Spring Training Game 32: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Mariners 7, Rockies 2 (boxscore)

Hits

Troy Tulowitzki

He hit a baseball a long ways today. That two-run homer was the extent of the Rockies offense in this uninspired Cactus League finale. I don't blame them, I'm just as uninspired writing this recap.

Misses

Jhoulys Chacin

Not the way Chacin wanted to end his spring. But much like Jorge De La Rosa's uneven outing yesteday, it doesn't matter a whole lot. I don't believe either guy had their pedal to the metal like they will this weekend against Arizona. Same can be said for Felipe Paulino and Huston Street.

Foul Tips

Real Baseball

As much I enjoy recapping these spring games, I much prefer talking about games that matter. Opening day is less than 72 hours away! I. Am. Ready.

Spring Training Game 31: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Mariners 7, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

Hits

Offense

Everyone in the lineup today (minus Jose Lopez) recorded at least one hit. Willy Taveras and Ty Wigginton each had three, with Willy scoring twice and Wiggy driving in three. Matt Pagnozzi muscled up for a long ball. 14 hits in total.

Rafael Betancourt

Dial it up big man. Betancourt with his best outing of the spring, striking out all three batters he faced. And I don't care that they were Brendan Ryan, Jack Wilson and Kalian Sams.

Misses

Jorge De La Rosa

Eh, final tuneup wasn't very smooth, but who cares. He gets the D-Backs on Saturday and I expect a much sharper and more focused DLR.

Matt Belisle

Belisle was unable to record an out today. Three singles and an error by right fielder Bronson Sardinha were enough to give Seattle the two runs they needed to pull the game out. So that's nice for them. I think their announcers are still screaming like they won a game in September or October. Sheesh.

Foul Tips

One more

Tomorrow is the final day of Cactus League baseball before the Rockies move on to Tulsa. That means tomorrow will be the final Hits, Misses & Foul Tips of the spring. Fine with me. I'm ready to talk about games that count. Apparently the Mariners announcers are as well.

Spring Training Game 30: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 6, Cubs 4 (boxscore)

Hits

Jose Morales

Morales locked up the backup catcher job before this afternoon, but his performance today put a stamp on it.

Jordan Pacheco gave it one helluva run, but I have no problem at all with Morales getting the gig. Pacheco needs to play. Morales gives you what you need in a backup. He can hit well from both sides of the plate, and he plays sound defense. It clears the way for Iannetta to get steady playing time, which hopefully leads to consistent production.

Clayton Mortensen

Mortensen was awesome today, throwing five shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out one.

John Maine will likely get the call if the Rockies need a starter early in the season, but Mortensen at least wants them to think about it. Also, with Maine having an opt out clause should he not make the big leagues by June 1st, Mortensen becomes an even more valuable piece. Whatever happens there, chances are good we'll see him at some point in 2011.

Matt Daley

Daley's ERA stayed at a perfect 0.00 today. Unfortunately (for Matt at least), that won't be good enough to crack the opening day roster. An established veteran and a fan favorite can't crack the roster with a 0.00 ERA. Think about that.

Misses

Billy Buckner

Bad again today. I didn't have high hopes for Buckner, but I did expect him to be respectable and a little better that AAA roster fodder. He may not even be that at this point.

Foul Tips

Bullpen set

Matt Reynolds pitched just well enough over the last two weeks to lock up the final spot in the Rockies bullpen. He will join Huston Street, Rafael Betancourt, Matt Belisle, Matt Lindstrom, Felipe Paulino, Franklin Morales, Matt Reynolds.

The starting rotation is obviously Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, Jason Hammel and Esmil Rogers. Rogers will not be skipped the first time through the rotation, which I like for two reasons.

1) It shows he has earned Jim Tracy's confidence.

2) It save Ubaldo's arm early in the season. That means the Rockies learned a little bit from last year and are working towards keeping him strong in the second half.

Oddly, these are the twelve pitchers I think the Rockies and most fans envisioned making the team out of camp, with Rogers and Paulino possibly switching roles, and maybe Matt Daley working into the mix. That rarely ever happens.

Spring Training Game 29: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 5, A's 2 (boxscore)

Hits

Ubaldo Jimenez

Good at pitching. Next time we see The Cheif the 2011 season will be officially underway. Relievers Huston Street and Felipe Paulino were equally outstanding in their scoreless innings.

