildemaro Varas to start the game, followed by an RBI single to Ketel Marte for a quick 1-0 deficit before registering his first out.

The Reno lead grew to 2-0 in the third inning and ballooned to 5-0 in the fourth when Hoffman allowed Reno catcher Hank Conger to launch his first home run of the season, a threerun shot to the berm in right field.

Reno scored another unearned run in the fifth for a the 6-0 lead (both unearned runs in the game were set up by two errors from ’Topes first baseman Jordan Patterson).

The Isotopes’ lone run in the game came via Daniel Castro off an RBI groundout by Raimel Tapia in the third.