Colorado @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Mar 25, 2010 ) Cincinnati 6, Colorado 10
After four days off, neither the Cincinnati Reds nor the Colorado Rockies have the luxury of easing back into the grind.
Both teams will be looking to improve their postseason chance when they kick off a three-game series at Great American Ballpark on Friday.
The Rockies have been one of the hottest teams in baseball in July, going 8-2 to pull within two games of the San Diego Padres atop the National League West. They had a chance to go into the break tied for first place but dropped a 9-7 decision to the Padres on Sunday when reliever Matt Belisle’s throwing error with the bases loaded in the eighth inning allowed two runs to score.
No matter, Colorado still has its offense humming right along, averaging nearly seven runs per game this month despite the absence of star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who has been out since mid-June with a broken wrist. Tulowitzki should be back by the end of July, however, making one of the most dangerous teams in the NL even more potent.
In Tulowitzki’s absence, youngster Carlos Gonzalez has taken over a large share of the offensive responsibilities, batting .409 with five homers and 14 RBIs in July.
The Reds lead the NL Central by a game over the St. Louis Cardinals despite dropping four in a row entering the break. The top run-scoring offense in the NL, Cincinnati had its bats quieted over the weekend in back-to-back, 1-0 shutouts against the Philadelphia Phillies.
But with All-Stars Scott Rolen, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips anchoring the attack, Cincinnati should have no problem getting back on track.
Rolen made perhaps the key play in Tuesday’s All-Star game when, with the NL trailing the AL 1-0, the veteran singled to center off New York Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes and then raced from first to third on Matt Holliday’s shallow single.
Rolen scored the tying run when Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves hit a three-run double two batters later.
Colorado was represented at Tuesday’s game by right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who was rewarded for his 15-1 first half with the starting assignment. Jimenez allowed two hits in two innings, walking one and striking out one.
If the season were to end today, the Reds would meet the winner of a one-game playoff between the Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs.
Pitching his way into Colorado’s rotation for a possible playoff series lately has been Jason Hammel, who gets the nod tonight. The right-hander has been spectacular over the last nine starts, going 6-0 with a 2.17 ERA since May 27. He is coming off a win over the Padres last weekend in which he allowed five hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings.
The Reds waited until the last minute to announce a rotation for the series and are beginning to have the problem of too many successful starters from which to choose.
Right-hander Bronson Arroyo (9-4) gets the call tonight. He has won four of his last five starts and is coming off superb outing against the New York Mets, allowing one run in eight innings.