Willy Taveras

The Taveras resurgence continues with three more hits and two runs scored. Great spring and great depth for the Rockies if he sticks in the organization.

Misses

Franklin Morales

Morales is kind of wavering between good and bad lately. Of course the bad will be overreacted to by people with bad memories from last season. And it doesn't help in people's minds that he's made the roster over Matt Daley. Problem is the Rockies want two lefties in the pen, and Daley, while talented and effective, can only pitch with his right arm.

Foul Tips

Mark Tracy

In a cool moment, Jim Tracy's son was allowed an opportunity to pinch-hit. He walked on five pitches, showing more discipline in one at-bat than the Rockies did on their entire trip through Pittsburgh and New York last summer.

Spring Training Game 28: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 4, A's 1 (boxscore)

Hits

Carlos Gonzalez

I was kinda hoping CarGo would go homerless in the spring, make everyone wonder what the heck was going on, and then jack like three on opening day. Oh well. I'll just settle for the three on opening day.

Chris Iannetta

I felt bad for leaving him off the hit list after homering last night. That won't happen again tonight because he collected three more basehits. Chris is in a really good place right now offensively, and doing good things defensively. Cross your fingers this carries over.

Jason Hammel

Good. Really good. Worked out of a pretty big jam in the first inning and it was smooth sailing after that against Oakland's A lineup. He's well past that disaster outing against Texas and ready to go.

Misses

Matt Reynolds

Little bit of a setback for Reynolds after a string of good outings. I suppose this leaves the door open for Eric Stults or Rex Brothers to steal his spot. It will be interesting to see how Jim Tracy and Dan O'Dowd want to play this. The only guy in the mix guaranteed to make it is Franklin Morales because he's pitching well enough to warrant the opportunity and there's this thing where he's out of options.

Foul Tips

Ian Stewart

How often has a base runner been involved in three rundowns in the same game? Well, not counting Little League obviously. It sounded like one was missed sign on a possible squeeze with Fowler at the plate. The other two sounded like they were more of the aggressive base running type. And he got the extra base on one of them after an Oakland error.

Spring Training Game 27: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 10, Rangers 3 (boxscore)

Hits

Esmil Rogers

Rogers is figuring some things out. He had a bit of a setback in his previous outing, but the one before that he was nearly untouchable against the Chicago Cubs. His outing tonight may have been even a little more impressive than that one because he owned the Texas Rangers opening day lineup minus the DH.

One at-bat that stands out was the education he gave Michael Young his first time up. Young really is about as good a pure hitter as you'll find. One that's pretty difficult to strikeout, but Rogers changed speeds and punched him on four pitches. The last a changeup Young was a foot in front of. It was a beauty.

You know what else? The ball makes a nice sound off Esmil's bat. He hit the ball very hard twice with a single to show for it. Terrific athlete/all around baseball player.

Eric Young/Johnny Herrera

Great job by the top of the order tonight. These guys combined to go 4-for-8 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 sac bunt and 1 sac fly. It's no wonder the Rockies broke double digits.

Misses

Rex Brothers

Well, he's human after all. His two runs allowed tonight will probably give the Rockies their excuse to start him at AAA. It would have been nearly impossible to do so if his ERA stayed at 0.00.

Foul Tips

Jose Lopez

Some good and some bad tonight.

The good was his defense, which has been sensational at third base and good enough at second base to possibly squeeze Eric Young out of the mix. He made one really good play going to his right and then made a spectacular play going to his right, punctuated by a jump throw across the diamond for the out.

The bad was his strange approach at the plate and lack of focus on the bases.

Yes, he did record a triple, but that came on a flyball Josh Hamilton lost in the lights or sky or twilight or something. Next time up he swings at the first pitch (after a classic grind it out Helton at-bat that resulted in a single) and hits into a tailor-made 4-6-3 double play, only Ian Kinsler couldn't turn it. That was okay for Texas, because Lopez got picked off two batters later.

He did add a single later. So that was good.

Again, if his offense comes around even a little, he'll probably be a nice addition. I'm just not convinced that will happen or that he does enough elsewhere to maintain his value. I'm willing to give him a chance to prove me wrong, but that's where I stand on Lopez at the moment. Which means little, obviously.

Rangers announcers

These guys were pretty difficult to listen to, but I appreciate them doing the game tonight. I also enjoyed the little bit where they thanked the Oakland A's for trading Carlos Gonzalez out of the division. Very funny.

