Redding loses ground in bid to make pitching staff
Tim Redding’s bid for the final spot on the Rockies pitching staff suffered a blow on Saturday.
Redding allowed five runs in two innings of the Rockies 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Hi Corbett Field, his third subpar effort in a row. With spring training heading into the final week that does not bode well for Redding in his bid to beat out fellow right-handers Justin Speier and Juan Rincon, and left-hander Joe Beimel.
Taking over a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh on Saturday, Redding allowed seven hits, including a go-ahead double by White Sox outfielder Mark Kotsay in a three-run seventh.
Redding has given up 11 runs, 10 earned, in 6 1/3 innings his last three appearances.
Beimel, who signed with the Rockies on Tuesday, worked one inning and threw 20 pitches in a minor-league game Saturday, and will work in relief against Texas in his major-league exhibition debut on Monday at Surprise, Ariz.
Rincon worked out of a first-and-third, one-out situation in his one inning on Saturday, rebounding from giving up three runs in an inning two days earlier.
He is unscored upon in seven of nine spring appearances. Speier, expected to pitch Sunday against Oakland in Phoenix, has allowed three runs in 10 spring innings.
A game story and boxscore is available here
Didn’t see Redding pitch in Tucson, but I did see Speier — and he looked very sharp. Really looked like he hadn’t lost anything since he was effective in a Rockies’ uniform the first time around. I’d expect him to make the club and be quietly effective in a middle relief role.
Learning a ton from these neat artlceis.