Rockies win again: Important takes from Colorado's Saturday win

It's still February. And a lot of younger players and minor league prospects are in the lineup right now. But none of that takes away from the fact that the Colorado Rockies are undefeated in Cactus League play.

On Saturday, Colorado beat Arizona at Salt River Fields for the second day in a row, this time putting together an impressive 9-3 win at Talking Stick.

And for the second day in a row, the long ball played a key role in a Colorado victory, as the Rockies got two monster shots. One of the home home runs came from first basemen Michael Toglia, who made his spring debut on Saturday. Toglia is expected to be the bopper in Colorado's lineup this season, and he lived up to that billing on Saturday with his three-run shot in the fifth inning.

Toglia though, wasn't the only one ot get in on the homer fest Saturday. One inning earlier, Zac Veen clobbered a two-run blast with manager Bud Black on the headset at the exact moment.

“That’s a home run,” Black said while talking on the Rockies TV broadcast during the fourth inning. “You see the bat flip there?” Black added on the broadcast. “He’s a beauty.”

No question Black was excited as Veen, the No. 3 prospect in the organization, showed off his power, and helped Colorado to an eight-hit day, which also included a two-run double from young right field Cole Carrigg. The offense was again a highlight for the Rockies, who very well could live by the long ball this season, and, should pack a lot of power in their every day lineup.

Another big take from Saturday was, of course, the pitching. Eight Colorado pitchers combined to allow just two runs and three hits to an Arizona lineup that included start hitters Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez. And while there's no doubt Colorado's rotation is anything but set in stone, and there's a lot of spring training left, anytime Colorado's pitchers pitch as well as they did on Saturday, it's a bright spot, and a win.

Saturday also marked the first appearance of Cactus League play for shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, and while it was a quiet day as he drew a walk while only playing half the game, it's exciting every time he steps on the field. Yes, Tovar is that guy now. He's the beacon of light for the Rockies' franchise. A power-hitting, base-stealijng shortstop who already has a Gold Glove to his credit, and his best years are all still in front of. So, while it was just his first action of the spring, Rockies fans need to always be excited to see him play, because he is the cornerstone of the franchise.

Last but not least, make sure you're excited about the fact Colorado has beaten a divison rival twice in two days. Is it just spring training? Yup. Do these games count for anything? Not really. But when you've gonne through the struggles Colorado has in recent years, you take pleasure in every single win, whether it's February or September, and right now, the Rockles are undefeated, and there's nothing wrong with being excited about that.

The Rockies will play split squad games on Sunday. Colorado will be at Oakland at 1:05 p.m. M.S.T., and the other half of the roster will be at Milwaukee at 1:10 p.m. M.S.T.