Cubs 9, Rockies 6, at Salt River Fields
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Two weeks away from the season opener at Milwaukee, Rockies pitchers remain in tune-up mode. For left-handed starter , that means finding more consistent pitch command, as exhibited in a 9-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs Monday afternoon.
“Overall, I think today was a positive for Tyler,” manager Bud Black said.
For starters: Anderson’s line reflected his uneven performance: Five innings, three runs (two earned) on six hits and four strikeouts over five innings. Anderson, however, needed 81 pitches to get through his outing, and he had a throwing error.
Asked if he would describe his performance as “so-so,” Anderson replied: “I think there was probably a little bit of that. I think my execution was probably better than my line was.
“There were a couple of hitters that got away from me a little bit, but in the real season you really don’t have the luxury of doing that. You have to be able to lock in the entire time, so (today) was a good learning point.”
Hits: It was a good afternoon for veteran right-hander , who’s trying to pin down a spot in the bullpen. His fastball hit 93.4 mph and he set the Cubs down in order in the seventh. … Closer Greg Holland pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out two with nasty sliders. His fastball velocity was clocked between 93-95 mph. … Outfielder Raimel Tapia, likely to start the season at Triple-A, continued to flash his talents. He started in right field, singled and scored a run in the fourth and singled and stole second in the sixth. He’s batting .310. … Right-hander looked sharp in his inning of work, striking out two.
Misses: Right-handed reliever , making his first Cactus League appearance after missing all of last season because of Tommy John surgery, got hit hard, giving up five runs on four hits (including a homer) while getting just two outs. The good news: his fastball reached 98 mph. …
Up next: Rockies have Tuesday off before resuming Cactus League play on Wednesday when they host Cleveland at 2:10 p.m. (MDT) at Salt River Fields.
