Sunday, November 30

DENVER -- With the first pitch of the first inning -- of arguably the day that the Rockies began to make the painful last few seasons worthwhile -- Chase Dollander set the tone for what the club hopes is its pitching future.

It could’ve gone awry. The Athletics’ Lawrence Butler sent a liner that had a chance to bounce fair at the left-field line, but Mickey Moniak made a sliding, backhand catch. The important part: Dollander attacked the inside corner with a 97.4 mph fastball.

Dollander, the Rockies’ No. 1 prospect and No. 24 overall, attacked for 79 pitches over five innings. Many went well, as evidenced by his six strikeouts. Some, like Tyler Soderstrom’s two-run homer in the first and Butler’s leadoff shot in the fifth, didn’t. In all, he held the Athletics to four runs and lifted the Rockies.

With his impressive first foray in the The Show, Dollander showed the traits that the Rockies believe will make him a workhorse while earning the win in the 12-5 victory on Sunday afternoon, which ended their losing streak at six games and avoided the sweep.

Dollander, 23, expressed the only appropriate attitude for someone whose assignment is to steer the Rockies around the proverbial -- and long-awaited -- corner.

“I’ve got to have people behind me to be able to do this. I’m grateful for all the guys behind me and everyone who has helped me get to this point,” Dollander said. “Baseball’s not a one-person game.”

After the Rockies lost to the Athletics on Saturday night, Dollander exited the clubhouse with a smile, kept it Sunday morning and made his teammates and fans smile that afternoon.

“I felt everything was working pretty good today -- changeup, slider and curveball were all pretty good,” said Dollander, whose four-seam fastball averaged 97.8 mph and topped at 99.3. “I made a couple mistakes and they took advantage. Other than that, I felt good.

Last time the Rockies had young starting pitching they were this excited about, Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela (all still here), Jon Gray (now with the Rangers) and Tyler Anderson (Angels) pitched the Rockies to the postseason in 2017 and 2018. However, the offensive roster disintegrated, which led to the suffering of 100-plus losses the last two years and this year’s joint worst eight-game start (one win, tied with 2005) in franchise history.

Bill Schmidt, general manager since 2021, has hoarded pitching through the Draft and trades. But his program was set back during a two-day period in 2023, when not only Márquez and Senzatela but prospects Gabriel Hughes (the top pick in ‘22) and Jordy Vargas (an international signing gem) underwent Tommy John surgery.

By making a quick, 24-start trip through the Minors and showing his wares Sunday, Dollander hinted at a new day, despite the inevitable growing pains for him and the club.

Manager Bud Black saw his new pupil imitate the 2017-18 rotation by fighting through occasional trouble to receive a reward that modern groupthink often poo-poohs -- the win. In '18, the Rockies led the National League West in innings pitched from starters, with Black often asking for one inning more at Coors than on the road.

“Every pitcher has to have the will to be the winning pitcher in professional baseball -- I am a believer in that,” Black said. “The win is, a lot of times, overlooked in today’s game and that bothers me, especially here.”

Among responsibilities, Dollander is here to help the Rockies make that point again.

Major League sources told MLB.com that No. 8 Rockies prospect Zac Veen was informed on Sunday that he will join the team for Tuesday night’s game against the Brewers, and that outfielder Jordan Beck was being optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

This story chronicles the hot beginning to the season, including a 5-for-5 night with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs for the Isotopes against Salt Lake on Saturday, and mentions his strong Spring Training.

But the lower part of the story -- how Veen answered the challenges he was presented when he got sent down before Opening Day -- gives an indication as to why the Rockies are making this move, despite the fact that injuries have limited him to 111 games over the last two seasons.

First Dollander, then Veen. It’s a week of debutants at Coors Field.

During the eighth inning of Friday’s home opener, Kyle Farmer hit a liner to left and kept running. The ball stopped in the drainage grate beneath the outfield wall, and Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar raised his hands -- correctly -- to get umpires to rule the ball out of play. Farmer kept running and was originally given an inside-the-park homer, but the play was changed to a ground-rule double on replay review.

It’s not the first time he lost a potential inside-the-park homer. Last year, this happened while he was with the Twins. The play was originally ruled a home run, but changed to a triple and an error.

Wouldn’t you know it? On Saturday, Farmer was in the middle of the Rockies’ first triple play in 10 years. It was not his first involvement in the rare feat.

“I had an unassisted triple play in college,” said Farmer, who played at the University of Georgia. “I forget who it was against. But line drive, tag the base, then tag the runner. That was my only one before this one.

“My buddies and my college roommate texted me last night and I was like, ‘I feel like I’m 10 years old again, kind of like messing around in my backyard. I was grinning as much as I ever smiled on a baseball field.”

About to don the cap and gown, and begin your future in college? Relax a little. The Rockies’ first College Fair at Coors Field on Thursday afternoon will allow you to network with admissions representatives, find tools to plan your future and watch the Brewers-Rockies game at 1:10 p.m.

• Not one, not two, but THREE walk-offs in one night for Rockies affiliates

• 1 prediction for each organization

• Come to Hartford for the weird ballpark fare

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