Rockies’ bullpen, with highest ERA in majors, needs a facelift for 2023

Partly out of necessity, partly out of experimentation, the Rockies are trying to figure out what they’ve got in their bullpen going forward.

A bit of it’s good, a lot is bad and plenty remains unknown.

One pitcher, right-handed closer Daniel Bard, has been very good. Actually, he’s been great.

Consider what Bard did Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. He pitched the eighth and ninth innings to nail down the Rockies’ 4-1 victory over the Dodgers. Bard struck out the side in both innings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Bard joined an elite group of pitchers to accomplish that feat.

Since 1969 (the first year saves became an official statistic) only four other pitchers pitched two or more scoreless innings to earn a save, with six or more outs coming via a strikeout. The others:

  • The Cardinals’ Mark Little (July 20, 1978, two innings, six strikeouts)
  • The Reds’ Rob Rob Dibble (April 23, 1991, two innings, six strikeouts)
  • The Expos’ Ugueth Urbina (April 19, 1998, two innings, six strikeouts)
  • The Brewers Josh Hader (April 30, 2018, 2 2/3 innings, eight strikeouts).

Bard, at age 37, and after his much-chronicled seven-year absence from the major leagues, ranks sixth in the majors with 33 saves. His 91.6 save percentage (33 saves, 36 opportunities) ranked second heading into action Monday. And his .157 batting average against is the lowest by a Rockies reliever in a single season in franchise history.

The Rockies showed their faith in Bard by signing him to a two-year, $19 million contract just days before the trade deadline.

“Daniel has pitched really well and I love the fact that he wanted to stay and we signed him to that extension,” manager Bud Black said in mid-September. “And he’s carried on. He’s had a really strong season and now the key for Daniel — and all of us — is to finish strong as a team and individually.”

Bard’s done that. The rest of the group? Not so much.

Right-hander Carlos Estevez, Bard’s main set-up man, was having an excellent season before being moved to the COVID-19 injured list, ending his season.

Opponents hit just .211 against him and he’s posted a 3.47 ERA with a 1.175 WHIP. After a bit of a rocky start, he was dominant after June 5, putting up a 2.40 ERA, limiting opponents to a .178 average, and yielding just two home runs over his last 43 appearances.

Now for the biggest unknown facing the bullpen: Estevez is scheduled to become a free agent for the first time, and while the Rockies will approach him with a contract offer after the season, they expect that he will test the market. Money, and possibly the opportunity to be the closer somewhere else, will factor into Estevez’s decision.

Two other relievers, right-hander Tyler Kinley and lefty Lucas Gilbreath, thrived this season, at least until elbow injuries shut them down.

Kinley, 31, landed on the injured list June 9 with a right ulnar nerve injury that required surgery and ended his season. In 25 games (24 innings), Kinley posted a 0.75 ERA and allowed just one run over his last 15 1/3 innings before he was shut down. The Rockies are optimistic Kinley, who was able to avoid Tommy John surgery, will be back for most of 2023.

Gilbreath, 26, from Legacy High School, looked like the left-hander the Rockies needed in their bullpen. During a 28-game span from May 14-July 22, he pitched to a 0.64 ERA, surrendering just two earned runs in 28 innings with a .189 opponent batting average. After the All-Star break, as his elbow soreness worsened, his ERA ballooned to 6.23 in 13 innings and he was scored upon seven times in 15 appearances. He finished with a 4.19 ERA for the season.

Gilbreath received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his elbow and hopes to avoid surgery.

Black continues to believe that side-arm righty Justin Lawrence will find the consistency he needs to become a reliable big-league reliever. Lawrence’s firepower is evident by his strikeout rate of 10.37 per nine innings, but his 5.83 ERA and 4.75 walks per nine illustrate that he remains a work in progress.

Due in part to injuries, a number of relievers are seeing a lot of time as the season nears its end. Colorado will have to decide if they want to attempt to re-sign veteran right-handers Alex Colome (5.74 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) and Dinelson Lamet (4.50, 1.28), a late-season pickup. Colome has struggled in the second half, while Lamet had performed well until he walked three consecutive hitters in Los Angeles on Saturday night in the Rockies’ epic meltdown.

Rookie right-handers Chad Smith (6.48 ERA, 1.68 WHIP), Jake Bird (5.12, 1.49) and Gavin Hollowell (10.13, 2.06) have been thrown into the fire and have struggled. As has lefty Ty Blach (6.02, 1.34), the fifth-year major leaguer who played high school baseball at Regis Jesuit.

Lefty Austin Gomber, who began the season in the starting rotation and hopes to be part of it again next season, has been inconsistent, as his 5.62 ERA and 1.37 WHIP show.

Bullpen Blues

How the Rockies’ bullpen stacks up vs. the majors:

ERA: 4.87 (highest)
WHIP: 1.40 (fifth-highest)
Average: .251 (sixth-highest)
Ks/9: 8.45 (eighth-fewest)
BBs/9: 3.93 (fifth-highest)
HRs: 60 (12th fewest allowed)

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