DENVER -- Rockies rookie right-hander Gabriel Hughes had struggled to put away hitters after reaching two strikes. Then he relied on a story that put him to sleep as a child.
“The biggest thing about two-strike pitches is ... it’s kind of funny, it’s like Goldilocks,” Hughes said. “You don’t want them to be too good. You don’t want them to be too bad.”
The porridge bowls weren’t appetizing in the first inning Friday against the Mariners. After going up 0-2 to leadoff man J.P. Crawford, the at-bat continued for another five pitches before Hughes gave up a homer.
Similarly, an 0-2 count to Randy Arozarena ended in a 2-2 double -- another bad result for a pitcher who had yielded a .275 batting average after 0-2 counts through his first 13 appearances.
Afterward, however, Hughes got much closer to just right. In the end, his performance was a nice tale in what became an all-too familiar storyline for the Rockies.
With the Rockies down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth -- on Mariners rookie Lazaro Montes’ leadoff homer off Jordan Romano -- Cole Carrigg found himself picked off second for the second out, then Mickey Moniak struck out against Andrés Muñoz. Thus ended the Rockies’ 24th loss in the last 30 games.
Hughes actually began settling into his comfy spot on the mound after Seattle's first-inning blitz of Crawford's leadoff homer and doubles from Arozarena and Dominic Canzone.
He fanned Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh before Josh Naylor made it 3-0 with a soft, two-run single.
Part of developing young pitchers in the Majors is sticking with them until a small breakthrough. Hughes did just that, with three clean innings on 37 total pitches. He had two outs and one on in the fifth and would have escaped had shortstop Ezequiel Tovar been able to corral Arozarena's one-hop smash.
Finishing in 4 2/3 innings on 95 pitches is not the standard for leading a winning staff -- something the Rockies hope to one day see from Hughes, 25, their top pick in 2022 out of Gonzaga. But after the misery that had been the Rockies’ starting pitching for the last month, competitive work -- three runs on five hits with six strikeouts to one walk -- was a good night.
"I think he made a nice adjustment,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “The heater got higher, physically to put guys away, to make them uncomfortable. He got more efficient.”
The bullpen was gassed after a long period of mostly short starts. In their previous 20 games (Aug. 27-Sept. 17), Rockies starters were 0-9 with a 7.10 ERA, with a not-ideal 33 walks to 72 strikeouts in 90 innings -- or, fewer than 4 2/3 innings per outing.
Hughes didn’t go the required five frames to qualify for a win -- and the Rockies were behind when he left, anyhow -- so Friday marked 13 winless starts for Hughes to begin his career (his first appearance was a three-inning save) since he was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque in July. In Rockies history, the only starter to go that many without a win was Jon Gray -- who took until his 14th but ended up a key part of rotations that went to the postseason in 2017 and '18.
“Giving my team an opportunity to win means more,” said Hughes, who watched the Rockies blow repeated early opportunities, gain a lead, then have the book slammed shut at the end. “Even in games when I’ve struggled, I’ve left if not with a one-run lead, then only down by one or two runs. That’s something I take a lot of pride in.
“I know the wins will come, but that’s not something I can control.”
At his best, Hughes controls bats with a four-seam fastball in the 93 mph range, with the ability to cut it or elevate it. Next is building his two-seam fastball and knowing when to use it.
“As a starting pitcher, you live and die by your fastball,” Hughes said. “Being able to get it in the zone and get weak contact is always a good thing.”
Under pitching coach Alon Leichman and from top to bottom in the organization, the Rockies are preaching an elementary philosophy -- "get ahead, stay ahead, kill." Hughes has shown he can accomplish the first two. But in his previous start against the Tigers, he was chased after giving up five runs in the first two innings -- with deep counts to blame.
“A big focus of my side session this week, talking to Alon, was two-strike pitches,” he said. “In my side session, I spent a good amount of time on it. Over half the pitches I threw were simulated two-strike counts. All we’re trying to do is throw in competitive locations.”