Francis earned his third win of the season with a seven-strikeout performance against the Cubs on Tuesday. He banged his knee while sliding on the bases during that outing. Francis went 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in eight starts before landing on the DL.
Jeff Francis finally earns second win
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/15/2013) Rockies starter Jeff Francis picked up his first win since April 5 on Tuesday night against the Cubs. He allowed one run on three hits over six innings of work in a 9-4 victory. Francis also struck out seven and walked one.
The left-hander surrendered a solo homer to Darwin Barney in the fifth for his lone damage.
Francis (2-3) was done after six because he banged his knee while sliding on the bases. Manager Walt Weiss told the Denver Post he thinks the 32-year-old should be fine for his next start, which is scheduled for Sunday against the Giants.
When Francis faced San Francisco on April 10, he allowed four runs over 1 2/3 innings in a loss.
Jeff Francis suffers third loss
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (5/9/2013) Rockies starter Jeff Francis suffered his third loss of the season despite having his start cut short due to a rain delay Thursday afternoon against the Yankees.
Francis (1-3), who made his seventh start of the year, surrendered a run-scoring single to Vernon Wells in the opening frame and gave up a sacrifice fly in the fourth before his outing ended. The left-hander permitted two runs and four hits over four innings of work in a 3-1 defeat. He struck out three and walked two on 64 pitches, 39 for strikes.
Francis has not won a decision since his first start of the season on April 5. He has watched his ERA rise from 1.50 to 6.90 over that span (six starts).
The 32-year-old will try to get back on track on the road Tuesday against the Cubs. He has not faced the Cubs since 2010. He struck out five and gave up two runs over six innings of work in his last meeting against Chicago. Francis is 0-1 with a 8.10 ERA on the road this season.
Jeff Francis hit hard in no-decision
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (5/4/2013) Rockies starter Jeff Francis was hit hard but did not factor into the decision of Friday's contest against the Rays.
Francis, who made his sixth start of the year, gave up two runs in the third and served up a two-run home run to Desmond Jennings in the fifth. The left-hander was charged with four runs and five hits in four innings of work in a 7-4 defeat. He struck out three and walked one in 86 pitches, 51 strikes.
Francis lowered his ERA to 7.27. He is scheduled to start Thursday at home against the Yankees. The 32-year-old has allowed 17 runs in 18 1/3 innings of work at Coors Field.
Jeff Francis settles for no-decision on three days rest
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (4/27/2013) Rockies starter Jeff Francis, who pitched on three days rest, turned in a decent outing but did not factor in the decision at Arizona Saturday night.
The 32-year-old ran into trouble early, surrendering a solo home run to A.J. Pollock and a run-scoring triple to Cody Ross in the first inning. The left-hander settled down after that and finished giving up two runs and four hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked one in 83 pitches, 55 for strikes.
Francis has a 7.29 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. His next start is Friday at home against the Rays.
Jeff Francis to pitch on three days rest
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/24/2013) The Rockies announced Wednesday that starter Jeff Francis will pitch on three days of rest and take the mound next Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
The left-hander threw 75 pitches during Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Braves.
Pitching coach Jim Wright told MLB.com the decision was made before Tuesday's outing and Francis will not be on a pitch limit Saturday.
"He volunteered to be the guy to do that," Wright said. "A month ago, he said, 'If there's ever a time you need somebody to come back, I'm capable of doing it.' And that's not why we did it, but knowing he has done it in the past with some proficiency, he was the likely candidate."
Francis has gone 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in eight career starts on three days rest.
Jeff Francis serves up the long ball in loss
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/23/2013) Rockies starter Jeff Francis had another short outing in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Braves. He allowed four runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- over four innings of a 4-3 loss.
Francis surrendered a solo homer to Justin Upton in the first and atwo-run shot to Dan Uggla in the second. Then Evan Gattis led off the fourth with a homer.
The 32-year-old lefty was done after throwing 75 pitches, 45 for strikes with five strike outs and two walks. It was his second loss.
Francis' next start is Sunday against the Diamondbacks.
Braves-Rockies hit with snow delay
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (4/22/2013) The series opener between the Atlanta Braves and host Colorado Rockies was postponed Monday because of a snowstorm and will be made up as part of a split doubleheader Tuesday. The teams are expected to keep their rotation on schedule with Atlanta's Mike Minor and Colorado's Jeff Francis, the listed probables Monday, moving to the first game on Tuesday.
Jeff Francis struggles in no-decision
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/17/2013) Rockies starter Jeff Francis was ineffective in his start against the Mets in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader. He allowed eight runs (six earned) on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings.
The left-hander gave up three runs over the first four frames before running into trouble in the fifth. In that inning, Francis put the first three men on before Marlon Byrd hit a two-run single. Then after another walk, New York put together back-to-back run-scoring hits, chasing Francis from the game. The bullpen allowed an inherited runner to score.
Francis, who struck out four and walked four, left after 93 pitches and was on the hook for the loss but his teammates were able to battle back to tie the game.
His next start is scheduled for Monday against the Braves.
Rockies announce starters for doubleheader
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/15/2013) With Monday's contest against the Mets being postponed due to snow, the Rockies announced Juan Nicasio will start Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader, the Denver Post reports.
Jeff Francis, who was scheduled to start Tuesday, will pitch in the nightcap.
Jeff Francis can't make it out of second
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/10/2013) Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis had a solid outing in his season debut but got roughed up by the Giants in Wednesday's series finale in San Francisco.
The left-hander allowed seven runs on seven hits with four walks over 1 2/3 innings in the 10-0 loss.
