Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew underwent successful surgery Thursday to repair his fractured right ankle, an injury he sustained after sliding into home plate in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Peter Mitchell, who plated Drew’s fibula bone and fixed torn ligaments.

“All went as expected, and we are optimistic for a full recovery,” team physician Dr. Michael Lee said in a statement released Thursday night.

The length of recovery has not been determined, manager Kirk Gibson said.

“Stephen will bounce back,” Gibson said. “He’s resilient. It’s going to be tough whenever you have surgery like that. I’m sure the recovery won’t be fun. You get bored with it. You get frustrated. You want to play, and you have to just keep on pace so you make a rapid recovery. You don’t want to push things.”

Drew had been the defensive anchor of the infield all season. He had struggled at times offensively, but he perhaps was on the cusp of finding an offensive rhythm before the collision at the plate that ended his season. Drew doubled to lead off the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game and attempted to score when Chris Young sliced a ball to left field.

“I knew it wasn’t good just by Stephen’s reaction,” General Manager Kevin Towers said. “I saw him actually pop it back into place and saw the slow motion of it that it pretty much was turned 180 degrees.”

Towers immediately placed a call to farm director Mike Bell, who reported infielder Cody Ransom had hit a three-run home run for Triple-A Reno Wednesday. Ransom joined the team Thursday and is expected to get a fair share of starts at shortstop in Drew’s absence.

“He’s having probably one of his finest years in the minor leagues,” Gibson said. “He’s been consistent all year long, swinging the bat well, and I have really good reports on him playing shortstop.”

The 35-year-old Ransom hit .331 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs in 92 games in Triple-A. He’s the epitome of a journeyman, spending parts of eight major-league seasons with the Giants, Astros, Yankees and Phillies. Ransom filled in for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez at third base in 2009 while Rodriguez recovered from hip surgery.

Ransom’s ascent to the big club is a homecoming of sorts.

He went to Chandler High School, played at South Mountain Community College and Grand Canyon University and lives in Gilbert.

“It’s nice to play at home,” Ransom said. “You get to sleep in your own bed, hang out with your family and go about life as usual and then come to work. It should be fun.”

Ransom didn’t get this opportunity with the Diamondbacks the way he would have liked, but he’s ready to prove he belongs.

“You never want to get called up because someone gets hurt, but that’s kind of why they have guys in Triple-A, I guess,” Ransom said. “(Drew is) going to be missed. He’s a great player, but hopefully he gets back healthy and 100 percent.”

DENVER (AP) — Micah Owings pitched five effective innings for his first win in more than a year and Miguel Montero hit a three-run homer, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the slumping Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Thursday night. Owings (1-0) bottled up the Rockies’ struggling offense, allowing just four hits and striking out three. The only run he surrendered was an RBI single by Troy Tulowitzki in the fourth. The right-hander earned his first win since last May, when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. This was Owings’ second start of the season for the Diamondbacks in his second stint back with the squad. Montero staked Owings to an early lead, lining a belt-high pitch over the right-field fence in the fourth after Clayton Mortensen (1-2) walked the first two batters of the inning. It was Montero’s first homer since April 28. Kelly Johnson added a two-run homer off Rockies closer Huston Street in the ninth to give Arizona a three-run lead. The rolling Diamondbacks have won nine of their last 10 to creep even closer to San Francisco in the NL West. Arizona trails the Giants by 1 1/2 games, the closest the team has been since early April. Colorado rallied for two runs against Arizona reliever Esmerling Vasquez in the seventh as pinch hitter Jason Giambi had an RBI sacrifice fly and Ryan Spilborghs followed with a run-scoring single. But with two on, Jonathan Herrera grounded out to end the threat. David Hernandez pitched the final five outs for his first save of the year, giving regular closer J.J. Putz the night off. Putz has saved a franchise-record 14 straight to start the season. Melvin Mora added an RBI single in the sixth and Chris Young scored twice as the Diamondbacks took three of four from Colorado in the series. With Jorge De La Rosa sidelined after suffering a season-ending elbow injury Tuesday, Mortensen has suddenly gone from a fill-in starter to all but sewing up a spot in the rotation, especially given his recent string of solid outings. After being so effective in his opening three starts, though, Mortensen hit a bump against Arizona, giving up four runs and five hits in six innings. The right-handed rookie hardly has overpowering stuff with his fastball hovering around 87 mph, but possesses pinpoint control — at least typically. Mortensen wiggled out of an early jam, but couldn’t get out of the mess he created for himself in the fourth by walking Stephen Drew and Young to start the inning, then falling behind on Montero, who promptly hit his fifth homer of the year. Tulowitzki was back in his customary cleanup spot Thursday after receiving his first day off of the season. The smooth-fielding shortstop has been trying the shoulder the load for an offense that’s turned stagnant. And that’s led him into a funk, hitting under .200 in May. Tulowitzki finished 1 for 4 on Thursday. The Rockies have lost seven of nine to drop below .500 for the first time since opening day. Before the game, the Rockies learned that a 27-year-old fan died due to injuries he sustained when he fell about 20 feet and struck his head on concrete during the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game at Coors Field. “It’s a sad thing,” Giambi said before heading out to batting practice Thursday. “It’s supposed to be uplifting and an enjoyment for the fans. That’s a terrible thing to hear.” Notes: Rockies RHP Esmil Rogers (strained back muscle) threw 60 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday and will head to Arizona for extended work next week. Rogers has been eligible to come off the DL since May 16. … The Rockies traded RHP Felipe Paulino to Kansas City on Thursday night for cash considerations. Paulino was designated for assignment by the Rockies last Saturday. … Speedy OF Dexter Fowler was moved from leadoff spot to No. 8. … Diamondbacks MGR Kirk Gibson said an MRI on RHP Juan Gutierrez’s shoulder revealed “no significant rotator cuff tears.” Gutierrez went on the DL on Wednesday.

