Tracy ready for Pomeranz, White to step up

ATLANTA -- A little more than 13 months have passed since the Rockies acquired pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Alex White as the centerpieces of the deal that sent right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians at the non-waiver Trade Deadline last year. Both White and Pomeranz are in the rotation, though neither has yet blossomed into a reliable starter.

Though manager Jim Tracy continues to see promise in both Pomeranz, 23, and White, 24, he says that it's time to see them progress.

"I'm not looking for a quantum leap, because normally that's not the way it goes with young players," Tracy said. "But incremental progress in the right direction is something that I'm searching for."

When Tracy was bench coach for manager Felipe Alou in Montreal in the 1990s, Alou often told Tracy, "If you've seen it, it's in 'em."

Tracy said that both Pomeranz and White have shown they have the ability to pitch well in the Majors -- they just have to do it consistently.

"Now, incrementally, we have to move forward and get ourselves to the point where it becomes a measure and a level of consistency," he said.

After fighting through command problems to throw three scoreless innings in the Rockies' 6-0 victory on Tuesday, Pomeranz has a 4.93 ERA and has struck out 63 in 76 2/3 innings. White started on Wednesday against the Braves and brought a 5.58 ERA into the game.