SURPRISE, Ariz. — General manager Dan O’Dowd has said the Rockies may become a team defined by its pitching and defense.
And, from the looks of things, you can add running to the list.
The Rockies stole three bases in Sunday’s 11-11 Cactus League tie with Kansas City, but that was just part of the story. They also stretched a single into a double, pulled off a suicide squeeze and were thrown out twice at home plate, once on a contact play.
The Rockies are 17-for-21 in stolen-base attempts, an .810 percentage. Everywhere you look, Rockies runners are trying to take the extra base. And make no doubt, it’s by design.
“That’s the message we’ve been trying to send,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “I’ve got to give them all the credit in the world. You don’t stop playing. The game is going to change April 5, but the mentality won’t change.”
Leadoff man Carlos Gonzalez is a candidate for 30-plus steals, but “I don’t want to single out Carlos Gonzalez,” Tracy said. “I want them all to have the mentality. I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to be fast and you don’t have to consider yourself a speedster to get an extra 90 feet.”
Speier putting up zeros.
The Rockies wanted to get a look at veteran right-hander Justin Speier on back-to- back days, and he helped his cause. Speier, trying to make the club as a nonroster player, pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two, just as he did Saturday against the Angels.
Cook bounces back.
Aaron Cook asked to pitch in a minor-league game Sunday so he could work on the release point on his sinker. The results? Cook’s line versus Diamondbacks minor-leaguers: five innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, three strikeouts.
Mission accomplished.
“I did,” said Cook, when asked if he had found his release point. “We worked really hard. I threw two bullpens in between starts and worked on a couple of drills just to really get extension and get back to where I know I should be.”
Among Cook’s drills was to move the catcher back to 70 feet so he would be forced to get full arm extension.
Footnotes.
Rockies trainer Keith Dugger was anxious to see how Rafael Betancourt felt Sunday after throwing 26 pitches Saturday. The verdict? “All good,” said Betancourt, who is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Tuesday vs. San Diego at Hi Corbett Field. . . . Looking for a dark horse for the opening-day roster? Try left-hander Matt Reynolds, a 20th-rounder in 2007 who split time last season between High-A and Double-A. With Franklin Morales pressed into the closer’s role, Reynolds “is a candidate” to stick with the team, Tracy said.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Rockies 11, Royals 11
Surprise Stadium
Hits: Through the middle of last week, Eric Young Jr. was 3-for-30 this spring. Since then, he’s 8-for-15, including a game-winning three-run triple, to raise his Cactus League average to .244. . . . Through Saturday, the Rockies led the major leagues with 57 doubles. And that was before Chris Iannetta doubled to right- center and center field in his first two at-bats. . . . Matt Daley pitched a scoreless fifth, racking up two strikeouts, both on perfectly placed inside fastballs.
Misses: Young started at second base and moved to center field, then proceeded to lose a flyball in the sun for a double. . . . The Rockies had two runners thrown out at the plate, one on a throw from the outfield, another when Young was running from third on contact. . . . Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, handed a five-run lead in the first, allowed six earned runs in three innings. . . . Iannetta froze between second and third on a looping single to center and was forced to retreat instead of moving up a base.
What’s next: Reds, today, 2:10 p.m. MDT, Goodyear, Ariz. Jorge De La Rosa vs. Bronson Arroyo.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
