Philadelphia @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 26, 2010 ) Colorado 4, Philadelphia 5

If the Colorado Rockies have any realistic shot at the National League wild card this season, a win against the Philadelphia Phillies would certainly help.

The Rockies will be looking to make up some ground when they play a makeup game against the Phillies on Thursday.

Philadelphia looked like it was in some trouble when it lost four in a row at home against the Houston Astros last week. The road has proven to be a more comfortable place for the Phillies, who have gone 5-1 against the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The surge has allowed the Phillies to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the wild card race.

Colorado dropped a 2-1 decision at San Francisco on Wednesday to fall five games behind Philadelphia.

While losses on the road have been commonplace for the Rockies this season, the friendly confines of Coors Field have been much safer, as the team owns the best home record in the majors at 43-21. That record is the main reason Colorado is still clinging to playoff hope.

After the game against the Phillies on Thursday, the Rockies head to San Diego for three games before coming back to Coors Field for a 10-game set. They'll enjoy another seven-game homestand at the end of the month.

Joe Blanton will get the nod for the Phillies on Thursday. The veteran right-hander has been strong of late, going 2-0 in his last three starts while allowing a total of four runs in 19 1/3 innings and striking out 19.

Blanton’s continued success is a big key for Philadelphia, whose pitching situation gets rather murky after the top three of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.

Blanton beat the Rockies back on July 26, yielding two runs and six hits in six innings at Citizens Bank Park. He has never pitched at Coors Field.

Colorado will counter with its own hot starter in right-hander Jhoulys Chacin. The 22-year-old Venezuelan has earned the win in each of his last two starts while surrendering a total of one run and seven hits in 14 2/3 innings, striking out 16.

One of the Rockies’ top prospects for the last couple of years, Chacin has bounced back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation to fit the team’s needs in 2010. He made a relief appearance against the Phillies on July 23, striking out two in 1 2/3 hitless frames.