Spring Training Game 26: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Dodgers 7, Rockies 5 (boxscore)

Hits

Jonathan Herrera

Two more hits (single, triple), another run and another RBI. Started a very difficult double play that helped get Jhoulys Chacin out of a mess. I've said it before, and I'll say it until I'm blue in the face. The Rockies best possible lineup has Herrera batting second or eighth and playing second. If he's not out there opening day, I'll be very disappointed. He's earned it.

Seth Smith

Pair of hits, pair of runs and an RBI for Smith out of the three spot. His spring has been quiet but very solid, which is ideal for an established veteran.

Ty Wigginton

And speaking of that, Wigginton is another veteran that's quietly getting his work in and playing solid ball. It's going to be difficult for Jim Tracy to resist putting his name on the lineup card 150 times.

Bullpen

Remember when we nervous about the Rockies left-handed options in the bullpen? Well, things seems to have stabilized nicely. Matt Reynolds is slowly rounding into form with another scoreless inning today. Rex Brothers has been dominant since day one. And Eric Stults pitched two scoreless innings, strengthening his case.

All of the sudden the Rockies may have a tough decision to make for the right reasons.

Misses

Jose Lopez

You know, I haven't seen anything from Jose Lopez offensively that would indicate he's going to revert back to his 2009 form that people dream about. I just haven't been impressed. I'm very hopeful it comes together for him, because obviously that makes the Rockies a much better team and gives them a much needed right-handed bat, but I can't say I'm optimistic.

Defensively I give him credit. He's played very well in the field and provides versatility, but I just wonder what the Rockies can honestly expect or hope for. Especially away from Coors Field.

Then again, it sounds like the Rockies may have some trade possibilities involving Lopez to explore as well. If the Rockies really want to find a creative way to get a guy like Jordan Pacheco on the roster, or clear space for Eric Young, this could be a realistic option. We'll see how things play out.

Foul Tips

Jhoulys Chacin

Chacin was constantly dealing with traffic this afternoon. In this four innings, LA put eight runners on base (five hits, three walks), but Chacin was able to exit without allowing a run.

As Troy Renck described it:

@TroyRenck Chacin MacGyver getting out trouble... By my count he's used everything but chicken wire and duct tape to defuse rallies

Chacin will have one more quick tuneup next week before opening his season on April 3rd against Arizona.

Esmil Rogers named 5th starter

What started as a 4-5 horse race quickly narrowed to just one about a week ago. It was just a matter of the Rockies making it official, and now they have. My congratulations to Esmil.

In related news, the Rockies have apparently informed Greg Reynolds he's a candidate for a bullpen spot. Probably not a real serious one at this point, but I mentioned after his last start that I wouldn't mind seeing the Rockies try that with Reynolds. You obviously want to get something out of your former #2 pick, and it looks more and more like it won't be as a starter.

Spring Training Game 25: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 6, Mariners 5 (boxscore)

Hits

Jorge De La Rosa

Good stuff from DLR tonight (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). The K/BB is especially fun to look at when you think about some of his inconsistencies hitting the zone. At this point I feel pretty confident penciling him in for 15 wins this season. That's based on nothing other than my gut and my hope he can stay healthy the whole way through.

Carlos Gonzalez

The swing was pure. The sound was beautiful. All systems are go for Cargo.

Felipe Paulino

Paulino got the call in the 9th and protected a one run lead with a quick and flawless inning. I think he's going to be a real nice addition to the bullpen and should really help take some pressure off guys like Belisle and Betancourt. Though I still think he would have been just as helpful in the 5th starter role.

Misses

Rafael Betancourt

Speaking of... Raffy had rough time of it in his usual 8th inning, allowing a pair of runs on three hits. He was also working extra excruciatingly slow. Or maybe it just seemed that way because Seattle was fouling off all of his put away pitches.

Foul Tips

Solid play

Felt like the Rockies played a solid all around game this evening, which is something you couldn't say most of last week. Aside from a questionable error ruling on Stewart, they were flawless defensively, smart on the bases and sound in their approach at the plate. Wouldn't mind to see another performance just like it against LA tomorrow.

Spring Training Game 24: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 6, Angels 6 (boxscore)

Hits

Troy Tulowitzki

These next days 11 days are going to be awfully boring for Tulowitzki. He's ready to go.

