Colorado @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 21, 2013 ) Arizona 5, Colorado 4

Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa is pitching pain-free and is loaded with confidence, not a good combination for those who have to face him. De La Rosa will look to continue his mastery of Arizona when the Rockies visit the Diamondbacks on Thursday to begin a four-game series. De La Rosa is 7-3 with a 2.23 ERA against Arizona - including six shutout innings in Colorado's 4-3 victory on Saturday - and his Tommy John elbow surgery in 2011 is a distant memory.

The Rockies were poised to sweep the Diamondbacks in a three-game series last weekend in Denver, but Arizona rallied for two runs in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory Sunday. That began a stretch of three straight losses for Colorado, which snapped the slide with a 6-5 victory over Atlanta in 12 innings after improbably extending the game with two runs off closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning. Arizona returns to Chase Field for a seven-game homestand after a 4-5 road trip ended with a 3-2 victory in 10 innings at San Francisco on Wednesday.

TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Colorado), Fox Sports Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Jorge De La Rosa (2-1, 2.82 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Trevor Cahill (0-3, 3.60)

De La Rosa has a string of 17 consecutive innings over three quality starts going back to a 4-2 loss at San Francisco on April 8, when he allowed a three-run homer to Hunter Pence in the first inning. The 32-year-old Mexico native has 17 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings with a WHIP of 1.03 and a batting average against of .200. Cody Ross has the most experience against De La Rosa with seven hits in 24 at-bats, with two homers, five RBIs and five walks.

Cahill said his trademark sinker escaped him when he yielded four runs (three earned) and six hits in seven innings in Saturday's loss. The 25-year-old Oceanside, Calif., native pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings in his previous start, when he earned a no-decision in Arizona's 1-0 victory over the Dodgers on April 14. Cahill is 1-4 with a 5.30 ERA in six career starts against Colorado. Cahill has kept Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez (combined 4-for-17) in check.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado (14-7) didn't win its 14th game in 2012 until its 35th contest.

2. Arizona manager Kurt Gibson assured reporters that J.J. Putz remains the closer despite blowing three saves in six chances. Matt Reynolds got the opportunity in Tuesday’s game and earned his second straight save Wednesday after David Hernandez blew his chance.

3. Colorado leads the majors with a .280 batting average, .473 slugging percentage and an .809 OPS.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 3, Rockies 2