The Rockies Are Handing the Ball to the Right Pitcher at the Right Time

The Colorado Rockies have the best chance at ending their losing streak by sending this experienced starter to the mound.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) throws against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies return home to Coors Field to take on the visiting Chicago Cubs, who just lost two out of three to the Rockies' NL West division foe, the San Francisco Giants. Speaking of losing, Colorado has dropped its last four and enters the game 24-42.

While it's already looking like the Rockies won't be in any sort of playoff conversation again, these games are still important for the team to mesh together. The young core has a promising future with several players coming into their own, but they'll turn to a veteran of the game to try to end the losing streak.

Tomoyuki Sugano is Rockies Best Option Right Now

Colorado Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches at Coors Field. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The 36-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano is scheduled to open the series against the Cubs on Tuesday, making his first start since going five innings against the Los Angeles Angels, earning his fifth win of the season. One thing is for sure: the Cubs are no Angels.

Sugano is going to have to bring his A-game to beat Chicago, which is looking to keep itself afloat, nearing a .500 record. The best way Sugano can navigate this Cubs lineup is by relying on his off-speed, specifically his split change.

According to Baseball Savant, Sugano uses his splitter to generate the most swings and misses of any other pitch he throws, securing a 26.7% whiff rate on the pitch, and it is used as his putaway pitch just over 18% of the time.

One pitch that Sugano hasn't used much this year has been his curveball; however, it's the second-best pitch at putting away hitters, generating a 14.3% put away percentage in 58 pitches thrown. One pitch he'll need to better locate, or just not rely on much, is his sinker, as opponents are hitting .362 on that pitch alone.

Tomoyuki Sugano, Dirty 81mph Curveball. 😨 pic.twitter.com/SZy9qrPIba

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 23, 2026

Coors Field has been semi-friendly to Sugano this season, but the ERA is a tad bloated for a home starter at a 4.50 ERA. Sugano is a flyball pitcher, and fly balls love to fly in Colorado, as the MLB world knows.

If one thing is on the side of the Rockies, it's that the Cubs' offense hasn't been as explosive as of late, with the highest number of runs scored in June sitting at seven. Colorado's offense must give Sugano run support if they want to get back into the win column, because the better the offense, the longer Sugano gets to stay in the game (typically goes around five innings).