Chris Iannetta

I'm beginning to feel really good about Chris. That line drive RBI single in the first inning added to the momentum he's been building over the last week. It started with good plate appearances. Now it's becoming good swings and good contact. The extra base hits shouldn't be too far behind.

Felipe Paulino/Rex Brothers

If these guys continue pitching as they have, along with Street, Lindstrom, Belisle and Betancourt... Damn. The Rockies would be doing themselves a major disservice if they don't seriously consider Brothers for the opening day roster. He may not be experienced, but he's proving himself to be the best lefty arm available in their bullpen. You have to roll with your best.

Misses

Esmil Rogers

Esmil started excellent and then morphed back into that five inning pitcher that struggles to put hitters and innings away. That's a little discouraging in itself, and even more so when you're staked to an 6-0 lead and can't make it stand. Hopefully a trip back to the drawing board can get Esmil focused on what made him so dominant against the Cubs earlier in the week, which simply means pitching with confidence and believing in his abilities.

Foul Tips

Franklin Morales

Morales relieved Rogers in the 6th, allowing two inherited runners to score. One of those coming on one of his two wild pitches. Yikes.

I would say the last two outings have been distinct steps backwards for Morales after a very positive beginning to his spring. Hopefully it's just the natural ebs and flows of a reliever and not a sign his confidence/focus is getting shaky as the season nears. Time will tell.

Spring Training Game 23: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Reds 10, Rockies 3 (boxscore)

Hits

Um...

Well, no one got hurt. And everyone remembered their uniform.

Misses

John Maine

Whatever mystery was left in the Rockies 5th starter derby was gone about three batters into today's game. Maine was brutal... to put it nicely. His velocity was down according to people on scene. His command left a lot to be desired. He committed an error on a throw. Awful.

Sadly, it actually fit right in with several other performances by Rockies starters this week, only they weren't pitching for a job.

Sloppiness

Three more errors defensively. Some more icky base running. They should be playing much sharper baseball at this point. You can understand it when everyone is getting their feet under them and just getting work in. We're less than two weeks from opening day now, it's time to work out the kinks and play solid ball. Hopefully we see the beginning of that tomorrow.

Foul Tips

Franklin Morales/Reds broadcast

First real discouraging outing this spring for the man Reds radio described as one of the most dominant lefties in the game. Eh, well, he should be, and maybe he will be, but come on guys.

The funny thing is, knowing Reds broadcasters (mostly the Brennamans) as well as I do, I know they didn't say that because they didn't do their homework. They know who Morales is and the numbers have to be right there in front of them. They just go out of their way to dress up everything the Reds do. 

Yeah, all home team announcers do that to an extent. The Reds guy take it to levels that are laughable.

Five players reassigned to minor league camp

Among them were Ben Paulsen and Charlie Blackmon, who represented themselves VERY well this spring. All Rockies fans should be impressed and encouraged by both.

Hernan Iribarren had a better than average spring. Didn't run the bases particularly well, but I'm not sure the Rockies view that as a negative.

Pitchers Claudio Vargas and Sean White will likely go to Colorado Springs. White might be one of those relief arms you see come up in September... or he could be released tomorrow.

Spring Training Game 22: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 9, Brewers 7 (boxscore)

Hits

Todd Helton

No hits for Helton, but two walks and he scored all the way from first base on a Ty Wigginton first inning double. Things are looking far more positive for him at this point than I anticipated - health wise and offensively - even with the move to Scottsdale easing the spring travel.

Ben Paulsen

Paulsen recaptured the lead for Colorado with a two-run single in the 7th inning. Regardless of the level of pitching he's faced most of the spring, you have to be impressed with his production. He'll be an interesting guy to follow in the minors as the season progresses.

Misses

Greg Reynolds

First three innings: 1 H

Last three innings: 8 H, 6 ER, 2 K

Well, maybe there's a future for Reynolds in long or middle relief. This probably is/was his best chance at cracking the Rockies rotation, and now it's gone.

Esmil Rogers, come on down. John Maine, you're on standby.

Jorge De La Rosa

Continuing the theme of Rockies starters getting clunkers out of the way this week, De La Rosa allowed seven hits, five earned runs, walked one and struck out four in four innings against the Angels High-A squad. Not pretty, but not overly concerning.

