Chase

Dollander

The rookie right-hander also walked a pair while striking out three batters on the night. The Royals scratched out single runs against him in the second and third innings, then broke the game open with three more while chasing Dollander in the fifth — the final two on a two-run double by Salvador Perez. The 23-year-old hurler got seven whiffs on 92 pitches on the afternoon, registering a CSW of 18 percent. He’ll carry a troublesome 7.91 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and a 21/7 K/BB ratio (19 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Braves.

Dollander tossed a clean first inning, then surrendered a two-run shot to Dylan Crews in the second. Josh Bell followed with a solo homer in the fourth inning. A pair of misplays in the infield got Dollander into more trouble, brining a run in before James Wood took him deep for a three-run blast. Hollander was sent back out for the fifth and gave up another two-run homer to Crews before leaving with no outs. The 23-year-old right-hander has certainly flashed excellent upside, but he’s going to run into days like this pitching in Coors. He’ll take a 7.36 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and an 18/5 K/BB ratio across 14 2/3 innings into a start against the Royals in Kansas City on Thursday.

The game will be made up Sunday with a split doubleheader. MacKenzie Gore and Chase Dollander were scheduled to start for the Nats and Rockies, respectfully, and both will all-but-assuredly make starts later in the weekend instead.

Dollander pitched well, and allowed just three hits. Two of those hits were solo homers by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jason Heyward, but still a very strong second-career start for the 23-year-old. Unfortunately, the Rockies gave him a goose egg for support, so it’s his first ever loss. Dollander will face the Nationals in Colorado over the weekend.

The 23-year-old right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the afternoon while allowing only one base on balls. Dollander struggled to keep the ball in the yard on Sunday, as he served up a two-run homer to Tyler Soderstrom in the opening inning and a long solo blast to Lawrence Butler in the fifth. He got 10 swings and misses on 79 pitches on the day — four of those on his fastball which averaged 97.8 mph — while registering a CSW of 24 percent. He’ll look to build off of a strong debut when he takes on the Padres in San Diego on Saturday.

It’s official. Dollander, one of the top pitching prospects in the minor leagues, is set to face the Athletics in his MLB debut Sunday. Expectations should be kept in check with the 23-year-old right-hander as he’ll have to pitch in Coors Field with a mediocre lineup and bullpen to support him. Dollander is an interesting fantasy asset, though, for his ability to miss bats.

Rockies manager Bud Black confirmed the decision in front of reporters Friday. Dollander is widely considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and checked in as the 41st-ranked prospect (205th overall) in Rotoworld’s latest dynasty rankings update. the former first-rounder has whiffed 174 batters in 122 career minor-league innings. The Coors Field factor amplifies the risk with Dollander because of where he’ll be pitching, the lack of a quality lineup behind him and just being a young pitcher in baseball, but his ability to miss bats makes him well worth consideration against the majority of fantasy formats.

On the plus side, Dollander did pile up six strikeouts in the ballgame while issuing only one free pass. The 23-year-old hurler served up a pair of home runs in this one — a solo shot to Jackson Chourio in the opening inning and a two-run blast to Vinny Capra in the fourth. The Rockies’ top pitching prospect concludes Cactus League play with a troublesome 7.13 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 24 punchouts over 17 2/3 innings. He’ll work through his issues at the Triple-A level before getting a shot with the Rockies at some point later in the season.

Dollander’s quest to solve the formidable Coors Field challenge will have to wait a bit longer. The 23-year-old top prospect flashed top-of-the-rotation stuff in Cactus League outings, but the Rockies aren’t ready to put him in their season-opening rotation. He’ll open the year back at Triple-A Albuquerque for some additional seasoning and should be ready to make his highly-anticipated MLB debut by midseason, if not sooner.

Gomber is dealing with soreness in his left shoulder, and hasn’t been able to pitch since the start of March. Chase Dollander would be the most exciting potential replacement from a fantasy perspective, but Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports Dollander is likely to begin the season in Triple-A. Gomber is expected back relatively soon, but he’s not someone you ideally want on a fantasy roster no matter when he returns.