Jamie Moyer has pitched well enough to earn a spot in the Rockies rotation.

The decision as to whether he will become the oldest starting pitcher to ever appear on an Opening Day lineup, however, is on hold.

The question is how Moyer, at the age of 49, will bounce back from extended pitching efforts.

Coming off four perfect innings in which he threw only 45 pitches against San Francisco on Friday night, Moyer got a better test of durability in a four-inning, 92 pitch battle with the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Moyer said he felt strong at the end of the outing, and Rockies manager Jim Tracy said he was impressed with how Moyer battled. The big question is how will Moyer feel when he reports to the ballpark on Thursday.

"I have no issue with Jamie's arm,'' said Tracy. "How his legs bounce back is an important aspect. I feel we need to do all the homework we can to answer the question.''

And before a final decision is made, the Rockies are going to want to see him pitch again in spring training, most likely Monday against Seattle, and then see how he responds on Tuesday.

If a decision had to be made today, it would seem Moyer would make the team, but for the Rockies, given the uncharted territory Moyer is exploring, the more they can watch, the better off they are.

Wednesday, after all, was more than twice as many pitches as Moyer had thrown in a game this spring, and he did miss all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Moyer was missing off the plate by a small margin against the White Sox, and Tracy gave Chicago credit for showing the patience it did. Moyer, however, said he felt the game was a good test for him. He allowed three runs in the four innings of an 8-3 Rockies win.

"Not every game is going to be like (the one against the Giants),'' said Moyer. "There are days you have to push your way through it. There are days you have to battle. I enjoy pitching that kind of game.''

Moyer, in fact, lobbied to pitch a fifth inning, but given the limited pitch count of his previous appearances, Tracy did not want to stretch Moyer too far.

And his commitment to what's ahead was apparent when it was mentioned no starting pitcher the age of 49 or older had ever won a game.

"I intend to win more than one game,'' he said. "If age had a bearing on my decision I wouldn't be doing this.''

— Tracy Ringolsby