The main knock on the Rockies before the season was their pitching. With a starting rotation that was so bad last year that manager Jim Tracy (who was fired at the end of the season) had to switch to a four man rotation. It doesn't really help that they have to play 81 games in the very hitter friendly Coors Field. But this year Jhoulys Chacin is off to a 3-0 start, Jorge De La Rosa is 2-1, and the pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 2.82.
But the reason the Rockies are doing so well is offense. Troy Tulowitzski is finally healthy, Carlos Gonzalez is raking, Cuddyer is productive as usual, and Josh Rutledge has proven that his rookie season wasn't a fluke. But the real catalyst is center fielder Dexter Fowler. He's long been a top prospect that showed all five tools but wasn't able to put it all together until last season. But entering his age 27 season, Fowler has shown off power with 7 HR's and maturity with a .348 OBP. Having a power threat at the top of the lineup that can get on base sets the table for the rest of the lineup.
Last season we saw the A's and Orioles get off to hot starts while people kept writing them off as "flukes." Now I may very well be wrong and fans in Denver could see their first playoff series since the 2007 season. But the keys to the Orioles and A's last season was pitching. Both teams had solid bullpens that kept leads late in the game, and the A's more than the O's had a solid pitching staff that shut down some of the best offenses in the game. The Rockies rotation is doing well right now, but there are some major holes that could prove to be faulty.
Number one starter Jorge De La Rosa, who would be a third starter on most other teams, has a 4.9 career ERA and pitched in less than 10 games last season due to injury. Jhoulys Chacin had a sub 4 ERA in 2010 and 2011, but last year he too was derailed by an injury and pitched only 69 innings. Juan Nicasio has an ERA above five THIS season, and I'm still trying to figure out why the Rockies re-signed Jeff Francis. The bullpen is very good though led by closer Rafael Betancourt.
If you look at the world series last year, both the Tigers and Giants had outstanding pitching staffs. With the evolution of pitchers and the fact that there's fresh, electric arms waiting in the bullpen at any moment, baseball has become the pitchers game. With this offenses will go through dry spells and slumps like usual, but dominant pitching staffs rarely go cold for long periods of time. Last season the Cleveland Indians were in the hunt for first place in the AL Central and had a record above .500, but their pitching was last in the MLB during the second half of the season and the team fell to a miserable 68-94.
The Rockies may have the most potent offense in the majors, especially playing in Coors Field. But they don't have a true number one starter on their team, and most of their pitchers are either injury prone or have a career ERA above 5. Don't get me wrong, I love cinderella teams that prove everyone wrong, I just don't think that the Rockies have the players to do that.
