SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Early Friday morning, Rockies manager Bud Black penciled in a Rockies lineup that set up as a preview of opening day. Jon Gray pitching and hitting ninth. Nolan Arenado batting cleanup. Mark Reynolds at first. Gerardo Parra in left.
Then spring happened. Colorado’s Cactus Leaugue game against division rival San Francisco fell apart before it started. Black scratched Gray from the batting order to protect an injured left toe, then he hurt it in the game anyway. Reynolds became a designated hitter. Parra moved to first. Utilityman Alexei Amarista played in left, then got chewed up by fly balls in the white, sunlit sky.