Colorado Rockies Set The Tone, Destroy Arizona Diamondbacks

In 2009, it took the Colorado Rockies nine games before they recorded their first win of the spring.

On Thursday, they won their first game of 2010 by a large margin. The Rockies dismantled the host Arizona Diamondbacks 11-1.

Jason Hammel started on the mound for the Rockies and gave up one run in two innings.

The bats were in mid-season form. Seth Smith led the way for the Rockies, going 3-for-3 with a home run. He was a triple shy of the cycle before being pulled in the sixth inning.

Manny Corpas pitched a scoreless inning, but struggled with command, walking two batters and giving up a hit.

Chris Iannetta went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk.

While any Rockies fan is happy to see an 11-1 victory, the fact is early March spring games do not generally say much about how the team will perform on the field come April. For example, neither Todd Helton nor Jason Giambi will be participating in games for at least a week and a half.

The Rockies have a split-squad game on Friday, with half the team traveling to Tempe to take on the Angels, and the other half in Scottsdale to take on the Giants. Ubaldo Jimenez will start against the Angels, and Jeff Francis will test his surgically repaired shoulder against an opponent for the first time against the Giants.

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