Hello CarGo: Carlos Gonzalez’s bat returns to Rockies

Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

He’s baaack!

Carlos Gonzalez, the young man with the potently powerful swing has finally returned to Colorado’s Coors Field.

Tuesday afternoon, as the Rockies played during the day to make up for a rainout earlier in the year, CarGo crushed two balls car-gone.

The first bomb came in the bottom of the fourth inning as the Rockies trailed 3-0 to the Diamondbacks. Gonzalez stepped up and turned on a letters-high change-up, taking it deep, off the facade of the second deck in right field. It was Colorado’s first run of the day, it got the Rockies rolling.

CarGo’s second jack of the day went almost as far, some 430-plus feet to straight-away center field that capped a season-high 12-run day as the Rox won 12-4.

In all, Gonzalez enjoyed a two home run, four RBI day, and that was just in the first game of the day-night doubleheader.

At night, CarGo proved to still be seeing the ball well as he smoked a line drive up the middle that moved Dexter Fowler to third (although no runs ended up scoring when Fowler was tossed out at home trying to take the base after a passed ball).

And Tuesday’s games were only the latest in Gonzalez’s great games in the last two weeks.

Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

In his last 11 contests, Carlos Gonzalez has gone 12-37 (.324) with 5 HR, 14 RBI and 9 runs scored.

CarGo, the player that finished third in MVP voting last season, has regained his swagger, he’s found his confidence at the plate and he’s proving his worth after receiving his huge seven-year $80 million contract last offseason.

Perhaps he was feeling the pressure of that contract early on this year, no one can say for sure but Gonzalez himself. But one thing is for sure, CarGo of 2010 has shown up in 2011, Rockies fans hope he’s back for good.

Recent great games

5/14 vs. San Diego (Rockies lost 9-7 on Brad Hawpe walk-off)

CarGo went 2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI

In the bottom of the 3^rd, Gonzalez got a Rockies rally going by singling to left field and sending Dexter Fowler home. It was the first run of the game. He scored on the next at bat when Troy Tulowitzki doubled and scored CarGo.

The very next inning, Gonzalez went yard to add another run for the Rockies and put them up 5-1.

5/16 vs. San Francisco (Rockies won 7-4)

CarGo went 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI

This was the game that broke CarGo out of his season-long slump.

The Rockies were playing the hated division rival Giants, with their ace and arguably the best pitcher in baseball on the mound in Tim Lincecum. Things looked bleak for Colorado as they struggled to swing the bat with any consistency to that point in the month of May.

With the Rox down 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, they needed a huge inning and Gonzalez obliged. With runners on first and second and two runs already scored for Colorado in the inning, CarGo stepped up and not only knocked the ball magnificently into the mile high night, he also knocked Lincecum out of the game with his game-winning three-run home run.

5/21 vs. Milwaukee (Rockies lost 3-2)

CarGo went 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Gonzalez got the Rockies rollin’ early, he lined a laser over the center field fence in Milwaukee in the first inning.

But, it was only a solo shot and the Brewers took the lead back in the bottom of the first inning, and the Rockies eventually lost the contest 3-2 to the Brew crew.