On cold, dismal night for Rox, Kinley stops the bleeding

DENVER – A miserable Saturday night at Coors Field -- with a 33-degree first-pitch temperature that was fifth-lowest for a home game in Rockies history -- was made more so by another loss in their unprecedentedly poor start. Many of their losses have been close and colorful.

The 7-0 decision to the Mariners was neither.

Right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley taking the mound bare-armed, with the wintry mix blowing around him, was a fitting image for a club for which nothing is comfortable. The 4-16 Rockies lost their sixth straight and became shutout foils for the fourth time.

When Kinley took over for the sixth inning, the Rockies were already down by the final margin. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Kinley, who was expected to be a late-game reliever, entered with an ERA just south of 13.00. During the team’s last road trip to Toronto and Philadelphia, he appeared twice and gave up two runs each time. He could only hope to be a leader in resilience.

“Early on in the day, when you're going through your workouts and your practice and whatnot, you tell yourself, ‘Turn up the focus, turn up the intensity, lock it in,’” Kinley said in Philadelphia, where he had a long and uplifting talk with former Rox reliever and current special assistant to baseball operations Scott Oberg. “Make sure I’m keying in on the right things to be sharp that night.

“Then before the game, regardless whether I struck out the side last night or whether I got my butt kicked, I still put on the mask of, ‘I'm invincible. My confidence is through the roof.’”

On Saturday, Kinley had a chance to begin his redemption – mainly because the Rockies were unlikely to win because of preceding events:

• The night began with five walks in four innings from starting pitcher Dakota Hudson.
• Previously scoreless reliever Victor Vodnik struggled with location in the fifth. He wasn’t helped when right fielder Sean Bouchard allowed Jonatan Clase’s bases-loaded single to scoot under his glove – a play on which three runs scored.
• The Rockies would manage just three hits, one coming when Mariners first baseman Ty France lost Bouchard’s fifth-inning infield pop in the snow -- or the lights, or some combination of the two. Mariners starter Luis Castillo struck out nine and gave up two hits in seven innings – his exact numbers line beating the Rockies last April 16 in Seattle.

But an individual can have a good night, regardless of his stat sheet, that night’s score or the standings.

When Kinley’s first hitter, Mitch Haniger, drove a pitch to center, the right-hander squatted as if hoping against something bad. This is a pitcher who was good enough that the Rockies signed him for three years and $6.25 million in November 2022, even though he was recovering from right flexor tendon surgery at the time. But in this rough start, no amount of pregame affirmation could prevent such a reflex.

Not to worry. Brenton Doyle caught the ball in the middle of the warning track to start a scoreless, one-hit inning.

It’s just his fifth scoreless outing in nine appearances, but he dropped his ERA to 11.25. Any time is a good time to begin anew on the road to effectiveness.

The Rockies’ struggles came as predicted after 103 losses last season. With so many players in the stumbly early stages of their careers, Colorado’s players of accomplishment must perform well.

But lineup cog Kris Bryant and Opening Day pitcher Kyle Freeland are on the injured list, and offense has been nonexistent since a 20-hit game in Toronto in the Rockies’ last victory, back on April 12. There are bullpen bright spots, but early-season struggles of Kinley and Justin Lawrence (8.10 ERA) have turned their rare leads into adventures.

Saturday, though, Kinley met his expectation of doing well.

At the end of Kinley’s sixth inning, there was no fist pump or other form of celebration. He merely turned the ball over to the heretofore struggling Rule 5 righty Anthony Molina -- who went three innings in his first scoreless Major League game in his four outings.

If Kinley’s steadiness helps his mates remain upbeat until wins come, he’ll have done a large part of his job.

“There’s a lot to be learned,” Kinley said. “This is an unacceptable, awful start to the season for me, but they can watch how I handle it. Hopefully, the way that I navigate it can help them navigate in the future when that time comes.”

On Saturday, Kinley’s mates watched him come in from the cold.