Paul Goldschmidt put the snakes on the board first with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning, putting the D-backs on top 1-0.

They would add a couple of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning when Arizona pitcher Ian Kennedy tripled to deep center field, scoring Goldschmidt, Justin Upton, and Ryan Roberts, extending Arizona’s lead to 4-0. Kennedy would score on an RBI double by Willie Bloomquist.

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Paul Goldschmidt (44) hit his 13th home run of the season in the 1st inning of Monday evening's game. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

Colorado would finally get on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning when Colorado shortstop Josh Rutledge hit a solo home run to left-center field.

The Rockies would cut the lead to 5-2 when Dexter Fowler would hit an RBI single to center field in the top of the eighth inning, scoring Rutledge.

Ryan Roberts would extend Arizona’s lead to 6-2 in the bottom half of the inning with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Upton.

Carlos Gonzalez would add a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to cut the lead to 6-3, but would not be enough to mount a comeback for the Rockies.

Arizona Starter Ian Kennedy looked like the Arizona starter that won 21 games last season, as he struck out seven batters on the evening, while allowing only five hits and two earned runs through eight strong innings pitched. JJ Putz would come in the bottom of the ninth to shut the door for the snakes, earning his 18th save on the season.

With the victory, Arizona won their fourth straight game, and approached the .500 mark at 48-48 on the season. Arizona starter Joe Saunders will take the mound tomorrow evening in game two of the series.

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Feb 24, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson (middle left) talks with members of the coaching staff along side executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers (middle right) during spring training at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Most, if not all of us here at Venomstrikes think the Arizona Diamondbacks will be in for some big things during the upcoming 2012 season.  This is not because we write a site dedicated to them.  There are legitimate reasons why we feel this team could be special, from Justin Upton, to the depth of the pitching staff to the outstanding 1-2 management punch of Kirk Gibson  and Kevin Towers.  Oh, and don’t forget they won 94 games and the National League West  in 2011.  Yet, it would be fun to offer an opposing view, one that has the D-Backs crashing back down to Earth, something along the lines of a. 82-80 record and third place in the division.  It would go something like this.

The division will be stronger.   The San Francisco Giants  were World Series  Champions two seasons ago.  They know how to win.  Buster Posey  should be 100% healthy and expect closer Brian Wilson to bounce back as well.  There are is also those two starting pitchers, fellows by the names of Tim Lincecum  and Matt Cain.  The Los Angeles Dodgers  finished the 2^nd half a strong 41-28 and possess two of the game’s elite players in Clayton Kershaw  and Matt Kemp.    Hiroki Kuroda  is gone but Chris Capuano  could fill his void nicely.  A bounce-back year is in order for former All-Star Chad Billingsley.  So much went wrong for the Colorado Rockies  in 2011.  You can not discount a team with two offensive forces in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki.  If their young starting pitching matures quickly, this team will give contenders fits.  The San Diego Padres  have wheeled and dealed the past two offseasons and the results could be interesting for 2012.  Former All-Stars Carlos Quentin and  Edinson Volquez  are ready to jump-start the franchise to bigger and better things. 

Production could drop for several players.  We know Ian Kennedy is an excellent pitcher but if you had to choose between Kershaw and Kennedy to win 21 games again, who would you put your money on?  Kennedy could still be a force and still win only 16 or 17 games.  Trevor Cahill is nice but his career ERA was almost 4.00 pitching half of his starts in the cozy confines of the Oakland Coliseum.    The health of J.J. Putz is always a concern.  Opposing NL hitters may figure out Brad Ziegler the second time around.  If Stephen Drew is not fully recovered from his ankle injury, Shortstop will be a concern for Arizona.

You don’t go from 69 wins one season to 94 wins the very next one without a good deal of luck.  Some of that luck may evaporate during 2012 for the D-Backs. Arizona could still play well enough for 88 victories but that could very well result in a second place finish and out of the wild card mix this season.  What we can say with certainty is that the future is bright for the team in the Valley.

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