The offense awoke from its slumber to support De la Rosa's stellar performance
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The hot dogs were sizzling, the beer was flowing and the red-white-and-blue banners draped over Coors Field hinted at the coming of summer and the promise of legend. The pageantry was on full display Friday afternoon and LoDo was abuzz with spring fever and dreams of possible October glory. And on a day where the weather was as grand as the expectations for the season, the 2010 Colorado Rockies sent a message to the San Diego Padres and the rest of the National League, winning their home opener 7-0.
Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa dazzled an anemic Padres line up, tossing a dazzling 7 innings of one-hit ball. He struck out 9 and threw 65% of his pitches for strikes. Working generally from the windup, J-Dealer kept the Padres off balance with change ups and fastballs and continued to demonstrate the mental composure Rox fans saw at the end of 2009 and in spring training. Regarded by die-hard Rockies fans as “The Other Aceâ€, De La Rosa gave the Padres their first taste of what it will be like to face him and Rockies Ace Ubaldo Jimenez in the same series (Jimenez is scheduled to start Sunday against the Padres).
The Rockies swung the bats as well, with 6 runs coming from the bottom half of the lineup. Ian Stewart broke the game open in the 4th inning, driving Tulo and Brad Hawpe in on a single to center. In the 7th, Clint Barmes smashed 408 foot, three-run homerun, batting in Hawpe and starting catcher Miguel Olivo. Overall, the Rockies peppered the Padres with 12 hits.
Barmes fireworks notwithstanding, it is has never been more clear that the days of homerun derbies at Coors Field are gone forever. The 2010 Rockies are fielding a team of speed and the homeruns have been replaced with doubles and timely hitting. They expect to win games with pitching and defense, even in Coors Field. Today, the team played error-free baseball, something that had eluded the team during their first 3 games in Milwaukee and looked sharp, despite De La Rosa keeping the ball in the infield for most of the game.
A winning home opener does not a 162 games make, and the grind of the season lies ahead. But even after one home game, Rockies fans have good reason to believe the team will need to re-hang those red-white-and-blue banners again a few more times in 2010. After all, October awaits.
