Lawrence confident in Rockies' future

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The last week-plus of Rockies games have featured colorful finishes, with the team’s fans left seeing red. So it’s OK to admit the blood rushed to your face when the Orioles’ Anthony Santander blasted a pitch from Justin Lawrence high and to right field in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon.

The Rockies’ last six losses, including in the previous six games, came despite leading in the sixth inning or later. With the score tied when Lawrence threw the pitch, maybe you turned your eyes away when the ball came off Santander’s bat.

Lawrence didn’t look, either. But he knew before most.

“The location of the pitch, and the type of pitch it was, I knew if he got the barrel to it, it was going to do exactly that -- it was going to be a loud strike, that he wasn’t going to be able to keep that fair,” Lawrence said.

The fact Lawrence didn’t crane his neck to make sure, and didn’t noticeably gasp, was an indication that he had his confidence, despite bearing the brunt of the Rockies’ late-inning woes. Lawrence finished the game, and the Rockies had a streak-breaking 4-3 victory -- their only win in the six-game road trip against American League East title chasers Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

Sunday’s loss left the Orioles up by two games over the Rays.

“It was exciting,” Lawrence said. “Man, the crowds the last three days were incredible -- to get to experience that, to pitch in a meaningful inning. We just played two of the best teams in the AL. They’re in there with every pitch.

“It’s fun. It’s exciting. It tells me I want to play this game for a long time and really get to experience those crowds for a long time. Between the guys we have now and the guys we have coming up in the next couple of years, it’s going to happen quickly. It’s going to be surprising to a lot of people, but it’s going to be exciting and I hope I’m a part of it.”

The crowds have been strong at Coors considering the Rockies’ 49-81 record, but they’re not feeling postseason hopes on the line with each pitch -- which is what Lawrence and the increasingly young Rockies crave. To reach that point, players like Lawrence have to overcome their recent struggles.

Lawrence earned the win on Sunday but still has blown five of his last eight save chances. Before Sunday, he gave up eight earned runs in his previous three games, covering 2 1/3 innings.

For much of the skid, it was a combination of pitches just missing and hitters with good approaches. Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., Lawrence saw a two-run lead in the ninth disappear with three weakly hit balls.

After the 10-inning loss, Lawrence sat heartsick in front of his locker.

“If that happens in the midst of five or six scoreless, you brush it off,” Lawrence said. “‘OK, whatever. Soft hit here. Soft hit there. It’s part of the game.’

“If that happens after a couple of tough outings in a row, that’s when you really have to look back and say, ‘Don’t let this snowball. Your stuff is good. Your stuff has been good all year. Don’t let a bad week affect the rest of the season.’”