The two low Single-A Asheville pitchers couldn't be more different. One was a first-round draft pick signed to a rich bonus in June, a high-profile closer on a fast track to the Rockies.

The other is a converted infielder, a player from the Dominican Republic making an impressive career swerve in his fifth professional season.

Casey Weathers and Esmil Rogers have one important thing in common: success.

Weathers is now the Tourists closer, having completed an incubation period that lasted eight games. It finished with a two-inning outing on Aug. 4 followed by back-to-back appearances last weekend. When the Tourists next ninth-inning save opportunity arises, manager Joe Mikulik will turn matters over to Weathers, 22.

"He wants the ball in the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead," Mikulik said. "And he's very confident he can do the job. He's not afraid of anything. That's the type of package we got – a guy with electric stuff and a guy that wants to compete."

Drafted eighth overall out of Vanderbilt, Weathers is 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA in eight games. Somewhat rusty and definitely nervous, Weathers allowed one hit, two walks, threw two wild pitches and gave up his only two runs in his professional debut July 27. Weathers has pitched eight consecutive scoreless innings in his past seven games and hasn't allowed a hit in the past six.

"He's very confident in his stuff," Asheville pitching coach Bryan Harvey said. "He has a pretty good idea of what he wants to do, and his stuff is just outstanding. He's overmatching these kids here; they don't have a chance."

Weathers has a 95-98 mph fastball and an 86-90 mph slider. Pitching from the stretch with his high leg kick, Weathers immediately reminded Harvey of former Angels closer Troy Percival, who has career 324 saves, 316 with the Angels, and was beginning his career in that organization when Harvey was closing for the Angels.

The difference, Harvey said, is Percival's repertoire was fastball-curveball and Weathers' is fastball-slider.

Weathers throws strictly four-seam fastballs, but it's not as if his slider is a show pitch or something in the developmental stage.

"It's basically as good as his fastball," Harvey said. "so that tells you it's pretty good."

Weathers does have a changeup. Harvey said he's "trying to talk him out of throwing it a lot." Weathers has only thrown it a couple times, Harvey said, and one of the two hits this season off Weathers (opponents are 2-for-28 against him) was on a changeup.

"His changeup right now is really more like a two-seam fastball," Harvey said. "It's 90-91 (mph). We either got to work a lot on it to make it better for a third pitch or (scrap) it."

Harvey favors the latter option because "most nights, I think he's going to be able to dominate with his fastball-slider." And in the inevitable games where Weathers struggles with his command, Harvey, like any pitching coach or manager, is not going to want to see a power pitcher like Weathers get beat with a changeup.

Weathers has had minimal command issues to date. He has four walks and 15 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings, walking two in his professional debut and two in his two-inning outing Aug. 8. Both games were at Asheville, where Mikulik and Harvey, without trying to make excuses, said the mound is flatter than in some of the newer ballparks in the South Atlantic League.

Regardless, Weathers is about to have the opportunity to close games for the Tourists, who are in a second-half pennant race.

"I'm looking forward to it," Weathers said, "but at the same time, pitching's pitching and that's kind of how you have to look at it."

Weathers undoubtedly has attracted his share of glances and stares from Asheville's opponents, given his success and the first-round stature that brought him a $1.8 million signing bonus.

"I have expectations for myself," Weathers said, "that don't change whether I'm a first- or a 25th round pick. Maybe guys on the other team know who I am; maybe they don't. It really doesn't matter. I just go and try to get three outs and get off the field."

Possibly as soon as Sunday, when Rogers makes his next start, Weathers could be saving one of his wins. Regardless, Weathers can appreciate the vastly different path Rogers has traveled in his professional journey.

"It's all about perseverance," Weathers said. "My freshman and sophomore year in junior college, I didn't know if pitching was going to pan out. So I can definitely appreciate when guys come up in different ways, especially the Dominican-born players. They obviously have a tougher road sometimes."

Rogers turned 22 on Tuesday, the day of his last start. He's 6-2 with a 3.41 ERA. Rogers didn't get a decision Tuesday when he allowed three runs, two earned, in 6 2/3 innings against Lake County but in his past five starts is 4-0, 2.02 with 13 walks and 34 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings.

"I like watching him pitch," Weathers said. "I can definitely understand things were tougher for him sometimes. Maybe that's why he pitches with a chip on his shoulder, and he's very competitive. You just never know what motivates people."

Rogers signed with the Rockies in July 2003, a month before his 18th birthday. He played that summer and the following two for the Rockies team in the Dominican Summer League and in 140 games in those three seasons batted .209 with seven homers, 49 at-bats and a .256 on-base percentage.

Rogers began pitching last year and went 3-6, 6.96 in 15 starts with Rookie Casper. Still new to pitching, Rogers stayed in extended spring training this year to work on his craft and didn't make his Asheville debut until May 26.

