Saturday, March 3, 2012

Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 1 vs. Arizona

Hits

Baseball

Boy was it nice to be able to hear the crack of the bat and the pop of the glove. Baseball. Is. Back!

Drew Pomeranz

28 pitches over 2 innings for Pomeranz. He allowed 1 hit (a single) and a walk in the first frame but buckled down to escape without damage. His second inning was a very clean 1-2-3. Good start for him as he attempts to hold off several less talented pitchers for a spot in the rotation.

Nolan Arenado

His bat gets most of the attention but there's little doubt Arenado is developing into a big league caliber defender at the hot corner as well. He proved that on Saturday with a diving backhanded stab on a hot shot that appeared ticketed for the left field corner. Not only did Arenado field the ball cleanly to prevent a run from scoring, he also made the strong throw across to get the out.

He is the goods.

Ramon Hernandez

The 35-year-old veteran caught the first four innings of today's game and also contributed a pair of singles (RBI). He will be locked in as the Rockies regular catcher to begin the season.

Wil Nieves

Nieves is in camp to provide a little depth at catcher for the Rockies. His opportunities to log innings during the spring will probably be limited as we move along, but he made the most of his chance today by throwing out one runner attempting to steal second and cutting down another trying to advance on a ball in the dirt that he blocked expertly. I will always recognize performances like that.

Misses

Trevor Bauer

He's going to be a big hit for fans in Arizona. Unfortunately, he's going to be a swing-and-a-miss for the rest of the NL West. An already deep Diamondbacks rotation is about to get even deeper when they decide to unleash this kid. The later the better!

Tyler Colvin

The old first game hat trick (strikeout variety). Not exactly the confidence-building start Colvin was looking for, but there's a long way to go to get on track.

Got Their Work In

Josh Outman

The left-hander acquired from Oakland in the Seth Smith trade began his spring with an uneven outing (2 innings, 1 run (earned), 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout). He's an extreme longshot for the rotation but remains firmly in the mix for a bullpen spot.

Rob Scahill

Scahill will not make the opening day roster barring several unforeseen circumstances, but we acknowledge his two scoreless innings today. Reliever Zach Putman, acquired for Kevin Slowly (remember him?), Matt Reynolds, Dustin Molleken and Josh Roenicke also notched scoreless innings in the very well pitched game for both teams.

Oh, yeah, and the score in case you're wondering 

Rockies 1, Diamondbacks 1 in 10 innings. Not the most satisfying result, but just having baseball back is a victory.

What's next 

The Rockies will meet the Diamondbacks again on Monday at 1:10 MT. MLB.com will provide audio for the game.

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