DENVER -- Kumar Rocker did not make his scheduled start on Tuesday at Coors Field.
That sentence on its own is terrifying for any starting pitcher, especially one with his injury history. But Rocker wasn’t scratched completely.
Entering the day, Rocker had a 11.25 ERA in the first inning this season and a 2.45 ERA in all other innings combined. So manager Skip Schumaker opted to go with Tyler Alexander as an opener before letting Rocker come in relief behind him. It’s the first time Rocker has come out of the bullpen in his young big league career.
“I just felt that Rocker, in the first inning, hasn't been what we think it should be,” Schumaker said pregame. “We felt like this gives us a better chance until we kind of figure out the first inning woes for him. We're trying to give him the best shot and give us the best shot for today's game. Hopefully, we can still get five or six innings out of him.”
Maybe it’s a bit of a galaxy brain move by Schumaker. But it worked.
Rocker hurled 7 2/3 scoreless innings with seven punchouts, three hits and three walks, helping the Rangers to a 10-0 win over the Rockies at Coors Field. It’s only the second time in his career that he’s completed a full seven innings. It’s also the longest scoreless outing of his career.
Rocker, nor the coaching staff, has a definite answer to Rocker’s first-inning struggles. Maybe it’s his routine, maybe it’s his mindset, maybe it’s something physical or mechanical. Whatever that answer ends up being, Tuesday night was a step in the right direction toward figuring that out.
“We have gone through different ways and different processes to help it,” Schumaker reiterated. “You also have to remember that he is still really young in his Major League career. He's not got that many career starts in general professionally, so still trying to figure that out for him and help him through the process. He's not a finished product. I don't think we're gonna do this every single time. I think it’s just this start and then we'll circle back next start and see what it looks like.”