SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner’s control in Tuesday afternoon’s Spring Training finale -- an 8-1 loss to the Brewers -- was lacking. But his next chance will count.

Feltner, 26, will begin the season in the Majors for the first time as Colorado’s No. 5 starter. His first outing is scheduled for April 4 at Dodger Stadium.

The Rockies will need better than what he provided Monday -- 85 pitches over 4 1/3 innings, with six hits, including two home runs, and as many walks and earned runs (four) as strikeouts.

“I’m feeling fresh going into the year,” said Feltner, who went 4-9 with a 5.83 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) as a rookie last season. “I’m pretty happy with all my pitch shapes and pitch types. Today it was just a little off. There are some usage tweaks that I can do, but other than that it’s just getting ahead and staying ahead.”

Feltner, who began 2021 in High-A and found himself in the Majors for two late-season starts, has spent his Major League career thus far trying to figure himself out. An above-the-zone fastball-changeup pitcher at Ohio State and early in his pro career, Feltner has developed a sinker and has a couple different types of sliders.

The key is moving the ball around the strike zone and not becoming predictable.

For the home runs, Luke Voit jumped on a four-seam fastball in the fourth inning and Jesse Winker swatted a two-seamer in the fifth. Both caught too much of the plate inside. But with the education of last season, Feltner knows himself well enough to have an idea of the correct adjustments.

“It’s just much smaller tweaks than it was last year,” Feltner said. “It does feel good to be in that spot where you don’t have to overhaul too many things.”

In the Triple-A wings
Right-hander Noah Davis, called up last year from Double-A Hartford for a one-inning Major League debut, will be the Opening Night starter for Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday night at Round Rock, player development director Chris Forbes said.

The rest of the rotation is being formulated. Righties Jeff Criswell and Karl Kauffmann are in. Peter Lambert is part of it, although he will be on a limited early-season pitch count since he has had minimal action since he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2020. The other spot likely will go to Phillips Valdez, a former Red Sox righty who contended for a Major League spot as a reliever.

Gaining comfort
Lambert, who had some high moments in his 2019 debut, received keen attention during camp before being optioned. He went 1-1 with a 6.43 ERA in four outings this spring. He looks healthy, but five walks in seven innings and some inconsistent location are signs that he simply needs time.

The Rockies will keep Lambert, 25, on an innings limit, but the hope is he’ll use a good bit of his ration in the Majors.

“I’m feeling really good -- my elbow, especially,” Lambert said. “I feel healthy. I feel strong. And my feel is definitely coming back. Early in camp it was kind of sporadic, and I had a lot of walks. But my last two times, especially, I was much better and more around the zone.”

Catching protection
The addition of former Tigers and D-backs catcher Grayson Greiner to Albuquerque gives the Rockies Major League experience at a thin position. Regular catcher Elias Díaz is backed by Brian Serven, a rookie last season. Before Greiner, 30, signed a Minor League contract with the Rockies on Sunday after spending the spring with the Twins, Colorado did not have another catcher who had appeared in a Major League game.

Willie MacIver, 26, was penciled as the priority catcher at Albuquerque. But he will miss 6-8 weeks after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection in his ailing right shoulder.