Two minor league rehab games gave left-footed Chris Bryant in the Rockies a preview of the potential future of Major League baseball.
It is the hour of the stadium. The veteran player came out of the experience with mixed feelings and skepticism.
“The court clock made the game go faster,” Bryant said on Saturday morning before the first game with a double-header against the Mets at Coors Stadium. “But I feel, sometimes, while talking to a lot of players, that they were going into the penalty area and there were already three pitches (thrown in) and they were like, ‘I don’t even know what I’m trying to do here.’
“So I don’t know how well that played (in the majors), but it definitely made the games move a little bit faster.”
Bryant twice started rehab with Triple-A Albuquerque in Salt Lake City before rejoining the Rockies in the weekend series against the Mets at Coors Field. The pitch clock, which is being used for the first time in all of Major League Baseball’s full-season tournaments, certainly made an impact.
According to American Baseball Research, the field clock is 24 minutes shorter than the average for minor league games. Games played before April 15 took an average of 2 hours and 59 minutes to complete. Since then, with the new rules in place, the average number of games has been 2:34.
Data collected by Baseball America also shows that while the number of board appearances or pitches thrown has remained constant, games take 13.4% less time to play.
However, Bryant still believes a lot of top players will refuse to play around the clock.
“There will be a lot of confrontation,” he said. “I know with a lot of my ex, there will be some swearing. A lot of them, so I don’t know if it will work.”
Commissioner Rob Manfred said in April that Major League Baseball was still studying the pitch hour. Manfred and many others are interested in games that average over three hours to complete. The average match time this season is 3:05.
“It’s something that’s still high on the property’s priority list,” Manfred said, adding that MLB would “get full input from the players.”
During his brief stint with peers, Bryant also tested games with the pilot motorized strike zone and larger bases.
Regarding “robo-umps,” Bryant said, “There have been some questionable calls for sure.”
But it’s totally on board with the larger bases, which have increased from 15 inches square to 18 inches square.
“I think the bigger bases were great,” Bryant said. “They should be here. They are definitely safer, sure.”
Bryant, who has been on the injury list since April 26 due to lower back tension, played in the first game on Saturday with a double header, losing 1-4 by two strokes in the Rockies’ 5-1 loss to the Mets. He wasn’t expected to play in Game 2, unless it was a disc hitter.
Before the game, Bryant said he “was seeing the ball pretty well,” adding that his lower back was fine. After the match, Bryant said he did not feel any ill effects, despite the match-time temperature of 45 degrees.
hit the field. Shortstop Jose Iglesias hit his elbow in the fourth game of the first game and was replaced by Garrett Hampson in the ninth.
After the match, Black said Iglesias was receiving treatment and said, “It kind of swelled up with the swelling.”
“He’ll be fine in the long run,” Black added. “But it’s swollen and we’re working on getting rid of that.”
footnotes. Although he underperformed in the first game, German starter Marquez hit a season-high by seven strokes, boosting his career to 855 and overtaking John Gray (849) for the second time ever in franchise history. …Losing Game 1 to the Mets dropped the Rockies to 2-5 on the current home ground. They have allowed seven or more runs in four of six matches and two doubles.
on deck
Mets RHP Taiguan Walker (1-0, 3.52) in the Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (2-3, 4.38)
1:10 p.m. Sunday, Corse Stadium
TV: ATTRME
radio: 850 AM / 94.1 FM
The Rockies have lost their last two games to Gomber, in part because the left-footed has eight earned runs across 11 1/3 innings. He didn’t help himself with five walks to just six hits in that period. His last win came two weeks ago in a 5-2 win over the Nationals. In three games at Corse Field this season, opponents have shot 0.311 against him. Jumper faced the Mets only once, and took the win with a solid start during which he made eight runs, allowing him to run with four hits while hitting eight and walk twice.
In his most recent appearance, Walker gave up three winning runs across five innings against the Cardinal and earned a four-season high. He was excellent against left-handed hitters. Since 2021, he has kept his left-handed count at 0.92 on average, the seventh best mark among right-handed shooters during that time. In six career starts versus rocky, he was 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He played well at Coors Field, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in four starts.
common: Defender Yonathan Daza finished off the first game with a double-header on Saturday as he scored 1 vs 4, extending his streak of football goals to 12 games. Connor Joe (April 11-25) tied for the longest hitting streak of the season for the Rocky.
In the case: The Rockies entered Game Two Saturday night with just seven stolen bases, the fewest in the National League. The Rockies were the only team in the majors to have had more heists (eight) than bases stolen.
Promotion possibilities:
Monday: Rockies RHP Chad Kuhl (3-2, 3.86) at Pirates RHP JT Brubaker (0-4, 5.50), 4:35 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-4, 4.85) at Pirates TBA, 4:35 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Rockies TBA at Pirates TBA, 10:35 a.m., ATTRM