IL behind him, Jones 'in a really good spot' with 3-hit game

DENVER -- Nolan Jones returned to the Rockies’ lineup with a steady hum, with hopes growing into a crescendo.

Jones went 3-for-4 on Sunday afternoon in Colorado’s 8-2 loss to the Pirates at Coors Field, a game in which the Rockies couldn’t string together a rally and the Pirates delivered a steady stream of hits.

A fourth-place finisher in last year’s National League Rookie of the Year voting, Jones is 4-for-8 in his first three games back in the lineup after he missed 40 games with lower back and left knee injuries.

In 26 games before going to the injured list, Jones, 26, languished with a .170 batting average, one home run and seven RBIs -- not what he expected after last season, when he posted a slash line of .297/.389/.542, with 20 home runs, 62 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

“This was a good sign,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “I liked the two line drives up the middle. They were good swings from Nolan. Then he fought one off [for a single]. That should be a confidence builder.

“I’m sure that he’s happy about the results today. We need Nolan to be a big part of our lineup, to score runs.”

In addition to his four hits in the series -- the Rockies dropped two of three games -- Jones drew five walks. Three of those came Saturday in the Rockies’ 16-4 victory, and he stole one base in that game. During his small sample back in the lineup, Jones has struck out just twice and has shown a calmer swing and better control of the strike zone.

To return better, Jones realized he needed to take a step back.

Jones began an injury rehab assignment at Triple-A Albuquerque for the back injury on May 14 but sustained the knee injury sliding into second base during his third game. After healing, Jones started a new rehab assignment on June 2. He conceivably could have returned on Monday for the series at Minnesota but felt he needed more time with his swing and played through Wednesday.

There wasn’t an “ah-ha” moment, and Jones didn’t light up the Pacific Coast League -- a .214 batting average with a .340 on-base percentage in 50 plate appearances. But the goal was returning with a Major League swing and approach.

“It was a constant getting better,” Jones said. “I had a lot of time to work with [Triple-A hitting coach] Jordan Pacheco in Albuquerque and started feeling good. It was something that was coming with time. As time went on, I started feeling more and more comfortable.”

Immediately upon removing his uniform after the game on Sunday, Jones headed to the weight room. Since the injury, Jones’ assignment has been to adhere to a routine to keep his back healthy, because he has had flare-ups in the past.

Jones enjoys putting in extra work on his swing, but the Rockies have urged him to balance his tenacious preparation with his need to stay healthy.

“It’s a lot of maintenance, a lot of controlling the amount of things I do each day,” Jones said the day he rejoined the Rockies. “It’s something that I have to continue to keep an eye on and work on the rest of this year. But I’m feeling like I’m in a really good spot.”