TUCSON, Ariz.—Scratch Kip Wells from the list of possible contenders for the final spot in Colorado’s rotation.
He’s headed to the bullpen after Rockies manager Clint Hurdle decided Wells would be a better fit in a relief role. The right-hander went four innings Sunday, giving up two runs in Colorado’s 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“We wanted to give him an opportunity to start,” Hurdle said. “The reality of it is, we thought he was versatile enough to fit a couple of different ways.”
With Wells out of the picture, Franklin Morales, Mark Redman and Josh Towers are the finalists for the final two spots in the rotation.
“I felt for the most part under control, and aggressive,” Wells said. “I was just trying to be aggressive down in the zone.”
His counterpart on the mound, Chad Billingsley, looked at his start on Sunday as a chance to work on a pitch that’s confounded him—his changeup. Billingsley, who’s always relied on his fastball, is trying to add the off-speed pitch to his repertoire.
“I never really threw a changeup,” said Billingsley, who lasted four innings and gave up five runs on eight hits. “I’m trying to learn it.”
He blamed his shaky control, in part, on his changeup. Billingsley also walked three and hit a batter with a pitch.
“The longer he was out there, the more frustrated he got,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “He threw the ball good, but he couldn’t throw the ball where he wanted to.”
Brad Hawpe was back in the lineup for Colorado after missing the last 11 games with a bum left elbow. He spent the down time in the cage working on his swing, and it showed against the Dodgers.
Hawpe finished 2-for-3 with a double and a triple to raise his spring average to .417. He also drove in four runs.
“My swing feels really good,” Hawpe said. “I felt good at the plate.”
His arm felt fine as well. He got to test it on a long throw in from right field.
“No problems,” he said of his elbow. “It felt good.”
The Dodgers made their first appearance at Hi Corbett Field on Sunday in nearly 40 years. The last time they were in the stadium was April 4, 1968, against the Cleveland Indians, who played in Hi Corbett from 1945-92.
The Dodgers are spending the rest of spring training at the Oakland Athletics’ complex, after saying goodbye to Dodgertown, their home in Vero Beach, Fla., since 1948. The team will move into a new facility next year in Glendale, Ariz., provided construction is completed.
Los Angeles is 1-3 in the Cactus League after going 8-12-1 on the Grapefruit circuit. The team also went 0-1-1 against San Diego in Beijing.
Billingsley just grinned when asked about all the team’s traveling this season.
“To me, all that matters is a mound, a catcher and a field to play on,” he said.
Notes:@ Dodgers 1B James Loney finished 3-for-4 with a double. … Colorado’s Todd Helton and Matt Holliday, hitting No. 3 and 4 in the lineup, finished a combined 4-for-5 with four runs and three RBIs. … Rockies 2B Marcus Giles said after the game that he was informed by the team that he could be traded. Giles, who was signed by Colorado as a free agent on Jan. 8, is hitting .321 this spring. … The Rockies optioned INFs Jonathan Herrera and Joe Koshansky and LHP Josh Newman to minor league camp. They also reassigned RHPs Darren Clark and Victor Zambrano, LHP Chris George, C Mike Rose and INF Matt Kata to minor league camp.
