Nunez showcases power in Rockies loss to Giants

Well, the Colorado Rockies lost a nationally televised baseball game. But it could not have mattered less. It’s still February.

The 9-6 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco Giants may mean little, but the performance of Jeff Hoffman, one of the guys on the roster who most needed a quality Spring Training, is troubling.

Player of the Game – Dom Nunez

Battling for the backup catcher spot with Elias Diaz who is hitting .667 so far this Spring, Nunez did what he needs to do. He showed off his power. On a 3-1 slider from Melvin Adon in the fourth, he absolutely unloaded a perfect power swing and launched one that hasn’t landed yet for a three-run jack. He also drew a walk in the game.

Runner Up – Antonio Senzatela

Senza gave up a run on a couple of hits and a walk (though the walk was suspect) and got pretty well lined up by Brandon Belt on the RBI double (though, again, he may have been out at second). But the big news was easily the movement Senzatela was getting on his breaking pitches. It was an extraordinary improvement upon what he has shown with this type of offering in the past and it led directly to four strikeouts.

Turning Point – Jeff Hoffman’s 4th Inning

He recorded a pair of quick outs and looked pretty well in control but fell apart after inducing a pop-up on the infield then getting in between catcher Tony Wolters and third baseman Chris Owings who was charged with the error as the ball bounced off his glove. Hoffman then began to miss his spots with regularity and give up hard contact to substandard hitters on his way to five runs surrendered.

Only two were technically earned but he also helped create the defensive mess so it was an all-around disappointing outing for the young man who is trying to cement himself on the roster with no options remaining.

Final Thoughts

Other than the frustrating appearance from Hoffman, the promising one from Senzatela, and Nunez’ display of pop, there wasn’t much to write home about in this one. Ryan Castellani picked up a couple of clean innings late. Carlos Estevez gave up three runs, including a two-run homer, but looks fine. Bret Boswell went 0-for-2 to lower his Spring batting average to .583.

Up Next

The Rockies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon at 1:10 PM Mountain Time. Happy Leap Day!