The big, bad Dodgers come to town Thursday to open the 2021 season at Coors Field. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a future Hall of Famer, will be on the mound for Los Angeles.
The Rockies will counter with right-hander German Marquez, who’ll make his second consecutive opening-day start.
Manager Bud Black has consistently said that he believes Marquez has some of the best stuff in the National League. Thursday, Marquez gets a chance to prove it against the defending World Series champions.
“It’s a feather in the cap for all pitchers who are named opening-day starters, something that will always be prevalent in a pitcher’s mind,” Black said Sunday when he made the decision official. “As his career unfolds and as he looks back on that, it’s an honor to be named opening day starter.”
Márquez started last year’s season-opener at Texas, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings in a 1-0 loss to the Rangers.
Marquez needs to become a better pitcher at home, where he owns a career 5.10 ERA vs. a 3.51 ERA on the road. He also needs to tighten up his fastball command, something lacking this spring when he posted a 5.68 ERA.
“Overall, German hit every marker this spring, and overall he’s in a good spot,” Black said. “There was an emphasis on his changeup, so I don’t know if he ‘ignored’ his fastball.
“His fastball velocity and fastball movement have been fine this spring, but locating this spring has not been German-like. So he’s going to get a side session and we’ll concentrate on that.
Black is not worried.
“There are times when a season starts that guys heighten their focus and heighten their concentration, and things come together,” he said.
Chi Chi’s challenge. Right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez was essentially cut by the Rockies last December, but he signed a minor-league deal with the club, confident he would make the big-league team.
Now he’s done that. In the aftermath of lefty Kyle Freeland’s shoulder injury last week, Gonzalez is Colorado’s fifth starter.
“I believe in my heart and my head I belong in the big leagues,” Gonzalez said Sunday after allowing one run on three hits against Kansas City. He struck out five and walked one, finishing the Cactus League with a 3.29 ERA.
Asked what he must do better in 2021 to improve on 2020 when he went 0-2 with a 6.86 ERA in six games (four starts), Gonzalez said: “Attack the zone. The difference between strike one and ball one on the first pitch is super-important for me. And just being able to execute my offspeed pitches, even if I do fall
behind in counts, like I did today.”
99 mph. Closer Daniel Bard, flashing a 99 mph fastball, struck out the side in the fifth inning. He has yet to allow a run this spring.
“My ‘velo’ has been really good all spring,” he said. “I’m more concerned about how easy I’m getting there, and I don’t feel like I’m muscling up to get it there, so I’m really happy about that.”
