"It wasn't a significant first by any means, but it was a first nonetheless.

Jason Giambi, owner of 400-plus major-league home runs and an American League MVP award, making the trek from Tucson to Phoenix to play a spring training game? Even Jim Tracy had to laugh at that notion.

"Yes," Tracy said Wednesday, "Russell Crowe is making the trip."

So how did Giambi roll into town Thursday morning?

"No, I didn't helicopter down and land on the field," Giambi said. "Those days are over. I drove down here."

Giambi was in the lineup as a designated hitter, mainly so he could get a couple of at-bats against a left-hander, in this case Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith. He will, after all, see his share of lefties out of the bullpen in late-inning pinch-hitting situations.

This pinch-hitting gig has really grown on Giambi, who went 7-for-20 last September after signing with the Rockies, including game-winning pinch-hits in each of his first two at-bats.

"I didn't know if I was going to like it when I first came over here, but to me it's exciting," Giambi said. "I get a chance to pretty much come up and hit when the game is on the line."

If all goes as planned, Giambi will pinch hit and occasionally play first base, where 36-year-old Todd Helton has accepted the notion of a slightly reduced workload. No one is putting a number on things, but 200 to 225 at-bats probably is a good projection of Giambi's workload.

"For me, with what we're trying to do with Todd, he (Giambi) made so much sense," Tracy said. "With us trying to be proactive with Todd and making sure we don't have sawdust by Aug. 1, some of those additional at-bats he was looking for will be there."

But what if Giambi, at 39, is forced to play a bigger role? The Rockies have a Plan B in place if Helton, who was limited to 83 games in 2008 because of chronic back problems, encounters a long-term injury. And no, it doesn't entail Giambi becoming the everyday first baseman."