Colorado

Rockies Journal: Bullpen has gone from worst to excellent. Will it last?

Published

2 months ago

September 14, 2024

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Rockies Journal: Bullpen has gone from worst to excellent. Will it last?

Bud Black is relentlessly positive but is also a realist, especially about his pitching staff.

The Rockies manager knew in spring training that the team’s bullpen would be its weakest link. He was right.

As the Rockies entered the weekend with just 15 games remaining, the bullpen had the worst ERA (5.36), worst WHIP (1.54), and highest batting average against (.281) in the majors. Its 459 strikeouts were the fewest in the National League and third-fewest in the majors.

But, as Black likes to say, the worm might be turning, thanks to a cadre of young, hard-throwing pitchers and the rejuvenation of veteran Tyler Kinley. Colorado’s bullpen, historically awful earlier in the season, has been excellent in the final month of the season.

Entering the weekend, Rockies relievers had posted a 2.16 ERA with no home runs allowed over their last 12 games. The late-inning meltdowns that decimated the team earlier in the season have ceased. At least for now.

“Those are good signs, what we’re seeing out of the bullpen,” Black said during the Rockies’ recent 4-5 road trip. “It bodes well for the future. All these guys that have come up are doing a nice job keeping the ball down, changing speeds and using their secondary pitches, along with velocity. So it’s promising.”

But to see where the Rockies think they’re going, it’s necessary to remember where they were.

Earlier this season, the bullpen qualified for federal disaster relief.

The dam broke in Colorado’s 11-9 loss to the Dodgers on June 18 at Coors Field. The Rockies led 9-4 going into the ninth inning but gave up seven runs in the top half of the inning, marking the sixth time the Rockies entered the ninth inning with a lead and allowed five or more runs to lose that lead. That gave Colorado the dubious record for most blown leads of that type in a single season in baseball’s modern era.

It couldn’t get worse, right? But it did. On Aug. 27, at Coors, the lowly Marlins scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to stun the Rockies, 9-8. At that point, the Rockies’ 7.44 ninth-inning ERA was the highest by any National League team in any inning over the last 50 years.

The previous record holder? The 2023 Rockies, who posted a 7.17 ERA in the ninth inning.

Now, back to Black’s vision of a “promising future.”

His optimism stems from the emergence of the new kids on the block at 20th and Blake: right-handers Angel Chivilli, Seth Halvorsen, Victor Vodnik, Jeff Criswell and Jaden Hill, and lefty Luis Peralta. And from the 33-year-old Kinley, who’s taken over the closer role by turning his vertical slider into a devastating pitch.

Vodnik, Halvorsen and Hill have all hit 100 mph with their fastball, and all of Colorado’s young relievers can top 95 mph. But it’s not just their high heat that has Black bullish. He likes the fearlessness and aggressiveness of the young relievers, along with the fact that they aren’t walking a boatload of batters.

How long they can sustain that attitude and maintain their success will be a huge question for 2025 and beyond. Relievers are notoriously mercurial. But for the here and now, here’s what they’re doing:

• Kinley struggled mightily to command his fastball/slider combination earlier in the season, hence his 5.89 ERA. But he now has a career-high 12 saves in 13 chances and has held opponents scoreless in 22 of his last 25 games, posting a 2.45 ERA. Will he be next year’s closer? Possibly, though he’ll have competition.

• Vodnik has pitched 66 2/3 relief innings, sixth-most in the NL, and tied for the most among rookie pitchers. Despite a stint on the injured list, he’s thrown the most innings by a Rockies rookie reliever since Tommy Kahnle in 2014 (68 2/3). Vodnik’s given up only five homers compared to 11 by Kinley.

The Rockies love Vodnik’s ability to put adversity in his rearview mirror. He has nine saves and three blown saves. However, his strikeout rate (8.1 K’s per nine innings) is less dynamic than Kinley’s (10.1).

• Halvorsen, 24, is an enticing pitcher who pairs a triple-digit fastball with a confounding changeup. He threw just one pitch in his major league debut, but he dominated the Orioles in his next outing. After throwing a four-seam, 100-mph fastball to Jackson Holliday, he fed Holliday three consecutive changeups for his first big-league strikeout. He threw three more changeups against Gunnar Henderson to force a groundout and then powered his way past All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman with four 100-plus fastballs before getting Rutschman to pop out on a changeup.

Halvorsen has only appeared in six games (5 2/3 innings) but has struck out five of the 19 batters he’s faced. It remains to be seen if he can be a late-game reliever, but the Rockies love his fastball-slider punch.

• Chivilli, 22, has been lit up a couple of times, but he’s been unscored upon in 13 of his last 17 appearances since being recalled from Triple-A on July 30. Over that span, he has a 2.41 ERA with 16 strikeouts vs. just four walks. He hasn’t shown the strikeout power of some of the other young relievers (6.8 Ks per nine), but his sinker/changeup combination is producing weak contact.

