Scottsdale, Ariz. — Jorge De La Rosa appears to be on track for the regular season. So does Jhoulys Chacin.
De La Rosa, the Rockies’ No. 1 pitcher, skipped his first two Cactus League starts because of tightness in his left groin, but the lefty is confident he’ll be ready to take his turn when the regular season rolls around.
Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa threw a crisp two innnings in a spring training “B” game on Sunday.
(Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)
Pitching in a “B” game against the Arizona Diamondback on a practice diamond at Salt River Fields on Sunday morning, De La Rosa threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit. He threw 25 pitches, 16 for strikes, and was in command. After leaving the game, De La Rosa threw 16 more bullpen pitches and should be able to pitch a full three innings in his next outing.
In regular Cactus League action at Salt River Fields, the Rockies led the Kansas City Royals 6-2 after eight innings.
Chacin, coming back from last year’s shoulder injury, continues to progress. The right-handed pitched three scoreless innings, giving up four hits and striking out one. A double-play grounder helped him escape his second inning unscathed.
In the earlier B game, De La Rosa had fine command of his pitches.
“I’m not surprised,” said De La Rosa, who went 14-11 with 4.10 ERA last season. “I wasn’t pitching for a long time, but I feel good. I’ve got a lot of time to prepare.”
Manager Walt Weiss has not said when De La Rosa will start when the regular season begins. It could be on opening day at Milwaukee on April 6, or he could pitch the home opener against the Cubs on April 10. Considering that De La Rosa has more victories at Coors Field than any pitcher in history, it seems likely that he will be on the mound for the home opener.
Hits
* Troy Tulowitzki and Justin Morneau hit back-to-back home runs in the Rockies’ three-run first inning against the Royals. It was Tulo’s second homer of spring and the first for Morneau.
* Tulo also made a terrific diving stop in the first inning on a ball hit to short by K.C.’s Omar Infante.
That prompted starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick to dish a compliment.
“That was a nice little show in the first,” Kendrick said. “That’s a good feeling. I’m
excited to play with these guys. I want to keep the ball down and get a lot of groundballs. Hopefully they get a lot of work when I’m out there.”
* Corey Dickerson went 3-for-3, including a double, and scored two runs against K.C.
Misses
* Right-hander Eddie Butler certainly didn’t have his A game while pitching in the “B” game against the Diamondbacks. Butler, so good in his previous spring start against the Dodgers, was all over the map Sunday. In three innings, he allowed five runs on eight hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. He needed 54 pitches to get through his day’s work.
“I got rolled,” Butler said. “I had to throw too many pitches. I got behind in the count a couple of times.”
Why was he so sharp against the Dodgers and so off his game on Sunday?
“I wish I knew,” he said. “My changeup, I just didn’t commit to it. My curve and slider were OK, but my fastball was in and out.”
Kendrick wasn’t particularly sharp Sunday. The Royals knocked out five hits and two runs against him in his three innings.
“I kind of had to battle my control a little bit,” Kendrick said. “I wasn’t as sharp as
last time. But it’s coming around. It’s a process, building up arm strength and pitch count. Today was a step to doing that.”
Up Next
The Rockies are off on Monday.
They host the Angeles on Monday, with right-hander Chad Bettis getting the start. Also scheduled to pitch are right-handers David Hale and Brett Marshall and lefties Boone Logan and Rex Brothers.
Tags: Eddie Butler, Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge De La Rosa, Justin Morneau, Kyle Kendrick, Troy Tulowitzki
