Qualls still working to bounce back from illness

Chad Qualls pitches a scoreless 8th inning, striking out one and earning the win in the Rockies 7-5 victory over the DodgersDENVER -- Since coming off the 15-day disabled list with colitis, Rockies right-hander Chad Qualls has had to cope with pitching at a lower weight with less velocity.

Qualls, 38, missed over a month and dropped from 250 pounds to 236 pounds, although he's put about five more pounds on. As a result of the lost strength, his fastball velocity has dropped from 91.4 mph to 90.1 mph in his three games since coming off the DL.

"I keep telling myself that I'm the same person, but my fastball's down a little bit and my slider is down a little bit," Qualls said. "At this point in…