TUCSON, Ariz. -- Huston Street is finally showing he might be the right choice for the Colorado Rockies closer job.
Street pitched a scoreless inning Thursday, his fifth in six games, but the Rockies lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-6.
Colorado manager Clint Hurdle refuses to say if he favors Street or Manuel Corpas.
"He has been on a nice little roll. He had some pretty good put-away pitches," Hurdle said of Street. "We have seen a marked improvement."
Street, obtained in a trade in November with Oakland for Matt Holliday, had a quadriceps muscle problem that led to early spring troubles. But his last outings have impressed the coaching staff.
The right-hander snapped a four-game, five-inning scoreless streak the last time out against Milwaukee. He bounced back against a Dodgers lineup that didn't include Manny Ramirez, who was given a day off after playing the field Wednesday for the first time since March 15.
"We have made some minor adjustments that have made huge dividends quickly. Just little things," Street said.
Street, whose 94 career saves is the fifth-highest mark in major league history for a player under the age of 26. He is still waiting to find out what his role will be when the regular season starts.
"If (Hurdle) decides to go with me, I will be happy. If he decides to go with somebody else, I will have a responsibility for the team," Street said.
Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa has had several poor outings this spring but only one bad inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The left-hander gave up all five of his runs in the fourth inning. He went five innings, allowing six hits, while striking out five and walking one.
De La Rosa, counted on to be the Rockies' No. 4 starter, has a 9.42 ERA.
Xavier Paul had a bases-clearing triple, Blake DeWitt a run-scoring double and Juan Castro an a RBI single in the fourth inning.
DeWitt and James Loney each had two hits and two RBI.
Los Angeles pitcher James McDonald had his second straight strong outing, making a good case for the Dodgers' fifth starting spot by going three scoreless innings.
The 23-year old McDonald, who emerged late last year as a reliever, has shown improvement since meeting with Class A pitching coach Charlie Hough.
"He told me basically to stop trying to be something you can't be. You can't strike everybody out and you can't make everybody swing and miss," McDonald said. "(Hough) told me to be the guy that he had seen, throw for strikes and get your changeup over and throw your curveball and don't be afraid."
McDonald allowed two hits, walked two and struck out three against the Rockies.
McDonald's role with the Dodgers has yet to be defined. The Dodgers are look at others for a starting role, including Eric Milton.
Milton allowed six runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Colorado's Todd Helton went 3-for-3 with two walks and a pair of doubles.
Note
Los Angeles pitcher Chad Billingsley, after complaining about groin tightness, threw a bullpen session on Thursday. He is scheduled to face batters most likely in a simulated game on Sunday.
