"Regardless of what he does this weekend, the Rockies figure to benefit in the long run from Jason Giambi being in the lineup against the Kansas City Royals.

Giambi hit second Friday night and will start today and Sunday, providing him with at-bats that figure to be invaluable as he continues to make the adjustment from seldom- used role player to everyday middle-of-the-order hitter.

"I'm excited about it," Giambi said. "Those are the things that can carry you when you get pinch-hit at-bats later in the season. It's all about getting more comfortable in the box."

Giambi is 7-for-35 this season. Now for the fine print: He is 0-for-9 pinch hitting, a drastic difference from last year, when he was 5-for-13 with the Rockies and Oakland Athletics.

"That's what I signed on to do," Giambi said. "It's tough, and it's a learning process for me, but I'm excited about the challenge."

Giambi, who had a double in four at-bats against Brian Bannister Friday, in the two hole? He had logged 6,656 big-league at-bats before Friday's game, 260 coming in the No. 2 spot compared with 5,435 in the No. 3-5 holes."