Why Jason Giambi Is a Good Fit for the Rockies

It’s time to breathe a brief sigh of relief, Rockies fans. The team is finally coming home.

They wrapped up a nine-game road trip yesterday with a 5-1 shelling of the Arizona Diamondbacks, preserving a four-and-a-half game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League wild-card chase, with only 12 games to go.

It was a rough road trip, notes Purple Row, as the Rockies blew a couple of games in San Diego and were destroyed twice in San Francisco last week.

The Rockies were helped out with losses by the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves, The Denver Post writes, the only teams besides the Giants that have a shot of catching the Rockies in the wild-card chase.

The team bounced back after a rough start on the road thanks in large part to infielder Jason Giambi, who has batted in 11 runs in the 12 games he’s played with the Rockies. He sent a baseball way over the outfield fence for the second consecutive game yesterday and seems to fit in perfectly on the team, writes the Contra Costa Times.

Giambi (pictured) was cut by the Oakland A’s after hitting a dismal .193 but has found his groove as a backup first baseman, behind Todd Helton, for the Rockies. A major reason Giambi came to Colorado was to play for manager Jim Tracy, who has turned the Rockies into a legit contender and led them to a team-record, 40th road victory in 2009.