De La Rosa gets belated nod for spot in rotation
When pitchers and catchers reported on Wednesday, the Diamondbacks had two spots open in their starting rotation. Three days later, they’re down to one.
Manager Chip Hale said Saturday he was giving right-hander Rubby De La Rosa a spot, awarding him for what he accomplished last season, when he logged 1882⁄ innings despite a 4.67 ERA.
“It means a lot they gave me the opportunity to show them what I have for this year,” De La Rosa said. “I’ll do my best to help the team win a championship.”
Hale was asked if he had any indication De La Rosa was bothered by not being included with Zack Greinke, Shelby Miller and Patrick Corbin as pitchers who had already locked up rotation spots.
“Through my coaching staff, I had heard there was some wonderment of what was going on,” Hale said. “And after thinking about it and what he did for us last year, he deserves to be in there."
Hale did leave an opening to make a change, saying that spring training results matter “to a certain point,” suggesting that if a pitcher’s stuff regresses, the team might consider reshuffling the rotation.
De La Rosa’s numbers from last season don’t jump off the page, mainly because he lacked much semblance of consistency. When he was good, he was very good; when he was bad, he was really bad.
In the 20 starts in which he pitched at least 52⁄ innings, De La Rosa logged a 2.47 ERA. In the other 12 starts, he had a 10.17 ERA.
Those struggles could, in many cases, be tied to his problems against left-handed hitters. The Los Angeles Dodgers, a team heavy with lefties, scored 22 runs off De La Rosa in 172⁄ innings spread across four starts; the Diamondbacks lost all four games.
De La Rosa dominated right-handed hitters last season, holding them to a .214 average and .611 OPS. Lefties, however, hit .315 and posted a .949 OPS – which is roughly the same neighborhood as Miguel Cabrera’s career numbers.
Balancing those numbers will be a focus for De La Rosa this spring. He said it starts with being smarter about the way he pitches.
“If those are his words, those are great words,” Diamondbacks pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “For me, it’s the execution of pitches and how to put them together and give him a good plan to do those things. He’s grasped on to that very good.”
De La Rosa said he’s hoping to stay on the outer half more against lefties, noting that he needs to stop throwing two-seamers inside only to have them run back over the plate.
De La Rosa was listed last year at 225 pounds but said he dropped about 22 pounds in the offseason.
“I worked hard in the offseason and tried to put my body in good position and be in good shape,” he said. “I’m not in perfect shape, but I feel a lot better.”
Hale said De La Rosa got the initial rotation nod over left-hander Robbie Ray in large part because of his ability to pitch deep into games more consistently. The club valued the innings De La Rosa provided and the reduced stress that meant for the bullpen.
As for Ray, he probably has “the Number 1 shot at the fifth spot,” Hale said, adding that Ray needs to improve his pitch efficiency.
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.