The Colorado Rockies left Denver for their six-game, divisional road trip this week with major concerns at closer after LaTroy Hawkins (1-1) blew consecutive, two-run save opportunities.
As a result, team manager Walt Weiss relieved Hawkins of his closing duties “for the time being” before Colorado’s matchup with the San Francisco Giants on Monday. The 42-year-old righty blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning the day before – leading to a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs and to the veteran’s demotion.
“We had that conversation today, and he’s a pro,” Weiss told Thomas Harding of MLB.com.
Enter Rafael Betancourt, who got the call with a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning on Monday and showed he still has the stuff to be the Rockies’ answer at closer with his 75th career save.
Betancourt, who turns 40 at the end of the month, was terrific in his first save opportunity since August of 2013. The righty looked to be completely recovered from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in September of 2013. He took down the three batters he faced in order – fanning the first two before drawing a pop fly to Corey Dickerson in left field to end the game.
Although it was an impressive performance, it was only one game and Weiss said that the closing job still hasn’t been decided. Right-handed pitchers Adam Ottavino and John Axford are both in the mix to see save opportunities moving forward. Ottavino had already pitched on both Saturday and Sunday. Axford is currently on the family medical emergency list attending to his 2-year-old son who was bit in the foot by rattlesnake during spring training.
“I’m not ready to declare a closer. We have multiple pieces that have pitched late in games in this league and closed games in this league,” said Weiss. “It’s a nice problem to have.”
Christian Bergman set to start Tuesday
The Rockies had hoped to have Jorge De La Rosa ready to make his season debut in Tuesday’s game in San Francisco, but the club’s top pitcher isn’t ready to return from his groin strain. The left-hander will need at least one more minor league start before he’s ready to join the Rockies.
Christian Bergman (1-0) will get the start in De La Rosa’s place against Tim Hudson and the Giants on Tuesday. Bergman – who made the team as a long reliever – went 3-5 with a 5.93 ERA in 10 starts as a rookie last season. The Rockies went 2-0 in Bergman’s two starts against the Giants.
If the Rockies can win Tuesday, they’ll start the season 5-0 on the road for the first time in club history.
Nathan is a staff writer for Mile High Sports. He can be reached on Twitter at @TheRealNatron.