• Criswell, 25, averages 95.7 mph with his fastball, which is hot, but he needs to keep the ball down. He did that against the Marlins on Aug. 28 when he struck out five of the six batters he faced. However, three days earlier he gave up home runs to three consecutive Yankees batters in the Bronx. Granted, the trio was Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but Criswell learned some hard lessons that day.

His 3.60 ERA and 11 strikeouts vs. four walks are impressive, but the sample size is tiny (eight games, 10 innings).

• The Rockies desperately need a quality lefty in their ‘pen, especially with the injured Lucas Gilbreath facing an uncertain future. They hope Peralta is that guy.

His rise has been meteoric. Peralta began the year in Single-A with the Pirates and came to Colorado in a deadline deal for veteran lefty Jalen Beeks. He has yet to surrender a run in eight games (7 1/3 innings) with the Rockies. He’s given up just three hits and walked three while striking out nine. It’s an impressive big-league splash.

• Hill, a second-round pick out of LSU in 2021, has a miniature sample size at the big-league level (just two scoreless innings), but his fastball/slider/changeup combo is intriguing. As Black likes to warn, “There’s a walk in there,” but if Hill can improve his command, he could evolve into a back-end reliever.

As is always the case with Rockies relievers, this crew faces many “what ifs” and “yeah, buts.” How teams begin adjusting to them will be a major test. So will their durability and the challenges of pitching at Coors Field.

But during another lost season, the bullpen has at least shown that it might be part of the Rockies’ solution instead of their biggest problem.

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Colorado

Northern Colorado Hailstorm’s franchise agreement terminated by USL League One

Published

6 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Press Room

Northern Colorado Hailstorm’s franchise agreement terminated by USL League One

The Northern Colorado Hailstorm is without a league.

The United Soccer League announced Thursday that it terminated the Windsor-based club’s franchise agreement with the USL League One in the third division of American professional soccer.

In an official statement, the league said the decision “reflects our commitment to uphold the standards of our organization and protect the interests of our clubs’ ownership.”

The termination came just a day after Law360 reported the club sued the league for not paying the club its $100,000 prize for winning the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup in September. Any connection between the lawsuit and termination has not been addressed by the league.

In its official statement, the Hailstorm called the termination an “unfortunate unilateral surprise decision” by the league. It also committed to stay in operation as a club and is “actively exploring” other avenues by which to play starting next season.

In addition to winning the Jägermeister Cup, Hailstorm posted its best USL League One season since joining in 2022 with 41 points (12-5-5 record). As the league’s second seed in the playoffs, it lost to the Spokane Velocity in the quarterfinals, 3-0, in what would be its last match as a member of the league.

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Originally Published: November 15, 2024 at 8:33 AM MST

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Colorado

Democratic Colorado governor commends Trump for nominating RFK Jr. as HHS secretary

Published

16 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Press Room

Democratic Colorado governor commends Trump for nominating RFK Jr. as HHS secretary

Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis praised President-elect Trump for nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

In a lengthy social media post on Thursday, Polis praised Kennedy for helping Colorado “defeat vaccine mandates” in 2019 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA,” he wrote.

“I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health,” Polis said.

RFK JR. ASKS AMERICANS TO SUGGEST POLICIES FOR NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: ‘TRANSITION TEAM BELONGS TO YOU’

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Trump announced his nomination of RFK Jr. for HHS secretary Thursday afternoon, igniting a firestorm of praise and critique.

In his announcement, Trump promised that, with Kennedy leading the HHS, the agency would be restored as the “Gold Standard Scientific Research.”

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump wrote. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Kennedy launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat and then eventually endorsed Trump.

Kennedy also spoke during Trump’s historic Madison Square Garden rally last month, where he unleashed on the current state of the Democratic Party.

“The Democratic Party is the party of war. It’s the party of the CIA. You had Kamala Harris giving a speech at the Democratic convention that was written by neocons. It was belligerent, pugnacious. It talked about domination of the world by the United States through our weapons of war. It’s the party today that wants to divide Americans. It’s a party that is dismantling women’s sports by letting men play women’s sports,” he said.

TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT

“It’s the party of Wall Street. It’s the party of Bill Gates, who just gave $50 million to Harris. It’s the party, and the Harris campaign is very proud that it received the endorsement of 50 former CIA agents and officers and of John Bolton and of Dick Cheney.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced ‘No Spoiler’ pledge for the upcoming elections at a campaign stop. RFK Jr. announced that only he could defeat Donald Trump in the general election in November and demanded that President Joe Biden step aside. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

This isn’t the first time Kennedy was considered for a Cabinet position for a presidential administration. Back in 2008, then President-elect Obama reportedly strongly considered naming Kennedy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Politico reported at the time.

