With pressure off, Gomber pitches 6 strong in win

NEW YORK -- Left-hander Austin Gomber and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar provided the spark that helped the Rockies defeat the Mets, 5-2, at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon.

Gomber had his second straight quality start, while Tovar had the first three-hit game of his career.

Gomber showed once again that he can be a reliable starter for the Rockies. He pitched six solid innings, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out three batters.

It looked like New York was going to get to Gomber early in the game. The Mets plated two runs in the first three innings, but Gomber settled down and allowed one hit over his final three.

"We knew that Gomber was coming off a good outing,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “We knew he was a lot better than what he had shown [earlier in the season]. So we kind of caught that on the uptick."

Gomber said the Mets made him work hard. He felt he made a lot of pitches that New York fought off.

“They had some weak hits and some hard hits,” Gomber said. “I was kind of, like, battling all day. I never felt there was a point in the game where I could take a breath.”

Gomber has now won three consecutive decisions and allowed three runs in his last 17 innings (1.59 ERA). This is the same pitcher who allowed 22 earned runs in his first 16 1/3 innings of the season. What has Gomber done to give opponents fits these days?

“I think the sharpness and the crispness of his secondary pitches along with the uptick in velocity have all worked together,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “I think, mainly, it’s fastball command and throwing strikes.”

Gomber has also improved his mental approach to games. He acknowledged that he had some anxiety issues earlier in the season and was putting a lot of pressure on himself because he was a big part of the February 2021 trade that sent third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals. Since admitting the pressure was getting to him, Gomber has been lights out in three starts.

“I feel I’m in a good spot right now, physically and mentally. We try to take it day by day and try to stay there. There is always stuff to improve on,” Gomber said. “It's definitely nice to go out and give the team a chance to win.”

Gomber felt once he was able to get feelings about the Arenado trade off his chest, it allowed him to be better physically.

“Getting it off your chest was the biggest thing, and having the support from the organization and all the guys in the locker room was the other piece of that,” Gomber said. "I feel good with where I’m at. I feel good about the club we have. I’m excited.”

On the offensive side, the Rockies have a lot to be excited about when it comes to Tovar, who was the team’s top prospect before graduating from prospect status on Monday. Of his three hits, the biggest blow came in the sixth inning when he hit a two-run homer down the left-field line off right-hander Stephen Nogosek to increase the Rockies’ lead to three.

“First of all, we got the win,” Tovar said. “Everyone did their part today.”

During the month of May, Tovar is 6-for-17 (.353 average) with two home runs and five RBIs. It helps that he is not chasing pitches as much as he was earlier in the season. The biggest thing for Tovar is staying aggressive and being selective in the batter’s box.

“He is chasing less. He is seeing the ball closer to him. He made some adjustments mechanically to allow him to use his ability to hit the ball hard,” said Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens. “Before the game, in-game, all day long, we are trying to get him to understand that he has to slow down chasing so he can get better pitches to hit. Slowly but surely, he is getting there.”

With the victory, the Rockies have won five out of their last six games. Black thinks his team is feeling confident.

“We have to keep going. We can’t stop. We need right-hander Ryan Feltner to pitch a good game on Sunday,” the skipper said. “The defense is a component that has shown up the last couple of weeks. If you do that, you pitch, you are going to be in games.”