TUCSON, Ariz.—Micah Owings is working on his changeup this spring, so the results in his first outing weren’t that important.
The Arizona right-hander gave up two runs and two hits in two innings, and the Diamondbacks tied a Colorado Rockies split squad 5-5 Thursday in a rematch of last year’s NL championship series.
“I felt pretty good,” said Owings, who figures to be the No. 5 starter in the rotation. “I’m working on some new things, adjusting a little bit on the rubber and trying to get a feel for all my stuff right now.”
He has moved slightly to the right on the rubber this spring.
“He’s always tinkering, trying to get a little bit better,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. “Today he was focusing on his changeup. He probably threw several more, especially in different counts, than you normally see him.”
The game was called after nine innings. Arizona rallied from down 4-0 to go up 5-4. Colorado tied it when Jeff Baker was hit by a pitch from Jailen Peguero with the bases loaded in the ninth.
Kip Wells got off to a good start in his attempt to earn a spot at the back of the Rockies’ rotation, pitching two scoreless innings.
Hours after agreeing to a lucrative contract, Colorado closer Manny Corpas threw a scoreless, if shaky, inning. Corpas, whose four-year deal is worth just over $8 million, struck out Chris Young, but gave up singles to Orlando Hudson and Conor Jackson, then walked Mark Reynolds to load the bases.
Corpas escaped when Trot Nixon flied out and Scott Podsednik threw to second to double up Jackson, ending the inning.
Omar Quintanilla singled in a run and Cory Sullivan drove in another with a sacrifice fly in Colorado’s two-run second inning against Owings.
Arizona rallied to tie it with four runs in the seventh, including a two-run bloop single by Donnie Kelly. The tying run came in on a two-out wild pitch by Alberto Arias. Emilio Bonifacio, who had a sacrifice fly in the seventh, drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the eighth.
“Real good at-bats from the kids later on,” Melvin said.
The game was played with a designated hitter at the request of the Rockies.
