Tucson – With “Yoshi” in his corner, Todd Helton never doubted he would eventually display his power.
Helton proved that Thursday when he hit an opposite-field solo home run in the first inning off Arizona Diamondbacks starter Claudio Vargas as the Rockies rolled to an 8-4 Cactus League victory. It was Colorado’s fourth straight win and ninth in its last 11 games.
Helton’s first dinger of the spring came after 39 at-bats. He also hit two doubles – one high off the center-field wall 405 feet from home – and drove in three runs.
There has been little evidence this spring of the back problems that have dogged Helton in recent years.
“It’s flared up on occasion, but I think I have it under control,” Helton said. “I think the biggest thing for me is that we’ve had that Yoshi guy here. He’s helped me out a lot.”
“Yoshi” is Yoshiro Nishi, a deep-tissue massage therapist from Japan, brought to spring training to stretch and work players’ tired muscles.
Asked how often he uses his back’s new best friend, Helton said: “Almost every day. He’s that good.”
Helton, perplexed by all the fuss surrounding his first spring homer, is hitting .357 with six doubles and seven RBIs.
Said manager Clint Hurdle, “The man’s got power, he’s had power, he will have power until he stops playing.”
Piedra to DL
Utilityman Jorge Piedra, who hit .455 as a pinch hitter in 2005, will start 2006 on the disabled list because of a left foot injury (plantar fasciitis). That opens a wider door for others hoping to make the 25-man roster as part-timers.
The three on the inside track are infielder Jamey Carroll, utilityman Eli Marrero and outfielder Choo Freeman. A leading contender for the final spot is infielder Jason Smith, who is hitting .387.
“He’s got better speed than we anticipated,” Hurdle said of Smith. “He’s probably having as good a spring as he’s ever had. He’s been a nice pickup for us.”
The other candidates include infielder Omar Quintanilla and outfielders Jeff Baker and Ryan Spilborghs. The Rockies are weighing whether it’s better to keep them with the big-league club or send them down to Triple-A Colorado Springs where they will get more at-bats.
Pleading the fifth
Zach Day’s Thursday wasn’t perfect, but it was a positive step forward. Locked in a battle with Josh Fogg and Sun-Woo Kim for the No. 5 starter job, and knowing another blowup could cost him a job, Day had his best outing of the spring. He allowed the Diamondbacks one run through five innings before tiring and giving up a two-run homer with no out in the sixth. With his sinker working, he induced nine groundball outs.
Footnotes
Kansas City pitcher Jeremy Affeldt, well-liked by the Rockies, is on the trading block. … The Rockies travel to Scottsdale today to meet the San Francisco Giants. Right-hander Jason Jennings starts for Colorado against Giants righty Jason Schmidt.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