"He has a special arm," Harvey said. "There's no doubt about it. He's usually between 90 and 96 (mph), so he has enough thunder there. It's just learning how to command the fastball most of the time. When he has fastball command, he is outstanding."

Harvey said Rogers' fastball command "is much better than it was early in the year." He also throws a slow curveball early in the count for a strike, Harvey said, and a hard one late in the count to put hitters away. The curveballs are getting better, Harvey said, and Rogers has been working hard on a changeup and has been adding it to his pitch mix in games.

"In the bullpen, it looks pretty good," Harvey said. "It's got a little tail to get away from a left-handed hitter. It's just (a matter of) getting him to keep a little more arm speed. He has the swing in his arm, because he throws so hard. Right now, he slows his arm down just a hair just to throw it around the strike zone."

That's a very correctable problem, as is Rogers' tendency to pick his game up after a few innings when handed a lead.

"When he's got the lead, and he gets to the fifth inning, he turns it on," Harvey said. "I would like to see him pitch a little more aggressive sometimes early in the game.

"At times, especially early in the game, he tries to be so fine. He wants to hit the bull's eye every time. I keep trying to tell him, 'The catcher's glove. That's a big target. Stay in that area. You don't have to be like you're throwing darts.' "

In most cases, a young pitcher will try harder when he gets in trouble, unable to realize that most often when it comes to pitching, less is more and movement and location suffer with a rare-back-and-grit-the-teeth approach. Rogers is somewhat different from the norm.

"That's when he tries to be too fine, when he's not in trouble," Harvey said. "When he gets in trouble, he makes pitches. He throws his breaking ball behind in the count. He does the things that he really needs to do when when he's in trouble. I need him to pitch that way when he's not in trouble."

Triple-A Colorado Springs (63-63, second, 4½ games behind)

Sky Sox Web site | Sky Sox Roster

With his 30th save in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, Ryan Speier (1-2, 4.15) tied the club record set by Brad Clontz in 2003 . . . Outfielder Jolbert Cabrera, 34, made his Sky Sox debut Thursday after getting released by Triple-A Memphis where he hit .231-2-8 in 45 games. Cabrera, who has played for the Indians, Dodgers and Mariners and last appeared in the majors in 2004 with Seattle, can also play third base, a position manned primarily by Doug Bernier (.294-2-22) following the trade of Matt Macri to Minnesota. Ironically, the Twins drafted Macri in the 17th round out of high school in Clive, Iowa in 2001 but he went to Notre Dame. Macri hit .667-1-4 in three games for the Sky Sox, following his promotion from Double-A Tulsa where he hit .298-11-33 in 79 games. The Twins assigned Macri to their Triple-A Rochester affiliate . . . The Sky Sox's rotation, a jumble lately, is Bobby Keppel, Tim Harikkala, Dan Serafini backed by Marc Kaiser assuming Franklin Morales is promoted to start for the Rockies on Saturday, Mike Esposito and Kevin Walker . . . Mike DeJean (0-3, 7.86) out since July 27 with shoulder soreness, gave up three hits and three runs in three innings in a spot start Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader. It was DeJean's third start of the season, the others coming on July 1 and July 14 . . . Outfielder Alexis Gomez (.305-6-35) has gone 17-for-38 while hitting safely in 10 of his past 11 games and raising his average from .281 . . . In his Sky Sox debut Wednesday, Juan Morillo gave up a single, double and a walk in two scoreless innings with Choo Freeman his one strikeout victim. Morillo went 6-4, 2.35 in 46 games for Tulsa where he allowed two homers in 57 1/3 innings, held batters to a .210 average and had 27 walks and 59 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings . . . Jorge DePaula (8-6, 6.41) was released. He had returned to the Rockies organization this year and his last outing was a spot start at Double-A Tulsa on Sunday, where DePaula, 28, gave up two runs in five innings at Midland and won 9-2. DePaula began his career in the Rockies organization in 1997 and had just started his second season at low Single-A Asheville when he was traded to the Yankees organization in April 2001 . . . Reliever Todd Williams joined the bullpen after two scoreless one-inning appearances in two games for Tulsa and pitched a scoreless inning in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader . . . After hitting .417-7-29 in July, right fielder Seth Smith (.310-14-73) is hitting .204-2-8 this month with six hits in his past 43 at-bats . . . Infielder Omar Quintanilla (.324-3-35) hit safely in 12 consecutive starts before going 0-for-3 Wednesday. He's 22-for-54 this month with eight doubles . . . Outfielder Sean Barker (.330-6-46), who lost his spot on the Rockies 40-man roster when he was moved to the 60-day disabled list last week, played 72 games for the Sky Sox, the last on July 14. He has a ruptured hamstring tendon directly behind his left knee and is trying to rehabilitate that rare baseball injury without surgery.