Foul Tips

1st Inning

Much like the Greg Reynolds situation for Colorado, injuries to Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum left the door open for Brewers prospect Wily Peralta to make the opening day roster. That door likely closed today. Peralta recorded 14 less outs than the Brewers were hopeful he would. Within the first eight batters, he allowed five runs, six hits and walked one.

It was brutal for Peralta, but it was good to see a full lineup of main roster Rockies feasting on a nervous young pitcher. Unfortunately, much like we saw several times last season, the offense started hot and then was completely shut down by Tim Dillard and others until the 7th inning.

Matt Reynolds

Reynolds notched his first scoreless inning in 1-2-3 fashion. That has to be quite a feeling of relief... lame pun intended.

Spring Training Game 21: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

White Sox 12, Rockies 6 (boxscore)

Hits

Chris Iannetta

Iannetta isn't blowing anyone away with his numbers, but we're starting to see a steady improvement in his plate appearances. He reached base twice today, that on the heels on of reaching base twice on Tuesday. It's something. Maybe he's not driving the ball for power like you want to see, but it seems to be getting closer to that for Chris. And finding ways on base out of the eight hole is always a positive.

Mike McKenry

Speaking of catchers and hitting for power, McKenry delivered (a based on tweets) monstrous three-run shot (2nd this spring) to straight away center off of former Rockies farmhand Shane Lindsay. Good for Mike. He's kind of becoming a forgotten man in the catching situation, through no fault of his own, so it's good to see him make some noise.

Misses

Ubaldo Jimenez

4 1/3, 8 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, and 1 double allowed to relief pitcher Tony Pena.

This is further evidence that Rockies starters have been instructed to get their clunkers out of the way this week. I'm all for this strategy!

Matt Reynolds

Another outing, another home run allowed, and another step further from the opening day roster. It's too bad, but it's not like Reynolds can't go back to AAA, get himself together and make an impact later in the season. That's exactly what I think he'll do.

Foul Tips

Geno Espineli

Geno has a story to tell his grand kids. He relieved Ubaldo Jimenez in the middle of an inning in spring training, and helped inflate his ERA by allowing two inherited runners to score. Pretty cool, but I'd probably leave the second part out.

Spring Training Game 19: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 4, Cubs 2 (boxscore)

Hits

Esmil Rogers

This has been an excellent few days for Esmil Rogers, and a lot of the good took place before he dominated (5 IP, 1 H, 3 K, 15 batters) a significant portion of the Chicago Cubs opening day lineup this afternoon.

Felipe Paulino was officially moved to the bullpen late last week. That surprised me a little given their situation in the rotation, but the Rockies originally envisioned Paulino as such when they traded for him. They confirmed that assessment when Paulino was strong during the first inning of his last start but faltered after.

Clayton Mortensen was optioned to Triple A today. That trims the 5th starter competition down to Rogers, John Maine and Greg Reynolds.

And then Rogers went out and delivered the Rockies best pitching performance of the spring, so needless to say he's in the driver's seat.

The keys for Rogers is getting over those two big hurdles I mentioned last week: 1) Get ahead in the count. 2) Finish off hitters and innings strongly. At least for today, Rogers was able to accomplish both, and his new approach of working quicker may have assisted. Now it will be interesting to see how he follows up this weekend.

Cubs Broadcaster Len Kasper

Kasper called his 15th straight spring training game today, whether it be TV or MLB.com audio. That's amazing. Can he get my vote for Colorado broadcaster of the year? I've heard him doing more Rockies broadcasts than Drew Goodman.

Misses 

Top of the order

For the most part the Rockies are getting strong production at the top from guys like Dexter Fowler, Willy Taveras, Jordan Pacheco and Seth Smith, but today Taveras, Smith and others combined to go 0-for-9 with five strikeouts and one walk. Similar performances are bound to happen throughout the course of a six month season, but hopefully not too many resemble this one. Icky.

Foul Tips

Bullpen

Matt Belisle, Matt Lindstrom, Huston Street each dealt with some traffic, but did their part in preserving the shutout into the ninth inning. All three seem to be working out the kinks from early in the spring and well on their way to being ready for opening day.

Spring Training Game 18: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 3, Reds 2 (boxscore)

Hits

Rex Brothers

While Matt Reynolds continued his struggles in a "B" game today, Brothers impressed everyone at Salt River Fields when he set the Reds down in order. In the middle of that 1-2-3 inning was an overpowering strikeout of NL MVP Joey Votto. Seems like the Rockies have little to worry about after all from the left side in their bullpen with Brothers' accelerated development.

