Until the last week or so, we at BSN Denver won’t be bringing you full game recaps of Colorado Rockies spring training as that would almost certainly be an insufferable waste of your time. If you want to know all the gritty details of the box score, you can always click right here.
Otherwise, we will try to boil down each game into a handful of interesting tidbits so we can get back to reporting on the stories inside and surrounding each game.
1. There was quite the confusion prior to Monday afternoon’s tilt between the Rockies and Dodgers. Prospects David Dahl and Raimel Tapia were scheduled to start then were both later scratched without any reasoning. Both can breathe a sigh of relief. After the game, MLB.com’s Rockies reporter, Thomas Harding, noted that Bud Black scratched Dahl due to back soreness. As for Tapia, he entered the game in the bottom half of the fifth.
2. Jon Gray started on the bump for Colorado and made quick work of the Dodgers. The 25-year-old pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out two. Jeff Hoffman, who is looking to capture the fifth spot in the rotation, pitched 1.2 innings, giving up three hits, one run (wasn’t earned), one walk and struck out two.
3. Pat Valaika continues to rake. Colorado’s ninth-round pick in the 2013 draft went 2-for-3 with a double a day after going 1-for-3 with a home run. Valaika’s early Spring Training average sits at .375.
4. Who says Colorado doesn’t have a first baseman? Jordan Patterson, like Valaika, was seeing the ball well Monday. Patterson went 2-for-3 on the afternoon with a double, home run and two RBI. Not to mention, his home run was off Kenta Maeda.
5. Tony Wolters, Colorado’s potential Opening Day catcher, went deep in his 1-for-3 performance. Wolters hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning off Dodgers’ reliever Josh Fields.Wolters also showed off his defensive skill, throwing out Dodgers’ Andrew Toles at second base.
Final Takeaway:
It was a complete team effort in Colorado’s 7-1 victory. The team collected 11 hits while the pitching staff allowed just one run, which wasn’t earned.
