Kolarek remains in contention for the final bullpen spot despite allowing nine earned runs over seven innings in Grapefruit League play, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
A ragged spring notwithstanding, Kolarek is still a candidate for a bullpen spot also being chased by Emilio Pagan, Hunter Wood and Hoby Milner. Kolarek does have the distinction of being a southpaw, which could play into manager Kevin Cash's final decision from an overall matchup perspective. Kolarek presumably sports a respectable track record in Cash's eyes after having posted a serviceable 3.93 ERA over 31 appearances last season, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to override his struggles thus far this year. Cash is on record as stating that the winner of the bullpen race may not be announced until the last couple of Grapefruit League games, meaning that Kolarek and his fellow competitors should still have at least one more opportunity each to make their respective cases.