TUCSON — Jayson Nix, on the verge of clinching the Rockies’ starting second base job, was scratched just minutes before Wednesday’s Cactus League game against the White Sox because of stiffness in his lower back. The Rockies are calling his status “day to day.”
Nix came into spring training as the favorite to replace Kazuo Matsui. After a slow start, Nix appears to have beaten out Clint Barmes, Jeff Baker and Marcus Giles. Manager Clint Hurdle said it’s too early to say if Nix’s injury complicates the situation.
On Monday, Nix homered to left field and singled twice, raising his average to .273.
Rough going.
Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (five runs and four hits allowed, two hit batters and two walks in four innings) was awful for his first two innings and nearly perfect for his last two.
“I wasn’t executing my pitches and they were all up in the strike zone,” Jimenez said after giving up solo homers to two of the first three batters he faced.
But he settled down and corrected his motion.
“You’re always encouraged when they scuffle a little bit, then find their way home,” Hurdle said.
Special visitors.
The Coolbaugh family visited Hi Corbett Field. Joseph and Jacob Coolbaugh got their picture taken with Todd Helton as their mom, Mandy, looked on. Her husband, Mike Coolbaugh, a minor-league coach for the Rockies’ Double-A team in Tulsa, was killed by a line drive July 22 as he stood in the first base coach’s box.
