How the Colorado Rockies went from a very bad April to hopeful May
April was ugly for the Colorado Rockies.
The first month of the season had an eight-game losing streak and a -63 run differential. Not much went well for the team.
May, though, has been the opposite so far. They’ve won five of their six games, sweeping the Brewers and taking two of three from the Mets on the road.
So what’s been the difference? A look at the three things that have gone right for the Rockies this month.
Better starting pitching
The Rockies had a number of games in April where they were out of it before their offense even took the field due to a bad start from their pitcher. This month, though, the group has a 3.64 ERA, and they are doing it without Germán Márquez (Tommy John surgery) and Noah Davis (elbow inflammation).
Austin Gomber has had the most jarring turnaround of the crew. He went from giving up nine runs in two innings on April 19, raising his ERA to 12.12, to giving up only three total runs in his last three starts.
The rebound for him started when he opened up to the team and media about how he was feeling. He was a key part of the Nolan Areando trade two years ago and was putting so much pressure on himself that it was starting to impact everything about his game.
Two years later, Rockies’ Austin Gomber still feels weight of Nolan Arenado trade
“I definitely felt after that 24 hours that I had a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Gomber said. “For me, just getting back to a freer mind and being able to complete, I think I’m going to be good when I’m in that mindset.”
The rotation also has Antonio Senzatela back. He went five innings in his season debut on Friday, allowing just one run. And Kyle Freeland continued his solid start to the season, pitching five shutout innings his last time out.
The offense has arrived
The Rockies scored 13 runs in their win over the Mets on Sunday at Citi Field, their high on the road in April was seven. Those 13 runs were also more than they had in a road game all of last season.
Randal Grichuk has been hot since coming off the injured list on April 29, hitting .407. He smashed his first home run of the season on Sunday to the second deck and has multiple hits in all but two games.
Rookie Ezequiel Tovar has also come on lately, hitting two home runs in the past week and four RBIs in the past two games. Fellow youngster Brenton Doyle, who had been impressing primarily with his speed and defensive skills, had his first home run of the season on Sunday. He’s shown power in the minors, and now it’s starting to peak out in the majors.
Improved defense
The Rockies made an astonishing 20 errors in April, which ranked in the top five in MLB. This month, they’ve made just one, a throwing error from Kris Bryant on Sunday that didn’t end up having an impact on the team.
Part of that came from a defense realignment. Elehuris Montero began the season as the starting third baseman, but was optioned after making three errors. Ryan McMahon moved back to his native third, with Harold Castro and Alan Trejo splitting time at second. It took some time for the crew to get reacquainted with each other, but the defense has a whole has been playing much better this month.
What happened: The Rockies offense came alive, scoring a road season-high 13 runs to take two of three from the Mets.
On the mound: Ryan Feltner struggled with command, but escaped with only giving up four runs in 3 1/3. His six walks, though, were the most by a starter this season. For the Mets, Joey Lucchesi, on short rest, pitching four innings, allowing three runs.
At the plate: Brenton Doyle hit the first home run of his career, while Randal Grichuk hit his first of the season.
What’s next: Colorado Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 3-3, 3.76) at Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Mitch Keller, 3-1, 3.32 ERA) at 4:35 p.m. MT Monday (AT&T SportsNet).
Rockies’ Kris Bryant, right, celebrates with Randal Grichuk after hitting a two-run home run off Mets relief pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis in the fifth inning Sunday in New York.