The Rockies’ signing of Ureña to a Minor League contract on May 16 -- after the Brewers released him because they didn’t have the starting rotation spot he coveted -- was not the product of an alphabet soup of statistical computations.
In the sixth inning of Colorado’s 6-5 loss to the Padres on Monday night at Coors Field, Ureña flashed the athleticism, grit and pitch-making that could make him an intriguing rotation piece for a team trying to find its way.
Down, 2-1, with one out and one runner on base, Ureña pounced on C.J. Abrams’ topper on the third-base side in an attempt to prevent a hit, but he collided with third baseman Ryan McMahon and slipped awkwardly. But he followed that by forcing a José Azocar double-play grounder on his final pitch.
Ureña held a strong lineup to two runs -- one on Jake Cronenworth’s solo homer to open the third inning -- and seven hits in six innings. Ureña, who had four relief appearances with the Brewers (3.52 ERA) and needed a build-up period at the Rockies’ complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., and five Triple-A appearances to be ready for the Majors, has given up just three runs and 12 hits in 12 2/3 innings in his first two Rockies starts.
There is some familiarity in Colorado. Bench coach Mike Redmond was Ureña’s manager at Class A and in the Majors during his early career with the Marlins, for whom Ureña pitched from 2015-20 before spending last year with the Tigers. Bullpen coach Reid Cornelius also worked with him with the Marlins when Ureña debuted.
And Black knows a pitcher when he sees one.
“From his end, it was the opportunity to start in a solid organization that he’d heard about and wanted to be a part of,” Black said. “From our end, he’s a guy with experience. I talked about the makeup and the guy and the competitor we saw last week -- good stuff, and he came right on top of that again with good stuff.
“A mid-90s fastball with sink, a few good sliders, a couple changeups. I really like that he kept the ball down, keeps the ball down, elevates at times. He struck out [Trent] Grisham with a high fastball. He pitched like I remember seeing him in Miami.”
The Rockies’ rotation since 2017 -- when Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela debuted and thrived -- has been mostly homegrown. But with Ryan Feltner on a rehab assignment for a rhomboid strain, Peter Lambert recuperating from a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid the healing of his surgically repaired elbow and prospects either recuperating from injury or simply not ready, the Rockies can turn to homegrown pitchers only so much.
Over the past two years, they’ve added lefty Austin Gomber in a trade with the Cardinals and signed Chad Kuhl as a free agent after he left the Pirates in search of a starting opportunity.
Ureña is the latest pitcher with some experience looking to blossom in Colorado.
“The first thing is I’m healthy,” Ureña said. “That’s the main thing -- keep healthy and trust myself in the process.”
Ureña handled traffic in the fifth inning (Cronenworth and Manny Machado singles to lead it off) and the sixth with the clear-headedness the Rockies anticipated.
In relief, Lucas Gilbreath gave up his first earned run since May 30, Machado’s seventh-inning solo shot. Then Jake Bird had a blip on what has been a solid debut when he hung a curve to Abrams and gave up a three-run homer in the eighth. The Rockies saw their 10-game Coors win streak over the Padres end.
Ureña will keep trying to put the Rockies in position to win games.
“Every time, I get more into rhythm,” Ureña said. “That’s the thing I look for -- putting myself in a good position and helping the team where they need me, as a starter.”