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Fogg auditions for starting role

Rockies trying to deal Kim, but interest minimal

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 22, 2007 at midnight

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TUCSON - Josh Fogg has made a strong case for the Rockies' fifth-starter job.

Now it's up to the Rockies to make room.

With spring training winding down, general manager Dan O'Dowd is trying to juggle the roster, including searching for somewhere to deal right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim, the other candidate for the open spot in the rotation.

Interest, though, has been minimal. Oakland is on hold in hopes Joe Kennedy will make a late spring surge, and other teams, including Texas and Florida, are looking for bullpen help but have concerns about Kim's reluctance to pitch in that role.

With Troy Tulowitzki having played himself into the shortstop role, Clint Barmes has become the Rockies player most asked about by other teams, including the Chicago Cubs, who need help at second base, and Kansas City, which wants a shortstop.

The Rockies are in no hurry to move Barmes, who has options, which means he can be sent to Triple-A Colorado Springs and within the year could resurface in the team's big-league picture at second base if he can regain the offensive consistency he showed two years ago.

What the Rockies would like to find in a potential trade is a proven arm, to help carry the bullpen load, and a backup catcher. The Angels are shopping Jose Molina, but there are concerns about how he would handle part-time duty.

Fogg continues to answer questions about his ability to compete in a big-league rotation, having turned in 5 2/3 workmanlike innings Wednesday afternoon in a 7-4 Rockies loss to Seattle at Hi Corbett Field and showing no concern about his uncertain status.

"When I was in Pittsburgh, I was a young guy and they were always bringing in older guys to take my job," he said. "Now I am an older guy and they bring in young guys. I understand that. Competition is what this game is all about.

"It's been that way for five years now, and I have dealt with it and had a job for five years. I enjoy it here and hope I get to stay here, but I know if I do my job, I will be pitching somewhere (in the big leagues) in April."

Fogg isn't dazzling, by any means. He never has been. But he does compete, and even though he was considered the fifth starter in the Rockies rotation last year, the team went 16- 15 in the games he started. Jeff Francis was the only other starter for whom the Rockies compiled a winning record (20-12) when he pitched last season.

What's more, Fogg has won 10 or more games in four of his five full big-league seasons. The only shortcoming was two years ago, when he was 6-11 for Pittsburgh. The Pirates did not tender Fogg a contract that offseason, leading him to eventually sign with the Rockies for 2006. They were the only team that offered him a big-league contract.

This year, he is back with a potential salary of $3.625 million, but it is not guaranteed, which means he could be released and the Rockies would owe him $904,250.

Kim, meanwhile, has a $2.5 million salary for 2007 and would have to be paid in full if he is released.

But the Rockies have stressed that their final decisions on the roster will be based on physical, not fiscal, matters.

Kim, who had been pitching on the same day as Fogg this spring, was pushed back and will start today against Milwaukee in Phoenix, where there is a larger contingent of scouts than in Tucson.

Fogg, meanwhile, continued to get in his work, making a major adjustment after giving up two runs in the second when Richie Sexson led off with a single and Yuniesky Betancourt followed with a triple.

Fogg did retire 14 of the final 15 batters he faced: A leadoff double by Ichiro Suzuki in the sixth turned into the final run allowed by Fogg when Adrian Beltre and Jose Guillen followed with groundball outs.

"I have to be unpredictable and pitch backward," Fogg said. "When I don't do that, I get in trouble. In the second inning, I had thrown too many fastballs early in the count, and it cost me. After that, I mixed my pitches and things were better."

Mariners 7, Rockies 4