PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Hoffman’s presumed role as a spot starter was to fly into Philly from Triple-A Albuquerque, gobble up some innings and give the Rockies a solid chance to win.
Instead, Hoffman pitched like an ace in Colorado’s 8-1 romp over the Phillies Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. Now the ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft just might be knocking on the door to Colorado’s starting rotation.
The rookie right-hander, mixing his 93-94 mph fastball with an 82-83 mph slider, and unafraid to unleash his 77-78 mph curve in big moments, pitched seven innings of three-hit baseball.