Tanner Gordon emerges as Rockies’ best starter as season nears close
Tanner Gordon was not on a lot of bingo cards to be the Rockies best starting pitcher at the end of the season But here he is working with poise efficiency confidence and a killer changeup Not to mention a bit of bravado The No thing I ve been impressed with is his ability to pitch inside and not be scared to do it interim manager Warren Schaeffer declared Tuesday before the Rockies hosted the Marlins at Coors Field His stuff plays off of that The -year-old Gordon slated to pitch Thursday against Miami doesn t have impressive raw numbers - ERA WHIP over starts but he s on a nice run And it doesn t appear to be a fluke I love the way he competes veteran Rockies right-hander German Marquez announced Lately you have seen that He s shown that with his results He can be a very good pitcher Last Friday in Colorado s - win over the Padres in San Diego Gordon pitched six-plus innings allowing one run on just two hits and one walk He tied a career high with nine strikeouts In Gordon s last six starts he s - the Rockies - with a ERA strikeouts and eight walks It comes down to my mindset and getting more settled with myself Gordon reported Tuesday It s easy to try and go big picture and say My goal is to go seven innings tonight But really I m learning to focus on one pitch at a time I m shrinking things down trying to stay focused on small tasks I think that has really helped So has his changeup a pitch he throws of the time according to Baseball Savant Gordon sets the pitch up with his mph four-seam fastball usage and an mph slider Gordon is not a flamethrower but the fact that his mph changeup crosses the plate almost mph slower than his fastball makes it a terrific weapon I would love to be able to throw a changeup like Tanner s veteran lefty Kyle Freeland reported Earlier in the season Gordon s changeup was not nearly as effective and his fastball command was sporadic A prime example An Aug contest against the Blue Jays at Coors when he was pounded for seven runs on hits in just innings The Rockies lost - prompting Gordon to say You just have to be better and give your club a chance to win I m sure that the bullpen doesn t like me right now But Gordon has pitched at least six innings in four of his last five starts and command of his changeup is a big reason why he s been effective It s often a tough pitch to master but it s been part of Gordon s repertoire for a long time and he made a name for himself using it at the University of Illinois I ve thrown it for as long as I can remember he noted All through college and way back to high school I play catch with it a lot I even play long-toss with it I feel content with the feel of it It s not going to be great every single outing and I still play around with it tweak the grip a little bit Related Articles Mickey Moniak has career day but slumping Rockies lose to Padres Rockies analysis GM Bill Schmidt s track record illustrates why front-office change appears imminent Rockies pounded by Padres lose for the th time in games Rockies Journal Taking a swing at MLB expansion and realignment Tanner Gordon Triple-A call-up Blaine Crim end Rockies misery in San Diego Gordon believes his changeup is a pitch that can play anywhere from sea-level San Diego to mile-high Denver Oh he mentioned Any time you can change speeds at Coors it helps a ton Drafted by the Braves in the sixth round in Gordon was part of one of Colorado s best trades in latest years He was acquired along with closer Victor Vodnik in a July agreement with the Braves for reliever Pierce Johnson Tanner is showing his ability to put the ball where he wants to on a very consistent basis Schaeffer disclosed He s working both sides of the plate moving the ball up and now He s burying guys when he requirements to bury them All of the things you want out of a pitcher he s exuding right now Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis
