Walks continued to haunt the Colorado Rockies in their 9-5 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday. The minor league arms struggled to find the zone, but it was non-roster invite Parker Mushinski who struggled the most with the arms that day, walking three and giving up five runs in his 2/3 of an inning. Still, there are some valuable things happening with the offense and the pitchers, with a strong chance of making the cut, so that’s good.
Michael Lorenzen will make his Cactus League debut when he takes the ball against the Chicago White Sox. The Rockies signed an $8 million contract and hope Lorenzen’s intellectual mind, deep pitch mix and desire to fix Coors Field will make him a valuable asset in 2026. He embraces the challenge and welcomes the role of mentoring and teaching the young boys in the clubhouse. Unfortunately, today you can only watch clips of him pitching after the game, as they are not available on television or radio.
Shane Smith will take the mound for the 3-0 White Sox. Smith was selected in the 2024 Rule-5 draft and was a darling for Chicago in an otherwise forgettable season. He ultimately made 29 starts and posted a solid 3.81 ERA with 145 strikeouts against 58 walks in 146 1/3 innings of work, and was named an All-Star in his first big league season while finishing 10th in the Rookie of the Year voting.
On the position player side, the Rockies continue to experiment with new positions as Ryan Ritter, who recently started at third base, is now getting some attention in the outfield while starting in left field. As for the White Sox, Munetaka Murakami will continue to rise to prominence, while their other new additions will round out a fairly regular lineup for them in April.
First pitch: 1:10pm MDT
#Colorado #Rockies #spring #training #game #thread #Shane #Smith #Michael #Lorenzen