Baseball is a family business for this Rockie

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.

DENVER -- Aug. 18-20, 2023, are important dates on the calendar for Rockies right-handed starter Peter Lambert.

Those aren’t exactly target dates since Lambert, whose right elbow issues have limited him to two Major League appearances (and 14 in the Minors and Arizona Fall League) since his 19-game debut in 2019. He expects to complete his long comeback well before then.

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Lambert reported Monday morning that he has been throwing in Scottsdale, Ariz., and expects to be part of Colorado's rotation depth sooner than later in '23.

Those August dates, however, are important to Lambert and his older brother, Jimmy, a right-handed reliever for the White Sox, who will be paying a visit to Coors Field.

Peter debuted on June 6, 2019, by striking out nine -- a Rockies record for a pitcher in his first Major League game -- in a 3-1 victory over the Cubs. Jimmy, a Double-A pitcher for the White Sox at that time, was on the injured list and was able to make the trip to Wrigley Field with the rest of the Lambert family.

Jimmy debuted with the White Sox in 2020. He faced the Rockies three times in '22, twice in Denver and once in Chicago. Peter, however, was amid a long setback-filled season and could not be present at any of the games.

The goal is to have Lambert vs. Lambert in that August 2023 series.

“He had a great year,” Peter said of Jimmy, who made 42 appearances (including two starts) for the White Sox in 2022. “Pitching in the same game would be something, for sure. We’ve thought about it, especially with the new schedule, with every team playing every other team.”

For now, Peter, who turns 26 on April 18, is pushing to pitch in any Major League game.

“My arm feels great,” Lambert said. “With how the past couple days have gone for me, that’s most important. I’ve been working on my health, being able to withstand a full season, because I haven’t been able to do that.”

The Rockies have little rotation depth. With pitching at Denver's altitude at the bottom of most prime free agents' wish lists, and trades difficult to make, there is room for Lambert to contribute in 2023.