Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Anderson is off to a rough start in the 2019 campaign.
The southpaw has experienced minimal success to open up the year and has been dreadful in four starts this season for the Rockies, lacking any sort of command and authority on the mound.
The 29-year-old has yet to pitch past the fifth inning this year and has allowed at least five runs in each of his starts.
Following Anderson’s latest disheartening outing, the Colorado Rockies’ season-long four-game winning streak was snapped on the heels of a potential sweep versus the Atlanta Braves Sunday afternoon.
Anderson allowed three home runs in as many innings and surrendered a lead twice in the Rockies eventual 8-7 loss versus the Braves.
Anderson finished with a line of 4.2 innings pitched, allowing five runs on four hits while walking three batters and striking out nine.
“He missed his spots for the three home runs,” Black said via MLB.com. ”The rest of the game, he showed a great deal of battle. He struck out nine guys. His stuff was fine, but a few too many walks, not commanding the ball like Tyler can do. But he fought hard.
The nine strikeouts are fantastic considering Anderson lasted less than five innings, but in the end, lack of command crumbled his start and part of the Rockies’ momentum.
The 29-year-old has been effective in spurts for the Rockies over the past few seasons but has lacked any sort of positive consistency on the mound in part because of injuries and poor performance.
Anderson has already been on the injured list once this season and while he might be healthy, his statistics are just the opposite.
Anderson is winless this season and has pitched to an 11.34 earned run average in four starts. The sample size is small, but should the negative trends continue, the Rockies will have a legitimate problem in the back end of their rotation.
Colorado has already made one major adjustment to their rotation by shifting Chad Bettis to the bullpen in a long relief role. In the instance Anderson fails to live up to expectations, the Rockies’ options for starting pitching are limited.
Jeff Hoffman has bounced around between Triple-A Albuquerque and the major leagues the past few seasons, but like Anderson, has struggled with consistency and damage control. Peter Lambert is another option from the minor league system, but at 22 years old, he still needs to mature before becoming a reliable starter every fifth day.
Anderson’s performance this season is a far cry from his dominant start in game 2 of the National League Divison Series last year. Anderson was dominant in that start, logging six innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out five batters.
The Rockies desperately need Anderson to get back on track this season to help solidify their rotation moving forward. He has experienced success in moments, but for whatever the reason, has been unable to put it together physically and mentally for an entire season.
As the Rockies seek to return to the postseason for the third consecutive season, Anderson needs to show signs of improvement and stability, or his future in the rotation could be compromised.