Chicago @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 30, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 2, Colorado 17
With their offense now decidedly out of its lengthy slump, the Colorado Rockies look like they’re back to being a dangerous team.
The Rockies will be looking to continue their offensive explosion when they host the Chicago Cubs again on Saturday.
Colorado managed a total of 17 runs while losing eight straight games over the past week and a half - a slide that dropped the Rockies all the way to nine games out of the NL West. But the bats came alive in snapping the streak on Thursday, putting up nine runs in a pasting of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A return home on Friday night did even more good, when the Rockies looked like locks for a second consecutive win as they carried a 5-2 lead into the eighth. Looking to close out the win, Colorado set a major league record with 11 straight two-out hits in the frame and a franchise record with 13 total. As a result, the Rockies piled on 12 runs in the inning to turn a close game into a 17-2 rout.
Ian Stewart and Dexter Fowler each hit two-run homers in the inning and every batter recorded at least one hit. Troy Tulowitzki doubled twice and drove in three runs in the frame and Clint Barmes and Melvin Mora each recorded two hits as well.
Now eight games back of the San Diego Padres in the NL West, Colorado can maintain a glimmer of hope and hang on to most of its players through the trade deadline on Saturday afternoon. After all, the Rockies have used late-season surges to advance to the playoffs in 2007 and 2009.
Looking to snap his own losing streak for the Rockies will be right-hander Jason Hammel. The 27-year-old seemed to be emerging as a complement with Ubaldo Jimenez on the Colorado staff lately. Hammel went 6-0 with a 2.17 ERA during a nine-start stretch from May 27 until the All-Star break.
But like the rest of the team, the post-All-Star landscape has not been quite as bright, as Hammel has lost his last three starts while posting a 5.49 ERA.
Most of Hammel’s success this season has come from his ability to keep the ball in the zone and on the ground, but he has matched a season-high by issuing three walks in each of his last two outings. He walked 25 batters in his previous 97 1/3 innings this season.
The Cubs will counter with left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, who has been on fire since moving back into the rotation on June 30 - replacing Carlos Zambrano. With Zambrano back with the club now, it doesn’t look like Gorzelanny is in danger of losing his spot, going 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA in his last five starts.
Gorzelanny has never had much success against Colorado, however, owning a 1-2 record with a 10.80 ERA in three starts.
Chicago has lost three straight and will be without manager Lou Piniella for the rest of the series due to a death in the family.