Eddie Butler pitched in a battery Wednesday with veteran catcher Nick Hundley against the Giants at Salt River. And he may follow him right on to the big-league roster.
Eddie Butler. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)
Butler, with three career games on his stat sheet, allowed one run on five hits over five innings.
“I was just following Nick around,” Butler said. “I only shook him off one time.”
Butler was scheduled for five innings or 75 pitches. He got through on 56 pitches.
“Nick has gotten on the same page with our pitchers, our young pitchers especially,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “They’re just following him around.”
He remains in competition with Jon Gray and Christian Bergman for the final spot in the Rockies’ pitching rotation.
“The opportunity has been there,” Butler said. “I just need to do what I can to control it. That’ll give me the best opportunity. All the other guys as well — Bergman, (David) Hale, Gray — are doing the same thing. It’s going to be tough for them to make a decision.”
Butler’s chances of a starting spot to open the season are in the wind. He’s already on the major-league roster, so that’s to his advantage. And he’s certainly improved on the mound this spring (under less pressure, though). Bergman has more major-league game time and has proved he doesn’t get rattled (he admits he looks sleepy on the mound). And Gray, who’s not currently on the 40-man roster, has pitched the best of the three in spring, for what that’s worth. To be continued…
Here’s Walt Weiss talking about the Rockies’ day:
Hits: The Rockies used a opening-day-type lineup — Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run homer in the fourth led to a bust-out inning. Justin Morneau’s RBI groundout scored Carlos Gonzalez… Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado both went 2-for-3… John Axford walked two in the ninth, but he struck out three.
Misses: Eddie Butler’s big mistake was an elevated fastball that Giants pitcher Tim Hudson raked for a double… Nick Hundley and DJ LeMahieu went a combined 0-for-6 in the seventh and eighth spots.
What’s next: Chad Bettis throws for the Rockies against Texas’ Derek Holland at 7 p.m. MDT at Surprise Stadium on Thursday.
Tags: Christian Bergman, Eddie Butler, Jon Gray, Nick Hundley, Walt Weiss
