DENVER -- Rockies outfielder
Tapia broke into a smile and said through a translator, “I like facing good pitching, especially a pitcher like that. It makes me focus, lock it in a little bit more. When you face a good pitcher, you’ve got to be a good hitter, as well.”\n\nThe winning hit showed Tapia, 25, a prolific hitter in the Minors who made an Opening Day roster for the first time this year, is translating his good hitting to the Majors in his first true opportunity.\n\nTapia’s triple came right after
“Honestly, I was just trying to throw a strike,” said Bradley, who gave up two hits and lost an out on third baseman
The Rockies knew he would have to develop as the year progressed, and he started slow -- 12 strikeouts in his first 32 plate appearances, with a high incidence of weak contact. A stride that cut him off from the inside pitch produced some wild swings that made him look like he was swinging for the fences.\n\nBeginning with his first multi-hit game, April 16 at San Diego, Tapia has started 11 of his last 17 appearances in left field, with Dahl moving to center and Ian Desmond, between less-than-desired offensive numbers and bouts with leg soreness, becoming a part-time starter. \n\nOver those 17 games, Tapia has produced a slash line of .294/.357/.706 with the unexpected power -- four homers (one inside the park). His hard-hit rate in those games is 41.2 percent; previously, it was 18.2 percent.\n\nAnd he didn’t miss on Sunday.\n\n“It was a good at-bat,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Bradley was a little erratic as he went through that inning, and Tap had a lot of looks. But there’s a little bit of history there with Bradley.”
The fact it was Bradley, a reliever of some renown, is not lost on Tapia. This week, long before Sunday’s at-bat came to fruition, assistant hitting coach Jeff Salazar put it in perspective.\n\n“It really shows up against the better pitchers,” said Salazar, who has worked with Tapia since fall instructional ball in 2015. “It’s very evident. You can see him saying, ‘You’re really good. I can’t wait to show you how good I am.’”
**Takeaways from Sunday**\n\n• Third baseman
But Marquez left a changeup, intended to be low and outside, over the plate and in to