TUCSON — Juan Morillo's time is running out.

The Rockies know this is the spring training the right-handed pitcher wins a spot in the big-league bullpen or most likely bids the organization adieu.

As a result, pitching coach Bob Apodaca admits, Morillo will get an extended look.

"He's going to be given every opportunity to succeed," Apodaca said. "With an arm like that, you can't make mistakes on it."

Morillo is a scout's dream. Several teams claim their scouts have caught his fastball in excess of 100 mph. He regularly pitches 95 to 97 mph. He is only 25, but this is the start of his ninth pro season.

"You see all the potential," said bullpen coach Jim Wright, the organization's roving pitching instructor the past six years.

So far, though, it's just potential. Morillo's career has been marked by inconsistency.

Last year at Triple-A Colorado Springs, he walked 56 and struck out 55 in 59 2/3 innings. Pitching in his native Dominican Republic during the winter, he had a 2.25 ERA in 13 appearances. He struck out 11 in 12 innings but walked seven.

And Morillo's one-inning effort in the Rockies' 5-3 loss to Arizona at Hi Corbett Field in both teams' spring training opener Wednesday was a capsule of his career.

The Diamondbacks loaded the bases with nobody out on a walk, single and hit batter.

But third baseman Luis Gonzalez grabbed a line drive for an out, Morillo got a strikeout, then, after seeing Luke Carlin battle back from an 0-2 count to get to 3-2, Morillo got him on a groundball to second.

"The big thing for him is, he recovered," Wright said. "That's a big plus."

Added Apodaca: "Bad as it might look, it was something positive. He got out of the inning. That might be big for him. You don't know where the fork in the road may be."

What the Rockies know is, there is promise in Morillo's arm.

It was suggested to Apodaca that there might be a similarity between Morillo's track record and what Bobby Jenks experienced with the Angels, who originally signed him.

In five minor league seasons with the Angels, Jenks walked 270 in 391 innings. The White Sox claimed him off waivers in December 2004, and by the middle of the 2005 season, Jenks was in the majors for good.

In three full seasons as the White Sox closer, he has 117 saves. The past two years, he has walked 30 in 126 2/3 innings.

"For all the cemeteries of dead arms, you get one like that and he is the one people remember," Apodaca said of Jenks. "With arms like (Jenks and Morillo), you can't make the mistake. I'm sure the Angels exhausted every ounce of patience they could, but you do run out of time."

What happened with Jenks is what has happened to Morillo.

Morillo had such a live arm at a young age that the Rockies had to put him on the big-league roster at 21, knowing some team would take him in the winter draft on pure speculation. As a result, his options have been used up.

Morillo makes the Rockies this spring training or he will have to be placed on waivers before the Rockies could send him to the minors. Even if Morillo struggles in spring training, the Rockies know more than likely some team would take a shot on his potential and spend the $20,000 waiver fee to get him.

"Everyone is pulling for him," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We have had all the discussions about him we need to have. Now we have to make a decision. We are not in a position of hoping he can do well. Now he needs to go to the mound and take care of things."

In an effort to facilitate that, the Rockies want to keep things simple for Morillo.

"He's probably had too many thoughts in the past," Apodaca said. "Everybody sees that arm and they want to help him. Sometimes it's too much help. Right now, we are just looking for some little things.

"(Wednesday), I went out there (with the bases loaded) and asked him if he ever lost sight of the plate in the delivery. He answered yes. We talked about making sure he never loses sight of the plate. He did. Was that a key? We'll see when he goes out there again, but it was something."

ETC.: Aaron Cook worked two sharp innings, striking out one and getting four other outs on groundballs. . . . Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez struggled, giving up three runs, three hits, two walks and a hit batter. . . . Brad Hawpe went 2-for-3. . . . Troy Tulowitzki and Chris Iannetta keyed a two-run fourth with back-to-back doubles to start the inning.

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