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ROCKIES' FARM REPORT: One inning makes all the difference for Weiser

Published July 6, 2007 at midnight

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One inning in relief, of all things, helped starter Keith Weiser get back on track.

The low Single-A Asheville left-hander is 10-4 with a 3.76 ERA, a 17-start body of work that indicates Weiser, in his first full professional season, couldn't have strayed too far off course.

But after winning his first seven decisions over an eight-start period through May 14, Weiser began to scuffle, largely due to a mechanical issue with his front foot. Between May 20 and June 15, Weiser went 1-4 in six starts with a 6.43 ERA as he allowed 30 runs, 25 earned, in 35 innings. Three of the losses were to Hickory, a Pittsburgh affiliate Weiser beat Monday with a strong outing in his most recent start. But that's getting ahead of the story.

The one inning that was so redemptive for Weiser, so helpful in restoring his confidence and putting him in the nice groove he's now in came June 19 at the South Atlantic League All-Star Game in Rome, Ga. Pitching the fifth for the Southern Division, Weiser retired the three Northern batters he faced.

"Throwing that one inning against the best hitters in the league, getting that quick inning, just knowing I got those hitters out with no problem, that boosted my confidence," said Weiser, the Rockies third-round pick last year out of Miami (Ohio) University.

In his first start after the All-Star game, Weiser pitched June 22 at Lexington, Ky., in front of family and friends since Lexington is the closest point in the league to Weiser's home in Hamilton, Ohio (also the home of Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook). Weiser gave up one run and six hits in seven innings but wasn't involved in the decision as the Tourists won 2-1.

On June 27, Weiser held Greensboro to two runs in six innings and won 7-2. And Monday against Hickory, his nemesis this season, Weiser allowed three runs in seven innings in Asheville's 16-3 romp.

"He got in a little funk before the (All-Star) break," said Asheville pitching coach Bryan Harvey. "It was just a small thing in his mechanics that he does that gets him out of whack just a little bit."

What Weiser was doing, Harvey said, was to be less erect on his back leg because he swings his front foot in his delivery rather than simply put the foot down straight down.

"And what that causes," said Harvey, a first-year coach and former closer with 177 career saves in the majors, "is he loses the angle to home plate. And when he loses the angle, obviously the ball flattens out a little bit and now it becomes just a little bit easier to hit. The stuff is not quite as sharp.

"When he gets the front foot down and he's more in line to home plate, it's very, very good. The three starts since the All-Star break, with the exception of one inning the other night when he gave up the two runs, he's been very good."

That would have been the fifth inning when Weiser allowed four straight one-out singles and Hickory scored twice. Weiser threw 89 pitches, 69 for strikes, in seven innings in that game. He averaged 88 mph with his fastball, throwing 33 of 52 for strikes. He threw 13 of 17 curveballs for strikes, six of nine sliders and eight of 11 changeups.

In 105 1/3 innings, Weiser has allowed 112 hits, figure that can be discounted because of plays that better defenders at higher levels will make for someone like Weiser who pitches to contact. More telling are his mere 18 walks -- no more than three in any game and that total just once -- against 74 strikeouts.

For the South Atlantic League, Weiser is a pretty polished pitcher. It will be interesting to see how he fares as he moves up and faces hitters with more ability.

"I think he's going to do better against better hitters because he has a really good idea of what he's doing," Harvey said. "There's left-handed starters pitching in the big leagues without the stuff he has here.

"What has to happen is he has to be able to feel when his foot starts to come around so he can make the change himself without having somebody wait an inning or so before they figure it out. He has to be able to figure it out quicker to where the two-, three-run inning turns into one or none."

Asked whether Weiser is getting there, Harvey said, "We're getting a little closer."

Because Weiser touches 90-91 mph with his fastball, Harvey said it's better to label him a command rather than a finesse pitcher. His curveball is better than his slider at this point, and his changeup is very effective.

Weiser said of his curveball, "It's my pitch that I get ahead in the count with. I can throw any time. Lately I'll throw it 2-0, 3-2. I got a lot of confidence in it right now."

He said he has tinkered with the grip on his slider and while he can throw it for strikes, Weiser tends to defer to his curveball.

"The slider's more my strikeout pitch," Weiser said. "I throw it in (under the hands) to the righties a lot of times. I feel more confident throwing my curveball for strikes."

Weiser said he has enough confidence in his changeup to throw it anytime. "I've got a lot of ground balls with it," Weiser said. "I throw that 2-0 when the hitter's thinking fastball and get a ground ball or a weak fly ball."

When Weiser began to scuffle after soaring to 7-0, 2.32 after eight starts, he said he put more pressure on himself to do more, to do better in order to compensate for his own pitching mistake. In Weiser's case, that might be a matter of command in the strike zone rather than just command in general.

Regardless, that mindset, not surprisingly, leads to worse results but a clinical situation where Harvey can step in and teach.

