Rockies’ Peter Lambert pitches to return to starter role

No. 1 on Peter Lambert’s wish list: He wants to keep pitching in the majors. No. 1A on Lambert’s wish list: He wants to be a starter in the majors.

For now, the Rockies right-hander will remain in the bullpen, but Lambert’s second wish might be granted if he continues to shine.

Lambert was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque before Wednesday night’s game and pitched in long relief, coming in for starter Dakota Hudson. Lambert shut down the Brewers for 4 1/3 innings, giving up no runs on two hits. He walked none and fanned two.

“I feel great and I would love to start,” Lambert said Thursday. “I’m here, I’m happy I’m here, and I want to be here, whether that’s in the rotation or in the bullpen. I had a chance to start (earlier in the season), and I struggled a little bit. I have to fight back from that.”

Lambert has been an outstanding reliever, going 2-2 with a 2.00 ERA in 13 appearances. Friday, he became the 11th pitcher in franchise history to pitch at least 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

But in three starts, he was 0-2 with a 16.39 ERA. He acknowledged that he’s got to be better at damage control.

“Two of those three starts were very weird,” Lambert said. “They had blow-up innings that kind of spiraled out of control on me. It’s easy to look back and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to slow yourself down in that situation.’ But it’s a little harder when you are actually in that situation.

“I think that’s the most important thing (to remember). You can try too hard and actually make the game harder than it is. That’s a really big (lesson) for me.”

After Wednesday night’s game, manager Bud Black was asked if Lambert had entered the conversation to move into the starting rotation.

“We’ll talk about it for sure,”  Black said. “Peter was outstanding. Just the two hits, threw a ton of strikes, very efficient. (He) pitched with his fastball, changeup was good. Peter was excellent.”

But the looming question is who Lambert might replace. Veteran right-hander German Marquez, returning from Tommy John surgery, will likely make two more rehab starts with Double-A Hartford and rejoin the rotation late this month.

Right-handers Ryan Feltner (1-7, 5.60 ERA) and Dakota Hudson (2-12, 5.84) have both struggled, but it remains to be seen if Lambert could bump either of them from the rotation.

Rolison’s comeback. Left-hander Ryan Rolison, Colorado’s first-round pick in 2018 out of Ole Miss, is taking small steps toward a return. He pitched two innings of scoreless relief for Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday night. He has not allowed a run in three appearances (5.0 innings) with the Isotopes.

Chronic shoulder injuries have derailed Rolison’s career, and surgery wiped out his 2022 season. He started a comeback in 2023 and has pitched at three levels this season: Arizona Complex League, High-A Spokane and Triple-A Albuquerque. He turns 27 on July 11 but has yet to make his MLB debut.

Bullpen blues. The Rockies’ bullpen has been a disaster this season, as its major league-high 5.66 ERA illustrates. Compounding the situation is the bullpen’s ninth-inning woes. Entering Thursday’s game, Colorado has lost seven times this year when entering the ninth inning with a lead, the most in the majors.

The Rockies’ bullpen owns an 8.30 ERA in the ninth, the highest ninth-inning ERA of any team since the statistic was first recorded in 1974.