Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 22 vs. Chicago

Hits

Carlos Gonzalez

Five RBI (four with two outs). Diving catch to rob a hit. Just another ho-hum highlight filled day at the office for the Rockies superstar outfielder.

Tyler Colvin

Another multi-hit game for Colvin as he continues to build momentum in his quest for a bench role. Hitting coach Carney Lansford seems to think Colvin has cleaned up whatever was ailing his swing last season and early in this year's camp, so Charlie Blackmon's once thought to be secure spot could be in real jeopardy. Especially if his toe problem lingers another handful of days.

Misses

Tyler Chatwood

Jamie Moyer had another really good day today...because his current #1 nemesis in the battle for the fifth rotation spot had a really bad day. Yes, Chatwood was slaughtered by a red hot Chicago Cubs offense, allowing nine earned runs on nine hits over four plus innings. His biggest problem? His inability to keep Geovany Soto in the ballpark (two home runs, five RBI), but a couple mental gaffes and general inexperience were also issues for the 22-year-old.

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Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 21 vs. San Francisco

Hits

Jamie Moyer

12 Giants up, 12 Giants down as Jamie Moyer rises from the ashes once again to become a real contender in the race for the Rockies fifth rotation spot. According to several people on site, Moyer topped out at 78 on his "fastball", but had a Giants lineup featuring several regulars off balance from pitch 1 to pitch 45, and probably would have been good for another inning had the Giants defense not kicked the ball around for a half hour in the fourth.

We're one paragraph in and it's plainly obvious the Giants mailed it in tonight. Scratching Tim Lincecum and moving him to a minor league start all but confirms it.

Anyway, it looks like the fifth starter race will end up going down to the wire, at which point the Rockies will decide if they want a veteran presence like Moyer to begin the season, a middle of the road placeholder like Guillermo Moscoso, or an upside play like Alex White or Tyler Chatwood.

If I were a betting man, I'd save my money and wait to wager on a judgment not involving Jim Tracy.

Clubhouse Chemistry

When Dan O'Dowd rebuilt the Rockies clubhouse this offseason, Marco Scutaro and Michael Cuddyer were the two most important bricks added from the offensive side of things.

Both were stellar tonight.

For Scutaro, it was a two-run double in the second that started the scoring. He also added a pair of walks hitting out of the lead-off spot. For Cuddyer, it was his first home run of the spring — a two-run shot in the third — and a single.

Just in case you were still worrying about the veterans' struggles this spring, you can stop now. Both will be fine.

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