HOUSTON -- Jose Quintana didn’t have his best stuff, but he settled down and was able to pitch into the fourth inning, while the Rockies’ bullpen had another strong outing led by Tanner Gordon.
Quintana allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings, and Colorado’s bullpen threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 loss to the Astros on Wednesday night at Daikin Park.
The left-hander surrendered three hits but walked four, including the first three batters he faced.
Quintana said he was “lost” at the beginning, but he told himself that he needed to compete and throw strikes.
“He did settle in and gave us a chance to win,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He was just behind in counts. He looked a little rusty. Just not enough of strikes early. I think that is pretty obvious with the three walks to lead off the game. He limited damage in the first inning. It could have been a lot worse than that. … He buckled up and then, did a veteran thing and gave us four innings when he didn’t have his best stuff.”
Quintana allowed two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings in his first start March 29 against the Marlins, but he walked four in that outing, too. He was placed on the 15-day injured list April 2, retroactive to March 30, with a right hamstring strain.
“I was ready to compete tonight,” Quintana said. “No excuses. I need to make the adjustments.”
Quintana relied more on his four-seam fastball on Wednesday, throwing it 29 times out of his 75 pitches, followed by hit changeup (16 pitches), sinker (13) and slurve (12), according to Baseball Savant.
“My four-seam was good into the righties,” Quintana said. “The changeup was good, and [I was able to throw] the breaking ball for strikes. It was a battle to put them away. Late in the count with two strikes was an issue. It was a battle. I didn’t feel my best today, but I wanted to stay out there and compete and get a chance to eat innings.”
Gordon shines out of bullpen
After Jaden Hill got the final out to end the fourth inning, Tanner Gordon threw four scoreless innings in his season debut.
“It was good,” Gordon said. “Coming out of relief, just trying to help the team win the ballgame at the end of the game. I was trying to keep the game as close as possible.”
Gordon, who was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, relied mostly on his four-seam fastball and slider.
“I had a little bit more adrenaline coming out of the ‘pen,” Gordon said. “Close ballgame. There’s a bunch of different factors. The fastball was feeling good. I was riding on that.”
He allowed two hits and struck out four – all on the fastball.
“The vert was good,” Schaeffer said. “TG was awesome today. First time in the big leagues this year. That was exactly what we saw in spring training. For him to carry it out like that in a big-time game like that, very impressive. He just fits right in with the rest of the boys out there.”
Johnson, Castro exit after HBPs
First baseman Troy Johnston and utilityman Willi Castro left Wednesday night’s game against the Astros an inning apart after being hit by pitches, but the news on both was good.
Johnston exited in the bottom of the third with a right quad contusion. Johnston was hit in his right leg by a 94.1 mph fastball from Spencer Arrighetti in the first inning. He stayed in the game and walked in the third.
Castro was hit in his right hand by a 92.7 mph fastball from Arrighetti in the fourth inning. Castro, who hit an RBI double in the second, walked down to first where he was checked out by the trainer before leaving.
“Troy is going to be fine,” Schaeffer said. “He couldn’t move side to side to play defense. Willi, X-rays were negative, which is good, but he got hit right in the hand. It’s going to be sore.”
Schaeffer said it was good that Castro’s X-rays came back negative since it was “scary” when it hit him on the top of the hand.