TUCSON — A scoreboard wasn’t necessary Thursday to evaluate Franklin Morales. It only took a peek at the radar gun. He consistently hit 93 mph with his fastball and 72 mph with a hard-breaking curveball.
In an outing that manager Clint Hurdle labeled “very, very good,” Morales showed none of the flawed mechanics that sabotaged his season last year.
“My plan was to keep it simple, not to worry about who was watching or who was hitting,” Morales said after his two scoreless innings. “My mentality was simple: Attack the bottom half of the strike zone.”
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba summed up why Morales is a legitimate candidate for the fifth rotation spot, vying against Greg Smith, Josh Fogg and Jason Hirsh.
“(Franklin) is 100 percent better than a year ago,” Torrealba said.
Here’s an example. Last spring, Morales wouldn’t throw his fastball as much as the Rockies wanted, especially with runners on base.
He also battled back problems that flared up in March. Thursday, he not only fired darts, he played head games, pretending to shake Torrealba off to set hitters up.
“I was trying to (fool) them. I already knew what I was doing: throwing outside, then going back in,” Morales said. “I feel really good.”
Rockies, on Manny.
More than Alex Rodriguez’s steroid confession, Manny Ramirez’s negotiations have created a buzz at Rockies’ camp. The enigmatic left fielder’s signing with the Dodgers appears imminent, but the Rockies weren’t preparing a concession speech for the National League West.
“I don’t know that they are the clear favorite, because they lost a lot of guys. They are going to miss (Derek) Lowe and (Brad) Penny,” third baseman Garrett Atkins said.
Footnotes.
Huston Street gave up a run in his Rockies debut, but, save for one changeup, he threw all fastballs. “I will take the kinds of swings I got every day,” he said. . . . Ian Stewart was scratched because of a sore left arm suffered from swinging. He should return this weekend. . . . Hurdle, on Hirsh’s troubles: “The ball wasn’t down enough or inside enough.” . . . Utilityman Omar Quintanilla ($208,515 minors; $408,000 majors) and minor-leaguers Shane Lindsay, Samuel Deduno, Hector Gomez and Ryan Mattheus — all four will receive $32,500 in minors and $400,000 if in majors — signed their contracts.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
