The Rockies beat up Braves rookie right-hander Tyrell Jenkins in his last start. In his view it was a one-off, a “weird day” in Colorado’s hitter-friendly park against a lineup with a lot of good hitters.
The seven runs allowed in 3 ¼ innings on Sunday were the first real red mark during Jenkins’ bid to show the Braves he should be a starting pitcher. His plans to continue making his case on Friday against the Phillies during his fourth start.
“Sunday didn’t waver my confidence at all,” Jenkins said Thursday at Turner Field. “It’s just one of those games, and I still feel confident. I’m still ready to go. I still feel like I can put together some good outings and prove I should be in the rotation.”
Jenkins, 24, entered this season as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization and projected as a starter. The Braves moved him to the bullpen, a development he embraced once he saw it as a quicker route to the majors, and he ended up back in the rotation after Julio Teheran was scratched from a start.
Jenkins showed promise in his first two starts, especially when he recovered from early trouble against the Reds and went six innings with two runs allowed. But in his next start the Rockies touched Jenkins for six extra-base hits, including three home runs, and he also walked five of 23 batters faced.
“That’s my first rough one,” Jenkins said. “It’s going to happen again some time down the line. A lot of things just weren’t going right that day.”
Jenkins said he’s glad to return to Turner Field, which is much friendlier for pitchers, and also draws comfort from facing the Phillies for the second time. He limited them to one run over 4 2/3 innings in his first career start on July 6 at Citizens Bank Park, another offensively-biased ballpark. Jenkins departed the game after just 64 pitches because he’d pitched two innings three days prior.
Jenkins said he’s still trying to learn the mental aspects of pitching in the big leagues.
“These guys are great hitters,” he said. “It kind of plays mind games with you because you know they are smart hitters and they adjust, but sometimes you almost give them too much credit and you have them beat and you out-think yourself. I think it’s just me learning. There’s so much you’ve got to learn.”
