The Rockies have sent 13 men to the mound to start a game this season, here's a look at each of them.
The most starting pitchers the Rockies have ever used in a season was 15 in 1993. We're a week into July in 2014 and the Rockies have already used 13 starters. Some of them are familiar names, some are or were hot prospects and some just read like a joke. So here's a look at the ragtag bunch of misfits that have toed the rubber for Colorado this season.
LHP Jorge De La Rosa
Season Debut: March 31 at Miami
Season Stats: 18 GS, 96 2/3 IP, 42 BB, 70 K, 4.75 ERA, 4.73 FIP
De La Rosa has been solid throughout his career in Colorado, with a 4.30 ERA, third-best in franchise history, in 136 starts for the Rockies in his career. He is currently tied with Jeff Francis for second on the franchise's wins list with 64. He hasn't been at his best in 2014, but still has nine wins and he must be keeping Jobu's rum topped off because he is the only starter to have stuck in the rotation all season. *knocks on every piece of wood in the vicinity*
LHP Brett Anderson
Season Debut: April 1 at Miami
Season Stats: 3 GS, 15 IP, 5 BB, 5 K, 3.60 ERA, 4.31 FIP
Having come to the Rockies this past winter in a trade for Drew Pomeranz, Anderson was actually solid in his three starts before breaking his finger swinging a bat on April 12 against San Francisco. I repeat, he broke his finger swinging a bat. In hindsight, we should have seen this as a sign of things to come in 2014. The good news is that he looks to be returning to the majors after another rehab start or two.
RHP Jordan Lyles
Season Debut: April 2 at Miami
Season Stats: 12 GS, 69 IP, 26 BB, 49 K, 3.52 ERA, 3.89 FIP
Another offseason addition, Lyles arrived with Brandon Barnes from Houston in the Dexter Fowler trade. Until breaking his non-throwing hand against the Diamondbacks on June 4, Lyles was the Rockies most consistent starter, allowing more than three earned runs just twice in his 12 starts.
LHP Franklin Morales
Season Debut: April 3 at Miami
Season Stats: 21 G, 12 GS, 81 2/3 IP, 33 BB, 56 K, 5.51 ERA, 5.84 FIP
Franklin Morales' 2014 season is best described by Michael Corleone in The Godfather III, just when we thought he was out (of the rotation), they pull him back in. Morales is in his third stint in the Rockies' rotation now and has made 12 starts and nine relief appearances this season. His ERA as a starter this year has been 5.81 compared to his 4.20 mark as a reliever.
RHP Juan Nicasio
Season Debut: April 4 vs Arizona
Season Stats: 14 GS, 73 IP, 26 BB, 46 K, 5.92 ERA, 5.63 FIP
Nicasio was actually very good early in the season, posting a 3.61 in 57 1/3 innings in his first 10 starts of 2014...and then baseball's version of the Monstars from Space Jam stole his talent. In his last four starts at the MLB level, he allowed 25 runs in 15 2/3 innings, a 14.36 ERA, in his last four starts before being demoted to AAA. He has posted a 6.45 ERA in four starts with the Sky Sox since being sent down.
RHP Tyler Chatwood
Season Debut: April 13 at San Francisco
Season Stats: 4 GS, 24 IP, 8 BB, 20 K, 4.50 ERA, 4.86 FIP
Chatwood has been hurt twice this season, pulling his hamstring running the bases in spring training and leaving the game on April 29 with elbow issues. In the four starts he did make, he was only okay and not the pitcher he was in 2013. He is currently on the 60-day DL with no timetable for return.
RHP Jhoulys Chacin
Season Debut: May 4 vs NY Mets
Season Stats: 11 GS, 63 1/3 IP, 28 BB, 42 K, 5.40 ERA, 4.80 FIP
Like Chatwood, Chacin has been injured twice this season, with back issues in the spring and shoulder issues recently. Who knows how long Chacin was dealing with the shoulder problem that currently has him on the DL, because he was having the worst season of his career to date. He is currently with Chatwood on the 60-day DL with a strained, frayed rotator cuff.
RHP Eddie Butler
Season Debut: June 6 vs LA Dodgers
Season Stats: 1 GS, 5 1/3 IP, 3 BB, 2 K, 10.13 ERA, 4.05 FIP
The Rockies' No. 2 prospect made just one start at the major league level before going on the DL with shoulder inflammation. The start wasn't very good, but that could have been for a variety of reasons, from the injury, to just a bad day against a good team. Butler is on the way back, amping up his rehab after throwing live batting practice last week.
RHP Christian Bergman
Season Debut: June 9 vs Atlanta
Season Stats: 3 GS, 15 IP, 2 BB, 10 K, 7.20 ERA, 6.51 FIP
A solid season at Colorado Springs earned Bergman a call up in June and he was solid in his first two starts before giving up seven runs in three innings and breaking his non-throwing hand (yep, just like Lyles) in a start against Milwaukee on June 20. He is currently on the 60-day DL.
LHP Tyler Matzek
Season Debut: June 11 vs Atlanta
Season Stats: 5 GS, 29 2/3 IP, 7 BB, 18 K, 4.25 ERA, 3.48 FIP
After looking like the real life Nuke LaLoosh in the minors at times, the Rockies' first-round pick in 2009 made his major league debut in June and has actually kept his control in check pretty well in five big league starts. He might actually be the best pitcher in the Rockies' current rotation.
LHP Christian Friedrich
Season Debut: June 21 vs Milwaukee
Season Stats: 3 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 8 BB, 14 K, 9.45 ERA, 5.96 FIP
Welcome to the realm of the absurd, Friedrich posted a 7.89 ERA in 11 starts at AAA and still got a major league call up. He then proceeded to get just as shelled in the big leagues as he was in the minors, giving up 19 runs, 14 earned in 13 1/3 innings over three starts before being sent back down. Hey, at least he didn't get hurt.
LHP Yohan Flande
Season Debut: June 25 vs St. Louis
Season Stats: 3 GS, 14 2/3 IP, 4 BB, 7 K, 7.36 ERA, 3.86 FIP
I saw Flande pitch in Colorado Springs on April 25, and if you had told me then that he'd make his MLB debut two months later I would have thought there was a We Are Marshall type place crash or something and the Rockies just had to call up the entire Sky Sox team. Flande has been as bad as expected, allowing 12 runs in 14 2/3 innings in his three starts, all Rockies losses.
RHP Jair Jurrjens
Season Debut: July 4 vs LA Dodgers
Season Stats: 1 GS, 4 2/3 IP, 1 BB, 3 K, 15.43 ERA, 8.68 FIP
From the category of "can't be any worse than Friedrich," the Rockies found Jair Jurrjens, who promptly got clubbed in his first start against the Dodgers. Here's hoping he significantly improves in future starts, or we'll see starter number 14 (Chris Capuano or Brett Tomko) sooner rather than later.