Colorado Rockies crush Cleveland Indians 6-3 – MLB Spring Training
Colorado Rockies crushed Cleveland Indians 6-3 at the Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona on Thursday, March 29 in their Grapefruit League encounter of the 2012 Major League Baseball Spring Training Session.
Indians pitcher Chris Perez, who made it to the All Star team last season, pitched his first perfect inning of the season but the Indians were unable to take advantage as they lost to the Rockies 6-3 on Thursday. Starter Derek Lowe allowed two runs in three innings pitched. Manager Manny Acta liked what he saw from Lowe.
"This is not the time to mess around," Acta said. "We could have kept him out there. We'll check him out. He's got one more (spring) start."
David Huff strained his right hamstring while throwing for the Indians. The guy, who is competing for the final spot on Indians’ pitching rotation, will be hoping to recover from his injury as early as possible.
For the Rockies Troy Tulowitzki had three hits and Chris Nelson had a two run double to help the Rockies establish complete control over the contest.
"Without a doubt, I feel better at this point than a year ago," Perez said. "I got hurt the second week in, throwing a changeup. Haven't thrown one since. I think I can blow it by them," he said. "I'm going all out, 100 percent."
Perez will be stepping onto the mound on Saturday and Monday.
Starter Juan Nicasio, who made a comeback from his broken neck injury, pitched with good control and accuracy as he allowed just two runs and four hits in just over five innings, striking out six batters.
"I felt great, this was my best start of the spring," Nicasio said. "My changeup and slider were very good. This was the first time all my pitches were working."
The win will be of great importance for the Rockies who have now improved their spring training record to 15-11. Dominating their rivals in almost all departments of the game, the Rockies put themselves in the driving seat right from the start of the contest. While it may not be easy for the Rockies to reach World Series finals, they can certainly make it to the playoffs by manufacturing similar performances.
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