Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis steps away from camp for cancer treatment

Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis needs chemotherapy after cancer spreads | The Denver Post

Bad news hit Rockies camp on Friday, as Chad Bettis announced that the cancer he thought he may have been rid of had spread. For Bettis, this means stepping away from baseball to undergo chemotherapy. And though his focus is now taken off of the game, baseball will “drive” the 27-year old starter through recovery. Odds of a full recovery are in the 90 percent range for Bettis, who remains optimistic despite the diagnosis. Read more from Bettis and reactions from the clubhouse here.

Arenado, Kinsler show heart, hustle | MLB.com

Nolan Arenado’s heroics were pivotal in securing Team USA’s first win in their World Baseball Classic opener. Arenado reached first on a passed ball strike out in the sixth that allowed teammate Ian Kinsler to score, tying the game 2-2. The Rockies’ Gold Glove third baseman got his moment to shine defensively in the eighth, on a hard line drive turned heads-up double play to get Pat Neshek and Team USA out of a jam. Team USA got the win on Adam Jones’s walk-off single in the 10th.

Learning curve continues for Rockies' Hoffman | MLB.com

Jeff Hoffman did not make it through his two-inning outing on Thursday completely unscathed. The young right-hander gave up big hits to Yadier Molina and Francisco Lindor in the Rockies’ victory over Puerto Rico. But by Friday, Hoffman knew he was better for it. After reviewing film with pitching coach Steve Foster, Hoffman learned a lesson in self-evaluation, the difference between good and great pitches, and to be okay when Carlos Beltran gets a barrel on a great pitch, because he’s Carlos Beltran.

Go behind the scenes at Colorado Rockies spring training | ESPN

A photographic tour of what goes on at Salt River Fields during Rockies spring training. Get to know many of the staffers, whose behind the scenes efforts to get the team ready for the season, often begins long before sunrise.