Rockies’ bullpen fixable, Bud Black says, but he knows there’s big problems

The numbers tell you that the Rockies’ bullpen is in a state of disrepair and in need of major reconstruction. Think of the “Mile High Shift,” part of the $1.2 billion Central 70 project in Denver, and you get the idea.

To wit:

* Heading in Monday night’s game at San Diego, Rockies relievers had a combined 5.84 ERA, the highest in the National League.

* Opposing teams were batting .282 against Colorado’s bullpen, also the highest in the league.

* Opposing team were batting .267 with runners in scoring position. Only Arizona (.288) and Atlanta relievers (.277) fared worse.

* Rockies relievers had allowed 42% of inherited runners to score, the fourth-highest percentage in the NL.

* Closer Daniel Bard had a 6.14 ERA and a 2.045 WHIP and primary set-up man (and possible closer) Mychal Givens has a 4.02 ERA.

Manager Bud Black still expressed faith in his relievers, even after the bullpen dramatically imploded in a 7-6 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. Black, however, made it clear that the performance of the bullpen through the first quarter of the season was unacceptable.

“It was tough, right? I mean, we were punched in the face a little bit by the Padres and the Reds,” Black said, talking about the disappointing 3-4 homestand at Coors Field. “It was a tough week for the bullpen, for sure. (But) they’ll bounce back.”

And why is that?

“I think there’s been enough success from a number of these fellows that I think (success) is going to happen again,” he said. “I think there’s quality stuff. I think there’s velocity. I think there’s secondary pitches.

“I just think some of the principles have left those guys in a number of their outings.”

Specifically, Black said the relievers had faltered by issuing too many leadoff walks, falling behind in counts, failing to hold runners, and not fielding their position well.

“We’ve addressed that through the week and even this afternoon,” Black said. “We can’t have nine guys out there (in the bullpen) and have four guys pitching good and five guys pitching bad. We need seven guys pitching well.”

Black agreed that some of the relievers might be pitching “too fine” and failing to attack the strike zone. That has often been a byproduct of pitching at hitter-friendly Coors Field, where mistakes by pitchers are often magnified. This season, however, the bullpen’s 4.68 ERA at Coors is actually better than its 6.05 road ERA.

At Coors, however, Colorado relievers are averaging 4.67 walks per nine innings vs. 3.95 on the road, so it does look like they might be trying to pitch too carefully at home.

“That’s just the nature of the beast in altitude,” Black said. “And it’s something that we guard against, and we try not to have our pitchers fall into that trap.”

Black has made it clear to his relievers that the high walk rate is unacceptable.

“The messaging is, we need guys who throw strikes, and right now we’re one of the teams that walks the most guys out of the bullpen. So that’s got to stop,” he said. “It could be that guys, maybe (are) being too fine, maybe guys (are) being too careful.

“We’ve stressed to these guys that you can’t pitch like that. So hopefully, you’ll see moving forward, in the coming weeks and months, our walk rate decreases. Or the bullpen will see some changes.”

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