DENVER -- It's been high times for hitters in the Mile High City this season, despite a continuing trend in declining home run numbers.

Coors Field entered the weekend boasting the highest batting average for all hitters of any park at .295, and Rockies slugger Todd Helton leads the Majors with a .397 average heading into Saturday's game, with Matt Holliday close behind at .367, fourth in the Majors.

Big numbers are nothing new in Colorado, but hitters like Helton have had to make an adjustment in the era of the "humidor," the climate-controlled chamber the Rockies store their game balls in to keep them from drying up in Denver's thin, dry air and thereby keeping them within the specifications for Major League baseballs.

Coors Field is averaging 1.29 home runs per game in 2007, placing the park sixth from the bottom of all Major League parks.

"I thought the ball was jumping off the bat yesterday in [batting practice]," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "History tells us that when it gets a little warmer and we play more day games, the ball has a tendency to carry a little more. It's a fair park; there's a lot of ground to cover out there in the outfield. You strike the ball hard, you keep it low. I think we all like the fact that it's not overly hitter-friendly like it's been in the past."

Helton has certainly used familiarity with the park to his advantage, compiling a staggering .465 (20-for-43) home average while launching only one home run at Coors Field. His ability to focus on low line drives rather than taking chances with a high fly taking flight and leaving the park as in the days of old has paid off in rekindling Helton's reputation as one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.

"There's times that maybe some hitters here would try to lift the ball and know that if they didn't really click it, it might still carry out, there might be a reward," observed Hurdle. "That's not the case now. Our focus now has got to be hard and down, get some backspin and drive some balls to the gaps. Helton's stroke coming in played that way. He worked on it all winter and in Spring Training."

With a lifetime average of .334, Helton has been tagged with the stigma of starting his seasons slowly. Fact is, there are few in the game who wouldn't jump at the chance to see his career .316 average through his first 34 games of a season beside their name.

But .300 has never been a benchmark for Helton, and finding himself just .003 shy of .400 is a neighborhood he feels more comfortable hitting in.

"The biggest thing that I've seen is the focus and the maintaining [of] a plan," Hurdle said in looking at the 114-point improvement for Helton over the same period of time from last season. "In the past, he's a guy that he wants success, he wants it right now, and if he didn't get it immediately, he might change lanes on something, try something different. He's stayed with his plan, he's stayed with his focus. He's hit the ball so well the opposite way this season, very reminiscent of what he did from '99 to '04.

"That's critical for him as a hitter. That's the one skill that he brought to the table initially. It seemed like at times for whatever reason, he got away from it, but that's definitely back in play."

Relief rarity: The Rockies' loss Friday night after leading 3-0 through six innings was the largest lead the Rockies had blown in a loss this season. The lead was down to a run after seven, and the loss marked the fourth time the Rockies have lost a game when leading after seven, as opposed to 10 wins when handing the bullpen a lead after seven.

"We've got to continue to encourage them to be aggressive," Hurdle said of the bullpen's struggle for stability. "They've got to throw low strikes, attack the hitters. Most hitters are looking for something hard, a fastball early in the count. The ability to throw a secondary pitch for strike one then work off that, stay out of the middle of the plate and stay down. That's what a bullpen pitcher's life is all about. There's little room for error."

Ramon in motion: Rockies reliever Ramon Ramirez made his first appearance for Triple-A Colorado Springs as part of a rehab assignment Friday. He pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Ramirez threw 24 pitches, using all three of his pitches. He reported that he felt fine, and he is scheduled to pitch again Sunday.

Ramirez is one of four Rockies pitchers on the Opening Day roster who are currently on the disabled list. He had not allowed a run in seven appearances for the Rockies before hitting the DL on April 21 with a sprained right elbow.

Clutch failure: The Rockies have a five-game streak going the wrong way heading into Saturday's game. In each of the last five games, the Rockies have managed just one hit with runners in scoring position. They are .132 (5-for-38) in clutch situations during that stretch and just .255 with runners in scoring position on the season, ninth best in the league.

On tap: The Rockies wrap their four-game set with San Francisco at 1:05 p.m. MT Sunday, sending right-hander Taylor Buchholz (1-1, 5.82 ERA) to the mound against righty Matt Cain (1-3, 3.40).