Atlanta @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2010 ) Atlanta 4, Colorado 5
The Colorado Rockies look to gain a little more ground in the race for the National League wild card when they face the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
With Monday’s 5-4 win, the Rockies are now six games back of the Philadelphia Phillies, while Atlanta stands 2.5 games ahead of the Phillies in the NL East.
Todd Helton was Monday’s hero, going 4-for-4 and singling home the game-winning run in the eighth inning. It was his first four-hit game in over a year and it looks like he’s finally coming around just when Colorado needs him.
Helton is hitting .257 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 85 games this year, but has seven hits in his last 13 at-bats.
The Rockies would really be in business if they could keep Helton on a hot streak. Their five runs on Monday was the first time they managed more than four in a game since the middle of last month, before they hit the road on their six-game road swing at the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively.
Helton and the Rockies will be up against Derek Lowe (11-11, 4.32 ERA) on Tuesday. Helton is 15-for-45 against Lowe lifetime.
Lowe has only won two of his last 10 starts, giving up at least three runs on four occasions over that stretch.
The 37-year-old right-hander went seven innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out six in 7-2 loss against the Washington Nationals last week. Lowe has won four of his last five starts against the Rockies, posting a 2.14 ERA.
Meanwhile, the Rockies will call upon Jorge De La Rosa, who has had some tough luck lately. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his last six starts, but has just two wins to his credit over that stretch.
He held Los Angeles to a pair of earned runs over seven innings last week and ended up on the wrong end of a 2-0 decision.
Atlanta, which has won nine of its last 14 games, is still waiting for first baseman Derrek Lee to settle into his new Braves uniform. Lee was 0-for-4 Monday with three strikeouts and has only two hits since coming over from the Chicago Cubs late last week.
Braves rookie right fielder Jason Heyward continued his strong freshman season with three more hits on Monday. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is hitting .269 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs this year.