Reliever Bryan Shaw, a disappointment thus far in a Rockies uniform, is getting a fresh start. For the sake of team’s postseason aspirations, Shaw better make the most of his chance.
“I’m healthy and I’ve got my mechanics kind of tightened back up,” the veteran right-hander said before Wednesday’s game against Arizona as he returned from the disabled list, where he was healing a strained right calf muscle. “I think the mechanical difficulties were the product of the leg, and then my arm being tired. I think, maybe, my results were the byproduct of those things.”
Shaw predicted that, eventually, he’ll work his way back to a key role in the bullpen.
“My goal is to get back to where I was before it all went awry,” he said. “My confidence is always high. The confidence is there; it was more about frustration with what had been going on.
Manager Bud Black declined to discuss specifically what bullpen role Shaw will fill right now, but Shaw doesn’t foresee himself pitching in high-leverage situations, at least not initially.
“I’m assuming if we are up or down by a lot, that’s when I’ll be in there,” he said. “Then I’ll work my way back into the role I previously had.
“Listen, I’m not expecting to hear, “Hey, it’s bases loaded in the seventh, go ahead and go get them.’ I’m assuming that’s not my role right now, but if it is, I’ll do it.”
Colorado projected Shaw to be a strong-as-steel addition to their bullpen. To that end, they gave him a three-year, $27 million contract, with high expectations he would be part of the bridge to closer Wade Davis.
Those plans collapsed under the weight of Shaw’s inconsistent mechanics, too many pitches left up in the zone and a propensity to serve up home runs. Before going on the disabled list June 24, he was 3-5 with a 7.57 ERA, 20 walks and 34 strikeouts in 41 appearances. He has already allowed a career-high tying eight home runs this season.
Shaw pitched in two games — an inning each — during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Albuquerque. Friday, he struggled, giving up two runs on two hits, including a home run. Sunday, he pitched better, getting three groundball out and issuing one walk.
Black expressed confidence that Shaw will return to the form that made him an effective reliever at Cleveland from 2013-17, when he posted a 3.11 ERA.
“We expect the Bryan Shaw performance that has happened over the last five years,” Black said. “That’s our expectation, because he’s done it for a long time. So our expectation is that he’s going to return to form.
“I’m sort of anxious to see it. Because we need all of these guys (in the bullpen). Bryan has been a quality (relief) pitcher for a long time, on playoff teams, on a World Series team. So there is no reason to believe he cannot get back to that. If you grade him out on a scouting scale, his stuff is there. He just hasn’t made enough pitches.”
Looking ahead
Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (3-1, 5.23 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (8-6, 3.18), no T.V.
The Rockies have absolutely owned Ray to the tune of a .353 average (48-for-136), but no player has raked him more than Charlie Blackmon, as the center fielder is hitting .500 (15-for-30) with four homers and 11 RBIs against the southpaw. Ray, bumped up in the rotation to give Zack Godley an extra day of rest, is coming off two troubled starts in which he allowed a combined 10 runs in 9.1 innings of work, and has only posted one quality start in his last five outings. It’s a different story for Freeland, who has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his past four outings. Arizona is hitting a collective .205 against him, with the lone long ball coming via Ketel Marte in an 8-3 loss at Coors Field on June 10. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post
Friday: Mariners LHP James Paxton (8-3, 3.49) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (3-2, 5.34), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Saturday: Mariners LHP Wade LeBlanc (5-0, 3.39) at Rockies TBA, 7:10 p.m., ATTRM
Sunday: Mariners RHP Mike Leake (8-6, 4.36) at Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (6-3, 3.76), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM