Last Time Out:

Fresno (5/22): Starting pitcher Shane Loux went five innings, but allowed seven earned runs to the Oklahoma City Red Hawks.  Red Hawks’ shortstop Jonathan Villar and right fielder Fernando Martinez, each hit a home run to hand Fresno their 21^st loss of the season.

Sky Sox (5/22): Matt McBride had 2-HRs to lead the Sky Sox over the Albuquerque Isotopes, 9-1.  McBride finished the day with six RBIs which was two shy of his career high of eight.

 Season Series (3-1):

The Sky Sox and the Grizzlies met earlier this year in May when the Sox traveled to Chukchansi Park.  In that series Colorado Springs took three out of four against Fresno, and outs scored them 27-17. Greg Golson had a stand-out series for the Sox, going 4-10 with a home run, triple, three runs and three RBIs.

Scouting Fresno:

Fresno is currently tied for the PCL lead in HRs with Tacoma.  The Grizzlies have 10 different players with two or more home runs including Brett Pill who has nine dingers.  Pill also leads the league in RBIs with 47.

The Grizzlies’ pitching staff features Chris Heston and Mike Kickham who each have 50 strike outs.  The team is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 379.

 Sky Sox Notes:

TRANSACTION: Before last night’s game, the Rockies activated RH Coty Woods from the disabled list. In addition, the Rockies announced last night that they have optioned down infielder Josh Rutledge. Rutledge is not expected to join the Sky Sox until the team returns home on Friday.

McBRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN: Last night was another monster game for Sky Sox super utility player Matt McBride. He finished the game 5-for-5 (his first ever five-hit game) with two homers (his second two-homer game of the year), a double, three runs scored and a team season-high six RBI. Since coming off of the D.L. on April 20, McBride has reached base safely in 18 of 20 games. In May, McBride is hitting .403 (25-for-62) with eight homers, a triple, five doubles, 13 runs scored and 26 RBIs in just 15 games. His 26 RBIs are the most in the minors in the month and his eight homers are tied for the most. His other two-homer game of the year was on 5/14 at home against Omaha. Tyler Colvin, who smacked his fifth homer last night, is the other Sox players hit two dingers on 4/14 at Las Vegas.

SIX RBI GAME: Matt McBride’s six RBIs game last night was the first time a Sox player plated that many runs in a game since Brandon Wood did it last season on August 14 against the same Albuquerque Isotopes. McBride’s career-high for RBIs in a game is actually eight which he accomplished on July 31, 2009 against Binghamton while he was a member of the Akron Aeros.

BIRTHDAY BOYS: Yesterday Corey Dickerson turned 24 years old.  Today is Matt McBride’s 28th birthday and Cory Riordan will turn 27 on 5/25.

Series Schedule:

5/24 vs FRE         CSP        RH Chris Volstad (1-0, 3.42)

7:05 PM MT         FRE         RH Boof Bonser (2-3, 4.89)

5/25 vs FRE         CSP        RH Roman Colon (0-1, 0.00)

6:05 PM MT         FRE         RH Mitch Lively (2-1, 9.00)

5/26 vs FRE         CSP        LH Drew Pomeranz (6-1, 3.58)

1:35 PM MT         FRE         RH Chris Heston (5-3, 5.59)

5/27 vs FRE         CSP        RH Jeff Manship (3-1, 6.00)

12:35 PM MT      FRE         RH Shane Loux (4-2, 4.75)

Last Time Out:

Round Rock (5/14): Against the Padres, Express starting pitcher Jake Brigham only went 1.2 innings and allowed nine earned runs.  Joey Butler had the team’s only RBI and the team fell to 20-19 on the season.

Sky Sox (5/14): Sky Sox catcher Matt McBride hit two home runs to lead the team over the Omaha Storm Chasers.  Reliever Manny Corpas came on to relieve starting pitcher Chris Volstad who allowed five earned runs in five innings.

 Season Series (—):

This will be the first time the two teams have met this season.

Scouting Round Rock: Top Texas Rangers’ prospect Jurickson Profar has played in 34 games for Round Rock and is hitting .250 with 14 RBIs and leads the team in runs with 23.

The team’s pitching staff is lead by Brad Mills and Josh Lindblom who are a combined 9-0 and have a combined 65 strikeouts.

Round Rock is currently tied for second in the American Southern division and is riding a four game losing streak.

 Sky Sox Notes:

TRANSACTIONS: On 5/16 the Rockies’ recalled RHP Rob Scahill and INF DJ LeMahieu.  This will be Scahill’s second stint with the club this season after posting a 5.40 ERA with the Sox.  LeMahieu will be heading up to Denver for the first time this year, but played in 81 games for the Rockies in 2012 and batted .297 with 12 doubles.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Sky Sox drew 45,173 for the eight-game home stand which is the second highest in team history.  The 20,686 fans drawn in the series against Omaha is also a record for a series against the Storm Chasers.

SPRING CLEANING: So far this season the Sox’ cleanup hitters have hit a combined .331(50-for-147, with eight home runs and 42 RBIs.  Five players have hit in the four-hole this year including Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Matt McBride, Ben Paulsen and Ryan Wheeler.  

LOCK DOWN LOGAN: Logan Kensing has pitched 8.2 innings this year and has yet to surrender a run.  The righty is one for one on save opportunities this season and has only allowed one inherited runner to score.  Kensing has made eight appearances and the Sox are 7-1 in games that he pitches.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: On 5/14, the Sky Sox scored in the first inning and the team has now out scored their opponents 36-15 in the opening inning. Colorado Springs is now 17-5 on the year when they score first and are undefeated (7-0) at home.

Series Schedule:

5/16 @ RR           CSP        LH Drew Pomeranz (5-0, 3.18)

7:05 PM CT          RR           LH Martin Perez (0-1, 11.05 ERA – 2 starts w/ Double-A Frisco)

5/17 @ RR           CSP        RH Jeff Manship (1-1, 7.01)

7:05 PM CT          RR           RH Ross Wolf (1-0, 1.67)

5/18 @ RR           CSP        RH Tyler Chatwood (1-2, 3.14)

6:05 PM CT          RR           RH Josh Lindblom (4-0, 2.08)

5/19 @ RR           CSP        RH Drew Carpenter (0-0, 0.00)

1:05 PM CT          RR           LH Ryan Feierabend (0-0, 5.51)

Last Time Out:

Iowa (5/6): Matt Garza took the mound against the Oklahoma City RedHawks in a rehab start and pitched 3.1 innings while only allowing one run.  Chris Rusin came on in relief and threw five scoreless innings in the victory.

Sky Sox (5/6): After winning the first three games of their series against the Fresno Grizzlies, the Sky Sox lost the last game 7-5.  In the loss, Matt McBride hit his first triple of the year and Rob Scahill pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Justin Berg.

 Season Series (—-):

This will be the first time the two teams have met this season.

Scouting Iowa:

The Iowa Cubs are currently 11-17 and 4.5 games back of the Memphis Redbirds and the Omaha Storm Chasers for the American North division lead.  The Cubs rank third to last in batting average at .257, but do have 24 home runs in only 28 games.  Outfielder Ryan Sweeney is tied for sixth in the PCL in home runs with six and outfielder Brian Bogusevic is leading the league in batting with a .419 batting average.  Despite only playing 28 games, the Cubs’ pitching staff is tied for third in the league in home runs allowed at 33 and has a 5.23 ERA.

 Sky Sox Notes:

 TRANSACTIONS: Today, the Rockies optioned down RHP Tyler Chatwood and 3B Ryan Wheeler.  To make room for Chatwood and Wheeler the Sky Sox placed RHP Bobby Cassevah on the D.L. with a right shoulder strain, retro to 5/5, and Tim Wheeler on the D.L. with a left calf strain.

