LHP Franklin Morales has been the most consistent of the pitchers vying to be the fifth starter and could put pressure on No. 4 starter Jorge De La Rosa to pitch well the remainder of the spring to maintain that spot in the rotation.

--Others vying to be the fifth starter include RHP Matt Belisle, although he's competing more in theory than in fact. He hasn't been stretched out since returning from a strained forearm that limited him at the outset of camp. If Belisle doesn't open the season at Class AAA Colorado Springs, which is now the expectation, he would fill the bullpen opening created by RHP Taylor Buchholz's elbow injury that is expected to sideline him at least the first month of the season.

RHP Greg Reynolds, another fifth-starter candidate, has thrown more strikes this spring than he did in his two tours with the Rockies last year. Command in the strike zone is still an area where the Rockies would like to see Reynolds improve before counting on him every fifth day. Hence, he seems destined to begin the season at Colorado Springs.

RHP Josh Fogg, like Belisle, isn't seen as a contender to be the fifth starter but could open the season in the bullpen as a replacement for Buchholz. But with LHP Glendon Rusch filling the long-relief, spot-starter role, there wouldn't appear to be room for Fogg at this point.

--One fifth-starter contender was eliminated. RHP Jason Hirsh's bid for that role was brief as he was optioned to Class AAA Colorado Springs in the second wave of roster cuts March 16. Hirsh, 27, went 0-1 with a 12.19 ERA in four games, including one start this spring. He was the centerpiece acquisition in the December 2006 deal that sent RHP Jason Jennings to the Astros.

But Hirsh was inconsistent as a starter for the Rockies in 2007 before he sprained an ankle in July. He missed a month, and shortly after returning had his season cut short by a broken leg. Last spring, Hirsh suffered a shoulder injury he battled most of the season (the bulk of which was spent at Colorado Springs), and he has yet to regain the velocity and command he showed coming up with the Astros.

--1B Todd Helton showed he had recovered from Sept. 30 arthroscopic back surgery, as three of his first four hits this spring were home runs. Helton was helped by new hitting coach Don Baylor, who noticed Helton was not taking his hands back into more of a loaded position.

Helton, who came up to the Rockies in August 1997, when Baylor was the team's manager (he managed through the 1998 season), said of Baylor, "He's very well-respected. He's not just talking to talk. When he says something, guys listen. The thing with my hands, I never would have seen it. You do something for so long, it feels normal. A lot of times, it takes a fresh set of eyes."

--RF Brad Hawpe returned to action March 14. He had been sidelined since Feb. 27, when he was spiked and received four stitches on his left pinkie. The injury caused Hawpe, a member of Team USA, to miss the World Baseball Classic.

--INF Jeff Baker played March 17, his first action since Feb. 26. He had been sidelined with inflammation in his right elbow. Baker was originally scheduled to play third base but was shifted to second base when the March 17 lineup was posted. However, he was scratched from the lineup and entered the game at first base, where there would be less strain on his arm. Baker went 1-for-3 in the game, giving him eight spring at-bats.

Needing at-bats, he played March 18, when the Rockies had their only scheduled off day of the spring, in a minor league game.

"I'm doing good now, we're over that hill," Baker said, referring to his questionable elbow. "It's just a matter of building up arm strength."

--Since he was hired in late November, bench coach Jim Tracy, who formerly managed the Dodgers and Pirates, has been widely viewed as the likely successor to Clint Hurdle should the Rockies get off to a slow start. Hurdle is in the final year of his contract -- as is general manager Dan O'Dowd -- but it was Hurdle, not the front office, who reached out to Tracy.

"When I got the offer, the thing that was really most important to me was that the first phone call I got came from Clint," Tracy said. "That was the most important sign to me that this manager wants me to sit next to him and be another set of eyes and ears. He wants me to be a suggestion-maker."

Hurdle said Tracy, who began coaching under Felipe Alou, "has a very good feel for running a game." O'Dowd expects the combination of Tracy, who replaced Jamie Quirk as bench coach, and Hurdle will prove beneficial.

"Jim is analytical and has a great understanding how to use the bullpen, specifically late in the game," O'Dowd said. "He brings in a view of the game that will complement Clint very well."

--After two dreadful starts, LHP Jorge De La Rosa, a projected member of the rotation, eased some concerns when he bounced back March 15 by allowing one hit in three scoreless innings against the Dodgers. During his 39-pitch outing, De La Rosa walked one and struck out two. According to manager Clint Hurdle, De La Rosa kept his pace constant and maintained his focus and mound discipline.

BY THE NUMBERS: 16 -- Pickoffs last season by LHP Greg Smith, equaling the most by any pitcher since the statistic began being compiled in 1987. The Rockies had 15 pickoffs as a team in 2008.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't think I would be very good if I thought about replacing Matt Holliday. I can't worry about that. He's a better player than I am. All I can do is go out there every day, try my best and see what happens." -- Seth Smith, who could be the starter in left field, the position Matt Holliday played for the Rockies the past five years.