Ho≠man’s pitch sequences need diversity

Jeff Hoffman’s shuttle ride between Albuquerque and points north likely will land him in Philadelphia on Monday when the Rockies need a spot start against the Phillies. The rookie righthander, a 24-year-old with frontrotation stuff, is still looking for an in.

Hoffman’s late-season call-up last year — and his pedigree as a first-round draft pick and the key piece in Colorado’s trade of Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto in 2015 — seemed to set him on a path to the big leagues this season. But he was surpassed by three other young pitchers in spring training. Antonio Senzatela, 22; Kyle Freeland, 24; and German Marquez, 24; all are thriving in the Rockies’ rotation.

Hoffman remains on the outs. “He’s coming along fine. His changeup has been good. He’s throwing his curveball for strikes,” said Rockies director of pitching Mark Wiley. “But he’s got some things that he has to improve on. His pitch sequences need to not be predictable.”

In his one start for the Rockies this season, a spot appearance against the Dodgers on May 11, Hoffman flashed an impressive arsenal with eight strikeouts in 5L innings. But he gave up three runs and six hits. With Triple-A Albuquerque, Hoffman’s up-and-down outings reveal areas of needed growth. In back-to-back April starts, he first got rocked for six runs and eight hits against visiting Reno. Seven days later, at Las Vegas, he struck out eight in seven innings of one-hit ball.

Hoffman can get by, at times, on pure stuff, a high-angle fastball and an above-average curve. Hoffman, though, is trying to master an ability to sequence through an at-bat, using one pitch to set up another, then navigating a lineup, using one at-bat to tee up another the next time through. Colorado veteran Chad Bettis schooled Hoffman on these points with a long walk-and-talk session during the final days of spring training.

“You don’t have to be a pitching coach. Just use common sense,” Wiley said. “This is what I tell our pitchers: If you see a hitter hit a good pitch, analyze why. Look at how you pitched him in that atbat. What didn’t you recognize? They don’t just hit good pitches unless you walk them right into it.

“One too many times down and away and then the hitter gives up on everything else and drives one to right field. How did he do that? Well, you just threw two of them in the exact same spot. They are major-league hitters. Sometimes it doesn’t take a genius. Maybe three in a row wasn’t a good idea.”

A doubleheader in Minnesota on Thursday left Colorado’s rotation on short rest for Monday. Hoffman probably will be the fillin. His eventual place in the rotation this season, which seems likely, still depends on becoming big league-minded.

“That’s how you learn. You can throw the right pitch and not execute it. Don’t worry about that,” Wiley said. “If you don’t execute and you threw the wrong pitch, that’s on you. It’s not brain surgery and nothing is chiseled in stone.”

Cardullo released.

The Rockies on Thursday released Stephen Cardullo, the longshot former independent league hitter who rose to the major leagues last season. This year he broke his wrist. The Rockies hope to re-sign him during his rehab, but they wanted to open a roster spot.