SCOUTING IOWA: The Iowa Cubs are currently 11-17 and 4.5 games back of the Memphis Redbirds and the Omaha Storm Chasers for the American North division lead.  The Cubs rank third to last in batting average at .257, but do have 24 home runs in only 28 games.  Outfielder Ryan Sweeney is tied for sixth in the PCL in home runs with six and outfielder Brian Bogusevic is leading the league in batting with a .419 batting average.  Despite only playing 28 games, the Cubs’ pitching staff is tied for third in the league in home runs allowed at 33 and has a 5.23 ERA.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE: Today’s game against the Iowa Cubs marks the first time the Sky Sox will face off against a member of the American Conference this season.  Last year the Sky Sox went 19-14 against the American Conference and went 11-5 against teams in the Iowa Cubs’ division, the American North. 

 Series Schedule:

 5/7 vs IOW    CSP      RH Tyler Chatwood (1-0, 1.84)

6:35 PM MT      IOW     RH Nick Struck (0-2, 6.50)

5/8 vs IOW    CSP      RH Chris Volstad (0-0, 4,22)

11:05 AM MT    IOW     RH Barret Loux (2-1, 5.74)

5/9 vs IOW    CSP      RH Jeff Manship (2-1, 6,33)

11:05 AM MT    IOW     RH Drew Carpenter (1-3, 7.77)

5/10 vs IOW  CSP      LH Drew Pomeranz (4-0, 3.51)

6:35 PM MT      IOW     LH Brooks Raley (3-2, 3.78)

Last Time Out:

Fresno (5/2): The Grizzlies defeated the Sacramento River Cats, 11-5, last night to move into a tie with Sacramento for first place in the Pacific Southern division.  Catcher Jackson Williams led the way with two home runs and two RBIs.

Sky Sox (5/2): Last night the Sky Sox fell to the Salt Lake Bees, 2-1, on a walk-off sacrifice fly.  Aaron Cook pitched six innings, struck out five and only allowed one run.  In the loss catcher Matt McBride hit his first home run of the season.

 2012 Season Series (5-11): The Sky Sox struggled against the Grizzlies in 2012, losing all four series the two teams played.  Charlie Blackmon played in nine games against Fresno last year and hit .308 with one home run and five RBIs.

Scouting Fresno: The Fresno Grizzlies enter this series with the Sky Sox tied for first place in the Pacific Southern Division. Fresno features closer Heath Hembree who is tied for second in the league in saves with seven.  Last season against Colorado Springs Hembree had four saves in the teams’ first two series.

Joining Hembree on the pitching staff is Yusmeiro Petit.  Petit has a 6.48 ERA, but leads the league in strikeouts with 43.  The Grizzlies also boasts the league leader in RBIs, Brett Pill, who has 30.  Pill is also tied for third in the league in home runs with six, and is batting .367 on the year.

Sky Sox Notes:

TRIPLE THREAT: On 5/1 Corey Dickerson hit his league leading fifth triple of the season.  The Sky Sox now lead the league in triples at 18, with five of their players having hit two or more triples.

HEY MR. DJ: Sox infielder DJ LeMahieu is currently riding an eleven-game hitting streak. During the streak he’s raised his average from .286 to .389, scored 12 runs and plated nine more.  On 4/30, LeMahieu had two triples and became the first Sky Sox player since Eric Young Jr. to accomplish the same feat on April 20, 2011.

PAINT IT BLACK: Sky Sox centerfielder Charlie Blackmon is on a tear. So far this season he has picked up where he left off last year for the Sky Sox (hit .303 in 59 games) hitting safely in 16 of his 19 starts. He is currently batting .354 (26-for-77) with three homers, two triples, six doubles, 16 RBIs and four stolen bases. He is tied for first in the league in runs scored with 27.

Series Schedule:

5/3 @ FRE      CSP     RH Chris Volstad (0-0, 7.71)

7:05 PM PT     FRE     LH Michael Kickham (0-3, 7.94)

5/4 @ FRE      CSP     RH Jeff Manship (1-1, 8.27)

7:05 PM PT     FRE     RH Boof Bonser (1-1, 3.55)

5/5 @ FRE      CSP     LH Drew Pomeranz (4-0, 2.54)

3:05 PM PT     FRE     RH Yusmerio Petit (2-3, 6.48)

5/6 @ FRE      CSP     RH Justin Berg (1-0, 2.19)

1:05 PM PT     FRE     RH Chris Heston (2-2, 6.06)

PCL PACIFIC NORTH STANDINGS

Team                W        L          PCT     GB       Vs.

