Ailing Rockies Betancourt, Hawpe improved

TUCSON — Reliever Rafael Betancourt, who didn’t feel he was ready to pitch in a game Thursday as scheduled, threw batting practice Tuesday with good results.

And right fielder Brad Hawpe, who has been slowed by an infection on his left big toe, where an ingrown nail was removed, took swings in batting practice for the first time this spring now that the infection is gone.

Betancourt contracted a virus that kept him from working out from Dec. 27 until Jan. 19 when he came to Denver to take a physical. That layoff put him behind and after throwing batting practice for the first time, Betancourt was wary of pitching in the Rockies first Cactus League game on Thursday against the Diamondbacks at Tucson Electric Park.

“I feel better than the first time,” Betancourt said. “I was able to pitch a little harder than on Friday.”

Betancourt said he told the hitters which pitches were coming when he threw batting practice Tuesday but doesn’t plan to do so when he next throws batting practice Friday. After that session, Betancourt said on Monday he will either pitch in a Cactus League game or again throw batting practice.

Hawpe tracked every pitch in batting practice Monday but took swings against Greg Smith and Justin Speier on Tuesday. Hawpe long-tossed Tuesday with assistant trainer Scott Gehret but has yet to do outfield drills. He has done light running but has not sprinted.

In other injury news, right-hander Juan Nicasio could try to play catch after he is evaluated Wednesday. Nicasio broke the nail on the middle finger of his right hand while throwing a fastball with his 10th and final pitch in the third inning of Monday’s intrasquad game.

Blood developed beneath the nail, and Nicasio faced four batters in the fourth and threw just four of 19 pitches for strikes while issuing one run on three walks and a single before leaving the game.

Nicasio is scheduled to pitch one inning Sunday in a split-squad game against the Diamondbacks at Tucson Electric Park, but manager Jim Tracy said, “We’re not tremendously optimistic that’s going to happen.”