Another look at whether the five-man rotation makes sense.
Does the five-man rotation decrease the risk of pitcher injury?
Is using a fifth starter a mistake?
Ben and Sam consider whether the ballpark might be to blame for the Rockies’ lackluster first two decades, then discuss the annual phenomenon of attendance shaming.
How has the Rockies’ four-man rotation experiment panned out so far?
The Rockies have tried to make a four-man rotation work before.
Josh Outman didn’t get to finish his fifth inning, despite being up by eight. Will this be the sort of conflict that dooms the Rockies’ four-man rotation?
The Rockies are moving Jeremy Guthrie to the bullpen and going to a rotation of four starters on 75-pitch counts. Are the numbers on their side?
To wrap up our series on the merits of the four-man rotation, let’s look at some of the ancillary benefits of making the switch:
The four-man rotation simplifies a starter’s between-start schedule. Most teams have their starters throw on the side once between starts, but no one really knows whether it’s better to throw on the second day after a start, or the third. It’s not even clear whether starters should throw only once. In Atlanta, Leo Mazzone has had continued success doing things his way: he has his starters throw twice on the side between starts instead of once. (He does this because he feels it gives the starter the same increased sharpness that comes from working on three days’ rest.)