PHOENIX -- The Rockies’ Nolan Jones was down two strikes. Even worse, his right shin was throbbing after he fouled a Luis Frías pitch off it -- exactly in the void between parts of his shin protector.

Manager Bud Black visited Jones and asked him to take some time. Jones, as he gathered himself, then remembered lessons from Spring Training with hitting coach Hensley Meulens and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pillitere: With two strikes, a hitter doesn’t need to be perfect to earn a passing grade.

Jones, despite being down 0-2, ran the at-bat to 11 pitches, the last being a slider from Frías that he sent past first base for a two-run, fifth-inning triple. The three-bagger headlined a decisive five-run frame and a key hit in the Rockies’ first victory of the season, a 9-4 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Saturday night.

“It’s something that P.J. and ‘Bam’ [Meulens] and I talk a lot about: The ability to take a good swing when we’re shortening up and trying to put it in play and do damage in those situations, even though it might not be my ‘A’ swing,” Jones said.

Jones’ triple occurred two batters after Charlie Blackmon’s two-run double off Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry gave the Rockies a 4-3 lead. Blackmon's double didn't just give Colorado its first lead of the game, but its first lead of the season after going a club-record 22 innings without being ahead to open a year. In 1997, the Rockies began the year having played 21 innings without a lead.

Jones’ hit also brought to fruition the team’s edict -- be hard to strike out. In other words, perform like, well, a Diamondbacks team that went to last year’s World Series.

“That's what they're doing over there -- they're fighting, putting the ball in play,” said Black, whose team returned serve after falling by a combined 23-4 in the first two games.

From Ryan McMahon, the fifth hitter in the order, all the way down -- all hitters who struggled with the strikeout last season -- the Rockies fanned just twice. Colorado's five-through-nine hitters produced two two-run homers, the first being from Ezequiel Tovar off Henry in the second inning and the second being Brenton Doyle off Bryce Jarvis in the eighth. Elehuris Montero, who took until August last year to show signs of laying off down-and-out breaking balls, drew three walks for the first time in his career.

“That’s what ‘Mony’ has to do,” said Black, whose pitching staff overcame nine walks and saw middle relievers Peter Lambert, Jalen Beeks and Nick Mears strand all five runners they inherited. “Same with Doyle -- he had a walk on a 3-2 breaking ball.

“These are growth moments that we’re seeing in real time.”

Jones sent a scare through himself and Rockies Nation late in Spring Training when he fouled a pitch of his right knee. Happily for all involved, the ball hit a nerve and missed damaging the kneecap. Saturday night’s foul ball was easier to tough out.

The lead-extending triple was the result.

“It's very easy to want to put one in the seats every at-bat,” Jones said. “But there are moments throughout the game that we have to pick our spots to take that big swing or to shorten up and just put it in play. That was one of those moments where I was looking to put it in play.”

In the first two games of the season, D-backs starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly allowed two earned runs across 11 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts, eight by Kelly on Friday night. But before Saturday, Black noted that, buried in the first two losses, was the way Rockies hitters were showing “intent” to be tougher outs. Kris Bryant, for example, is still hitless to begin the year after striking out four times on Saturday, but drew a walk to set the table for Jones' triple.

“It’s just us getting comfortable,” Jones said. “The first couple days, there are jitters. There’s Opening Day in someone else’s ballpark and the rough inning. A bunch of things go into it.

“But it’s showing. K.B. had a rough one today, but he’s a huge bat for us and is probably going to put one in the seats for us tomorrow. There have been huge at-bats for us up and down the lineup, and we’re going to continue that.”