TUCSON - Rockies rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's smile said plenty.

His right forearm might be a bit battered and it is definitely bruised. But it is in one piece, and his battle with incumbent Clint Barmes for the starting shortstop job was only put on hold during the weekend.

X-rays of Tulowitzki's right wrist and forearm Sunday showed he did not suffer a broken bone when he was hit by a pitch from San Diego pitcher Doug Brocail in an exhibition game Saturday.

Tulowitzki plans to work out today, testing his right hand in throwing and hitting drills, after which, his schedule to return to games is expected to be determined. He is anxious, but he is

realistic about the issue.

"I am trying to win a job," said Tulowitzki, the Rockies' first- round draft pick in 2005. "I still have to prove myself. I need to be back on the field as soon as I can, but I can't rush it. I have to make sure I am healthy."

The relief Sunday was that Tulowitzki's right forearm was wrapped but there was no cast. The ball hit him between the wrist and forearm bone.

"It definitely hit me in the best place it could have hit me," he said.

The Rockies are definitely relieved.

Tulowitzki has made a rapid rise in their system, debuting at Single-A during the second half of 2005, and then spending time last year at Double-A, Triple-A and in the big leagues.

He is considered to have an initial edge on Barmes for the shortstop job, but he needs to play well this spring training to get the opportunity to be in the lineup against Arizona on April 2 at Coors Field.

So far, he has been doing everything the Rockies could want, until the fifth inning Saturday. After doubling in the Rockies' first run of that game, in the second inning, he was unable to get out of the way of the Brocail pitch in the fifth, throwing his hands up to protect his face and having the ball go off his right forearm.

"He has been solid," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He has made the plays defensively and worked counts offensively. He has been aggressive, but he has shown a little more patience in his approach."

Tulowitzki is hitting .385, having appeared in five games, with three doubles and four RBI. He has walked twice and struck out three times. He also has continued to impress with his defense, particularly a throwing arm that is among the elite in the game.

"We have to get him back out there, but we have to be smart about it," Hurdle said. "Players need to play when they are not 100 percent physically, but we want to make sure he's not where he could aggravate the problem."

Barmes, meanwhile, has been a bit erratic with his throwing, but he made some adjustments with his approach at the plate and has shown improvement his past couple of games. He is hitting .316 in six games, with two doubles and two RBI. He went 3-for-4 in his Saturday start against the Chicago White Sox, when the Rockies had split- squad games.

Barmes' offense is the biggest question he has to answer this spring. He hit .329 in the first two months of the 2005 season, but he broke his left collarbone June 5 and was out until the final month of that season. Back in the lineup in 2006, he hit only .220.

"We're going to let things play out," Hurdle said when asked about the situation.

Tulowitzki is just glad he physically is able to keep playing. He admitted there was some initial concern when he was hit by the pitch.

"There is a nerve that runs through there, and at first, my pinkie and ring finger were numb, but that calmed down after awhile," he said. "When I was in my (hotel) room watching TV (Saturday) night, I was putting ice on it every hour and was encouraged by the improvement."

Tulowitzki said the signs were positive Sunday.

"I am able to squeeze my hand without any problem. I am able to move my fingers. The big thing will be how I feel (today). We'll give it a good test and decide what to do next."

KANSAS CITY	COLORADO
	ab	r	h	bi		ab	r	h	bi
Gathright cf	3	1	1	0	Taveras cf	3	0	1	0
Greenberg cf	0	0	0	0	Salazar cf	1	0	0	0
Berroa ss	3	0	0	0	Carroll 2b	2	0	0	1
Musser p	0	0	0	0	Nix 2b	1	0	0	0
Giron p	0	0	0	0	Atkins 3b	3	0	0	0
Teahen rf	3	0	0	0	Almonte 3b	1	1	1	0
Huber 1b	3	2	2	0	Helton 1b	2	0	0	0
Costa lf	3	0	0	0	Koshansky 1b	2	0	0	0
Butler lf	1	1	1	2	Holliday lf	3	0	0	0
Tupman c	3	0	1	1	Miller lf	1	1	1	0
Price c	1	0	0	0	SSmith rf	4	1	1	3
Lewis 3b-2b	3	0	0	0	Torrealba c	2	0	0	0
Falu 2b	1	0	0	0	Colina c	1	0	0	0
Blanco 2b	3	0	0	0	Quintanilla ss	3	1	1	0
Peralta p	0	0	0	0	Fogg p	1	0	0	0
Lucas ss	0	0	0	0	Kim p	1	1	1	0
Soria p	1	0	0	0	Spilborghs ph	1	0	1	1
Espino ph	1	0	0	0	Graves p	0	0	0	0
Gobble p	0	0	0	0
Cortez 3b	1	0	0	0
Totals	30	4	5	3	Totals	32	5	7	5
Kansas City......000	101	002	-	4	5	2
Colorado......000	001	013	-	5	7	1

One out when winning run scored.

E - Tupman, Lewis, Koshansky. LOB - Kansas City 3, Colorado 3. 2B - Spilborghs. 3B - Quintanilla. HR - Butler, SSmith. SB - Berroa, Teahen, Gathright. CS - Greenberg, Tupman. SF - Carroll.

KANSAS CITY	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	Floyd, L	3	5	6	2	1	1
Soria	4	1	0	0	0	3
Gobble	2	1	1	0	0	0
Peralta	1	0	0	0	0	2
Musser	1	2	1	1	0	2
Giron, L	1/3	3	3	3	0	0
COLORADO	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	Fogg	4	2	1	1	1	2
Kim	4	1	1	0	2	6
Graves, W	1	2	2	2	0	0

HBP - by Berroa (by Fogg). PB - Tupman.

T - 2:16. A - 3,517.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com Rockies 5, Royals 4

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