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Hudson heads to the hill in Colorado

Apr 2, 2011 - 2:34 PM (Sports Network) - Daniel Hudson has just 16 major league starts under his belt, but tonight the 24-year-old right-hander gets his turn as the No. 2 starter in Arizona rotation.

Expectations are high for Hudson, who is coming off a promising season that saw him go 7-1 in a Diamondbacks uniform after being traded from the White Sox in a deadline deal. His ERA was a sparkling 1.69 during his time with Arizona and opponents hit .183 against him. He also had just 16 walks against 70 strikeouts.

Among all NL pitchers over the final two months of 2010, his ERA ranked third behind the Phillies' Roy Oswalt (1.41) and Cubs' Carlos Zambrano (1.60). Hudson also worked at least seven innings or more in nine games. He threw seven shutout innings in one career start against the Rockies.

Arizona will try to build on a dramatic 7-6 season-opening win Friday afternoon. Gerardo Parra scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Matt Lindstrom in the 11th inning.

Willie Bloomquist and Montero both had three hits to lead Arizona's offense, while starter Ian Kennedy allowed four runs (three earned) in six frames.

"They didn't give up, they played hard the whole game," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "If we do that, we'll be fine."

Jose Lopez went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI for the Rockies. Seth Smith added three hits for Colorado, including a run-scoring double in the first inning.

Heading to the hill for the Rockies this evening will be Jorge De La Rosa, the third straight season he's part of the team's rotation. In 2010, the southpaw had an 8-7 record with a 4.22 ERA in 20 games. He allowed just 20 hits to left-handed batters all season and since the start of 2009, lefties are hitting just .201 against him.

For his career, De La Rosa's 5-3 with a 2.21 ERA vs. Arizona.

The Diamondbacks were without starting shortstop Stephen Drew for the opener, as the former first-round pick was dealing with an abdominal strain. He's considered day-to-day.

These teams split 18 meetings in 2010, with the Rockies taking seven of the nine bouts held at Coors Field. The Diamondbacks are just 6-13 in Denver over the past two-plus seasons.