LOS ANGELES — Ryan Feltner stood on the iconic Dodgers Stadium grass and handed his Dad a signed baseball. Then he embraced him into a big hug.
After a long year, Feltner could finally exhale.
His season will be remembered as essentially his first full one in the major leagues, one that saw him go from a spot starter to a steady part of the Rockies' rotation. But it was also a season of struggles and tough lessons as he tried to adjust to big league life on the fly.
"There were some tough moments in this season," Feltner said. "I worked through them. I got a lot of really good feedback, it was just good to put it together at the end."
Feltner was still raw when he debuted a year ago, and wasn't a polished product yet when they added him to their rotation this year. After spot starting in the beginning of the season, the team decided to give the rookie a shot, pushing Austin Gomber to a reliever role mid-season to clear the space for Feltner to take the mound every five days.
Feltner still has a ways to go. He ends his season with a 5.83 ERA, and he gave up four or more runs in eight of the 19 games he started.
On Tuesday, though, he ended his season by pitching six innings against the Dodgers. He gave up only two runs against one of the best lineups in the majors, getting himself out of his own jams, including a long third inning. He gave up a double, single and a walk to open that inning to let in a run, but got back on track by striking out Mookie Betts on a 3-2 slider.
A less-experienced Feltner would have let that inning snowball out of control. But he composed himself, and got out of it without allowing anymore damage.
"For Feltner, a really big year of learning," manager Bud Black said. "It was a really good step for him today."
To get Feltner to this point, they used every side session to pound him with information. They started with his delivery, then moved on to other mechanical changes. He worked closely with pitching coach Darryl Scott and closer Daniel Bard, who helped him get his sinker into shape. Feltner, primarily a four-seam fastball guy in lower levels, starting implementing that pitch more around the All-Star break and now uses it around 20 percent of the time.
After the sinker was where they wanted it to be, they had him add a sweeping slider in addition to the more-traditional form he was using before.
"Changing my identity mid-season, and just being able to trust what my coaches and teammates were telling me, was big," Feltner said. "I'm just glad I was able to make that adjustment."
The Rockies lack pitching depth that's near the majors, and acquiring free agents at that position has never been their forte. They have three — Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela — under contract for next year. Gomber too, as Black said he'll enter spring training as a starter. That leaves one spot open, unless moves are made, for Feltner next year.
"Hopefully I'm in the rotation, that's my goal," he said. "I try not to do too much concerning myself with that type of thing. I'm going to do what I can do in the offseason to set myself up for that position."
Gomber to start Wednesday
Austin Gomber will take the mound on Wednesday for the Rockies' last game of the season. It'll be his first since July 17. Since he hasn't built up to full starting length, the Rockies would likely use Gomber as an opener and build from there.
Noah Davis, who has been with the Rockies' since Friday as part of their taxi squad, was activated on Tuesday. He was called up last month, but did not get into a game. Chad Kuhl was placed on the injured list with a right triceps strain.