Double-A Tulsa (59-61 overall, 24-26 second half, third, 2 games behind)

Tulsa Drillers Web site | Drillers Roster

Reliever Judd Songster was sent back to Tulsa after going up to the Sky Sox on Wednesday for their doubleheader, only to have the second game rained out. That move ended up hurting the Drillers, who lost 6-5 in 12 innings against Frisco. Infielder Duke Sardinha (.243-8-26) homered in the 11th to tie the score at 5-5 but came on as Tulsa's fifth reliever in the 12th and gave up a leadoff homer and lost 6-5 . . . Songster (5-4, 4.02) has been scored upon in five straight games and eight of his past nine, giving up 22 hits and 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings in that span . . . Right-handed reliever Gerardo Casadiego, 26, will join the Drillers on Friday. Casadiego, a native of Venezuela, was in his second season in the Yankees organization and was released after going 3-3, 3.86 with nine saves for Double-A Trenton. He allowed 42 hits and 21 walks in 42 innings with 45 strikeouts . . . During his 14-game hitting streak, Christian Colonel (.319-13-71) has gone 27-for-70 (.386) with five doubles, one homer, 10 RBI and 14 runs and has raised his average to a season-high. Colonel was hitting .209 (19-for-91) on May 1 but has since batted .341. He continues to lead the Texas League in hits (144), doubles (42) and total bases (228) and has a .495 slugging percentage . . . Left-hander Sean Thompson, who was designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster, cleared waivers and pitched one inning in relief Wednesday after making four starts for the Drillers, the last on Aug. 6. DePaula's departure will enable Thompson to return to Tulsa's rotation . . . Switch-hitting second baseman Corey Wimberley (.266-4-29) suffered a bruised left hip Aug. 4 sliding head first into first base. He returned Thursday but will bat only right-handed because the hip bothers him batting from the left side . . . Infielder Jeff Dragicevich (.263-3-11) played Wednesday for the first time since June 14. He began the year with the Drillers, strained a hamstring in early May and went to extended spring training to get at-bats when he was ready to play. Dragicevich then went to high Single-A Modesto where in eight games he hit .310-1-3. On June 13 he played for the Drillers only to get injured again the following day . . . A lack of fastball command has plagued Samuel Deduno (5-6, 5.47), who retired one of the nine batters he faced Saturday at Midland. He gave up three hits, four walks and had a batter reach on an error. In his past seven games, Deduno is 1-3, 8.02, allowing 41 hits and 39 runs, 30 earned, in 33 2/3 innings with 22 walks and 29 strikeouts . . . Ryan Mattheus (9-8, 4.84) is 2-0, 3.66 in his past three starts with four walks and 21 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in that stretch . . . Switch-hitting shortstop Jon Herrera (.263-3-36), who was impressive in big league camp this year, is batting .225 (27-for-120) right-handed and .277 (91-for-328) left-handed. Herrera is hitless in his past 10 at-bats and had a season-high four strikeouts Wednesday after one strikeout in his previous 35 at-bats . . . Center fielder Chris Frey (.296-1-32) has hit safely in seven straight games, 18 of his past 19 and 29 of his past 31. Frey, who turned 24 on Saturday, struck out three times on Opening Day, but has not done it since and has struck out twice in a game just twice dating back to June 9. During that span, Frey has 20 strikeouts in 219 at-bats.



High Single-A Modesto High Single-A Modesto(67-57 overall 33-21 first, ½ game ahead)

Modesto Nuts Web site | Nuts Roster

Closer Pedro Strop (5-2, 4.28 with seven saves) is done for the season. He has a fairly significant sprained ulnar collateral ligament in is right elbow, albeit not a torn ligament, and finished the season with 29 walks, 75 strikeouts and 43 hits allowed in 54 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .215 against Strop, a converted shortstop, who went 7-for-9 in save situations . . . In Strop's absence, the closer's role will be shared by Tomas Santiago (2-4, 5.13 with three saves) and Jon George (4-2, 3.77 with three saves) . . . The Nuts acquired right-handed reliever Matt Trent from the Cardinals for cash, albeit a very nominal sum. Trent went 0-1, 3.51 in 25 games for High Single-A Palm Beach and will join the Nuts bullpen. Trent, 25, was St. Louis' 30th-round pick in 2005 out of Wingate College . . . Brandon Hynick (14-4, 2.34) has pitched at least six innings in 20 of 25 starts and has pitched at least seven innings in 14, including seven of his past eight outings. In those eight games, Hynick is 5-2, 1.86 with 12 walks and 49 strikeouts in 58 innings . . . Chaz Roe (6-11, 4.64) is 3-0, 1.96 in his past four starts with 16 hits allowed, six walks and 22 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched . . . Andrew Johnston (3-6, 5.85), who earned 13 saves before losing the closer's job, has been scored upon in five of his past eight outings. Opponents are 20-for-31 (.645) against him in those five games. Johnston had a 2.13 ERA in his first 23 games. But his ERA in his past 27 games is 9.33 . . . First baseman Jeff Kindel (.317-13-77) went hitless Aug. 1-2 following his 26-game hitting streak but now has an 12-game hitting streak in which he's 21-for-46.



