Bettis joins Rockies, will start Thursday vs. LA
Club will make corresponding move before game
ANAHEIM -- Right-hander Chad Bettis joined the Rockies on Wednesday at Angel Stadium, and he will start for them Thursday night in the first game of a four-game series against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Bettis, 26, will be officially activated sometime Thursday, when a corresponding roster move will be made. He's appeared in 37 games (eight starts) for the Rockies in the past two seasons. But he's been strictly a starter this season for Triple-A Albuquerque, going 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA in six starts for the Isotopes.
"Definitely," Bettis said, when asked if he prefers to start. "I feel like starting suits me best, from the routine standpoint, and being able to set up hitters down the line in the game."
One of his strengths, and something Colorado desperately needs, is control. Bettis walked just 10, while striking out 26, in 34 innings for the Isotopes.
The Rockies have only three no-walk starts all season -- all by right-hander Kyle Kendrick. In Sunday's home loss to the Dodgers, the Rockies walked 10 batters -- matching Bettis' Minor League season total.
Bettis, a Lubbock native who pitched in college for Texas Tech and was drafted in the second round of the 2010 Draft, has a 1-5 record and 6.88 ERA in the Major Leagues.