Rockies series preview: It’s tough to pitch in high altitude

Colorado’s pitching is....BAD.

It isn't easy to pitch in Denver. The high altitude and dry air cause the ball to travel farther - on average, a ball at Coors Field will carry 20 feet more than at an average ballpark - and pitches have less movement. The Colorado Rockies have finished dead last in the National League in runs allowed 19 times since they came into the league in 1993, and have never finished higher than seventh.

This year is no different, with the Rockies not only dead last in baseball in runs allowed, but a full 0.8 runs-per-game worse than any other team. The result has been a team that actually has a worse winning percentage than the Rockies team from last year that set a club record with 103 losses.

Kansas City Royals (48-41) vs. Colorado Rockies (30-57) at Coors Field, Denver, CO

Royals: 4.55 runs scored/game (13th in MLB), 3.98 runs allowed/game (9th)

Rockies: 4.20 runs scored/game (18th), 5.85 runs allowed/game (30th)

Playing at altitude has generally caused a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde effect for the Rockies, with their hitters playing unusually poorly on the road. This year the team is playing better at home, but still not great with an 18-26 record. The Rockies are just 9-22 since the start of June and have not won a series since they took two out of three against the Guardians in late May.

Despite playing half their games in high altitude, Rockies hitters have the eighth-lowest home run total. They have the third-highest strikeout rate and the fifth-lowest walk rate. They have a considerably higher batting average in spacious Coors Field, hitting .265 as a team.

Brenton Doyle is tenth in baseball in slugging percentage at home, hitting .343/.400/.573 at Coors, while also providing Gold Glove defense. Brendan Rodgers has not been able to take advantage of the thin air with a 55.6 percent groundball rate, the second-highest in baseball. Ezequiel Tovar swings at more pitches than anyone in baseball, swinging 62.5 percent of the time, with one of the lowest contact rates. Charlie Blackmon got off to a slow start in his age-38 season but is hitting .333/.397/.530 over his last 18 games.

Kyle Freeland missed eight weeks with an elbow injury, but has pitched well since returning, allowing just two runs and eight hits over 12 ²⁄₃ innings in his last two starts. His fastball sits around 90-91, generating just a 3.6 percent whiff rate. He relies more on his sinker, generating a 44.9 percent groundball rate, but opponents are hitting .364 against the pitch.

Ryan Feltner has made 48 starts for the Rockies and has a career ERA of 5.88. He has a 6.75 ERA in eight starts at home this year, although he gave up just one run in five innings against the Brewers at Coors in his last start. He is also a groundball pitcher who throws a 94.9 mph four-seamer, slider changeup, sinker, and curve. He has one of the least-effective sliders in baseball, with opponents hitting .341 against it.

Since joining the Rockies in 2020, Austin Gomber has a 5.13 ERA, the third-highest in baseball out of all pitchers with at least 400 innings pitched, just behind Jordan Lyles. Gomber has given up 15 home runs this year, ninth-most in baseball. He was very effective in May, but has an 8.69 ERA in his last six starts. Gomber has virtually no platoon split against lefties, and has actually been much better at home (3.92 ERA) than on the road (5.44).

Rockies relievers have the worst ERA in baseball by nearly a full run with an ERA of 5.62. Only Royals relievers strikeout fewer hitters, and the Rockies bullpen has the third-highest walk rate. Jaleen Beeks has been probably been the most effective Rockies reliever, but he has blown six saves while converting seven. Tyler Kinley got off to a horrific start in April, but is pitching better now and has been getting save opportunities. Justin Lawrence has the fifth-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio among relievers. Victor Vodnik has allowed the most hard contact of any reliever.

The Rockies are a bad team, but the Royals have struggled against bad teams before. Coors Field is a tough place to adapt to, and it can have a hangover effect for hitters long after they have left the Rocky Mountains. The Royals could sweep this series, but they’ll need their offense to wake up and score some runs.