PEORIA, Ariz. — Troy Tulowitzki doesn’t make a lot of spring training road trips, but he was glad to be on the diamond Wednesday afternoon against the Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex.
In just his second Cactus League game, the Rockies all-star shortstop ripped a solo homer to right-center off right-hander Erasmo Ramierz in the first inning. In the bottom of the inning, Tulo made a leaping catch on a line drive by Kyle Seager, robbing him of a hit.
“It is encouraging, to see him go up and get that ball on defense, especially,” manager Walt Weiss said. “It was good to see. We knew he could hit, but to see him move around like that on defense was encouraging.”
Three of the Rockies’ top prospects combined to score three runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Mariners 4-1. Ryan Casteel hit a run-scoring double to chase home Mike Tauchman; Will Swanner hit a single to score Casteel; and Kyle Parker blasted a double to score Swanner.
It was just a half day’s work for Tulowitzki, who walked in his second at-bat, but it was a satisfying afternoon. (See video below).
Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Outfielder Charlie Blackmon, slowed by an abdominal strain, made his Cactus League debut. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
“It was good to be back out there with my teammates,” Blackmon said. “I was also happy that I wasn’t too tentative out there.”
Blackmon’s diagnosis of his ailment was short and sweet.
“There is something in my ab that kind of hurts a little bit when I swing, but now it doesn’t hurt anymore,” he deadpanned. “So you might want to stick with just ab strain.”
Hits
Rotation candidate David Hale was excellent again, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three.
Reliever Adam Ottavino ran into trouble in the eighth when Stefan Romero scored a leadoff triple, but Ottavino used his fastball and slider to escape trouble. He has not been scored upon this spring.
Misses
Starter Christian Bergman gave up a run on four hits and a walk in his 2 2/3 innings. The right-hander, likely slated to begin the season at Triple-A, was able to minimize the damage.
Colorado’s offense was very quiet early, with Tulo’s homer and a single by catcher Wilin Rosario their only hits through eight innings.
Up Next
The Rockies travel to Maryville to play the Brewers. Right-hander Gus Schlosser, acquired in a trade with Atlanta, starts for the Rockies. Right-hander Wily Peralta starts for Milwaukee.
Other Rockies scheduled to pitch are: RHP Brett Marshall, RHP Jose Ortega, LHP Rex Brothers, RHP Justin Miller and RHP Brooks Brown.
Tags: Charlie Blackmon, Christian Bergman, David Hale, Troy Tulowitzki, Wilin Rosario
