'Not going to panic': Lorenzen discusses first starts with Rox

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DENVER -- Two mornings later, Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen hadn’t changed.

A seven-run Phillies first inning and a career-worst nine runs in three innings marred Lorenzen’s first Rockies home start -- a 10-1 loss in Friday afternoon’s home opener.

Lorenzen didn’t brush off the questions about a poor first impression -- even though he had made a road start in Miami, a hard-luck, 4-3 loss. But he also didn’t treat it as anything more than one of 30 or so starts in his one-year, $8 million contract.

But there’s no better time to put that one behind him than his next time to pitch. If he stays in turn, it will be Wednesday against the Astros at Coors Field.

“I said in the interview that we’re not going to panic, but there’s a sense of urgency to make adjustments and figure it out," Lorenzen said.

Lorenzen said Sunday that he left the park Friday and went into his usual routine.

“Get home, get on the tech, watch some video of pitches and take an approach of, ‘Where did I go wrong and what can I do better?” he said.

Here are some pointers on how Lorenzen compartmentalized the loss and turned his attention to the next outing:

The first pitch was a sign -- not of a bad day, but a challenge
“The first pitch of the game, I yanked into the other batter’s box,” Lorenzen said. “I’m not saying anything like, ‘Here we go.’ I just knew pitches were tougher to make than I wanted them to be.”

Two fastballs that didn’t reach their location became home runs by Brandon Marsh for two runs in a seven-run first inning …

… and Bryce Harper to open the second.

Lorenzen, who worked primarily out of the bullpen early in his career, was shifted to starting pitching in 2022. He's spent the past five years searching for a way to regain the optimal form he felt he achieved as a reliever.

“I’ve been on a constant chase of getting my delivery back to where it was when I was 29 years old,” Lorenzen said. “Everything that I do tells me that I’m physically the same -- weight room, jumping, sprint speed. My body feels as good if not better.

“I used my athleticism on the mound and I was averaging 97 mph, touching 100. But I’d have people telling me, ‘You don’t use your legs when you throw.’ I’m like, ‘I’m throwing 97. ‘They said, ‘But you’ve had a few injuries.’ But looking back, it wasn’t my delivery, it’s just that I didn’t have my armcare routine.”

That helped drive his decision to sign with the Rockies. Longtime friend and workout partner Alon Leichman, Colorado's new pitching coach, places a high value on athleticism. Note in the video below, when he conducts catch play, he wants pitchers putting themselves in various postures and letting their abilities take over.

Lorenzen said he is on the right athletic track.

“There have been some really good moments -- steps forward -- then the last outing was a step or two steps back,” he said.

There is good from his first two outings
“My pitch shapes have been really good; I have a really good feel for making the ball move the way I need it to,” Lorenzen said. “That has taken a major step forward from the past year.”

Also, a goal related to returning to how he felt best was forcing balls on the ground. That’s happening, even when they don’t work for him. Against the Phillies, four singles went along the ground to add to two in Miami.

A healthy dose of perspective
Add to those knocks a double on a fly that right fielder Mickey Moniak lost in the sun and a soft liner over second base for two runs in the first inning on Friday, and Lorenzen has plenty to look at as plays that could have gone his way.

Lorenzen realizes the importance of handling that properly.

“That’s why having a veteran group here is nice,” he said. “You can look at that and say, ‘If a lot of those balls are hit at guys, the game is completely different.'

“But the first inning, with the walks, that’s going to hurt anywhere, any time.”

His spirit seeks the good that can come from failure
“Three years ago, even two years ago, I’d have been super frustrated,” Lorenzen said.

Now Lorenzen says he is a “Christian athlete,” but doesn’t want that to be misunderstood. It doesn’t mean a higher power is cheering for one team over the other. It means there are lessons, regardless of the result.

“It’s not like I welcome losing and failing but over my career it has been better for me, because you have to learn, grind it out and figure a way to get better,” he said. “That’s how you improve.

“That gives me the ability to come to Colorado, knowing that I’m going to get my teeth kicked in every once in a while but be like, ‘I’m going to learn more about who I am and how to handle it.'”

All in all, a good time was had
A chilly but sunny day and a packed Coors made an impression.

“Of course, it was great,” he said. “It was a different experience for me. I was locked into my job and what I was doing. I just didn’t give that much to cheer about, so that was tough.

“But I’ve always loved it here in the past. It lived up to everything I always thought it would.”