Colorado @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2010 ) Colorado 3, Arizona 2
The Colorado Rockies had big expectations for the 2010 season. Unfortunately their offense isn’t doing them any favors.
The Rockies will be looking to keep their slim hopes alive when they open a three-game series against the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
Picked by some to represent the National League in the World Series this season, Colorado looked as though it would make good on those dreams when the club surged into the All-Star break within two games of the division lead.
But the second-half surge that the Rockies have become accustomed to in the past has yet to materialize, replaced instead by a swoon that now has them 11 games behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West and six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild card race.
Colorado has not been able to get any consistency out of its offense since the All-Star break. The team was shut out for the fifth time this month on Thursday, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers - the second time they were shut out in the three-game series.
They managed two hits against Ted Lilly while striking out 11 times.
Carlos Gonzalez has been one of few bright spots for Colorado’s offense this season - briefly thrusting himself into the NL MVP discussion - but even he has fallen on hard times of late, going 2-for-14 with four strikeouts in his last four starts and failing to homer in the last eight games.
The Rockies will give the ball to swingman Esmil Rogers on Friday. Bouncing back and forth from the minors to the majors and from the bullpen to the rotation this season, the 25-year-old Rogers will be making his third start in a row for Colorado.
Called back up on Aug. 8, the Dominican right-hander has been shaky in his last two starts, allowing eight runs - seven earned - and 17 hits in 11 2/3 combined innings while going 1-0.
Rogers pitched a scoreless inning of relief against Arizona on May 27, walking one and striking out a batter.
The Diamondbacks will counter with right-hander Ian Kennedy. The 25-year-old USC product has been up and down in his first season with Arizona, but is coming off a strong start at Washington in which he allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven in seven innings to pick up the win.
That outing snapped a stretch of four straight starts in which Kennedy had allowed at least four runs. He has had eight starts this season with four earned runs or more and 10 where he has surrendered two runs or fewer.