Jorge De La Rosa will miss his first start of the spring due to left groin tightness, according to Thomas Harding. Brett Marshall will be on the mound to start Saturday's game. De La Rosa expects to miss just one start.
Pain-free start good news for Chacin, Rockies - Rockies.com
Jhoulys Chacin has stealthily been one of the best pitchers in Rockies history, but following a shoulder injury and a terrible 2014, there was a legitimate chance he would be non-tendered in 2015, his final arbitration season. The linked article mentions that Chacin spent the entire offseason in Scottsdale, working out under the close eye of Rockies staff. They apparently thought he looked healthy enough for a $5.5 million contract.
So yesterday's start was kind of a good news/bad news kind of thing. The good news: he threw entirely without pain. The bad news: he only worked 86-88 mph, the same fastball velocity he maintained in his injured 2014. Of course it was his first start of Spring Training, and he's probably still building up his strength. Jumping to conclusions about ANYTHING right now is premature.
Rockies get mixed bag on mound vs. D'Backs - Rockies.com
Chacin gave up two runs in the second inning after retiring the side in order in the first. Top prospect Eddie Butler pitched the third and fourth, allowing two runs on a Danny Dorn home run. Butler reportedly hit 98 mph, which sounds pretty good to me.
Eddie Butler starting to develop into something special - Denver Post
Speaking of Butler, despite his so-so outing he is still impressing this spring. The velocity being back in the high-90s is one reason, and catcher Mike McKenry is saying that his sinker has regained its heaviness. Butler might not break camp with the club, but hopefully his Major League readiness is approaching.
Speedy Barnes eyeing consistency for Rockies - Rockies.com
The Rockies love Brandon Barnes, but he might be on the bubble for the 25 man roster considering he is the fifth outfielder and the Rockies like to use 12 man pitching staffs. The article mentions that Barnes is looking to improve his approach at the plate; probably a good idea considering his sub-.300 OBP.
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon looking for full-season stardom - Denver Post
Charlie Blackmon turned in an almost perfectly average season: 2 WAR and 100 wRC+, right on the button. There's nothing wrong with average, but he got there in a strange way: an incredible April mixed with a mediocre rest-of-season. Blackmon is aware of this, and hopes to be more consistent this year. The article mentions his offseason preparation included improving his running and hitting the ball hard to all fields.
Forget pitching: Rockies need to upgrade their mascot first - Denver Post
Ben Hochman tears into all things Dinger, calling him the worst mascot in sports. Hard to argue with that. Down with Dinger.
Pence out 6-8 weeks after breaking left forearm - MLB.com
Hunter Pence of the Giants got plunked in a Spring Training game and broke his arm. The "non-displaced fracture" means he will likely miss about a month's worth of real games. That's only about 1/6 of a season, so it isn't a disaster for the Giants, but it's certainly not good.
You never root for injury to the other team, but Pence was a notorious Rockies killer. I love Pence as a player, but now I'm hoping we front-loaded a lot of our Giants games...okay fine I'll look it up...the Rockies have two series with the Giants in April, one at home and one at SF. So six Pence-less games.