DENVER (AP)—The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies both had extra pep in their step Thursday and not just because Opening Day was 24 hours away.

Players on both teams said they felt fresher heading into April thanks to the state-of-the-art spring training complex they now share in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which replaced their respective ballparks in Tucson, is the envy of Major League Baseball.

Players said its sellout crowds and regular season buzz helped prepare them for the real thing, and that starts Friday when Colorado ace Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) faces Arizona ace Ian Kennedy(notes) at Coors Field.

“I think the biggest difference was not having to travel three hours up and three hours back every day,” Colorado catcher Chris Iannetta(notes) said. “It takes a huge toll on your body. So, just the location of the facility, not necessarily even how nice it was, was a big help.”

At their workout Thursday, both teams raved about their new spring digs and said they felt better physically and mentally for not having to endure the long bus rides to and from Phoenix or face lineups of mostly minor leaguers because opponents would leave behind their stars when they trekked to Tucson.

“I think that’s probably THE question: how much is it going to benefit us?” mused Colorado closer Huston Street(notes). When you have sellouts, you can’t help it, you’re a human being, you enjoy it more. And when you enjoy it more, I feel like you get more out of it.

“They’ve given us no excuse,” Street added. “The facilities were perfect. The games felt like games, it felt like we were playing serious baseball with serious consequences. I think it’s going to help. I think it’s going to be a huge difference not only in the way we were able to approach the season but in the profound effect it’s going to have on us in being prepared.”

Although they share the complex, the Rockies got more of a bump than the D-Backs. Their expansive clubhouse and related training facilities stand in stark contrast to their crowded previous home at Tucson’s quaint but antiquated Hi Corbett Field.

“There were so many positives,” Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki(notes) said. “The facilities were top-notch. … And then getting a chance to play in front of crowds that were pretty big, I think that’s huge going into a season. You want to play in front of those crowds. You want to feel those nerves. So, I think we’re a step ahead of anybody else in that aspect.”

Well, except for the D-Backs.

Like the Rockies, the Diamondbacks had held spring training in Tucson since the franchise was born in 1998, but they had a spiffy ballpark they shared for years with the Chicago White Sox. Still, they were just as glad as the Rockies for the move into a bigger, better ballpark.

“Our environment was great,” D-Backs manager Kirk Gibson said. “You don’t do the bus trips. We played more games than anybody, so we still had a big workload. But it was a great environment to be in. … It was a major league atmosphere.

“But I think in the last week there was a lot more energy in the team in general because they know it’s getting close.”

With the bus rides history, the Diamondbacks capitalized on their time savings by getting in more work and playing more split squad games than anybody.

One Arizona player who’s been taking it easy is shortstop Stephen Drew(notes), who is recovering from a lower abdominal strain that he aggravated during spring training before being shut down again this week.

Drew was held out of the workout Thursday and might not play in this series, although Gibson said Drew would be available to pinch hit if he’s not in the starting lineup.

Without Drew, Gibson will have to juggle his lineup and he asked his staff to fill out lineup cards with their suggestions, which he was planning to peruse Thursday night.

The Rockies player who might have benefited most from the move to Scottsdale is first baseman Todd Helton(notes), who’s been bothered by a balky back in recent years.

“I played a lot more. I got to play consecutively a lot more and I know I can handle back-to-back days and my body feels up to the task,” Helton said. “But I’ll talk to you in June or July and let you know if I still feel that way.”

Third baseman Ian Stewart(notes) made the Rockies’ 25-man opening day roster. Stewart has been bothered by a troublesome left hamstring that threatened to land him on the DL to start the season.

This is a make-or-break year for Stewart, so starting out healthy is paramount.

“He’s a key player in this clubhouse,” Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez(notes) said. “We all know that if he plays the way he (can), we’re going to be the greatest team in baseball.”

NOTES: Rockies vice chairman Dick Monfort said the team has seen a double-digit bump in season ticket sales this year. … Monfort said his brother, owner Charlie Monfort, has fully recovered from his fall in Scottsdale last month that landed him in the hospital and will be at the ballpark Friday.

Published: Thursday, March 17, 2011, 11:24 AM     Updated: Thursday, March 17, 2011, 11:26 AM

Making impressions: Homer native Josh Collmenter is definitely giving the Arizona Diamondbacks and manager Kirk Gibson something to think about this spring.

Collmenter, participating in his first major-league spring training camp, is 2-0 and has allowed just three hits, no walks, one run and struck out six batters in five innings of work.

While all indications are that Collmenter will start the season in Triple-A, don’t be surprised to see the big right-hander up with the Diamondbacks sometime this season.

Meanwhile, Lumen Christi graduate and Cincinnati Reds prospect Ryan LaMarre also is seeing action in Arizona with the big boys. LaMarre, a second-round pick of the Reds last June, is still seeking his first hit of spring training (0-for-6 in five major-league spring training games through Tuesday), but he’s turning heads with his play in the outfield.

During the winter, LaMarre was named by Baseball America as the top defensive outfielder in the Reds’ minor-league system.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind.(WTHI) – Derek Eitel continues to impress the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

The Dbacks have invited the former Marshall and Rose-Hulman standout to participate in their early spring training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona February 18th through March 1st.

Last June, Arizona drafted the right handed pitcher in the 17th round of the MLB draft, making him the first Rose-Hulman student-athlete in school history to ever get selected in a professional sports draft.