Ryan Feltner gets the start for the Colorado Rockies against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, May 30, at Coors Field, and the assignment gives Colorado a fresh look at a pitcher whose season has already been up and down. First pitch is set for 9:10 p.m. ET.
That is why this Rockies Game is drawing attention now. Feltner enters with a 1-1 record, a 6.30 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings pitched, numbers that leave the Rockies betting on his swing-and-miss stuff while asking him to steady a rotation spot that has not been secure.
There is enough to understand the appeal. Feltner had been listed at +104 to record over 3.5 strikeouts, a modest price that matches the idea that he can still miss bats even when the results have not followed. The Giants, meanwhile, have been averaging 3.7 runs per game this season, along with 2.9 extra-base hits and 0.9 home runs per game, a reminder that San Francisco has done enough damage to test Colorado if the right pitches are left over the plate.
But the concern is sitting right beside the upside. Feltner’s most recent appearance came in relief on Thursday, April 23, against the San Diego Padres, when he threw two innings, allowed two earned runs and gave up two hits. That line does not erase the strikeout total, but it does show why the Rockies are taking a chance on a starter carrying a 6.30 ERA into a game that matters because it is the next one on the schedule.
What happens next is simple: Feltner takes the mound Saturday night, and the Rockies will learn a little more about whether his strikeouts can outweigh the runs that have followed him through the first part of the season. What they do after that start is not yet stated.
