Diamondbacks' phenom Trevor Bauer stole the spotlight at Salt River Fields Saturday in his first Spring Training start. The D-backs and Rockies game finished in a 1-1 tie after 10 innings.

The former UCLA product tossed the first two innings and threw 21 pitches, 14 of which were strikes. More impressively, he threw a first pitch strike to all six batters he faced.

Bauer stressed the importance of getting ahead in the count to his success in Saturday's outing.

"I was pleased with attacking the zone," Bauer said. "That's always my goal to get ahead of guys and force them to swing the bat."

Bauer fanned two Rockies hitters on the day, center fielder Dexter Fowler and second baseman Marco Scutaro, the latter of which is one of the tougher players in the league to strike out.

The 21-year-old right-hander retired all six batters he faced and induced four ground ball outs.

Bauer started Saturday in place of injured prospect Tyler Skaggs, who was scratched due to left shoulder soreness.

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson came away impressed with the effort of his young right-hander, who had great command of his curveball.

"For a guy who probably had some emotions to deal with out there, some of his secondary pitches were actually better than any time that he's thrown so far," Gibson stated.

Bauer contends his curve is the best off speed pitch in his repertoire and he had it working all game.

"I think I threw it pretty well today," Bauer said. "I've had the best feel for it, been throwing it for the longest, so I was pleased with where that's at."

While expectations must be tapered since it's only the first Spring Training game of 2012, it's hard not to feel encouraged by Bauer's rock solid debut.

Arizona Sports' Bryan Gibberman contributed to this report