04-09-26 Jack Corrigan with KOA Sports

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Just truly remarkable as uh yesterday at the Rockies game
as they finished off sweeping the Astros for wins in
a row. There of course, in San Diego tonight, I
don't know if we're going to see a similar situation
with a bunch of Rockies fans guys taking their shirts
off and swinging around screaming one of us. But maybe
our next guest can tell us more about that as
we head out to the Kailee Common Spirit Health Outline

(00:21):
and bring on a voice the Rockies, Jack Corrigan. Jack,
you're on with Dave Logan, Ryan Edwards to Shelby Harris,
my friend. Good to catch up with you. How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I am good, thank you? And we were told by
Rockies personnel that that was the Ryan Edwards fan club.
I don't know if that was or not.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
But yeah, you know what that now it makes a
lot of sense to me, Jack swing shirts.

Speaker 4 (00:45):
Because they said one of us would changed your tire.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah that's right, Yeah it was flail shirts. Then I
could get it.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
But as side, hey, Jack's talking about that that topic,
when did you first sort of recognize that that group
sitting in the right field stands and is this something
as best you know that is going to be sort
of a constant a course field as the season goes on.

Speaker 4 (01:09):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I mean it was sort of one of those phenomenon, Dave,
that just sprang up. It surprised us, of course. The
only other well, we've had two other day games, but
I don't think on Easter Sunday there'd be a bunch
of guys going shirtless in the stands or Opening Day
we might not have noticed them. And it was a

(01:30):
little chilly on opening days, so it'll be interesting to see. Hey,
you know they had the bleacher bums and Wrigley. We'll
have the Ryan Edwards fan club in right field and
we'll see how it goes.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Hey, jach Shall be here here. Just the Rockies are
hot right now? You know this is this is a
feel good story. How how is everybody feeling about this?
Is it optimistic? Is it just waiting for the inevitable
to happen? Or what's going on?

Speaker 2 (01:59):
A Yeah, you know, Shelby and I always love talking
with you and Dave. You know, with that experience of
being in a professional locker room for a lot of years,
and I don't think it's phony by any sense of
the word. I think these guys have put the pass

(02:22):
behind them and they are just thinking about this year
and they are energized by their manager. They're energized by
the philosophy that they seem to be adapting on both
sides of the ball. Do they have enough talent? I mean,
we're going to find that out as the year goes on.
That's what the long baseball season does. But there's a

(02:46):
great deal of confidence in that clubhouse, and as we
all know, that can be a huge force moving somebody forward.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Let's impressed you the most, especially in the midst of
this four game streak. Is it the timely hitting. I
was very impressed with the nine walks they drew yesterday
in that win over the Astros. Is it some of
the pitching? Of course, the bullpen's been really really good.
What's impressed you the most?

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Well? From an offensive side, certainly the contributions to some
of the new guys.

Speaker 4 (03:17):
TJ.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Rumfield, even though he's a rookie, he did have all
those plate appearances for the last two years in Triple A.
He would have been in the big leagues last year
if he was in a different organization. I like how
he has gone about his business early on. There's no
doubt this team and they're still doing too much of it.

(03:38):
There's no doubt this team struck out way too often
last year. And nothing kills a rally than the inability
to at least move guys who are on base with
a good out. Strikeouts never do anything positive for an offense.
So I think the approach is better. I like the
aggressiveness on the basis from a pitching perspective. I just

(04:03):
think guys like the collaborative nature of the process, if
you will, I mean, they feel like they have some
ownership and what they want to do and have a
coaching staff that is more than willing to define the
elements that will make them better. And that's the kind

(04:24):
of response we've seen so far.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
You know, Jack had we had Walker montfort on with
us before the home opener, and he talked about, well,
he talked about a lot of things, but he talked
about sort of the plan in the offseason, and he
specifically talked about the hitting and putting guys on base
and as you said, being more aggressive, trying to create

(04:47):
opportunities to score runs. But I want to ask you,
in terms of the starting pitching with the exception of Freeland.
I mean there's some there's some new faces there, and
I want to I want to ask, do you think
think what two or three qualities were the Rockies front
office people looking for in terms of the veterans that

(05:09):
they brought on the staff. And I mean other than
a we've got guys that are willing to come here
to Denver and accept the challenge of pitching a course field.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Yeah, I mean that obviously, when you're talking about acquiring
veteran pitching help, there has to be some either because
of their circumstances or their interests, like a Michael Lorenzen
who is intrigued about the idea of trying to solid
corpse field. And we've seen in Michael's first two starts both,

(05:42):
you know, the difficult opening day when he gives up
nine runs in three innings and then the way he
pitched yesterday against a hot Houston lineup where he kept
them in control. And I think all three guys won't
saw a team ton of once. But Jose is going