Tacoma           18        10        .643       -           0-0

SKY SOX        14        11        .560      -2.5         -

Salt Lake         14        14        .500     -4.0      2-2

Reno                9           19        .321       -9.0      4-4

Last Time Out:

Salt Lake (4/28): The Bees lost 7-2 to the Sacramento River Cats and have now lost five in a row.  In the loss pitcher Matt Shoemaker pitched six innings, but gave up five earned runs.

Sky Sox (4/28): Colorado Springs lost their second straight game to the Tucson Padres and split the series.  In the 7-4 loss, Tyler Colvin had two RBIs and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

 2012 Season Series (8-8):

This will be the first time the two teams have met this season, but last year the two teams split their season series.  Against the Bees in 2012 the Sky Sox had four games in which they scored 10 or more runs including a game in which they scored 22 runs.

Scouting Salt Lake:

The Bees began the year 10-3 and in first place of the Pacific Northern division.  Since then Salt Lake has lost nine of 11 games and have fallen to third place in the division.

Salt Lake is led by catcher Chris Snyder who has 21 RBIs in just 21 games.  The veteran is also second in the league in home runs with seven, only trailing Albuquerque’s Scott Van Slyke who has eight.

Recently joining the Bees’ lineup is former Colorado Rockies’ outfielder Brad Hawpe.  Hawpe has played in eight games for Salt Lake and is batting .241 with one home run and six RBIs.

The team’s pitching staff is headed by Billy Buckner who has three wins in five starts.  The 29-year old is also tied with AJ Schugel for the team lead in strikeouts at 25.

  Sky Sox Notes:

 TRANSACTIONS: Late yesterday afternoon, the Rockies announced that they have placed LH Christian Friedrich on the disabled list with back inflammation, retroactive to 4/26. Last season, Friedrich’s season was cut short after suffering a stress fracture in his lower back. Taking his spot on the roster is RH Cory Riordan who was called up from Double-A Tulsa. Riordan broke camp with the Sky Sox this year but was sent to Tulsa before the regular season started. With the Drillers, Riordan was 2-0 with a 3.14 in seven relief appearances. This is Cory’s third stint with the Sox having previously pitched for the team in 2011 (one start) and 2012 (13 games, nine starts).

 DH FOR A CHANGE: For the first time this season, after 21 games, the Sky Sox will be playing with the DH as they face off against their first American League affiliate of the season. In their history, the Sky Sox are 726-808 (.473) against American League affiliated teams.

 PAINT IT BLACK: Sky Sox centerfielder Charlie Blackmon is on a tear. So far this season the centerfielder has picked up where he left off last year for the Sky Sox (hit .303 in 59 games) hitting safely in 15 of his 16 starts. He is currently batting .375 (24-for-64) with two homers, two triples, five doubles, 13 RBIs and four stolen bases. He is also tied for third in the league in runs scored with 23.

  Series Schedule:

 4/29 @ SLC CSP RH Jeff Manship (1-1, 6.08)

6:35 PM MT SLC  RH Kip Wells (NR)

 4/30 @ SLC CSP LH Drew Pomeranz (3-0, 2.82)

6:35 PM MT SLC RH Orangel Arenas (1-3, 7.98)

 5/1 @ SLC CSP RH Justin Berg (1-0, 0.00)

6:35 PM MT SLC RH Billy Buckner (3-1, 4.61)

 5/2 @ SLC CSP RH Aaron Cook (1-0, 0.00)

6:35 PM MT SLC RH A.J. Schugel (0-1, 7.54)

PCL PACIFIC NORTH STANDINGS

Team                     W            L              PCT        GB          Vs.