"The first month the command was outstanding," Harvey said. "Then we got into where he'd give up a few hits here and there. The biggest thing is going to be to get him to keep trusting his stuff. He thinks if he gives up a hit or this happens or that happens, something's got to change because we're not doing something right. And I'm trying to get him to understand that's not the case. Maybe we just located bad for a pitch."

Harvey said what was encouraging in his past three games was how Weiser minimized the damage. He gave up a solo homer in the first June 22 at Lexington and followed up with six scoreless innings. On June 27 against Greensboro, Weiser gave up a run in the first and another in the third before finishing up with three scoreless innings.

And Monday against Hickory, Weiser allowed a solo homer in the second and no other damage until a mechanical lapse led to those four straight singles in the fifth.

"I see him growing so much," Harvey said, "to where that spell in the second month, if he would've gave up a home run, 'OK, I got to grind harder, harder, harder.' Now I see him say, 'OK, you got one. That's all you're going to get.' And that's the way he's pitching now. So I see a lot of growing, a lot of improving."



Triple-A Colorado Springs (46-39, second place, 1 ½ games behind)

Sky Sox Web site | Sky Sox Roster



The Sky Sox went 8-1 against Portland during a 9-3 stretch that ended Tuesday and carried the Sky Sox into first place. Colorado Springs is 12-4 against Portland and 34-35 against the rest of the Pacific Coast League . . . Right fielder Seth Smith (.309-8-44) had back-to-back three-hit games Wednesday and Thursday raising his average to its highest point since April 5 when he began the season 2-for-5 (.400). Smith's output in his past five games includes two doubles, one triple, three homers and eight RBI . . . Ubaldo Jimenez (6-5. 6.45) threw 107 pitches, including 67 strikes, in five innings Tuesday. He last worked seven innings eight starts ago on May 22 . . . Marc Kaiser (5-3, 5.47) was moved to the bullpen and pitched a total of 5 1/3 innings in back-to-back appearances Tuesday and Wednesday, allowing two runs, one earned. But Kaiser walked four in those games. Fastball command has been a huge problem for Kaiser, who issued five walks in each of his final four starts June 8-24 when he totaled 21 innings . . . Mike Esposito (4-1, 6.08) replaced Kaiser in the rotation. Esposito allowed 10 hits and six runs in 4 2/3 innings June 29 and lost 7-6 against Salt Lake but pitched there Wednesday and worked 5 1/3 hitless innings while allowing three runs in eight innings . . . Left-handed reliever Mike Gallo (1-4, 4.59) was reinstated Thursday and pitched one scoreless innings after being sidelined following a June 26 outing because of lower back soreness.

Double-A Tulsa (41-43, 6-8 second half, third place, 3 games behind)

Tulsa Drillers Web site | Drillers Roster



The Drillers have lost four straight games and six of their past seven. The four-game losing streak, during which the Drillers have scored 12 runs, matches the season high set June 12-15 . . . Greg Reynolds (4-1, 1.42) did some light tossing in Denver where he is undergoing therapy for an inflamed right rotator cuff. He's slowly making progress and could return toward the end of the month . . . Outfielder Matt Miller (.255-7-35) has three hits in his past 25 at-bats, a slide that has lowered his on-base percentage to .325 . . . Center fielder Chris Frey (.283-1-23) has four hits in his past 23 at-bats but just one strikeout during that span . . . Outfielder Jordan Czarniecki (.263-6-30) hit three homers in 211 at-bats through June 29 and has hit three homers in 25 at-bats in his past five games . . . Second baseman Corey Wimberly (.257-2-17) began the season with no homers in 167 at-bats before hitting two in a span of 11 at-bats. Wimberly, who is 5-feet-8 and 180 pounds and whose game is speed, came into this season with three homers in 623 professional at-bats . . . Third baseman Christian Colonel (.314-9-48) is hitting .363 (45-for-124) since the beginning of June with six homers and 22 RBI after a combined three homers and 26 RBI in April and May . . . Mike Coolbaugh was named the Drillers interim hitting coach, filling the position vacated when Orlando Merced resigned due to family reasons last month. Coolbaugh played third base for Colorado Springs in 1998.



Modesto (42-43, 8-7 second half, tied first place)

Modesto Nuts Web site | Nuts Roster



A 1-0 victory Thursday gave the Nuts five straight wins, matching their season high set April 20-23. In Thursday's win against San Jose, Pedro Strop (5-2, 3.59) earned his first save. Xavier Cedeno (2-5, 4.23) pitched 7 2/3 innings before Andrew Johnston (2-5, 4.26) came on with runners on second and third and got the only batter he faced to ground out and end the inning. Johnston, who has 13 saves, blew his seventh save Tuesday. He had been scored upon in five consecutive games, allowing 10 hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings, before pitching in a set-up role and facing one batter Thursday . . . Brandon Hynick (9-2, 2.60) is 0-0, 11.12 in his past two starts. He gave up seven hits and five runs, two earned, June 28 against Bakersfield and then lasted 2 1/3 innings Tuesday against Stockton and gave up six hits and five runs. Hynick, who must locate precisely to be effective, gave up five homers in 101 2/3 innings in his first 15 starts and two homers in 5 2/3 innings in his past two outings. He came away without a decision each time because the Nuts came back to Bakersfield before losing 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth when Johnston blew his sixth save and beat Stockton 16-12 . . . In his past five games, second baseman Eric Young Jr. (.270-5-34) has gone 12-for-22 with four doubles, six RBI, 10 runs scored and six stolen bases. Young went 5-for-6 and scored five runs Tuesday with two RBI and two stolen bases. At .270, Young's average is the highest it has been since he was hitting .273 (3-for-11) on April 7 . . . Catcher Neil Wilson (.257-6-43) has nearly as many RBI as hits (45) and has driven in at least one run in four straight games.