PS: Franklin Morales had yet another scoreless inning today.

Jose Lopez

Lopez plays the hero with a walk-off single, described by Purple Row's Andrew Fisher as a 350+ foot flyball gapper to RF. In other words, probably a double or triple in reality, but a single was all they needed here. Lopez also threw out the potential go ahead run at home in the top of the 9th inning. Strong game for him as he stays in contention for playing time at second, third, first, who knows where else.

Jordan Pacheco

Hard to believe Pacheco was 0 for his last 8 coming in to today's game. He got himself back on track with a pair of hits, including an RBI double. Had a pretty good day behind the plate as well, throwing out Brandon Phillips trying to steal.

Misses

Jhoulys Chacin

Minor miss here. According to tweeters on scene of this dark game (no TV or radio), Chacin struggled mightily with his command, was hit fairly hard, and was lucky to escape with the limited damage he sustained. That said, regardless of how, he did limit the damage, which might be an indication his bad days could be more effective than some pitcher's good days.

Foul Tips

"B" Game vs Angels

Here are a few notes from the other Rockies game that took place today.

Ian Stewart was 2-4 (2 singles) in his return to action.

John Maine pitched 3 1/3, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs. The important here is his shoulder feels healthy.

Matt Reynolds still hasn't recorded a scoreless appearance in Arizona. He allowed one run (solo HR to a Triple A guy) on two hits. Looking like another classic example of how you never take the 25 north that you expected to in early March.

Spring Training Game 17: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

A's 9, Rockies 4 (boxscore)

Hits

Jonathan Herrera

Herrera created two runs in two plate appearances in less than two minutes time without hitting a home run.

1st: He doubled leading off the third. Eric Young attempted to bunt him over on the next pitch, it was misplayed by Trevor Cahill and Daric Barton, allowing Johnny to score from second.

2nd: Herrera tripled and scored right away on a wild pitch.

The against an 18 game winner from last season that had pretty good stuff today. If Herrera isn't hitting second and playing second on opening day, the Rockies aren't fielding their best possible lineup.

Ryan Spilborghs

Nice day for Spilly going 3-for-3 with three singles and an RBI.

Misses

Juan Nicasio

First inning: Nicasio struggled out of the gate with his fastball command. Velocity was fine, he just didn't know where it was going the first 5-6 batters. His breaking ball wasn't a whole lot better. In fact, the pitch he struck Kurt Suzuki out on was a hanger middle of the plate. Instead of a three run first for Oakland, it could have easily been six right there.

Second inning: Was better. And he's a guy with the arrow still pointing up, so he shouldn't be judged too harshly based on today's performance.

Ron Fairly

The Oakland A's TV color analyst gets a miss for starting to say Hideki Matsui's spring home run would be front page news in Japan tomorrow. He did catch himself in the middle of his ridiculous statement, but also added that it was cool the ball hit the sushi sign. W. T. F.

NCAA Tournament Selection Committee

I'm not a Colorado fan, but I feel terrible for all of the students, former students and fans of that program who sit dumbfounded this afternoon. That team and those kids were better than at least 7-8 at large selections. Really a shame.

Foul Tips

Baseball

Sorry, too much non-baseball related material today. We'll get back to more baseball talk tomorrow.

Spring Training Game 16: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 3 (boxscore)

Hits

Ben Paulsen

Another nice game for the impressive 23-year-old. His 6th inning two-run triple (4th this spring) was the difference in tonight's game. His spring average now sits at .474. He's driven in nine. He's playing acceptable defense at first. Just a solid ballplayer that continues to take advantage of his chances to impress.

Dexter Fowler

This will be the last time I list Fowler among the hits. He's having a terrific spring. That's all that needs to be said anymore.

Misses

The FSN Scroll

Seriously? It's annoying, distracting, pointless and useless. Make it go away.

Foul Tips

Greg Reynolds

We saw the good in Greg Reynolds tonight: Five mostly solid innings of two hit, two run ball.

We also saw the bad: Falling behind in counts and an inability to finish out at-bats and innings.

And then the ugly: The complete lapse in concentration that allows Henry Blanco to go deep on you.

While I've been mostly encouraged by what I've seen from Reynolds this spring, it really is troubling that he can't get over some of these hurdles that are holding him back. It makes you wonder if it will ever happen, and that's not a feeling you never want to have (or should have) about a #2 pick.

