Rockies get lefty reliever Joe Beimel from Nationals for 2 minor league pitchers

Nationals ship Beimel to Rockies for 2 pitchers

DENVER — The Colorado Rockies beefed up their injury-riddled bullpen Friday, acquiring left-handed reliever Joe Beimel from the Washington Nationals for two minor league pitchers.

Washington also sent cash to the Rockies to pay for part of Beimel’s contract. The Nationals received right-handed prospects Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian.

It was the second deal the last-place Nationals made Friday. They also sent first baseman Nick Johnson to the Florida Marlins for left-hander Aaron Thompson.

Entering the weekend, the Rockies trailed San Francisco by a game in the NL wild-card race.

“You don’t get an opportunity to win every year,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd told The Associated Press. “It gives us a legitimate chance to win.”

The Rockies’ relief corps has been thinned by injuries, losing lefty Alan Embree to a broken leg earlier this month and then Manny Corpas, who recently underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.

Colorado went out and acquired right-handed reliever Rafael Betancourt from the Cleveland Indians on July 23, using him as the eighth-inning bridge to closer Huston Street.

The Rockies also recently purchased the contract of promising right-hander Jhoulys Chacin from Double-A Tulsa to bolster their bullpen.

Beimel will join Franklin Morales as the only lefties in the Rockies’ bullpen. Beimel was 1-5 with one save and a 3.40 ERA in 45 appearances with Washington this season.

“He has a lot of versatility,” O’Dowd said. “We think he’s a very good left-handed reliever in the bullpen if used properly. He has a chance to be a valuable part of the group we’ve got down there.”

To get Beimel, the Rockies gave up the 25-year-old Mattheus, a hard-throwing righty whose fastball can reach 96 mph. He was 1-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 minor league appearances this season before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right elbow in July. He is 29-40 with 17 saves and a 5.17 ERA over his minor league career.

“We felt it was a risk worth taking to roll the dice and see if this guy returns to his pre-injury form,” Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo said.

Colorado also dealt the 23-year-old Fabian, who was 3-6 with a 6.24 ERA in 24 games (12 starts) at Class-A Asheville.

“The prospects that we got from Colorado are two big-armed guys,” Rizzo said. “Joe was a guy that was going to walk away in two months and probably not be offered arbitration by us. We needed … to trade him and go out and get as many prospects as we can.”

Not an easy decision for O’Dowd.

“We gave up two good arms,” O’Dowd said. “But to get something you’ve got to give something.”

Rockies manager Jim Tracy said Beimel brings flexibility to the bullpen.

“This opens doors for us,” Tracy said before the game Friday night in Cincinnati. “(Beimel) gives us a finesse guy with enough of a fastball to get you out. With Morales throwing 97 (mph), that’s a significant contrast.”

AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich contributed from Washington.