Nick Piecoro

azcentral sports

DENVER – Third baseman Martin Prado left Friday's game in the sixth inning with a finger injury, but luckily for the Diamondbacks it doesn't appear to be as bad as it looked.

Prado's glove got pinned between the third-base bag and baserunner Charlie Blackmon's spikes on a stolen-base attempt. He looked to be in a lot of pain, and quickly left the field accompanied by assistant trainer Ryan DiPanfilo.

"It burned at the beginning," Prado said. "It was bleeding a lot. I got my (index) finger out of my glove, so my finger was exposed. Fortunately for me, it's just a little bit of skin off."

Prado did not require stitches, and both he and manager Kirk Gibson believe the laceration only will sideline him for a day or so.

The season hasn't begun the way Prado would have liked. Despite being the team's best hitter in spring training, he is just 4 for 28 (.143).

"It's one of those feelings where my timing is a little off," Prado said. "I'm working hard trying to get my timing because I'm going to have to start turning things around. I'm hoping I can start that streak tomorrow and start winning games."

Prado was 22 for 50 (.440) in the Cactus League, serving as another example of how little spring-training numbers seem to matter.

"That's the way it is, man," he said. "Hitting is tricky. It's very tricky. The thing is, I only have 30 at-bats. I have 600 more. So we'll see."

Gibson was asked before Friday's game if he had considered moving Prado out of the cleanup spot. He sounded reluctant.

"I put him there for a reason," Gibson said. "I believe in him and I want him to know that I do. I feel confident that he's fine. The numbers don't show he's fine, but he's fine.

"We didn't lose that (Giants) series because Prado didn't do his job in the four hole. I think he had good at-bats. They didn't fall for him. Guys made some decent plays on him."

Short hops

The Diamondbacks will have $7.2 million to spend in this year's draft, the 11th-most in the majors, according to Baseball America.

Their top pick, at No. 16 overall, is valued at $2.3 million by baseball's slotting system. They pick 54th overall in the second round ($1 million) and have selections at Nos. 69 and 70, both of which are competitive balance picks valued at around $800,000.

The Diamondbacks can redistribute the total purse however they want, i.e., by spending more or less than the slot amount on each pick, but can't go beyond $7.2 million without incurring penalties.

— The Diamondbacks claimed outfielder Roger Kieschnick off waivers from the San Francisco Giants and assigned him to Triple-A Reno. Kieschnick, a third-round pick in 2008, was once a well-regarded prospect in the Giants organization but depending on the year has either not hit as much as anticipated or battled injuries to his back and shoulder – or both.

— With an infield single in the eighth inning, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt extended his hit streak to 26 games. It's the longest active streak in the majors and the second-longest in franchise history, behind Luis Gonzalez's 30-gamer in 1999.

Up next

Diamondbacks at Rockies

When:

5:10 p.m. Saturday

Where:

Coors Field, Denver

TV/Radio:

FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620), KPKX-FM (98.7)

Pitchers:

RHP Brandon McCarthy (0-0, 6.75) vs. LHP Jorge De La Rosa (0-1, 10.38)

Notable:

Despite giving up five runs in 6 2/3 innings in his first start of the season, McCarthy pitched well, running his fastball up to 94 mph and throwing strikes with it and his curveball. … McCarthy struck out four and walked one. … McCarthy, a Colorado native, did not fare well against his hometown team last year. In 18 innings against the Rockies, McCarthy allowed 12 runs on 28 hits (6.00 ERA). … De La Rosa started for the Rockies on Opening Day against the Marlins and gave up five runs in 41/3 innings. … He has a career 2.40 ERA in 971/3 innings in his career against the Diamondbacks. He posted a 2.38 ERA in four starts against them last season.

Projected starters

Sunday: At Colorado, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Wade Miley (1-1, 5.25) vs. Rockies LHP Brett Anderson (0-1, 4.50).

Monday: Off day.

Tuesday: At San Francisco, 1:35p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Trevor Cahill (0-2, 6.30) vs. Giants RHP Tim Hudson (1-0, 0.00).

Wednesday: At San Francisco, 7:15p.m., Diamondbacks Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 4.15) vs. Giants Tim Lincecum (0-0, 6.00).