Colorado @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( May 27, 2013 ) Colorado 2, Houston 3

The Colorado Rockies on Monday began a portion of their schedule which should provide them a solid opportunity to continue contending in the National League West. It won't do any good, though, if they don't win the games. The Rockies visit the Houston Astros on Tuesday and hope to erase the thought of Monday's 3-2 loss in 12 innings to the Astros when they were 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Colorado plays 10 of its next 13 games against teams below .500 - including nine at home.

The Astros, who have the worst record in the American League at 15-36, snapped a three-game losing streak and are 3-4 on their eight-game homestand. Houston has a major league-high 5.37 ERA, but constantly pitched out of trouble and held the National League's highest-scoring team (4.8 runs per game) in check. Jorge De La Rosa has won his last four starts and gets the ball for Colorado on Tuesday. He will oppose Jordan Lyles, who is coming off his best outing of the season.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Houston

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (6-3, 3.40 ERA) vs. Astros RH Jordan Lyles (2-1, 5.40)

De La Rosa battled through a season-high 103 pitches in his last outing, constantly working out of trouble in Colorado's 4-1 victory over Arizona on Wednesday. He yielded one run, six hits and walked two in 5 1/3 innings. In his prior start, De La Rosa allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings against San Francisco in the Rockies' 10-9 victory. The 32-year-old Mexico native began his winning streak by allowing five hits in 13 scoreless innings over a pair of starts.

Lyles was expected to break camp with the big club, but a poor spring training landed him with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was recalled May 2 and has pitched poorly only once in five starts. The 22-year-old South Carolina native, who was 7-20 in 45 games (40 starts) with Houston in 2011 and 2012, yielded one run and six hits in a season-high six innings in a 3-1 victory over Kansas City on Wednesday. Right-handed batters are hitting .327 against Lyles.

WALK-OFFS

1. Brandon Barnes won Monday's game with a ground-rule double. It came against Rockies LHP Wilton Lopez, who was pitching in his fourth straight contest.

2. Houston's J.D. Martinez tied a franchise record with five strikeouts Monday.

3. The Rockies and Astros continue their four-game series Wednesday at Coors Field in Denver.

PREDICTION: Rockies 6, Astros 2