(06:02):
to be back soon after the hamstring issue. I think
all three guys, first of all, are strike throwers, and secondly,
because of their experience Hexagana was one of the better
pitchers for a lot of years in Japan, So they
have an understanding, a more veteran approach on how to

(06:24):
keep the Rockies and ballgames. And when you had a
starting rotation last year, for example, guys that gave up
more first inning runs than any other team in baseball,
that makes it hard on a game in and game
out basis for your offense to feel like they can
have success. So those guys with a track record of

(06:45):
keeping their teams in games, I think was the approach
that Pauldy, Bodesta and Josh Burns had in acquiring that
trio of veterans to go along with Freelan and Feltner.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
Well, the point that you were making there and sort
of to drive it home a little bit, and something
Walker Momford talked to us about is that we don't
to throw strikes, like simply put. And it's a fascinating
point because you'd say, well, shouldn't pitchers always want to
throw strikes? But that's just I guess not Historically what
this pitching staff has been asked to do is that
what I have an understanding here.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Well, I think I mean, yes, you want to throw strikes.
You want to get ahead. I mean, how many times
have we seen a lead off walk lead to a
big inning for a team. I think the point is
you want to put yourself as a pitcher in position

(07:39):
where the hitter is a little bit more around the
defensive whether. I mean, you can look at the stats
and guys, you know, when it's an O two count
in baseball, including all the good hitters, I mean, the
cumulative batting average is down around a buck and a half,
you know, So the idea of get ahead is a

(07:59):
good thing. Less traffic and the bases, it still means
you've got to throw quality strikes. I mean, you're not
throwing it right down the middle of the play, you're
and Chase Snowlander is a good example of that. Last
year he threw strikes, they just weren't very good strikes.
This year a much better game plan in terms of
how to use his pitches effectively.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
Hey, my last question here is pretty much what this
newfound success that the Rockies have had, does that change
to the expectations that they have for the season. Obviously,
we when we talked to Walker Montfort, it was well,
but like, let's just play and see we're already got
We already have six wins. And I know it's a
long season, we already have six wins and that's a way,

(08:43):
you know, way quicker time to get there than it
what took last year. So what I guess all the
expectations now this team, since they've already blown expectations of
last year out the water. So now what what is
what is his team about this year?

Speaker 2 (08:58):
Well, the good thing, you know, baseball from a historical perspective, Shelby,
that's held through pretty much for the one hundred and
twenty five plus years in Major League Baseball. See where
a team is at the quarter pole, to use a
horse racing term, be forty games in, you know, and

(09:19):
now you've started to see a little bit of a rhythm,
a consistency or an inconsistency. That's probably going to be
your challenge for the rest of the year. And I
mean referencing last year wasn't quite the quarter pole, but
I mean they were five and twenty five. I mean

(09:40):
they knew they were already sunk. This year, I think
it's hey, we like what we're doing. We're going to
keep grinding a way and if hey come June we're
still in that five hundred range. Well, okay, let's see
where we can go. If not, you're still learning and
building from the struggles over the last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
All right, My last one here is Jimmy Hergy going
tonight is starting. It's expected to be a bullpen kind
of game. What does that mean to you? I mean especially,
I mean we saw that, I guess the second game
of the Philly series. So is it kind of like
that as they're taking on Randy Basquez and the Padres.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Yeah, I mean you're you're without Keen Tana, So how
are you going to handle it? Are you going to
throw Sensitela or Dolander in there for a spot start,
or are you going to go with the opener approach?
Based on their lineups? They went with Bernardino against the Phillies,
get seized the lefty out there, and you had Schwarber

(10:40):
and Harper at the top of the lineup tonight, all
those good right handed hitters for San Diego. So you're
going to put You're gonna put Jimmy in, who has
been as consistent as any of the Rockies relievers both
seasons that he's been in Purple you know last year
and so far this year, and you've keep a Chase

(11:01):
no Lander in that same routine he's in now. He'll
get get the bulk of the innings tonight, and if
he pitches like he did against the Phillies, then it
helps keep the Rockies in the game. And you're still
not putting the pressure on him of say, hey, you're
back in the rotation, you got to do this. I
think they're letting him grow both physically and mentally by

(11:24):
being in that role, and right now, through a couple
of efforts, it looks like a good plan.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
Certainly does. Jack always appreciate the time, my friend, looking
forward to the call tonight. Let's keep this thing going.
We appreciate it, sir.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
Thank you, my pleasure anytime. Guys, talk to you soon.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
Josh are right boys, the Rockies. Jack Horrigan