SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Cal Quantrill’s pitching style is to allow the defense to do the work. The Rockies, his current team, fit his strategy.

Quantrill’s 4 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday afternoon in Colorado’s 5-3 Cactus League victory over the Giants previewed what he hopes shows up during the regular season. Quantrill held the Giants to four hits, struck out three against one walk, and twice escaped jams.

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“I still need to work on the splitter to see if I can put some more guys away, but I felt the attack was good,” said Quantrill, who has a 2.53 spring ERA. “The contact was pretty weak. I kept on them.”

With the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning, Quantrill heeded catcher Jacob Stallings’ call for a sinker away and worked a grounder from Michael Conforto straight at second baseman Alan Trejo. The Giants’ Tom Murphy doubled to open the fifth before Quantrill forced fly balls from Nick Ahmed and LaMonte Wade Jr. to end his day.

Quantrill began his career with the Padres and was a key rotation member with the Guardians before injuries slowed him. The defense features Gold Glove winners Brenton Doyle (2023) in center field and Brendan Rodgers (2022) at second base, Gold Glove finalists Ryan McMahon at third, Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop and (a few years back) Charlie Blackmon in right field, and impact defender Nolan Jones in left.

“I’ve been blessed so far in my career,” Quantrill said. “I’ve had a pretty freakin’ fantastic ‘D’ for the last five or six years, and this year is no different.”

Quantrill was brought in as the No. 2 starter behind lefty Kyle Freeland because of his penchant for challenging hitters.

“He threw a lot of strikes -- quality strikes in the zone,” manager Bud Black said. “Maybe not so much with the split, but the split had good action. Fastball command was sharp, a good breaking ball and a good slider, so all in all it was a good outing for Cal. He got some stamina with the 80 pitches.”

Bouchard blooming
Through 15 Cactus League games, outfielder Sean Bouchard has a .378 on-base percentage and is showing the kind of approach that has led to a .304/.429/.563 slash line in his first 48 Major League games. It’s not a huge sample, but his approach could make him a candidate for frequent starts in right field and designated hitter.

“He’s got an approach that plays, even if it is around 150 at-bats,” Black said.

Bouchard missed time early this spring with a slight oblique issue but has seen his numbers climb because he didn’t press to make up for lost plate appearances.

“That [injury] popped up out of nowhere, the very first game, unfortunately,” said Bouchard, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI against the Giants. “Buddy said, ‘Hey, it’s late February, let’s not rush anything.’ The important thing is I didn’t want it to jump back up around this time, the end of spring.”

Toglia's task
On Saturday against the Athletics, switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder Michael Toglia continued his push to make the club with his fourth homer of the spring. Toglia is slashing .333/.415/.750 in Cactus League play. He has 14 strikeouts in 36 at-bats and must work to curb those.

“The hitting coaches and I are interested in the changes that we talked about last August -- hands, how his body is moving,” Black said. “It seems to be a lot better. That’s what we’re looking for, and it’s shown. The main thing has always been certain pitches -- fastballs, breaking balls. He’s having a very good Spring Training.”

Whether the spring leads to an Opening Day roster spot or whether the roster structure dictates that Toglia begin in Triple-A Albuquerque is a question. He looks to be one of three players for two spots, along with Bouchard and first baseman/designated hitter Elehuris Montero, who is out of Minor League options and has shown power in the Majors.