Tacoma                 14           10           .583        –                0-0

SKY SOX             12           9              .571        -0.5           -

Salt Lake               12           12           .500        -2.0         0-0

Reno                       8             16           .333        -6.0          4-4

After having their last two games postponed due to cold weather, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (10-7) will head to Arizona to face the Tucson Padres (9-10) for the second time this season.

Last Time Out:

Sky Sox (4/21): Against the Las Vegas 51s the Sox recorded their fourth walk-off win of the year when Tyler Colvin hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the 51s 8-7.

Tucson (4/23): The Padres faced the Fresno Grizzlies on Tuesday and only managed six hits and lost their tenth game of the year, 4-2.  The loss also snapped their six-game winning streak.

Season Series (2-1 Sky Sox):

The two teams first played each other in early April at Security Service Field.  The teams were scheduled to play a four-game series, but only managed to play three games due to snow and cold.  The first game was played on April 8^th and only lasted five innings because of high winds.  The Padres managed to get the win in the shortened game by scoring 14 runs.  Shortstop Dean Anna led the way with four RBIs and left fielder Travis Buck added three.

Two days later both teams returned to Security Service Field to play in a doubleheader.  Colorado Springs managed to sweep the doubleheader in dramatic fashion.  In game one the contest was deadlocked at four entering the bottom of the seventh when Ryan Wheeler hit his first home run of the year to give the Sky Sox the 5-4 win.  The Sky Sox had their second walk-off hit in the second game when Charlie Blackmon unleashed a two-run triple to win 4-3.

Scouting Tucson:

The Tucson Padres enter this series ranked tenth in the PCL in average at .279.  Despite their low average the Padres are tied for first in the league in doubles at 49 and have struck out only 117 times which is the lowest amount in the league.

Offensively the team is led by Travis Buck who has a team-high 17 RBIs and eight doubles.  Centerfielder Daniel Robertson is also off to a great start for Tucson.  The 27-year old leads the team in average (.347), runs (18), triples (2) and stolen bases (7).

Reliever Brad Boxberger is also off to a good start.  The righty has a 3.27 ERA, three saves and 17 strikeouts in eight games.

 Sky Sox Notes:

POSTPONED: April 22^nd’s and April 23^rd’s postponement was the team’s third and fourth postponed games this month. The last time the Sky Sox had this many postponements in April was in 2007, when they had five. 

TRANSACTIONS: On 4/21, the Rockies’ recalled RHP Rob Scahill from Colorado Springs. Scahill has pitched in 12.2 innings for the Sky Sox and is 2-0 with a 4.26 ERA, one save and 13 strikeouts. RHP Justin Berg was added from Extended Spring Training on 4/22 and is expected to join the starting rotation.  On April 24, the Rockies optioned Scahill back down and recalled RHP Tyler Chatwood who was 1-0 with a 1.84 ERA with the Sky Sox. The Rockies also called up INF Ryan Wheeler on April 25, and added OF Greg Golson to the Sky Sox roster from Tri-City.

STREAKIN’: Outfielder Corey Dickerson has started off his first season at the Triple-A level in grand fashion having hit safely in a team-high 15 straight games.  Dickerson’s 15-game hit streak is the longest by any Sky Sox player in team history to start a season.  It is also the longest by any player in their first 15 games as a member of the Sky Sox.  During that span, he has hit .389 (21-for-54) with two homers, three triples, three doubles, 10 runs and seven RBIs. He has also gotten a hit in five different spots in the lineup and has gone 3-for-3 as a pinch-hitter.

 Series Schedule:

4/25 @ TUC        CSP        LH Drew Pomeranz (2-0, 3.31)

7:05 PM MST      TUC           RH Keyvius Sampson (0-0. 3.07)

4/26 @ TUC        CSP          RH Justin Berg (NR)

7:05 PM MST      TUC           RH Tim Stauffer (1-1, 5.09)

4/27 @ TUC        CSP          RH Aaron Cook (0-2, 11.68)

7:05 PM MST      TUC           RH Sean O’Sullivan (1-1. 5.40)

4/28 @ TUC        CSP          RH Chris Volstad (0-0, 6.75)

1:05 PM MST      TUC           RH Thad Weber (2-0, 0.82)

On Tuesday, May 19th, the Dominican Republic became the first country other than Japan to take home the World Baseball Classic Trophy by defeating Puerto Rico, 3-0, in the championship game.  Yankees’ second baseman Robinson Cano was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, but several former Sky Sox players also had a hand in the Dominican Republic’s victory.

