Colorado Rockies 9, Texas Rangers 6: Key players have big days in Rockies win

Thanks to another solid spring effort from Chad Bettis and back-to-back home runs from Gerardo Parra and Cristhian Adames, the Rockies beat the Rangers, 9-6, in Cactus League play Monday.

Bettis pitched five innings, allowing three runs, all earned, on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts to lead the Rockies to the victory. All three runs and five of the seven hits Bettis allowed came in the third inning that saw Texas take a 3-0 lead.

The Rockies answered back in the top of the fourth when Ben Paulsen's single against Rangers starter Martin Perez brought home Ryan Raburn and Trevor Story. Colorado took the lead an inning later on four straight singles from Parra, Adames, Nolan Arenado and Raburn that plated a pair of runs, making the score 4-3 in favor of the visitors. The single was Arenado's second hit of the day and raised his spring average to a whopping .629.

Colorado broke the game open in the sixth against former Rockie Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie retired the first two hitters in the inning before allowing a single to pinch hitter Jackson Williams and back-to-back home runs, both to straight away center field, to Parra and Adames, extending the Rockies' lead to 7-3.

Adames started at second base and went 2-for-4 on the day with the home run and an RBI single, bolstering his case for a roster spot, or even the starting shortstop job, come Opening Day.

Brandon Barnes provided a pair of insurance runs in the seventh against Guthrie as he tripled to bring home Michael Benjamin and scored on Paulsen's sacrifice fly, making the score 9-4 in favor of Colorado.

Texas tacked on a pair of late runs against Rockies relievers Gonzalez Germen and Jason Gurka late in the game, but the win was never in any serious doubt for Colorado.

The Rockies will be at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick tomorrow, taking on the Brewers at 2:10 p.m. Mountain time before their first off day of Spring Training on Wednesday.