Polis has been critical of a Trump presidency. He recently joined forces with Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker to co-chair a new coalition called Governors Safeguarding Democracy.

The website names “fast-moving disinformation campaigns” and “cyberthreats” as examples of “threats to our democracy.”

“Donald Trump is going to bring people into his administration who are absolute loyalists to his cult of personality and not necessarily to the law,” Pritzker said, according to the New York Times. “Last time, he didn’t really know where the levers of government were. I think he probably does now. And so I think that the threat remains great.”

Left: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis; Right: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Left: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks to members of the media in the spin room following the first vice presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024; Right: Ill. Gov. J. B. Pritzker attends the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on Sept. 24, 2024 in New York City. (Left: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: John Nacion/Getty Images;)

During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Polis said of Trump, “we’re gonna work with him and his administration however we can for our state.”

Polis echoed his sentiments, writing on X that he looks forward to “partnering with him to truly make America healthy again.”

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“He will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again,” Polis added.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.

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Colorado

Mines professor charged with vehicular homicide in Golden officer’s death – Colorado Community Media

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

Mines professor charged with vehicular homicide in Golden officer’s death – Colorado Community Media

The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office has charged a Colorado School of Mines professor with vehicular homicide in the death of Golden Police Officer Evan Dunn.

Stephen Geer, 43, was arrested at the scene Nov. 6 after he reportedly drove into the scene of a traffic accident along Highway 58, striking four people.

Golden Police Officer Bethany Grusing Credit: Courtesy

Dunn, whose funeral was Nov. 13, died at the scene. GPD Officer Bethany Grusing was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, but city officials have confirmed she’s been released and is recovering. Two civilians also sustained injuries, according to police reports, but their statuses were unknown.

Geer appeared out of custody at the Jefferson County Courthouse for a Nov. 14 hearing, where the DA’s Office formally filed five charges against him.

Along with vehicular homicide, a Class 3 felony, the DA’s Office also charged Geer with:

Two counts of vehicular assault, a Class 4 felony, for injuring Grusing and a civilian;
One count of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, for injuring the other civilian;
One count of driving under the influence, a misdemeanor.

Geer and his attorney have waived his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days.

He’s next scheduled for a review hearing at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 11 at the Jefferson County Courthouse.

On Nov. 7, Colorado School of Mines confirmed Geer as an employee. The university website lists him as a teaching assistant professor in mechanical engineering.

Mines officials shared that they grieve for the impacted Golden officers, their families, colleagues and community.

“We pray for the recovery of the injured officer,” Mines officials stated via email Nov. 7, “and we will look for ways to offer support during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Nov. 6 incident

According to the arrest affidavit filed against Geer, around 4:38 p.m. Nov. 6, Golden police officers responded to eastbound Highway 58 just east of Washington Avenue. They were investigating a crash between a Toyota Tacoma and a Subaru Crosstrek.

Amid slick and snowy conditions, the Toyota had reportedly lost control while the Subaru was trying to pass, hitting it, and both vehicles were now disabled near the median.

All involved vehicles were on the far-left side of Highway 58, according to the affidavit, with a Golden Police vehicle positioned behind the other two. All other traffic was moving to the right, away from the original crash scene.

The Subaru’s driver, the Toyota’s driver and her father, Dunn and Grusing were outside the vehicles getting photos and evaluating the scene around 4:53 p.m. when a black Mazda traveling eastbound entered the area.

The Mazda reportedly hit the Toyota and then the Subaru, pinning Dunn under the latter. He died from his injuries at the scene.

According to the affidavit, Grusing and the Toyota’s driver also sustained serious injuries, with the latter suffering a skull fracture and brain bleed. Her father, who was thrown over the jersey barrier, also sustained a large laceration to his head and elbow, the affidavit describes.

The Subaru’s driver was uninjured, as was a third GPD officer who was in the patrol vehicle behind the initial accident scene.

Shortly after the crash, authorities identified Geer as the Mazda’s driver. He reportedly told state troopers at the scene he’d been driving home after having a beer at a local bar with a coworker.

He told troopers he’d noticed “yellow flashing lights and attempted to stop,” but wasn’t able to, the affidavit describes.

Investigators detected alcohol on Geer’s breath, the affidavit continues, and he initially agreed to voluntary roadside sobriety tests. However, after he was informed of his Miranda rights around 6:06 p.m., he refused to talk further or complete the sobriety tests.

After receiving a search warrant, investigating troopers completed a blood draw around 8:46 p.m. at the Jeffco jail, the affidavit continues.

It also states that Geer has no previous criminal history.

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