Colorado Rockies 5, SF Giants 2; Tulo goes yard and Butler makes a statement

Spring training games don't mean anything, but some meaningless games are better than others. This was one of them. Eddie Butler brought his good stuff to the yard as he tossed five innings of one run ball and Troy Tulowitzki blasted his third home run of the spring. That propelled the Rockies to a 5-2 victory.

As Rockies rotation options dwindle, Butler is starting to look like an odds-on favorite to nail down a spot. Today he struck out two, walked none, and gave up five hits in his five innings. He was working 93-95 with his fast ball and pounded the zone.

Tulo singled and hit a two run home run to left field to start the scoring. The outfield starters of Blackmon, Dickerson, and Gonzalez all collected singles. Nolan Arenado had another good day at the plate with a single and a double. The lineup is looking solid, there's no doubt about that.

The bullpen was largely efficient. Christian Friedrich gave up a run over two innings, but Rafael Betancourt and John Axford nailed down the eighth and ninth innings with five strikeouts between them.

Opening Day is still a couple weeks away, but it's no longer some vague notion over the horizon. These games are starting to resemble the real deal. Today the Rockies were the real deal.