MESA, Ariz. — For Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker, the battle for the No. 5 starter spot began on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
The right-hander took the ball in the Rangers’ second spring training game and was relatively sharp. He faced the Cubs’ lineup once through, giving up two hits and one run. He walked one and struck out two. He threw 28 pitches, 15 of which were strikes.
Of note, the Cubs stole two bases off him, one of which helped set up the run in the second inning. Controlling the run game was an issue for Rocker last season. But he felt encouraged by the start.
“Today I did a good job of it [balancing competing and working on new things],” Rocker said “I think if I’m ahead [in the count] more, it’s kind of a different result.”
Breaking Down Kumar Rocker’s Start
Rocker gave up a leadoff single to Matt Shaw, who then stole second. But he got out of the jam by striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong and then inducing back-to-back groundouts to Ezequiel Duran. The top three hitters in the order, along with catcher Carson Kelly, should start for the Cubs this season.
He got off to a good start in the second inning, as he got Justin Dean to ground out and then struck out James Triantos, a highly regarded Cubs prospect. But he walked Pedro Ramirez on four pitches, and then Ramirez stole second. This time, the stolen base paid off. Jefferson Rojas, one of Chicago’s top prospect tore a single into left field and scored Ramirez from second. At the time, it tied the game at 1-1.
Rocker’s outing ended with him retiring B.J. Murray on a pop-out to Sam Haggerty at second base.
Before the game, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said he wanted to see Rocker’s demeanor on the mound, whether he threw first-pitch strikes and whether he threw an effective change-up. Rocker only threw a first-pitch strike to two hitters in the first two innings as he faced the entire Cubs’ lineup.
“That’s a part that needs to be better,” Rocker said. “I need to build off this, but I was trying to be too fine on the first pitch.
He is also working on a change-up to add to his arsenal. Schumaker liked what he saw out of that pitch in live batting practices this week and he used that pitch to strike out Armstrong early in the game. Rocker’s confidence in the pitch is growing.
“It’s feeling good,” he said. “I’m getting good results from it. I just need to throw it more.”
Schumaker said that a quality change-up can make Rocker’s fastball a better pitch.
Rocker went 4-5 with a 5.74 ERA in 14 starts a season ago. He spent the second half of the season in the minor leagues to address control issues and his ability to control the run game.