2009 and 2010 Sky Sox pitcher Samuel Deduno was a key piece for the Dominican squad.  In the final game the former Colorado Springs’ starter pitched five scoreless innings and struck out five batters.

While in the Rockies’ organization, Deduno was named the Texas League pitcher of the year for the Tulsa Drillers.  That year Deduno only started in one game for the Sox, but in 2010 started in six games for Colorado Springs.  In those six starts the righty went 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA and had 29 strikeouts. The other former Sky Sox players who were on the winning squad were pitcher Pedro Strop and infielder Denny Gonzalez, who served as a coach for the Dominican Republic.  Strop dressed for the Sky Sox in 2008, but never played in a game for the team.  Unlike Strop, Gonzalez played a full year for the Sky Sox.  In 1989 the infielder hit .288 with 27 home runs and  76 RBIs.

After the World Baseball Classic, the Rockies signed another player who played an important role in the championship game.  Thirty-five year old pitcher Giancarlo Alvarado was signed to a minor league deal by the Rockies after having a  successful stint with Puerto Rico in the WBC.  Alvarado was the starting pitcher opposite Deduno in the championship game, but only made it through one inning and gave up two runs in the loss.

Some other notable former Sky Sox players who have played in the World Baseball Classic are:

• Huston Street, Matt Holliday (2006 United States)
• Ubaldo Jimenez, Willy Taveras (2009 Dominican Republic)
• Kazuo Matsui (2013 Japan)
• Jhoulys Chacin, Ramon Hernandez, Carlos Gonzalez (2013 Venezuela)

Now that the WBC is over it means that Opening Day is almost here! Here are some news and notes from the second to last week of Spring Training.

• After last Friday’s win against the Reds, the Rockies struggled, dropping three straight.  Colorado began to right the ship on Monday with a 7-2 victory against Kansas City and followed that up with a 10-4 win against San Fransisco on the 21st.
• Former Sky Sox player, and top prospect, Drew Pomeranz out dueled Giants’ ace Matt Cain on Thrusday, only allowing three runs in five innings and striking out four.  In four starts during spring training Pomeranz has a 5.50 ERA.
• Outfielder Corey Dickerson continued to have a good spring training this week when he smacked two doubles against the Royals.  The 2012 Doug Million Minor League Rockie-of-the-Year has hit .409 with one home run and eight RBIs in 22 at-bats for the team.

The Sky Sox opening day game against the Reno Aces, is less than three weeks away and the Rockies are beginning to shape their roster for the upcoming season.  On Monday, March 11, the Rox made a series of roster moves that included optioning nine players down to minor league camp including:

Right-handed pitchers (3): Chad Bettis, Parker Frazier, Dan Houston.
Left-handed pitcher (2): Tyler Anderson, Erick Threets.
Catchers (1): Lars Davis.
Infielders (1): Cristhian Adames.
Outfielder (2): Rafael Ortega, Kyle Parker.

• Pitchers Frazier, Houston, Threets and catcher Lars Davis were non-roster invitees to camp and Christian Adames and Rafael Ortega were on the 40-man roster to begin Spring Training and were optioned down.
• Out of those nine players, Rafael Ortega saw the most action in spring training.  In eight games the 21-year old had three hits in six at-bats and two walks. Ortega made his Major League debut late last year, but spent the majority of the time with the Modesto Nuts where he hit .283 with 36 stolen bases.
• The Rockies continued their strong spring training by winning three out of their five games this past week.
• This past week also marked the beginning of Minor League camp.  On Thursday, the Rockies and the Diamondbacks played a Double-A game and a Triple-A game.  Both games featured players in the  minor league camp as well as players still on the big league roster.  Juan Nicasio was the star of the Triple-A game for Colorado as he went 4.2 innings and only gave up two hits.
• The Triple-A game also saw the return of 2012 Sox outfielder Charlie Blackmon.  Blackmon has been kept out of action since March 1st because of an infected cut on his knee.  In his return he went 1-6 with a walk.
• The Rockies’ next five games are:
  • 3/15 vs. Reds 8:05 pm MDT
  • 3/16 vs. Mariners 2:10 pm MDT
  • 3/17 vs. Giants 4:15 pm MDT
  • 3/18 vs. Reds 8:10 pm MDT
  • 3/19 vs. Royals 2:05 pm MDT

