Throughout spring training, Rodrigo Lopez insisted that last year’s humbling 9-18 record with the Orioles was an aberration. Tuesday, he said that big, bad Coors Field didn’t scare him.
Wednesday afternoon the right-hander backed up everything he said.
Making his Rockies and Coors Field debut, Lopez was superb as the Rockies routed the Diamondbacks, 11-4.
The Rockies blew open a tight game in the eighth when they scored seven runs on eight hits. All told, the Rockies had 18 hits.
Lopez threw seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits. He struck out five and didn’t walk any. Lopez was not only good; he was efficient, throwing just 75 pitches, 47 for strikes.
His only major mistake was giving up a solo homer to Eric Byrnes to open the second inning.
Hits from the heart of the order clinched the Rockies’ second straight win over the Diamondbacks. Matt Holliday went 4-for-5 with four RBIs. He led off the seventh with a 427-foot homer to right-center off Arizona reliever Juan Cruz, boosting the Rockies’ lead to 4-2. It was Holliday’s first home run of the season and the first by a Rockies starting player after 101 at-bats.
Cleanup hitter Todd Helton went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, including a run-scoring double in Colorado’s eighth inning.
Fueled by two errors by Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson, the Rockies took a 3-0 lead in the first off Arizona starter Doug Davis. The key hits were run-scoring singles by Helton and Holliday.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
