LOS ANGELES -- The latest move of Todd Helton in the Rockies' batting order -- from fifth, where he was for 15 of his past 16 starts, to second for Tuesday night's game against the Dodgers -- was less a news story than a strategic move.

On July 22 at Arizona, manager Clint Hurdle switched Helton out of the third spot for Garrett Atkins, an acknowledgement that Helton had been supplanted as the Rockies' best hitter. Helton accepted the change as an idea to help the team win, not a blow to the ego.

The Rockies went 9-7 after Helton dropped to fifth, but they've averaged 3.25 runs per game and been held to three or fewer runs 10 times. The idea of dropping Helton didn't work, partly because cleanup man Matt Holliday has been up and down.

So Hurdle felt another move was in order. As expected, Helton didn't use his longtime star status to fight the move.

"Nobody's going to complain about it, and if they did, it'd be utterly selfish," Hurdle said. "The only guy I needed to talk to was the guy with the most seniority and the guy that was making the move. I am moving Helton, and we talked.

"The first thing he said to me was, 'I'm all for scoring runs.'"

The new lineup begins with the top five players in on-base percentage. Jamey Carroll remains in the top spot, followed by Helton, Atkins, Holliday and Brad Hawpe, who moves from sixth to fifth.

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba, the biggest run producer lately, bats sixth, followed by Clint Barmes and Cory Sullivan.

"I've thought about this a number of times when I've made switches with personnel," Hurdle said. "You've heard me say over and over again, it takes courage to have patience. Well, the number of games left is dictating the amount of patience I can have in certain areas.

"Not that it's a panic move by any means, but we're going to try something different and see how it plays out. Far be it for me to try it two weeks from now, and then it works and say, 'Oh, my goodness. What did I miss?'"

It's the first time Helton has hit second in the order since Aug. 29, 1999, against Philadelphia for then-manager Jim Leyland, the last of his 24 previous career starts in the two hole.

"He said, 'You're batting second.' I said, 'OK,'" Helton said. "I'm happy with it."

Helton said he will not tailor his mental approach to the second spot.

"I think about enough stuff that doesn't work," said Helton, batting .287 with 12 home runs, nothing like past standards. "[Hurdle] told me not to bunt. That's about all. I'm either trying to drive a guy in or get him over, anyways -- same as hitting anywhere."

Strategic shift: The Rockies' use of the sacrifice bunt, a strategy they've employed more than any team in baseball, should be curtailed a bit by the move. A large percentage of the time, when Carroll reached base, the Rockies would have Barmes or Sullivan bunt to advance him.

The strategy has sparked reaction ranging from debate to outright criticism. No matter the philosophy regarding the use of a sac bunt, the Rockies' .221 average with two out and runners in scoring position suggests that preserving outs might be the way to go.

Hurdle is big on executing such plays, but said the new lineup precludes that.

"I'm all about making fans happy, all about winning popularity polls and all those kind of things," Hurdle said, before breaking up with laughter at his own sarcasm. "You know where that fits on my list. I'm well aware of the fact you can't make everyone happy.

"I'm trying to make our organization and our fans happy by trying to find a way to score more runs."

Matsui moving forward: Infielder Kaz Matsui is getting consistent playing time at Triple-A Colorado Springs after recovering from a back injury that cost him more than a month. Matsui homered to lead off Monday night's game against Albuquerque, and batted .389 (14-for-36) in his last 10 games through Monday.

Matsui was obtained from the Mets for utilityman Eli Marrero on June 9. The Rockies have instructed Sky Sox manager Tom Runnells to play Matsui primarily at shortstop to get him accustomed to making all types of plays, but the Rockies could use him at short or second if they promote him.

Runnells told a reporter in Colorado Springs that he asks Matsui about his health daily, and so far, so good. Matsui also has a vigorous daily exercise routine.

"I think he's feeling much more comfortable offensively -- with every at-bat, he seems to get a little better," Runnells said. "He obviously has a world of talent. Defensively, he's getting more comfortable each day, too, with the positioning and the throws he has to make."

Don't think, throw: Right-hander Manny Corpas compiled a 0.99 ERA in 42 Minor League games before the Rockies called him up on June 17, and since giving up a run in his debut, he has thrown eight scoreless outings.

Corpas, 23, pitched out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in Monday night's 7-2 loss to the Dodgers, and has done well against traffic.

Corpas has stayed simple, relying mainly on his fastball. Many young relievers get into trouble by going away from the fastball at the first sign of trouble, but Corpas has shown no signs of that. Corpas has a nice slider and is learning when and how to use it, but not at the expense of the fastball.

"He's not one of those guys that's going to deviate from the catcher," Rockies bullpen coach Rick Matthews said. "More importantly, he trusts his stuff. He knows why he's here."

Next up: Left-hander Jeff Francis (9-9, 3.55 ERA) will start against Dodgers right-hander Derek Lowe (9-7, 4.15) on Wednesday at 8:10 p.m. MT.