DENVER — During spring training, manager Walt Weiss said there would be times he would bat the Rockies’ starting pitcher eighth. The first such occasion was Friday, when the Cubs started left-hander Travis Wood, and Weiss’ lineup had pitcher Tyler Matzek hitting eighth.
DJ LeMahieu, who typically bats eighth, moved down to the ninth spot. Corey Dickerson, who batted sixth in the Rockies’ first three games this season, hit leadoff, and Troy Tulowitzki moved up to second after batting third in Colorado other three games. It was the first time Tulowitzki had started a game in the second spot since May 27, 2009.
“I just thought it lined up well against a left-handed starter,” manager Walt Weiss said before the Rockies’ 5-1 win over the Cubs. “I wanted a dangerous bat in the two hole, and I preferred it to be right-handed. So it’s Tulo. I wanted two position players hitting in front of him. So that was the biggest reason.”
The move paid off quickly when the Rockies scored a run in the second. With two out, Matzek hit a fly ball to left field. Matt Szczur backpedaled and took a poor route to the catchable ball, which went off his glove. Matzek was given a double on the play. LeMahieu followed with a run-scoring single up the middle that gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Tulowitzki lined a two-run double down the left-field line to put the Rockies ahead 3-1.
“It doesn’t matter to me (where I bat), just as long as I get RBI opportunities,” said Tulowitzki, who is 8-for-18 with five doubles and four RBIs this season. “I love those RBI situations. I love being out there in the clutch. That’s what I live for. That’s what my offseason workouts are geared at, and it’s fun to come through.”