The 2023 version of the Colorado Rockies was young but felt good about its starting rotation. Then the injuries began piling up, with German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela going down.
Freeland and Marquez have pitched this season. Now Senzatela is slated to make his first major league start since May 10, 2023. Senzatela will take the mound when Colorado (57-93) opens a three-game home series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Denver on Monday night.
Arizona (83-66) counters with Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.26 ERA) against a Rockies team that has done its best to play spoiler, including beating the Chicago Cubs twice over the weekend before losing 6-2 on Sunday.
Senzatela is finally healthy after nearly two years of dealing with major injuries. He suffered a torn ACL in August of 2022 then made two starts in 2023 before an ulnar collateral ligament injury led to Tommy John surgery last summer. Senzatela has made five injury rehab appearances, the last Sept. 8 for Double-A Hartford.
He has plenty of experience against the Diamondbacks, compiling a 3-9 record with 5.72 ERA in 21 appearances — 17 starts — against the National League West rivals.
While Senzatela’s return is a feel-good moment for a Rockies team trying to avoid another 100-loss season, not everything is positive. The oft-injured Kris Bryant is unlikely to return in 2024, another lost season for the 2016 NL MVP.
In his three seasons since signing a seven-year, $182 million free-agent deal with Colorado in March 2022, he has played just 159 of a possible 474 games. There was a hope he could be back from his back strain but with two weeks left in this season it is unlikely he will, manager Bud Black said.
“As each day goes on, it’s becoming increasingly possible that Kris’ season may be over,” Black said.
Arizona’s season is very much alive, with the Diamondbacks trying to hold off the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves and make another October run as a wild card. The Diamondbacks are coming off an 11-10 win over Milwaukee on Sunday and sit two games ahead of the Mets and Braves with 13 games remaining.
They will lean on Kelly to have one of his typical outings at Coors Field, where he is 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA since 2022. Half of his 14 career starts against Colorado have come in Denver and he is 4-2 with 4.64 ERA.
Overall, he is 7-3 with a 3.64 ERA in his career against the Rockies.
Kelly’s importance down the stretch is magnified with Arizona losing one of its best starters, Ryne Nelson, to right shoulder inflammation, possibly for the rest of the regular season. Since July 1, Nelson is 5-0 with a 3.16 ERA.
“We would not be where we are without Ryne Nelson and his ability to go out and help us win baseball games,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “You look at the statistics, it shows up as very positive. But what he’s given us every start has been very consistent.”
