USA TODAY International Edition
Rockies bullpen sees revival of relievers
Holland, Dunn additions give Colorado depth
In the handful of games he has played in his career at Coors Field, Greg Holland hasn’t noticed a difference in the way the ball spins or in the effectiveness of his pitches.
The way his body feels is another story.
A six- game homestand was enough to convince the Colorado Rockies new closer that he was operating in conditions not found anywhere else in baseball and he needed to adjust to them.
“That was my first extended stay there,” said Holland, who spent his first six seasons with the Kansas City Royals. “You really have to stay on top of your diet and your hydration to make sure you’re not getting run down.”
Avoiding that run-over- byCoors feeling will be one of the keys for the Rockies’ revitalized bullpen, which has gone from the worst in the majors last year to one of the early- season surprises.
The narrative continued Sunday, when Holland needed just five pitches to set down the San Francisco Giants in preserving a 4- 3 victory, the Rockies’ third win in the four- game series at AT& T Park.
A year after putting up a 5.13 ERA and blowing 28 saves, Colorado relievers have a 4- 0 record, a 2.68 ERA and 59 strikeouts, second most in baseball. Hitters have a .194 batting average against them.
The turnaround has been fueled in part by the offseason acquisition of Holland, who has saves in all seven of his appearances and had yet to allow a run, and lefty reliever Mike Dunn, who has not yielded a run in 71⁄ 3 innings. Dunn struck out both men he faced Sunday — lefty swingers Denard Span and Brandon Belt — to strand the tying run on base in the eighth inning.
Manager Bud Black credits the new relievers with enhancing the professionalism of the bullpen. “It’s a good group; it’s flexible,” said Black, who previously managed star closers including Trevor Hoffman, Heath Bell and Huston Street. “We have leftand right- hand weapons. We’ve got strikeouts. Holland and Dunn have made a huge impact on the mentality of that group.”
There have been other factors at play as well, such as the full availability of setup man Adam Ottavino, who had Tommy John elbow surgery in 2015, and Jake McGee’s recovery from knee woes. The unit as a whole also has more depth than in the past, with three lefties and a young power arm in second- year righthander Carlos Estevez, who saved 11 games as a rookie.
The improvement in the relief corps gives credence to the belief among some baseball insiders that Colorado — already stocked with a potent offense, reliable fielding and young starters — is primed to make a move up the standings and contend for a playoff spot, maybe even challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Giants for National League West supremacy.
The Rockies entered Monday atop the division with a 9- 5 mark and one blown save in 10 chances.
For all the cheap hits that fall in the huge outfield gaps and the Coors home runs that fly out of the ballpark, center fielder Charlie Blackmon thinks the biggest challenge playing at altitude is the physical toll its takes on the players, especially on day games after night games.
That’s why McGee, who joined the Rockies last year after six seasons with the sea- level Tampa Bay Rays, sees enhanced depth as a huge factor in the bullpen’s chances of remaining effective all year. “I think the key is having two long guys and guys taking their days off when they really need them, because you don’t want to overwork yourself, especially at Coors with the high altitude,” McGee said. “If you’re feeling good, just don’t try to push it.”
Holland, who missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, will have to be mindful of that. A two- time All-Star, Holland anchored a Royals bullpen that guided them to back- to- back World Series appearances in 2014 — when he racked up 46 saves — and 2015.
His elbow gave way toward the end of the 2015 season, and he had the ligament- replacement surgery in October, missing Kansas City’s first championship run in 30 years.
“That was kind of painful,” said Holland, who in January signed an incentive- laden oneyear deal for a guaranteed $ 7 million. “But I got a year and a half ( to recover), I got to take my time with it. That really helped me get to where I’m at now.”
That’s back in prime form, again closing games for an upand- coming young team.