Spring Training Game 15: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 4, Padres 3 (boxscore)

Hits

Ubaldo Jimenez

Four absolutely perfect innings with four strikeouts. He's pretty good.

Jason Giambi

Today was Giambi's day to shine. His laser two-run homer to the lawn in right field proved to be the difference on the scoreboard, but more importantly showed us that Giambi has his feet under him early. As the guys on KOA noted, both Giambi and Todd Helton are further along in their preparation thanks to the shorter bus rides. That will most definitely be helpful come April 1st.

Bullpen

The Rockies bullpen pretty much picked up right where Ubaldo left off. Felipe Paulino (1 IP), Clayton Mortensen (2 IP) and Eric Stults (1 IP) were unscored upon in their innings, allowing only two combined hits. Matt Daley was on his way to a scoreless inning until right fielder Brian Rike dropped what would have been the final out of the game. San Diego went on to score three unearned runs.

Misses

Aggressive Baserunning

I don't mind the idea of taking an aggressive approach to baserunning. However, after a 2010 season which seemingly saw at least one stupid baserunning mistake a game, I'm worried more harm than good will come of this strategy. We saw a good example of why today.

Was that Rich Dauer coaching third as he usually does? What the hell is this guy thinking? Sending Ubaldo into a play at the plate... in spring training... with Carlos Gonzalez coming up. That's committing three baseball sins with one overzealous wave of the arm. It's also idiotic and inexcusable. Nothing to gain from that. Everything to lose. Just a stupid, stupid baseball decision.

And knowing the cramping issues Ubaldo has had in the past. Knowing you've lost Aaron Cook indefinitely. Knowing Jorge De La Rosa isn't feeling right. Knowing you're struggling to find a 5th starter. Stupid times ten.

You want to be aggressive on the bases? Fine. But first learn how to run the bases, and also learn situations so you know when to take your chances.

Foul Tips

More Baseball

The Rockies aren't done playing baseball today. The night game with the Arizona Diamondbacks starts at 6:40 Mountain time.

Eric Young and Wilin Rosario

It was good to have these two guys back on the field as they work their way back from injuries. Still a long way to go for both to get on track, but just nice to finally have them out there.

Spring Training Game 14: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 4, Royals 3 (boxscore)

Hits

Jason Hammel

Hammel made one mistake this afternoon -- which Mike Aviles hit for a HR. He also walked one, but retired each of the 12 other batters he faced. He's having as good as a spring as anyone in a Rockies uniform.

Todd Helton

Two more hits this afternoon. He's definitely locked in and feeling good. Cross your fingers it continues.

Seth Smith

Nice to hear a little noise from Seth in the spring. He's been relatively quiet, which doesn't necessarily mean he's struggling, but it's good to see him muscle up and take Luke Hochevar yard.

Misses

Carlos Gonzalez

0-for-3 with two strikeouts? Is that even allowed under his new contract?

Obviously it was a light day for misses, which is always a good thing.

Foul Tips

Franklin Morales

Four scoreless outings to start the spring for Franklin. I couldn't be happier for him. The sad thing, though, he could give up one run in his next outing and Rockies fans will go into their hate Morales routine. Just let the kid be and let him get his confidence.

Rex Brothers

Brothers had uneven inning of work today, loading the bases on one hit and two walks, but pitching out of the mess undamaged.

We're starting to hear his name more and more as an outside possibility to make the roster. Some of that has to do with how well he's pitching, but most of it has to do with how poorly Matt Reynolds has fared to this point. I think Reynolds will work his way through this stretch and be fine, but we'll have to take a closer look at Brothers' outings from here on out just in case.

Adam Jorgenson

Remember Adam from the first game of spring training? Things went much, much better today, as he lowered his ERA to 32.40 with one inning of one run baseball.

Spring Training Game 13: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 9, Brewers 8 (boxscore)

Hits

Willy Taveras

Taveras had a monster game today (3 hits, 3 runs, 3 steals) and is quietly having a really strong spring. Barring a change of mind or injury, he's not going to fit in with the Rockies, but he's probably playing himself into a job somewhere. Now it'll be interesting to see if the Rockies let him go early so he can latch on elsewhere or hold on to see what he really has left.

