DENVER -- Perhaps the bushy beard Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon grew over the offseason was a message. Matured by three stints in the big leagues and grizzled by the injuries that shortened his time in the Majors, Blackmon is ready to claim his career.Blackmon gave the D-backs reason to fear his beard Friday, when he went a career-best 6-for-6, including three doubles, a two-run homer and five RBIs to lead the Rockies to a 12-2 victory in their Coors Field opener in front of a sellout crowd 49,130. 
It was a rousing home beginning for the Rockies, who dropped three of four at Miami to open the season. The bearded Blackmon starred in entertaining the eighth-largest crowd in the history of Coors, which opened its 20th season. By his final at-bat, a two-run, eighth-inning double off Oliver Perez, fans were cheering and chanting his name.There was good reason to cheer. Blackmon's 6-for-6 was just the second in franchise history. Andres Galarraga did it on July 3, 1995, against the Astros. Also, Blackmon is the first player in franchise history to have five or more hits, drive in three or more runs and score four or more runs.During Spring Training, Blackmon was hitting in the low .200s and facing speculation that the team might send him to Triple-A Colorado Springs to start the year. Blackmon acknowledged that he was searching for his proper swing, but he carried the confidence of a man who trusted his ability.It was a little easier to trust because manager Walt Weiss didn't discount Blackmon's .309 batting average in 82 games last season, or his promising snippets the previous two years -- when foot injuries weren't slowing him. Since going 0-for-4 in his Opening Night start in Miami, Blackmon is 8-for-11.Also trying to foreshadow a coming of age was the relatively baby-faced Juan Nicasio (1-0). After tripping up in the sixth inning or earlier in most of his 31 starts last season, Nicasio went a strong seven frames and struck out six, against one run on four hits and a walk. Also, Carlos Gonzalez bruised the face of the third deck with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and tripled in two runs in the third.Blackmon, 27, making his third start -- and, possibly, a statement -- in the Rockies' center-field rotation, doubled to open the bottom of the first, singled in the third and homered off D-backs starter Randall Delgado (0-1) in the fourth to give the Rockies a 6-0 lead. He also came close to a cycle.In the sixth, Blackmon's looping liner to left field to left off Joe Thatcher bounced beneath the D-backs' Mark Trumbo, but not far enough for Blackmon to advance beyond second base. Blackmon tapped a single in the seventh to score Brandon Barnes, who had tripled off Brad Ziegler as pinch-hitter to open the inning.Blackmon would score his fourth run, yet another career high, when Thatcher hit Charlie Culberson with the bases loaded.Nicasio, who has added a split-finger fastball to his pitch mix and is fully healthy after either injury or the after effects of injury for three seasons, shut down the D-backs on 88 pitches, 64 for strikes. He held the D-backs hitless until Martin Prado's infield single in the fourth. The run came when Nicasio missed over the plate on an 0-2 slider to Trumbo, who homered to center.The D-backs' Paul Goldschmidt singled in an eighth-inning run off reliever Chad Bettis to extend his hit streak to 26 games, dating back to last season.Thomas Harding / MLB.com
It was a rousing home beginning for the Rockies, who dropped three of four at Miami to open the season. The bearded Blackmon starred in entertaining the eighth-largest crowd in the history of Coors, which opened its 20th season. By his final at-bat, a two-run, eighth-inning double off Oliver Perez, fans were cheering and chanting his name.There was good reason to cheer. Blackmon's 6-for-6 was just the second in franchise history. Andres Galarraga did it on July 3, 1995, against the Astros. Also, Blackmon is the first player in franchise history to have five or more hits, drive in three or more runs and score four or more runs.During Spring Training, Blackmon was hitting in the low .200s and facing speculation that the team might send him to Triple-A Colorado Springs to start the year. Blackmon acknowledged that he was searching for his proper swing, but he carried the confidence of a man who trusted his ability.It was a little easier to trust because manager Walt Weiss didn't discount Blackmon's .309 batting average in 82 games last season, or his promising snippets the previous two years -- when foot injuries weren't slowing him. Since going 0-for-4 in his Opening Night start in Miami, Blackmon is 8-for-11.Also trying to foreshadow a coming of age was the relatively baby-faced Juan Nicasio (1-0). After tripping up in the sixth inning or earlier in most of his 31 starts last season, Nicasio went a strong seven frames and struck out six, against one run on four hits and a walk. Also, Carlos Gonzalez bruised the face of the third deck with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and tripled in two runs in the third.Blackmon, 27, making his third start -- and, possibly, a statement -- in the Rockies' center-field rotation, doubled to open the bottom of the first, singled in the third and homered off D-backs starter Randall Delgado (0-1) in the fourth to give the Rockies a 6-0 lead. He also came close to a cycle.In the sixth, Blackmon's looping liner to left field to left off Joe Thatcher bounced beneath the D-backs' Mark Trumbo, but not far enough for Blackmon to advance beyond second base. Blackmon tapped a single in the seventh to score Brandon Barnes, who had tripled off Brad Ziegler as pinch-hitter to open the inning.Blackmon would score his fourth run, yet another career high, when Thatcher hit Charlie Culberson with the bases loaded.Nicasio, who has added a split-finger fastball to his pitch mix and is fully healthy after either injury or the after effects of injury for three seasons, shut down the D-backs on 88 pitches, 64 for strikes. He held the D-backs hitless until Martin Prado's infield single in the fourth. The run came when Nicasio missed over the plate on an 0-2 slider to Trumbo, who homered to center.The D-backs' Paul Goldschmidt singled in an eighth-inning run off reliever Chad Bettis to extend his hit streak to 26 games, dating back to last season.Thomas Harding / MLB.com
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
