Troy Tulowitzki is a tough sell.
The Rockies’ star shortstop demands a lot from himself and his teammates. So it’s wise to listen to Tulo when he puts things in a big-picture perspective.
“This team is a little bit different. I would like to think we are a little bit tougher,” he said. “There is something about this group. I can get on them harder than I have teams in the past. They listen, they respond and they take it to heart. It’s a tough bunch, and I’m enjoying it.”
What’s not to enjoy?
With 49,303 fans packing Coors Field for the home opener, the Rockies put on a star-spangled performance Friday afternoon, beating the Cubs 5-1. For just the second time in the 23-year history of the franchise, the Rockies are 4-0. The last time that happened, in 1995, the Rockies earned their first playoff spot.
PHOTOS:
With 158 games to go, it’s preposterously early to make that leap of faith for a team that lost 96 games last season, but the Rockies so far are doing almost everything right.
“The thing I like is we’ve been playing well,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We’re playing clean games. We’re pitching well. The bullpen has been outstanding. Our approach at the plate has been rock-solid.”
And, it helps to have a healthy Tulowitzki in the lineup. He’s hitting .444 and knocked in two runs Friday. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu had three hits from the ninth spot.
“Personally, this was the most relaxed I have ever been on an opening day,” Tulo said. “I’m not sure what it was. Maybe it was winning three games in Milwaukee.”
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Rockies’ starter Tyler Matzek was fortunate to escape having allowed just one run, but Colorado’s bullpen was brilliant again. The relievers have now notched a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings. Rockies relievers have struck out 14 and walked only one.
LeMahieu set up the Rockies’ game turning at-bat in the fifth. With the score tied 1-1, he hit a one-out single off Chicago starter Travis Wood. Corey Dickerson then walked, setting the table for Tulo, batting in the No. 2 hole as part of Weiss’ lineup experimentation.
Tulo promptly lined Wood’s 85-mph cutter down the third-base line for a double, chasing home LeMahieu and Dickerson to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead. Colorado tacked on two runs in the sixth on Justin Morneau’s solo line-drive homer to left-center and a run-scoring single by Dickerson to drive in Charlie Blackmon.
Matzek, a 24-year-old left-hander, could have used GPS on the mound because he couldn’t locate his fastball, which is why he failed to make it through five innings. He threw 84 pitches, just 40 for strikes.
“I just couldn’t find the heater,” Matzek said. “I had to rely on the slider and and off-speed pitches. When that happens, I’m not going to go deep into a game. I just have to fight to stay out there as long as I can. I just wasn’t aggressive with (my fastball) and I wasn’t pounding inside with it.”
Christian Bergman delivered the biggest pitch of the day for Colorado in the fifth. With Jorge Soler perched on second and Rizzo on first with nobody out, Bergman relieved Matzek. He threw an 81-mph changeup to cleanup hitter Starlin Castro that Castro beat into the dirt for a 6-4-3 double play. Then Bergman coaxed Mike Ott to ground out to third baseman Nolan Arenado. Crisis averted.
“Props to (catcher Nick) Hundley for recognizing that the changeup was there today,” Bergman said. “That was the best pitch to go with on a full count like that.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or