Low Single-A Asheville (51-33 overall, 9-6 second half, tied third, ½ game behind)

Asheville Tourists Web site | Tourists Roster



The Tourists have had minimal success against West Virginia, a Milwaukee farm club that went 48-20 was the first-half winner in the Northern Division, and is 8-7 in the second half. With the final game of the regular season between the two teams scheduled for Friday, the Tourists are 2-5 against the Power and have been outscored 58-39 . . . Casey Weathers is traveling with the Tourists on their current trip and about a week away from making his professional debut. A closer at Vanderbilt, Weathers was Colorado's first-round draft pick last month and received a $1.8 million signing bonus . . . Catcher Mike McKenry (.286-11-52) has hit .325 since the beginning of May. McKenry has nearly as many walks (45) as strikeouts (48), a reason he has a .399 on-base percentage along with a .510 slugging percentage . . . Reliever Will Harris (0-2, 1.66) struck out the six of the seven West Virginia batters he faced in two innings Tuesday. He has been scored upon in just four of 17 outings -- one run allowed each time -- and has held opponents to a .226 (19-for-84) average with five walks and 30 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings . . . First baseman-third baseman Matt Repec (.309-3-32), who had eight RBI on Monday, is 21-for-51 during his 12-game hitting streak with 10 doubles, one triple, one homer and 13 RBI.

Short-season Single-A Tri-City (4-13, tied third, 4 games behind)

Tri-City Dust Devils Web site | Dust Devils Roster



The Dust Devils scored 10 runs while winning their season-opener June 19 but have been held to three runs or less 10 times. They lost seven straight after that initial victory and have now lost six straight. Tri-City was swept on the road in a four-game series that ended Thursday at Salem-Keizer, the best team in the Northwest League with a 14-3 record. In that series, the Dust Devils were held to seven runs . . . Left-hander Drew Coffey (1-1, 1.56), who was picked up from the Kansas City organization, made a one-inning relief appearance before moving into the rotation June 22. He has allowed one run in each of his three starts, which have lengthened from 4 1/3 to five to seven innings Monday at Salem-Keizer when he left a game tied at 1 that became a 4-1 loss when Salem-Keizer scored three in the eighth . . . Pitcher Cory Riordan (0-0, 3.86), the sixth-round pick last month out of Fordham University, has made two relief appearances totaling 4 2/3 innings, a prelude to starting.

Rookie Casper (4-13, fourth place, 8 games behind)

Casper Rockies Web site | Rockies Roster



The Rockies won three of four, including two one-run victories, after starting the season 1-11. Hopes for the second two-game winning streak of the season ended Thursday when the Rockies were shutout for the second time this season 2-0 on Thursday at Idaho Falls. That's where the other shutout (8-0) was on June 27 . . . Parker Frazier (0-1, 20.86) has been moved to the bullpen to relax and regroup after three starts in which he allowed 26 hits in 7 1/3 innings. The Rockies believe Frazier, 18, will be fine and are encouraged by his ability to throw strikes -- two walks those three starts -- and realize it's extremely challenging for an 18-year-old to step from high school into professional baseball, let alone one who is 6-feet-5 and 165 pounds with plenty of growing to do that will add velocity to what is now a below-average fastball . . . Luis Noboa joined the Rockies and is scheduled to make his first start Saturday in Frazier's turn. Noboa, 22, pitched for the Rockies team in the Dominican Summer League the past three years and was 2-0, 1.42 in six games, four starts, there this season . . . Outfielder James Sims, drafted in the 27th round last month out of Jackson State, has run into awful luck trying to get his professional career underway. Sidelined with a hamstring injury, Sims was finally ready to play but last Friday was attempting to bunt in batting practice and off a ball that struck him in the right eye and broke his orbital bone. This latest injury is expected to sideline Sims four to six weeks . . . Third baseman Shane Lowe (.265-1-3) has made nine errors in 11 games with 28 strikeouts in 49 at-bats. After going 10-for-21 to start the season, Lowe is 3-for-28 . . . Outfielder David Christensen (.222-1-4) began the season 2-for-21 with a double and home run but has since gone 10-for-29 with three doubles . . . First baseman Jeff Cunningham (.455-4-11) had his six-game hitting streak end Thursday but has hit safely in seven of his first nine professional games. In the final three games of his hitting streak, Cunningham went 8-for-12 with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI.