Antonio Senzatela, Rockies’ groundball machine, looks regular-season ready – The Denver Post

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Heads up worms. Antonio Senzatela is picking up where he left off.

The Rockies’ right-hander collected 11 groundball outs in his five innings against the Indians in Friday’s Cactus League game. That’s a very good sign for Senzatela, who’s coming off a season in which he went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA over 12 starts.

Since his debut in 2017, Senzatela’s 50.5 ground-ball percentage ranks third in the National League (minimum 400 innings pitched).

“I thought he threw great. He kept the ball down and elevated the ball on their hands, at times, but most of all it was a heavy attack down,” said manager Bud Black, who confirmed Senzatela will pitch one of the first four games of the regular season when the Dodgers come to Coors Field next week.

Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez did pounce on Senzatela’s fastball for the solo homer in the first, but other than that, Senzatela was excellent. He allowed two hits, struck out three and walked only one.

He likely has one more side session before his next start, but he threw 57 pitches in Friday’s game, as well as 25 more in a bullpen session which he treated as if it were a live game.

Senzatela, who said he commanded his slider and changeup well, said he’s ready for real games.

“I feel really good and I feel like I’m working really good,” said Senzatela, who missed two weeks of Cactus League action because of a strained hamstring but has been able to get back on track.

Kinley healthy. Right-hander Tyler Kinley, who’s impressed with his fastball velocity and a biting slider, has recovered from the strained left oblique muscle that sidelined him earlier in camp. He’s got an excellent chance to be in the bullpen when the season begins.

In Thursday’s game against the Angels, he threw a spotless seventh inning with one strikeout. He’s allowed no runs and struck out three in his three innings of work this spring.

“Yesterday, I thought he was really, really good,” Black said Friday. “The three-pitch mix was solid, and his fastball velocity (94-95 mph) was good. He showed a really good changeup and a couple really devastating sliders. That was really encouraging.”

Black checked in with Kinley Friday morning and Kinley was fine.

“I feel pretty confident he has passed (the injury),” Black said.

Faith in Estevez. Right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez, who’s had a rocky spring, at least statistically, has been working on a number of things in Cactus League games. The result has been a 12.86 ERA, with five homers allowed and a .333 opponents’ batting average in seven games.

Black, however, said he still believes in the hard-throwing right-hander.

“I don’t want to say he’s (working on) pitch design, but on some strategic things that we think will help him this season and that has maybe differed a little bit from how he pitched in the past,” Black said. “That’s been a process through spring training.

“But with Carlos, we have to go a little bit by track record. He’s got big-league stuff. He’s got what it takes to pitch in the back end of the bullpen.”

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