Injuries to his right arm have made life especially tough for Peter Lambert.

He was a second-round pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2015. But right after his career began to rise, a balky elbow put him on the injured list carousel for three years after a positive start in 2019.

For the second time this year, and just the first of what the Rockies hope is a string of starts after stretching out the long reliever at Triple-A Albuquerque, Lambert started against the Miami Marlins on Friday and went five scoreless innings in his return to the rotation.

It was the 54th time this season a Colorado starter has gone five or more innings. When they have failed to do so, the Rockies have gone 8-35. Lambert’s scoreless start lowered the team’s earned run average to 3.35 in games where a starter has gone at least five innings.

His best stretch came between the second and fourth innings when he retired seven consecutive batters. But the Rockies chose to pull Lambert after 77 pitches — staying conservative early in his re-entry to the mix.

Chris Flexen, who was recently signed and was assigned to Triple-A, has also been pumping up his pitch count with eyes on a rotation spot. The Rockies have lost three of their five starters to injuries that could keep each out the rest of the year. Kyle Freeland’s recovery from a shoulder injury to on non-throwing side could also bolster the group, and manager Bud Black said his return could be “as soon as next week.”

Tommy Doyle was sent back to the Rockies Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Isotopes, after finding success in his return to the Rockies following major shoulder surgery that had kept him out since 2020. He appeared twice with the Rockies and tossed a pair of scoreless innings in each.

The trade deadline could bring Doyle right back to the Rockies. If recent rumors hold true, the team plans to send relief help to contenders. Brent Suter, Daniel Bard and Brad Hand are veterans who could be moved.