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Ottavino eager to help Rox in any situation

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies right-hander Adam Ottavino responded to the increased responsibility of pitching late innings last season with a solid performance -- a 2.64 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings.

With fellow righties Matt Belisle and Wilton Lopez having gone through periodic struggles last season, the question becomes whether Ottavino, 28, is able to slide into a late-innings role. But the Rockies have added right-hander LaTroy Hawkins and lefty Boone Logan as late-innings options. Ottavino comes in concentrating on doing what he did well last year.

"I definitely controlled the count better, made better choices with my pitches," Ottavino said. "I think I can improve on that, still. But in general, working ahead and being able to mix the pitches the way I wanted was the biggest thing I did last year.

"We've got a lot of new guys and a much deeper bullpen. So I'm not really worried about a specific role. I'm a guy that doesn't really need a defined role. If I can be the jack-of-all-trades guy, then that'll be good enough for me and really help our team win."

Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb.
Read More: Colorado Rockies, Adam Ottavino