CHICAGO -- Tuesday night’s 6-3 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field provided proof that Rockies right-hander Jeff Hoffman is receiving the chance he has craved since arriving in a 2015 trade, and debuting in the Majors the following year.
Hoffman maintained a solid fastball, a decent curve and an effective changeup through six innings. However, two misexecuted pitches -- but one that he said he shouldn’t have even had to throw -- resulted in homers to Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez that effectively ended the Rockies’ season-high win streak at eight games.
Still, the overall quality of his pitches, and the way manager Bud Black stayed with him after the homers, are indications that Hoffman -- the key pitching prospect obtained from the Blue Jays for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki -- is being given a clear chance to show what he has in a rotation that needs him.
Over the last three years, Hoffman has filled in and pitched in a swing role. He nearly made the team out of Spring Training, but went to Triple-A Albuquerque as lefty Tyler Anderson attempted to pitch through a left knee injury. Now Anderson is facing surgery that could end his season, and Opening Day starter Kyle Freeland is in Albuquerque trying to work through a slump.
With just four starters on the roster -- and the organization entertaining the idea of bringing up No. 4 prospect Peter Lambert, a 22-year-old righty, from Albuquerque -- Hoffman is needed.
“I was disappointed in myself tonight for not continuing the good streak that we’ve been on -- I take full responsibility for that,” said Hoffman, who was charged with five runs on six hits, but also struck out seven against one walk. “But I feel every five days, if I get the ball, I’ll be good for this team.”
Through four innings, Hoffman had struck out five and was holding serve with Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks, who was on his way to a seven-inning, 10-strikeout performance. After Hendricks followed up beloved former Rockie Carlos Gonzalez’s RBI double with an RBI single in the second, former Cub Daniel Murphy, who had an RBI single in the first, hit a tying homer in the fourth.
Then came the Schwarber and Baez at-bats.
Hoffman threw a borderline 0-2 curveball that could have ended Schwarber’s at-bat, as well as the fifth inning, but plate umpire Ron Kulpa called a ball. The count then ran full, and Schwarber swatted a 95.6 mph fastball 467 feet into the right-center bleachers to end the deadlock.
“That Schwarber at-bat, I’m going to say it; I thought I punched him out, it didn’t get called,” Hoffman said. “And he ends up putting a good swing on a hittable pitch. It happens.”
Catcher Tony Wolters said, “I think we both knew it was a really good pitch. I think there were some calls that could have gone both ways throughout the game, but we can’t look at those. We have to keep going. We’re working our tails off to get those pitches in the zone, and I think he deserves credit for some of the pitches that were in the zone.”
In the sixth, Anthony Rizzo singled, then Baez followed with a no-doubter just left of center on a thigh-high, first-pitch fastball.
But Black stayed with Hoffman through three lefty hitters. Hoffman fanned Gonzalez, then took a body shot on Victor Caratini’s liner, but he recovered to flip to first for the out.
After Hoffman took a few warmup pitches and declared himself healthy, Black let him force Jason Heyward into a grounder.
“He carried his stuff, which is great -- as he should,” Black said. “As far as condition, he’s in a place where he should hold his stuff through 80-100 pitches. So that’s a good sign. Overall he threw the ball well, but they took advantage of a couple of pitches in the heart of the plate.”
But “overall” good stuff was a couple of steps from a winning effort Tuesday.
In four starts over two promotions from Triple-A Albuquerque, Hoffman has given up a .350 (7-for-20) average the third time through the order. But Black has shown that if a pitcher has his stuff, he is willing to challenge him to execute deeper into a game.
“Now it comes to, over the long haul for Jeff, wherever that is, he’s got to make pitches,” Black said.