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Colorado Rockies thump Diamondbacks in Cactus League Opener
By Hayden Kane
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Rockies opened Cactus League action on Friday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Franklin Morales on the mound to open things, the uncertainty of the spring and subsequent regular season that lie ahead loomed from the very start of the team’s first real(ish) game.
On this day it was the offense shining through as the Rockies rolled to an 11-0 victory. Final scores aren’t worth much in Spring Training, and generally speaking offense tends to reign supreme this time of year as pitchers tweak their mechanics or work on new pitches. Having said that, any Rockies’ success this season will be predicated on their offense producing lots of runs so it is nice to see an offensive outburst.
Notable lines from the Box Score
- Corey Dickerson: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI
- Tommy Murphy: 1-1, solo home run
- Ryan Wheeler: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI
Dickerson will have to absolutely mash this spring to overcome the odds against him in the center field battle, so this is a good start for him. Murphy was marked as a guy to watch before spring games even started; that momentum will keep going after his home run Friday. As for Wheeler…well, I had kind of forgotten about him, frankly. He remains on the fringe of things, but if he hits enough he could force the team’s hand for a reserve spot.
- Franklin Morales: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 ER
- Rex Brothers: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 ER
- Tyler Matzek: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 ER
Morales showed us that the ‘Franklin Morales experience’ hasn’t changed much since last we saw him. He is always adventurous and sometimes effective, and he showed as much on Friday by working into trouble with walks and out of trouble with good pitches. Brothers looked sharp right out of the gate, which was expected but is still nice to see. Matzek’s name mostly comes up in the context of the Rockies’ failures to develop young pitching; a good spring from him would go a long way.
The Rockies continue Cactus League action with a game against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.