Low Single-A Asheville (74-48 overall, 32-21 second half, second, 1½ games behind)

Asheville Tourists Web site | Tourists Roster



Catcher Mike McKenry (.291-16-78), who has 61 walks, 71 strikeouts and a .405 on-base percentage, went 11-for-26 during an eight-game hitting streak that ended Thursday and included three doubles, three homers and 11 RBI. McKenry is 17-for-46 (.370) this month and since the start of May is hitting .317 after going 17-for-82 in April . . . Second baseman Daniel Mayora (.310-14-69), who hit .245 in July, has gone 15-for-39 during a nine-game hitting streak. His average had dipped to .301 on Aug. 8, the lowest it has been since May 1 (.295) . . . Shortstop Hector Gomez (.277-9-53) is 9-for-60 this month, dropping his average from .296 at the end of July, which he finished by hitting safely in eight of his final nine games . . . Knuckleball pitcher Simon Ferrer (7-9, 4.89) made his first relief appearance Wednesday and worked two innings two days after giving up 10 hits and 10 runs in five innings . . . Ferrer was the first of three relievers who came on after Keith Weiser (14-7, 3.77) had a poor start at home against Lake County. He allowed 13 hits, equaling his season high May 20 against West Virginia, and a season-high nine runs in four innings. That matched his shortest start of the season; Weiser pitched four innings July 18 at Rome. Before losing to Lake County, Weiser had gone 3-1, 1.61 in his previous four starts.



Short-season Single-A Tri-City (24-32, third, 2½ games behind)

Tri-City Dust Devils Web site | Dust Devils Roster



During his 12-game hitting streak, right fielder Brian Rike (.321-2-12) is 18-for-48 with seven doubles, one homer and eight RBI. The left-handed Rike is batting .324 (11-for-34) against left-handed pitchers and .320 (24-for-75) against right-handers. Colorado's second-round pick in June, Rike has 19 walks and 26 strikeouts and a .435 on-base percentage . . . Closer Riquy Pena (0-1, 1.93 with 11 saves) has allowed one run and eight hits in 11 innings in his past 10 games with eight walks and seven strikeouts . . . Shortstop Helder Velazquez (.246-1-29) has gone 7-for-23 in his past five games after beginning the month 6-for-43, a slide that dropped his average to a season-low .239 . . . Sheng-An Kuo (3-4, 5.84) is 1-0, 1.80 in his past two starts, allowing two earned runs in 10 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.



Rookie Casper (15-40 overall, 5-12 second half, 6 games behind)

Casper Rockies Web site | Rockies Roster



The Rockies added relievers Mike Vacaro, 23, and J.T. Zink, 22. Vacaro (0-1, 54.00), who allowed four hits and five runs, four earned and one walk in two-thirds of an inning Wednesday, had been pitching for the New Jersey Jackals in the independent Can-Am League where he went 8-5, 3.55 in 13 starts with 81 strikeouts, 34 walks and 62 hits allowed in 88 1/3 innings . . . Zink, who allowed one hit and one unearned run and blew a save in his Casper debut Wednesday, was in his third season in the Boston organization before getting released after one May appearance for high Single-A Lancaster in which he allowed six hits and eight runs in one-third of an inning. Zink had been pitching in a collegiate semi-pro league in the Seattle area . . . Closer Don Taylor (1-3, 0.90 with three saves) gave up his second homer in 20 innings this season, blew his third save Sunday and hasn't pitched since then due to shoulder soreness . . . Third baseman Shane Lowe (.211-1-5) has 52 strikeouts in 95 at-bats and at least one strikeout in each of his 26 games. Lowe, who turned 20 on Tuesday, is in his first professional season and has one hit in his past 24 at-bats . . . Catcher Austin Rauch (.228-5-20) has four hits in his past 32 at-bats. Rauch, 19, who played for Casper last year, has 45 strikeouts in 114 at-bats with at least one strikeout in 30 of 31 games and 27 in a row . . . During his six-game hitting streak, center fielder David Christensen (.238-2-24) has gone 9-for-25 with three doubles, one triple, one homer and six RBI. Christensen, 19, has plus power but a rather long swing . . . Jhoulys Chacin (4-4, 4.01) is 3-1, 1.53 in his past six starts with 22 hits, six earned runs and nine walks allowed in 35 1/3 innings and 32 strikeouts . . . Kenneth Durst (0-1, 3.20) has three walks and 17 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings overall with eight strikeouts and one walk in five innings in his past two games.

etkinj@RockyMountainNews.com

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