Todd Helton

Helton is really heating up going 4-for-6 with two doubles over his last two games. Alright, so that's what the kids with the calculators call a small sample size, but we're really just looking for signs of life from Todd at the plate. This definitely qualifies as signs of life. Now we just hope it means something and continues when it counts.

Misses

Esmil Rogers

The good news: The Rockies only need a 5th starter twice in the first 3 1/2 weeks.

The bad news: There are 20+ weeks after that where they will need a 5th starter, so someone will have to step up soon.

It wasn't Rogers today. His inconsistency and inability to finish innings continue to be his biggest hurdles. He battled through it in the 2nd inning. That's a plus. He just couldn't again in the 3rd as Ryan Braun took him out to straight away center (3-run HR).

Rogers can't be seen as anything than a five inning pitcher. That's not where's he going to end up, but that's where he is right now, and the Rockies need better right now.

Matt Reynolds

If you were worried about the Rockies left-handers coming into camp, you're probably bouncing your head off the wall right now. One more bad outing for Reynolds and I may be joining you.

Foul Tips

Chris Iannetta

Is it time to get worried about Iannetta's slow start to an important spring for him personally? Probably not, but that's not to say I could blame you if you were. We're all at different places when it comes to our level of patience with Chris. Mine is still fairly high, most aren't. Either way, the next three weeks will be important for him.

Jose Lopez

Lopez is another guy having an "eh" spring. With Ian Stewart coming along very slowly from his knee injury, Lopez could be seeing even more action in the early going. Which leads me to this tweet I saw yesterday.

@KendallRocksOn If Jose Lopez's best (2009) is better than Jonny Herrera's best (2010), rooting for Herrera to win the 2B job is rooting against the Rockies

I don't buy this at all. A lot of people know what Lopez is capable of. A lot of people know Herrera's best can't match Lopez's best, but a lot of people also wonder if Lopez can get back to or near his best.

Personally, I just want the guy out there that gives the Rockies the best chance. I don't see why they can't be Herrera, and if that's who some people would prefer to see, could you really blame them? Herrera stood out for reasons you can't measure with stats, and despite what the SABR folk want you to believe, he really did help the Rockies win games in 2010.

I'm not saying I'm opposed to Jose Lopez being the every day second baseman. In fact, I may prefer it to an extent because Herrera's value is maximized when you can plug him at different places in different situations. But if people are pulling for Herrera, that's not wrong. If Herrera wins the job, that's not wrong either. He will have earned it.

Spring Training Game 12: Hits, Misses & Foul Tips

Rockies 8, Angels 1 (boxscore)

Hits

Jhoulys Chacin

Chacin backs up De La Rosa's exceptional start from yesterday with a decent one of his own (4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). Aside from DLR's hiccup last week and Paulino's disaster, Rockies starters have been on point in the early going. Hopefully we'll be saying the same thing four weeks from now.

Cole Garner/Ben Paulsen/Charlie Blackmon

A combined 5-for-6 with a HR (Paulsen), 4 RBI and 3 runs in limited time for these young guys this afternoon. Again, none of the three will make the opening day roster (barring injuries), but each has taken advantage of their chances to play and impressed on an almost daily basis.

The star of camp, Jordan Pacheco, actually cooled off with a 0-for-3, 1 BB performance. Maybe he was just allowing his buddies to have a little spotlight.

Jose Morales

Morales is quietly having a good spring and is almost a lock to be Chris Iannetta's backup come April 1st. He's not going to have a first half that comes anything close to Miguel Olivo's last season, but it's not far fetched to believe he will outproduce what Yorvit Torrealba gave the Rockies during his stay. I'll take that.

Hernan Iribarren

Iribarren is another guy that's taking advantage of his playing time. He helped break today's game open with an RBI during Colorado's 7-run 8th inning and is hitting a cool. 350 on the spring. The only real problem I've noticed so far with Hernan is his baserunning (picked off), so I guess he fits right in.

Misses

Nothing really stood out as a miss today. I could nitpick a couple things like Seth Smith misjudging a flyball or Iribarren getting picked off again, but we'll save all that for June.

Foul Tips

Dexter Fowler

No hits for Fowler but he did reach base twice via the base on balls. That's another good sign from where I sit.

John Maine

Congratulations to Maine for getting out there and throwing a couple scoreless innings. He dealt with a little traffic, probably wasn't as sharp as he would prefer, but all in all it had to feel good to retire some major league hitters and see 0's on the board.