Strike 3: Starting the season 1-7 can make you rethink your approach if you’re running a Major League Baseball team. For the Colorado Rockies, who would have vastly preferred to leave prized prospects like Chase Dollander and Zac Veen down on the farm for a bit of extra seasoning, they didn’t have a lot of choice. April call ups might not have been in the original idea, but they became the plan sooner than expected, and now, it appears that’s the direction the team has to go.

Dollander made a successful if not spectacular big league debut, pitching five innings and earning the win in his first Rockies appearance. He displayed the things that were already known about him – a sizzling fastball plus a quality arsenal of secondary pitches – and what was not: How would he handle the bright lights and the pressure of being the designated savior of an entire pitching staff.

The 23-year-old rookie wasn’t particularly sharp with his pitches (and under the circumstances, who would expect him to be) and gave up a pair of long home runs in his five inning stint. But what was impressive was the way he handled everything from the pregame hype to the on field struggles while still giving his team, and himself, a chance to win his first game.

He will get better moving forward, which could be huge news for a Rockies team that badly needs a shot in the arm, so to speak. The biggest question, as it is throughout all of baseball with every single team and every single pitching staff, is can this talented pitching prospect stay out of the doctor’s office and the operating room?

Can Dollander’s best ability be availability?

As for Veen, it’s been a long road for a kid who signed out of high school. While Dollander – a product of the University of Tennessee – had a minor league career that’s included all of 24 games to this point, Veen – drafted out of high school – spent several injury-plagued seasons in the minor leagues before finally getting his shot. The 2020 draft pick hurt his right thumb and left hand that cost him more than 100 games. After a great spring training, he’s finally here, and the question is not if he can stay, it’s if he can insert some excitement and energy into the Rockies lineup.

Veen went 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a home run in his final Triple-A game, got his first big league hit on a bunt single. A big part of his game is the stolen base, something the Rockies haven’t been known for in almost a decade. Is that a sign of a change in the Rockies offensive approach?

There is one major and perhaps crucial difference between Veen and former Rockie Nolan Jones, who two seasons ago was looked at as the savior, much like Veen is today. Jones is a grinder, and some close to the team felt like the self-imposed pressure he put on himself was a detriment to his productivity. Veen is the anti-Jones in that way, and now the team is hoping that some youthful exuberance will help some other struggling Rockies players relax and trust their talents a little more.

After winning Dollander’s debut and losing Veen’s 7-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Rockies are 2-8 And buried in last place in the NL West. Any hope of escaping the depths of the division and improving enough to avoid another 100-loss season doesn’t just depend on the skills of Dollander and Veen. It will take several more shots and infusions of youthful talent between now and the dog days of August. At least the process has begun.