Nelson misses finale with stomach ailment

SALT LAKE CITY -- Starting third baseman Chris Nelson missed Saturday's 4-3 exhibition game loss to the Mariners with what manager Walt Weiss described as a "stomach bug."

The hope is Nelson, who hit .301 last season in his first year as a regular, will be available on Monday when the season opens in Milwaukee.

"We bypassed Salt Lake with 'Nellie' and sent him to Milwaukee so he didn't pass that bug around," Weiss said. "We expect him to be ready to go on Monday." Reid Brignac started at third and went 1-for-1 with a walk against Mariners righty starter Brandon Mauer.

The left-handed hitting Brignac can spell Nelson at third when the Rockies are facing a particularly tough right-handed starter, and could be an option on Monday. Nelson has never faced Brewers Opening Day starter Yovani Gallardo in a regular-season game, so history isn't part of the equation.