Colorad Springs, W 8-4 - Joe Koshansky drove in five runs last night, and only one came by the way of a home run. In the first inning, he drove in Juan Castro and Ian Stewart (both reached on walks) on a single. He doubled in Stewart and Sean Barker in the third, and then homered in the sixth. Barker went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

John Koronka went 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits. Matt Daley allowed two hits in 2 1/3 IP. Steven Register had a clean ninth inning.

Tulsa, W 7-0, L 3-9 - The first game saw Dexter Fowler hit his fourth homer, a a three-run shot. Matt Miller added two RBI, and Corey Wimberly and Tony Blanco had one each. Blanco and Chris Nelson had the other extra-base hits for the Drillers, both doubles. Nelson stole his fourth base.

Ching-Lung Lo beat Arkansas in a seven-inning, two-hit, complete game shutout. He walked two and struck out two.

The second game wasn't as nice for Tulsa pitching. Five errors contributed to the score. Jon George and Luis Gonzalez combined to allow eight runs, but only three were earned. George had a throwing error, and Duke Sardinha, Jeff Dragicevich, Tony Blanco, and Luis Gonzalez committed fielding errors. Casey Weathers pitched a clean ninth.

Jeff Dragicevich had a two-run homer and Dexter Fowler followed his fourth homer in the first game with his fifth in the second game. Jeff Kindel had two hits.

Modesto, L 3-7 - Keith Weiser went only 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out five. According to his manager, the defense led to some of Weiser's troubles:

"Weiser was outstanding," Weinstein said. "In the first inning, we have to make some plays behind him, and in the second inning, we have to make a play. It could have been 3-0 in our favor into the fifth. He had to throw a lot of pitches because we didn't do a very good job defensively."

Daniel Mayora had an error in the third and fifth innings while Geoff Strickland had the other in the fifth inning. In his blog entry for the game, Brian VanderBeek writes that there were a few other plays on defense that should have been made (we also find out that Hector Gomez is progressing in Tucson). In the seventh inning, Will Harris allowed  four straight singles with two runs scoring on the fourth one. Andy Graham, James Burok, and Brandon Durden combined to allow two hits in 3 1/3 IP.

Cole Garner singled in Nick Haley in the first, which tied the game. Entering the bottom of the fourth, the Nuts were down by two, but a Victor Ferrante (who tripled to start the inning) scored when Matt Repec reached second base on a fielder's choice and an error. Anthony Jackson then scored Repec a little while later. The game was tied at three, but it wouldn't last for long.

Asheville, L 6-7 in 13 innings - Down four to nothing in the bottom of the sixth, Darin Holcomb hit his seventh homer to bring the score within one run. In the bottom of the ninth, Jeff Cunningham hit his sixth homer to send the game into extra innings. Fast forward to the bottom of the 12th, the Tourists are down two runs. Mike Mitchell doubled before Brian Rike came to bat. Rike hit his eighth homer, tying the game at six. Randall Taylor came in to start the 13th and promptly allowed a homer to the first batter he faced. There were no heroics in the bottom of that inning.

Mike Mitchell had four hits in the game, Helder Velazquez stole his second base of the season, and Kevin Clark stole second and third in the sixth (but did not score).

Bruce Billings went five innings, allowed four runs on nine hits, and struck out seven. Joey Williamson, Matt Reynolds, and Craig Baker held Charleston to one hit, two walks, and no runs over 4 2/3 IP.  Craig Rodriguez allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 IP.

Colorado Springs, W 7-6 - Cory Sullivan doubled in two runs in the second inning, and Ian Stewart promptly doubled in Sullivan. Sean Barker collected three hits and drove in a run. Juan Castro made his debut for the Sky Sox, had two hits, and drove in a run. Joe Koshansky (who struck out three times) and Rick Guarno had the other RBI. Jayson Nix had a double, and Stewart, Barker, and Colonel each stole a base.

Josh Towers went 5 2/3 innings, allowed four runs on ten hits and a walk. He also struck out four. Matt Daley and Steven Register held Memphis hitless over the last two innings. Register picked up his third save.

Tulsa, L 2-3 - Chris Nelson went 3-for-4 with a home run, his second. He stole his third base of the season as well (Fowler stole his eighth). Daniel Carte drove in the other run. Jeff Kindel had a triple in the sixth and scored on Carte's single.

Alan Johnson went 7 1/3 innings and allowed all three runs.

Modesto - The Cal League had an off day.

Asheville, W 5-4 - David Christensen singled in Brian Lapin twice as part of his 3-for-4 night. He also stole his fifth base. But it was Brian Rike who had the best hit of the night, his seventh homer in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. He also had an assist and an error.

Jhoulys Chacin allowed four runs in seven innings. He walked three and struck out six. Randall Taylor picked up the win. This was the team's first win when trailing after seven innings.

So, we already know that Troy Tulowitzki is out for an extended period of time. And Jay Cutler has Type 1 Diabetes. And Joe Sakic and the Avs were humiliated by the Red Wings last night, being swept out of the playoffs. And the Nuggets dropped out of the playoffs after losing to the Lakers earlier this week. What a week for Denver sports.

The Rockies are looking at the recently designated-for-assignment Juan Castro. Castro played for the Reds since a trade there in 2006. As a bench player this season:

That's a -74 OPS+ if you're keeping track. Not that it matters all that much. Last season he put up a .180/.211/.236 line as bench player. He certainly does offer versatility on defense (though his ability has diminished over the years), but we're looking at another offensive sieve when he gets into games. Yet, as the article points out, Castro would spend time with the Sky Sox in order to see how things shake out in the majors first.

Another three-game series against the Dodgers, this time at Coors. Here's to a rousing May start!