Francis gave up an RBI triple to Buster Posey and a run-scoring single to Joaquin Arias in the first before really running into trouble in the second.
In that frame, he was tagged with a five-spot and was chased from the contest after Andres Torres drove in two with a single.
Francis, who also struck out two, threw 34 of his 60 pitches for strikes while taking his first loss.
His next start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Mets. Francis allowed one run over five innings in his lone start against New York last season.
Jeff Francis has successful debut
by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (4/5/2013) A year ago, Rockies starting pitcher Jeff Francis dreaded pitching at home, posting a 6.96 ERA in 12 starts at Coors Field. If 2013 is going to be better for him, he certainly got off to a promising start Friday against the Padres.
Francis limited the light-hitting Padres to just one earned run in six innings of work. He allowed two hits and a stolen base in the first inning to bring in a run. He silenced the Padres from then on, allowing five hits overall, while striking out five batters and walking just one. Francis earned the win, in a 5-2 game.
A year ago, Francis had just one start at home that went at least six innings, and it was against these same Padres. He is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday against the Giants in San Francisco. Francis went 0-3 against the Giants last season with a 10.03 ERA, however he held them to just two runs in five innings of work in his lone start at AT&T Park.
Jeff Francis posts quality start in final spring outing
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (3/30/2013) Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis turned in a quality start in his final game of the spring Saturday, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two batters in six innings. Both runs came off solo home runs by the Mariners.
Francis ended Cactus League play with a 2.76 ERA and 15:3 K:BB ratio in 29 1/3 innings. He's scheduled to face the Padres on Friday in his first start of the regular season.
Jeff Francis sporting 2.70 ERA this spring
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/26/2013) Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis made his sixth appearance of the Cactus League Monday night against the Indians. He allowed three runs on nine hits over five innings. The left-hander also struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Francis, who will start the home opener for Colorado, has a 2.70 through 23 1/3 innings this spring with 13 strikeouts and two walks.
Jeff Francis upping his tempo
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/20/2013) Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis got some work in against a team of Cubs' minor-league players Wednesday. He allowed two runs and struck out eight and walked none.
The left-hander threw 67 of his 82 pitches for strikes and told the Denver Post that he plans to work on his tempo leading to his first start of the regular season, which is scheduled for April 5 against the Padres.
“It was good,” Francis said. “I worked on a lot of things like tempo and hitting the glove.”
Jeff Francis to start home opener
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/18/2013) The Rockies announced on Monday that Jeff Francis will start the home opener at Coors Field against the Padres on April 5. Francis has a 1.96 ERA through five Cactus League outings with 10 strikeouts and just two walks in 18 1/3 innings.
Francis went 3-4 with a 6.96 ERA in 12 starts at Coors Field last season.
Jeff Francis stays sharp vs. Reds
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (3/16/2013) Rockies lefty Jeff Francis turned in solid outing in Friday's contest against the Reds in Cactus League play.
Francis, who made his fourth start in the spring, tossed five scoreless innings and allowed just four hits in a 5-1 victory. He also struck out three and did not issue a walk as he improved his ERA to 1.96 in five outings this spring.
"I think I got away with a few the first couple of innings and I was overthrowing a bit," Francis said. "But my last two innings, especially, I was really sharp."
Francis, who has kept his opponents scoreless in 18 of his 19 innings this spring, is competing for the final starting spot in the rotation.
Francis finally hit around
(3/10/2013) After throwing nine scoreless frames to begin the spring, Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis finally had a rough outing in Sunday's Cactus League contest against the Dodgers. He allowed four runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings. Francis also struck out two and walked two while seeing his spring ERA rise to 2.70. "The first four innings I was really happy," Francis said. "In the fifth, I don't know if it was getting tired or having traffic on bases, but I just started missing by quite a bit. The next time I get to that point, I'll be better conditioned to do it."
Francis still unscathed this spring
(3/5/2013) Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis has thrown thrown six scoreless innings so far this spring and had another solid outing in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs. He did not allow a run over four innings work and gave up just one hit. The left-hander also struck out four with no walks. "The results were really good today, but there are still some things with my fastball command I'm missing on, and I think was able to make up for that with some good off-speed pitches when I was behind in the count," Francis told MLB.com. "You have to be as hard on yourself as you can and make sure that you're getting ready to do the things that will help you succeed in the season."
Francis remains untouched
by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (2/28/2013) Rockies starting pitcher Jeff Francis tossed his second straight scoreless effort to begin the spring training season Thursday. Francis allowed three hits in three innings of work against the Reds, but held them scoreless with one strikeout. He has now tossed five scoreless innings to being Cactus League action.
Francis 'efficient' in opener
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (2/24/2013) Rockies starting pitcher Jeff Francis yielded two hits in two scoreless innings during Colorado's 8-6 loss to Arizona in a Cactus League contest Sunday. Francis earned the start, but did not record a strikeout as he prepares for his second season in his second stint with the Rockies. His two hits allowed were singles and he did not issues a walk. "Two quiet innings and very efficient," manager Walt Weiss said. "A great job."
Francis believes he can be better
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (2/13/2013) Colorado pitcher Jeff Francis believes he still has plenty left in the tank, reports MLB.com Wednesday. "No doubt," Francis said. "I don't think I could be here if I expected myself to go 6-7 with a five and a half ERA. There's not a day that goes by when I don't work to be the best I can be. I'm not what I was back then, but that doesn't mean I can't get people out. I know I can. I know I can win games for this team and be a leader for some of the younger pitchers. That's what we're here to do."
