Anderson ready for Coors Field debut
DENVER -- Rockies fans got a look at one of the club's biggest offseason acquisitions Sunday afternoon when Brett Anderson took the mound and made his Coors Field debut.
Anderson has played parts of five seasons, compiling a 26-29 record and a 3.81 for the A's in 84 games and 73 starts. After making 30 starts in his rookie campaign of 2009, he has dealt with injuries every year since and hasn't made more than 19 appearances in any of his last four seasons.
The Rockies project Anderson to bolster the top of their rotation. He pitched six innings in Miami on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk.
"I'm just going to take it like another start," Anderson said of his first time taking the hill in Coors Field. "If you dwell on whether my pitches are going to move or not move as much as normal, you're going to worry yourself sick. You don't want to be thinking too much out there. If something doesn't work out, you try to figure out why it doesn't and move onto the next. You can't dwell on the elements or what have you. You have to be on your game."
Anderson profiles well for Coors Field, and his propensity for inducing ground balls made him an attractive acquisition for the Rockies. Colorado traded right-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz and lefty Chris Jenson for the former ace of the A's.
"I've been a ground-ball guy," Anderson said. "I'll keep trying to get ground balls here. My style is pretty conducive to Coors Field. If I can keep the ground balls I've been getting previously and remain healthy, then I shouldn't have any problems pitching here."
Anderson has soaked in advice from teammates who have done well at Coors Field, pitchers like Opening Day starter Jorge De La Rosa and potential rotation mates Jhoulys Chacin and Tyler Chatwood.
"They say, 'Be your own guy. Throw your pitches,'" Anderson said. "'If you start changing things right away, then it's going to snowball, and you're never going to figure out who you are here.'"
Manager Walt Weiss is confident about Anderson's ability to contribute and to thrive despite the challenges of pitching 5,280 feet above sea level.
"He's a good pitcher, regardless of where he's pitching," Weiss said. "He's got the ability to put the ball on the ground, the ability to miss the bat at times with his breaking ball. I'm not too worried about him. He's a pretty sharp guy. He knows what he's doing out there."