Reed tames Coors with guile, not power

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A sign hanging in the Colorado Rockies clubhouse has two pictures of pitcher Steve Reed.

On the left is a shot of Reed flexing his muscles above the year 2003. The picture on the right has the same pose, but it's doctored to make Reed look like a bodybuilder and has "2004, Bigger, Better, Faster" underneath it.

The sign is meant as a jab at Reed and his aging body, but it also gets to the core of what has made him so successful at Coors Field for so long: bigger isn't always better.

"A lot of the problems these days is that these guys are getting too big," Reed said Saturday. "The weights are good and I lift them, but there are some pitchers who take it to another level and they lose some flexibility. I don't feel like I need to push, push, push, push."

It's hard to argue with the results.

With a sinker that's perfectly suited for keeping balls out of the thin air in Denver and a sidearm delivery that takes strain off his shoulder, Reed has become the most reliable reliever on the Rockies' staff.

The right-hander, who will turn 38 next month, has steered clear of the disabled list his entire 12-year career and has never even iced his shoulder. Reed and Dan Plesac are the only two pitchers to appear in 50 games the last 11 seasons and he's Colorado's all-time leader in appearances at 396.

"I guess when you talk to physiology people they'll tell you the natural motion of throwing a baseball is underhand," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "And with his low delivery maybe that has helped him with his longevity. He has obviously found ways to achieve the potential he thought had going in and probably overachieve in a lot of areas."

Particularly at Coors Field.

Most pitchers dread taking the mound at the hitter's haven, but Reed has embraced it in two stints with the Rockies.

He's 11-6 with six saves in 147 career games at Coors, mostly as a setup man, and is the only pitcher with at least 100 innings there to have an ERA under 4.00 (3.19).

Last season, Reed picked up where he left off at Coors, going 5-3 with a 3.27 ERA after a five-year absence.

"It's like he has a key under his hat or something," Rockies reliever Turk Wendell said.

The real key is staying aggressive and understanding that big innings are going to happen at Coors.

Many pitchers come into Coors Field and feel like they have to change their approach to counteract the thin air and spacious outfield. As a result, they get behind hitters and wind up either walking them or get into a position where they're forced to throw strikes.

Not Reed. He goes after hitters from the start and isn't worried about giving up a homer or two. After seven seasons of pitching at Coors, Reed knows the big innings are caused by the runners that get on before the homers.

"You can't put extra guys on base by walking guys and you can't have a fear of giving up the home run," Reed said. "My thing is to pitch ahead there and not get yourself in any more trouble than you have to because, man, it can snowball in a hurry. I've seen it over seven years, guys getting killed there."

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