Tucson – With every misfired throw during a Friday morning practice, catcher Yorvit Torrealba moved closer to landing on the disabled list.
Hampered first by a sore throwing shoulder, then by a badly bruised right biceps, Torrealba is now struggling to regain his natural throwing motion, just as the Rockies prepare to open the regular season.
“I’m pain-free, actually,” he said. “I just have to start over again and get all my strength again. I need to get my angle back throwing a ball.”
Trainer Keith Dugger said Torrealba’s throwing motion remains stiff and couldn’t predict how much time it will take for him to regain his throwing motion. An MRI on Torrealba’s arm and shoulder is scheduled for Monday in Denver.
Torrealba, who entered camp expecting to compete with Danny Ardoin for the starting catcher’s job, won’t suit up when the Rockies host Arizona on Monday for opening day. That left Rockies manager Clint Hurdle with a decision to make Friday night. If Torrealba’s out for the short term, the club will call on JD Closser, because the Rockies would not want to clear a 40-man roster spot for Miguel Ojeda. If Torrealba is out for an extended time – 15 days on the DL, followed by a rehab assignment – Ojeda will be the choice.
Taking fourth and fifth
Former Pirate Josh Fogg turned down more money and more roster certainty to join the Rockies this winter. The decision threatened to haunt him, until the past two weeks, when he recovered from a groin injury to break camp as Colorado’s fourth starter. He will pitch Friday at San Diego.
“Just being in this clubhouse, the change has been refreshing,” said Fogg, who pitches a minor-league exhibition Sunday to prepare for his debut. “There’s no doubt in my mind I made the right decision.”
Hurdle said picking Fogg as his fourth starter was a “gut decision.”
Zach Day will occupy the fifth spot, opening Saturday at Petco Park, leaving ace Jason Jennings to pitch on six days’ rest April 9 following his opening day start. Day pitched his way back onto the team after lowering his arm slot and reviving his sinker.
“This spring didn’t go exactly the way I wanted to, but I finished strong,” Day said.
Martin sticks
Knowing he was on the bubble to fill the Rockies’ final roster spot, lefty reliever Tom Martin said he was “sweating bullets” after his shaky inning in the Rockies’ 5-4 Cactus League win over Milwaukee on Saturday. But shortly after leaving the field, Hurdle informed Martin that he had made the team. The other relievers in the running, Jaime Cerda and Jose Acevedo, will pitch for Triple-A Colorado Springs.
“They are giving me an opportunity to prove them right,” said Martin, who has pitched in 282 major-league games.
BK no leg up
Byung-Hyun Kim walked gingerly through the clubhouse Friday, unable to get a leg up on the competition. While the Rockies haven’t set an exact date for Kim’s return, it’s likely to be late April or the first of May. Dugger said the nature of Kim’s hamstring injury – in the gluteus – typically requires three weeks before a pitcher even attempts a simulated game. Further rehab starts would follow to strengthen his arm.
“It hurts a little bit,” Kim said. “I should have been (smarter running the bases).”
Footnotes
Hurdle challenged his team to finish spring training strong during a morning meeting Friday, making it clear he was disappointed with Thursday’s performance. … A plan has been laid to get reliever Scott Dohmann, rebuilding strength after battling a nasty illness, back to the Rockies. He is scheduled for two simulated game assignments next week in Tucson, followed by a four-inning rehab assignment in the minor leagues, finishing with outings on consecutive days. … Third-base prospect Ian Stewart, who wowed fans with five home runs, was named the winner of the Abby Greer Award as the Rockies’ spring training most valuable player. Stewart will open the season with Double-A Tulsa. The MVP award is named for the 6-year-old Rockies fan who died in an accident Aug. 26, 2002 after a Rockies game. The first two winners were Luis Gonzalez in 2004 and Cory Sullivan in 2005.
