Rockies closer Daniel Bard remains confident vs. left-handed hitters

ARLINGTON, Texas — Closer Daniel Bard’s 97.8 mile per hour fastball missed its location and he paid the price.

The Rangers’ Willie Calhoun sent the ball deep into the right-field seats with two outs in the ninth inning Monday, sending the game into extra innings. The Rockies won, 6-4, in 10 innings, but was Calhoun’s homer off Bard a red flag?

After all, last season, the right-handed reliever allowed lefties to slash .319/.406/.600, with 13 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. Right-handers hit just .208/.311/.248 with two doubles and only one home run.

“I feel good about some changes against lefties in the offseason, so it wasn’t just, ‘Let’s hope to do better,’” Bard said before Tuesday night’s game. “I punched out two Dodger lefties the other day and I think I had a good spring (training), too. I feel confident.”

In Colorado’s 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Saturday night, Bard struck out left-handed hitters Max Muncy, Edwin Rios and Cody Bellinger, all swinging. During spring training, lefties were 0-for-5 with three strikeouts vs. Bard.

“We know Daniel has the velocity and that good slider to get the job done,” manager Bud Black said. “He just has to have better location vs. lefties. The fastball to Calhoun was intended to be inside.

“We wanted it in on his hands, with high velocity, which is a tough pitch to hit. But the ball moved to the middle of the plate. Daniel has that moving fastball, with tremendous velocity, but the pitch didn’t get to where he intended it to go.”

Upon further review. In case you missed it, the Rockies’ win over the Rangers Monday had a controversial ending.

Black asked for a replay review in the bottom of the 10th inning after second baseman Brendan Rodgers, with Rangers catcher Mitch Garver sliding hard toward him, made a wild throw that allowed a run to score while taking away the chance for a game-ending double play. But after a replay review, a double play was ruled and the Rockies had their victory. Officials determined that Garver had violated the so-called slide rule.

Garver, however, vehemently disagreed.

“I was going for the bag. I hit it first,” he said. “Then after watching the replay, there was no doubt in my mind that was a clean slide. It was a clean, hard baseball slide.”

RyMac out. Third baseman Ryan McMahon was not in the starting lineup Tuesday after getting drilled in his left calf during batting practice before Monday’s game, then getting hit twice by pitches during the game, in the right forearm and the right big toe.

“I’m good, just a little sore,” McMahon said Tuesday. ” ‘Jasp’ (Colorado’s physical performance coach) said that I should go to church more often. Buddy told me that he’s giving me the day, and with the day off on Wednesday, it gives me a couple of days to heal up.”

“He owned me.” During his pregame media session in the visitor’s dugout at Globe Life Field Tuesday, Black spotted a friendly face walking near the third-base line.

“Oh no! Oh no! Look at my career numbers against this guy!” Black shouted. “He owned me!”

The man in question was former Rangers infielder Steve Buechele, who’s now a special assistant in the Rangers’ baseball operations department. Buechele went 13-for-40 (.325) with four homers and two doubles off Black, with 10 RBIs, one walk and nine strikeouts.

“I’m going to have a nightmare tonight,” Black quipped.

On Deck
The Rockies have an off day Wednesday.

Trending: Entering Tuesday night’s game, the Rockies’ bullpen had allowed two runs across 18 2/3 innings to rank first in the majors with an 0.98 ERA.

At issue: The struggles of second baseman Brendan Rodgers. He entered Tuesday’s game hitting .133 (2-for-15) with a .356 OPS. In his second at-bat Tuesday night he came up with the bases loaded and grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Pitching probables
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Cubs LHP Justin Steele (0-0, 0.00 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-1, 12.27), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Friday: Cubs TBA at Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-0, 1.29), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Saturday: Cubs TBA at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (0-0, 2.70), 6:10 p.m., ATTRM
Sunday: Cubs TBA at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-0, 5.79), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM

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