Jimenez’s next start pushed up
For those who don’t watch the postgame interview with Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy, he made reference after Tuesday’s game to Ubaldo Jimenez making his next start Sunday against the Florida Marlins and Josh Johnson. Jimenez had been expected to start Monday in Chicago with Esmil Rogers starting the series finale in Florida. Moving Jimenez up would allow him to stay on a regular schedule and pitch in the warmth of Florida, where he has pitched well in the past, rather than again pitch in the cold in Chicago.
Jorge De La Rosa or Rogers would be available to start Monday in Chicago on full rest.
And it could also mean dropping Rogers into the bullpen, or even optioning him down to the Springs in favor of another pure reliever in the pen.
Maybe Mortensen earned the start on Monday? Not sure one effort will do that, but Rogers can’t be too secure at this point.
As Jack noted yesterday in another thread, Jim Tracy told him that Rogers wasn’t going to lose his spot after one bad outing and he would make his next start. I expect we’ll see Rogers on Monday or Tuesday — probably Tuesday. But the rotation spot he’s holding is Aaron Cook’s and his grip on it is, by the nature of how he earned it, tenuous. Reynolds pitched well, Mortensen pitched well and Maine was a lot better in his past start. I am surprised to see Mortensen still with the team, but the Rockies have already sent down two pitchers — Greg Reynolds and Alan Johnson — who have to stay in the minors 10 days before they can come back, so they may be keeping Mortensen around to be certain they don’t burn off another arm with a quick transaction and then find a need again before Reynolds is available to come back, which I believe is next Monday.
Good points Steve. I’d be willing to bet the Rockies will use the “revolving door” to keep Reynolds, Mortensen, and Johnson stretched as starters. I guess the big downside in doing this is “options”.
Options won’t come in to play since an option is for an entire season no matter how often a player goes back and forth. All three of those pitchers have been optioned this season and can go back and forth as often as necessary. The limiting factor right now is the 10-day requirement for a player to remain in the minors after being sent down (barring an injury). But unless the starting rotation generally starts eating up more innings soon, it wouldn’t surprise me to see some frequent movement to keep fresh arms available. Where options are limiting is that only members of the Rockies’ Opening Day bullpen with options remaining are Matt Reynolds and Matt Lindstrom, so the revolving door, if it continued to exist, would involve an eighth reliever or the fifth starter, not an ideal situation.