Hits
Juan Nicasio
Aside from the rugged third inning where he dealt with traffic and was ultimately victimized by a good swing from a professional hitter — Howie Kendrick's three-run homer — Nicasio was excellent against a relentless, World Series contending Angels lineup this afternoon. And what I liked more than anything was the way Nicasio finished it. After allowing the home run, Nicasio closed it down with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, and punctuated it with an overpowering strikeout of Albert Pujols.
Honestly, the strike three pitch was so good it gave me chills.
Andrew Brown
I knew little about Brown coming into camp, but I've learned recently that he hits right-handed and he's pretty strong. After an impressive game on Saturday that included a home run and double, Brown backed it up with an opposite field blast this afternoon. He's looking like solid AAA insurance.
Misses
Top of the order
Dexter Fowler and Marco Scutaro combined to go 1-for-6 today and are hitting .080 and .130 on the spring respectively. Am I worried? Well, I'd lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about Fowler. This is a big year for him, and for all the stuff we read about how hard he worked this offseason, it hasn't paid off for him just yet. I'll be patient for another week or so, but you have to wonder how patient the Rockies will ultimately be. Charlie Blackmon and Tyler Colvin will give them options if things don't eventually turn around.
Jamie Moyer
The good news for Moyer is that he was back on the mound. The bad news is he was battered around by Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguers out on the back fields at Talking Stick. Moyer faced only 11 batters during his abbreviated outing, allowing four earned runs on six hits (two home runs). So I would say his already long odds of making the opening day roster are essentially zilch at this point, but it'll still be interesting to see how he finishes the spring and what the plans will be for him at that time.
Got Their Work In
Roster Cuts
It's the end of the spring road for Christian Friedrich and DJ LeMahieu. It wouldn't surprise me if we saw both at some point this season, but LeMahieu seems like the more likely contributor this season. Also down are pitchers Rob Scahill and Josh Sullivan. Thomas Harding has more on the moves over at MLB.com.
John Elway
Hats off to the Broncos President for landing the biggest free agent QB in NFL history. That's getting your work in and getting your work done.
Oh, yeah, and the score in case you're wondering
The Rockies rallied past the Angels 4-3 thanks to a two-run ninth inning. The battling Wils (Wil Nieves and Wilkin Castillo) started the one-out rally with a single and double. Brandon Wood evened the score with a sacrifice fly to deep right center. And then Chris Nelson delivered the winner — a rocket single to right center that under usual circumstances would have been a double or triple.
What's next
The Rockies will play take on the San Diego Padres Tuesday night at 8:05 MT. It's their third night game of the spring and it will again be broadcast live on 850 KOA.
More Rockies thoughts await you if you follow me on Twitter: @Townie813
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