MESA, Ariz. -- The race for the Rockies' starting second-base job intensified on Friday in their 6-3 Cactus League loss to the A's.
Garrett Hampson started at second and went 2-for-3, accenting his performance with a two-run home run in the fifth inning off Oakland right-hander Yusmeiro Petit. Another top candidate for the job, Ryan McMahon, also homered, connecting in the seventh inning off J.B. Wendelken for a solo shot.
The duo continued its strong Cactus League performance. Hampson's batting .455 (5-for-11) with two home runs and a team-high five RBIs, while McMahon lifted his batting average to .364 (4-for-11) with three RBIs.
Veteran Pat Valaika and Brendan Rodgers, who is the Rockies' top prospect according to MLB Pipeline, are also vying for the opening.
"Competition is great for all teams," said Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond, who managed the team in Bud Black's absence. Black left town to celebrate the birth of a granddaughter, Harper Lynne Davis.
Each of the four players has appeared in six games apiece, indicating that the contenders could maintain their pursuit of the job until the Rockies break camp on March 26.
Gray's a (hair)cut above
Sporting a fresh Mohawk haircut, Rockies starter Jon Gray bolstered his bid for a third consecutive Opening Day start by pitching three perfect innings against the A's.
"You saw how good he can be," Redmond said. "He was dominant out there for those three innings."
Gray gracefully suggested that Kyle Freeland or German Márquez also would be excellent choices to start when the Rockies visit Miami to start the season on March 28. He is worried more about team accomplishment than personal glory. The Rockies have reached the last two postseasons but have not advanced past the National League Division Series
"I hope everybody brings their 'A' game this year," Gray said. Advancing deeper into the postseason, he said, is "an unspoken thing. It's what all of us expect."
Gray also expects to keep his current hairstyle for a while.
"I had a good game, so it's going to stay," he said.
Gray is known for his flowing red mane. Two years ago, he donated eight inches of hair to the nonprofit organization Locks of Love, which provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children dealing with long-term medical hair loss.
Gray said that he would have needed to grow a few more inches of hair to qualify for another contribution, so he settled for an ordinary trim during a recent styling session.
"But it didn't look the way I thought it would," he said. He then made a second appointment for the Mohawk, because, he said, he can "let it ride out a little bit."