There is less than one month to go until opening day and the Sky Sox are getting ready for the season.  Last weekend the team held their annual National Anthem Tryouts at the Chapel Hills Mall.  The tryouts featured over 100 participants competing for a chance to sing the Anthem on April 4.  The runner-up will sing “God Bless America” on July 4 and the finishers in the top-ten will receive a free singing lesson from the Colorado Springs Conservatory.  Winners will be announced sometime in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned to skysox.com and our Facebook page for updates.

Besides being a busy week for the staff it was also a busy week for the Colorado Rockies.  Here are some updates from Spring Training.

• Top Rockies’ prospect Nolan Arenado continues to impress.  The third baseman is currently slated to begin the year with the Sox, but his strong Spring Training leads some to believe he might be ready for a spot on the Rockies’ Opening Day roster.  Arenado has only played in seven games, but is tied for the lead in home runs with four and leads the Rockies in slugging percentage at 1.235.
• In 2007, pitcher Jeff Francis started in 34 games and won 17 games for the Rockies.  Since then Francis has only won 20 games in 101 starts. The lefty is looking to reinvigorate his career and is off to a good start this spring.  In nine innings Francis has yet to give up a run and has only allowed six hits.
• Since the last Spring Training update on 2/28, the Rockies have gone 3-2 with wins against the Brewers, Cubs and Team USA.
•   On Wednesday, March 6, the Rockies found themselves down five runs in the ninth inning against Team USA before hitting seven straight singles to take the lead and win the game.  Colorado began the rally against Rockies’ pitcher Nick Schmidt who was loaned to Team USA from Colorado.  Catcher Lars Davis then drove in the game winning run against another Rockie, Logan Kensing.
• The Rockies’ next five games are:
  • 3/9 vs. Angels 1:05 pm MST
  • 3/10 vs. Dodgers 1:10 pm MST
  • 3/11 vs. White Sox 1:05 pm MST
  • 3/12 vs. D-backs 1:10 pm MST
  • 3/13 vs. Cubs 1:05 pm MST

On Saturday, February 23, the Rockies played their first Spring Training game of the 2013 season.  Here are some quick notes about the first week of games.

• The Colorado Rockies are six games into their Spring Training schedule and are off to a 4-2 start.  The Rockies’ four wins have been against the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Cubs, and Reds.

• Yesterday was the Rockies’ first of their six split-squad games of Spring Training.  The Rox won the game, defeating the Padres 6-3.

• In the team’s six games they have scored 38 runs while only allowing 21 runs.

• Four of the five players who have hit home runs for the Rockies this spring are listed on MLB.com’s list of the top Rockies’ prospects.  This includes 3B Nolan Arenado (#2 on the list),   OF Tim Wheeler (#7), 2B Charlie Culberson (#14) and OF Corey Dickerson (#16).

• 2012 Sky Sox right-fielder Charlie Blackmon has gotten off to a hot start this spring, smacking three hits in five at-bats and scoring two runs.

• Another 2012 Sky Sox player that has played well to start spring training is pitcher Edgmer Escalona.  The right-hander has appeared in two games and has struck out five batters in three innings while only allowing one run.

• The Rockies’ next five games are:

3/1 vs. Brewers 1:10 pm MST

3/2 vs. A’s 1:05 pm MST

3/3 vs. A’s 1:10 pm MST

3/4 vs. Mariners 1:05 pm MST

3/5 vs. Cubs 1:10 pm MST