DENVER -- The Rockies’ idea has been to ease right-hander and possible future No. 1 starter Chase Dollander into the season. But there was no easy way to put him into Saturday night’s game against the Phillies.
Left-handed opener Brennan Bernardino yielded a first-inning run on Kyle Schwarber’s broken-bat double, and both he and righty Jimmy Herget combined to work the Phils’ lineup the first two innings. So when it came time for Dollander to open the third, the Phillies were at the top of their order -- Trea Turner and lefty sluggers Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
First, Dollander teased the future with strikeouts of Turner and Schwarber, then induced a deep Harper flyout to center -- all using fastball variations (four-seam, sinker, cutter). Then, he possibly made that future a little clearer by finishing the night with six K's in 4 1/3 innings and holding the Phils to one run on four hits in the 2-1 loss at Coors Field.
It was Dollander’s second relief appearance this season. In college at Georgia Southern (2021) and Tennessee (2022-23) he made three relief appearances. He never came out of the bullpen in the Minors or Majors until Monday at Toronto.
In this one, he popped in eight pitches at 100 mph or greater, and he showed no deference to the Phillies' lineup.
“As a pitcher, you have to say, ‘My stuff’s better than you,’ so I’m making sure I stay on the aggression,” Dollander said.
Selected ninth overall in the 2023 Draft, Dollander was pulled to the Majors last season after just one Triple-A start. While he accounted for himself well at times, his overall year (2-12, 6.52 ERA in 21 starts) suggested he had more to learn. Dollander also finished with a 9.98 home era in 11 starts at Coors -- the highest home ERA in MLB history for a pitcher with at least 10 starts.
Warren Schaeffer, who was interim manager from May through the end of last year and took the full-time job for this year, decided Dollander's learning would be done in the Majors.
After pitching four innings in a relief win against the defending American League champion Blue Jays on Monday in his first outing, Dollander faced the perennially contending Phillies on Saturday. So working out of the bullpen was a way of protecting him, but at least he wasn’t being trained in the almost comically hitter-friendly venues of Triple-A Albuquerque and the Pacific Coast League.
Well, Dollander may be burning through the kid gloves.
“The biggest difference today from last year at Coors Field was he was on the attack from the first time he touched the ball,” Schaeffer said.
Along with putting his velocity on display, Dollander faced multiple baserunners just once. Brandon Marsh singled and J.T. Realmuto drew Dollander’s only walk to open the fifth. Turner’s one-out double plated a run before a mound visit from pitching coach Alon Leichman and catcher Brett Sullivan.
“It was, ‘OK, let’s calm down, get back to the game plan’ -- not that I was out of control in any way,” Dollander said. “But just making sure that I’m still staying on the attack. I definitely have a tendency to start to place the ball rather than just let my stuff do what I want it to do.”
Dollander struck out Schwarber on a cutter that broke near the back ankle, and then he forced Harper to line out to right. He clapped into his glove as he left the mound.
Dollander’s work is coming with a team going through a process that promises to be long, and is likely to be painful. On Saturday, Phillies lefty starter Jesús Luzardo struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings. The Rockies repeatedly whiffed on early-count pitches in the strike zone, and absorbed 13 total strikeouts on the night. They finished in double figures in K’s for the sixth time in eight games, and they produced fewer than three runs for the fifth time.
The hitters have to stick with the process. Dollander was more successful than the hitters, but his path is the same.
“I’m embracing the role and doing whatever this team needs,” Dollander said. “In my mind, I’m still a starter, so I’m looking forward to working my way back to that role. But if the team needs me to relieve, I’ll relieve – and I’ll be a guy that can go five, six, seven innings out of the bullpen if they need me.
“They haven’t said anything [about when he can return to starting]. I’m just taking it day by day, making sure that I’m staying where I need to be -- especially after this outing. Trying to build off this one.”