PHOENIX — Time did not allow Trevor Story a slump two seasons ago when he broke spring camp on the Colorado Rockies' roster and broke out like a sprinter on opening day. He homered twice off Arizona ace Zack Greinke and started a breakout rookie season with seven home runs in six days.

Two years later and back in Arizona to start this season, the slump already found him. Colorado's slugging shortstop went 1-for-9 at the plate in his first two games and, worse still, he struck out seven times. The player who led the National League with 191 strikeouts last season quickly fell back into a worrisome trend.

Story's eagerness is holding him back, his manager said.

"I see a little bit of expansion (of the strike zone), and chasing a little bit out of his hitting area," Bud Black said.

Story's .370 batting average (fifth-best in baseball) and 1.081 OPS in spring training, over 54 at-bats, seemed like a promising sign for his evolution as a hitter in his third season.

But there were issues hiding on his stat line. He also struck out 22 times in 60 Cactus League plate appearances, a 36.7 percent rate.

That is the issue that followed him into this early part of the season.

"The only thing is that he's fouled off a couple of pitches that you saw him squaring up (in spring)," Black said. "There looks to be some fastballs in the strike zone that he's taking and maybe expanding the zone, whereas in spring training he wasn't."

Black dropped Story to the seventh spot in the order Saturday and in the first inning Story worked his best at-bat of the season, if only for a minor victory. A seven-pitch battle against Greinke extended with four foul balls. In a 2-2 count, Story flied out to center field on a fastball.

Bullpen starts strong

Bryan Shaw hinted that he might ride Arizona's new bullpen carts to the mound if called upon, but he instead chose to walk. The Rockies' new reliever, though, debuted strongly.

He pitched a hitless eighth inning and his strikeout of Arizona's Alex Avila put Shaw one K short of 400 in his eight-year career.

Adam Ottavino, too, is already racking up strikeouts. In two innings in the club's first two games, Ottavino had six strikeouts.

"I've seen his focus and intent to really up his concentration level," Black said. "The breaking pitch has been for strikes and the fastball is coming into play. Hopefully he can continue it even though it's only a two-game roll."

Notable

The Diamondbacks on Saturday celebrated their 20th anniversary by replicating their first pitch as a club, from a 1998 game against the Rockies. Andy Benes, in jeans, pitched to catcher Jorge Fabregas with former Rockies infielder Mike Lansing in the batter's box. ... The Rockies are off today before starting a four-game series at San Diego on Monday, part of MLB's new collective bargaining agreement with players that calls for more off days.