Chacin to pitch again for Rockies on Tuesday
Jhoulys Chacin will rejoin the Colorado Rockies rotation and start Tuesday against the Mets in New York. He last pitched for the Rockies on May 1 and has been sidelined with an irritated nerve in his right pectoral muscle.
Manager Jim Tracy made the announcement about Chacin before the Rockies lost 6-5 to the Marlins in a game where the Rockies led 2-1 and 5-5. Giancarlo Stanton tied the game when he began the sixth with a home run off Josh Roenicke that traveled an estimated 474 feet. Donovan Solano followed with a triple, and with one out, John Buck doubled home what proved to be the winning run.
Chacin made his fifth rehab start Thursday and his second for Triple-A Colorado Springs. He gave up five hits and one run in seven innings and threw 91 pitches, 55 strikes.
"Jhoulys Chacin had a tremendous outing last night," manager Jim Tracy said. "He got into the 90-pitch range. He pitched into the eighth inning. He threw the ball extremely well from what I understand, and he came in here today and he has just the normal soreness that you like to hear after a guy goes out and throws like that and throws 90 pitches."
With Drew Pomeranz scheduled to start Sunday after missing his last start because of soreness in his left pectoral area, the Rockies, who initiated a four-man rotation June 19, have five pitchers scheduled to start, beginning with Jeff Francis, who pitched five innings Friday against the Marlins.
Tyler Chatwood is scheduled to pitch Saturday, followed by Pomeranz on Sunday, Alex White on Monday and then Chacin.
Tracy did not say whether the Rockies would stick with their four-man rotation or go back to a traditional five-man starting staff with the return of Chacin. How Pomeranz pitches Sunday is a key variable. He has dealt with biceps and pectoral soreness for much of the season and has twice been skipped when his turn arose.
The Rockies have not pitched Pomeranz on three days' rest and are closely monitoring his innings in this, his second full professional season. He pitched 119 1/3 total innings last year at three levels and is up to a combined total of 107 1/3 this year, including 60 2/3 in 13 starts with the Rockies.
"There's flexibility with this in relation to any part of it that you want to talk about," Tracy said. "You have someone that's coming back that hasn't pitched since early May, and you have to be flexible enough to be able to plug this guy in as we go along over the next several days and we'll see where it all goes. We may have to readjust it again. There's a possibility that we will."
