Riding High: Mariners at Rockies Series Preview
The Mariners head to Colorado to face the hapless Rockies.
Three stress-free wins against the Reds have really improved the vibes surrounding the Mariners. The rest of the division continues to struggle which means Seattle is just a game and a half behind the Rangers and three and a half ahead of the Astros. With some momentum behind them, they head into the thin air of Colorado to face the Rockies.
Update: Friday’s game has been postponed due to rain and will be made up on Sunday as part of a split doubleheader. In addition, the Rockies placed Kyle Freeland on the IL with an elbow strain — they called up Noah Davis to take his place and he will likely start one of the games this weekend.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Rockies won 91 games and made back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and ‘18. The mismanagement and uninspired roster construction since then makes that success seem like a lifetime ago. You’d think they’d have learned a valuable lesson after striking gold with their under-the-radar pickup of Nolan Jones last offseason. Instead, they spent the winter hibernating, spending a mere $3.5 million on major league free agents during the offseason. This is one of the worst teams in baseball and there’s very little hope that things will get better any time soon.
Kris Bryant was supposed to be the face of their franchise when they signed him to a massive free agent deal ahead of the 2022 season but he’s played in just 135 games since signing that contract and is back on the IL with another back injury. The Rockies may be hoping that Ezequiel Tovar can carry the torch for the franchise instead; they signed him to a seven-year extension in March. He’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the game but his bat still has a bit of room to grow. Jones, who exploded to a 135 wRC+ last year after toiling away in Cleveland’s farm system, is off to a slow start this year. His strikeout rate is up to 38.5% and he’s pounding the ball into the ground, preventing him from showing off the power he displayed last year.
Probable Pitchers
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Once upon a time, Dakota Hudson looked like he was on track to become a mid-rotation stalwart for the Cardinals. An elbow injury derailed those dreams and he’s now an innings-eating back end starter who doesn’t miss many bats and doesn’t manage his contact well enough to be truly successful. The reason why the Rockies were interested enough in him to sign him to a one-year major league deal is because he’s run the sixth highest ground ball rate in the majors since his debut in 2018. His slider is actually pretty decent and can earn swings and misses when he needs one, but his overall profile is so geared towards contact, his strikeout rate just doesn’t have any ceiling whatsoever.
Kyle Freeland signed a five-year extension ahead of the 2022 season to stick around with his hometown team for the foreseeable future. He has, at times, looked like an ace that the Rockies could build their rotation around; his park- and league-adjusted ERA is seven percent better than league average for his career. Pitching in the thin air will never be easy, but Freeland has at least figured out a way to be moderately useful despite his home park. The key has been a deep, five-pitch repertoire that plays up beyond the mediocrity of each individual pitch. Worryingly, his fastball velocity is has dipped in recent seasons which makes his already small margin for error that much thinner.
Most of Cal Quantrill’s success in Cleveland was driven by some extremely good fortune on balls in play. He never struck out that many and his command of his deep repertoire was only okay. That luck turned last year and he found himself on the outside looking in with his arbitration salary jumping up to $6.6 million. Cleveland traded him to Colorado during the offseason, the absolute worst destination for a pitcher so reliant on pitching to contact. He’s leaned into his splitter this year, earning some pretty good results with that pitch. Unfortunately, his sinker and cutter are so hittable, his overall results haven’t improved.
The Big Picture:
The Rangers won their four-game series against the Tigers this week despite a less than stellar debut from Jack Leiter yesterday. They’ll head to Atlanta to face the Braves this weekend. The Astros have continued to struggle to start the season; they were swept by the Braves this week and head to Washington to hopefully get things back on track against the Nationals. The Angels split their four-game series against the Rays and head to Cincinnati this weekend.