Colorado @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 7, 2018 ) Colorado 5, Seattle 1

The Colorado Rockies have historically struggled to build a strong starting rotation, which makes their current surge even more surprising. Winners of five straight, the Rockies will look for another strong outing from starter Antonio Senzatela on Sunday when they aim for a sweep of their three-game interleague series against the host Seattle Mariners.

Noel Cuevas went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and Kyle Freeland tossed five innings of one-run ball in Saturday’s 5-1 victory as the Rockies (46-43) won for the eighth time in their last nine contests and moved three games over .500. Freeland’s outing continued a string of impressive performances for the Colorado starting rotation, which has posted a 1.21 ERA over the past eight games covering 52 innings. Seattle lost for just the third time in its last 12 contests despite the return of right fielder Mitch Haniger, who had two hits and reached base four times after missing the previous two games due to a bruised knee. Second baseman Dee Gordon was held out of the starting lineup with a minor hip injury but appeared as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and should be available to start the series finale.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Antonio Senzatela (3-1, 4.44 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (4-0, 3.19)

Senzatela dazzled in his first start after being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings in an 8-1 win over San Francisco on Tuesday. “He was just great, pounding the zone, throwing strikes and getting ahead of guys,” third baseman Nolan Arenado told reporters. “It was awesome.” The 23-year-old native of Venezuela faced Seattle once last season, allowing four runs over five innings in a 5-0 loss on May 31, 2017.

Hours after signing a contract extension with the Mariners last Tuesday, LeBlanc allowed one run over seven frames in a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Seattle improved to 14-3 over the 33-year-old's last 17 starts, including 13-0 across his past 13 starts at Safeco Field. Carlos Gonzalez is 5-for-16 with two home runs against LeBlanc, who owns a 2-3 record and 6.53 ERA in nine career games (seven starts) versus Colorado.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado SS Trevor Story missed Saturday’s game due to a bruised right foot, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 139.

2. Seattle optioned RHP Nick Rumbelow to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled OF John Andreoli from the Rainiers.

3. The Rockies placed Mike Dunn on the 10-day disabled list and recalled fellow LHP Jerry Vasto from Triple-A Albuquerque.

PREDICTION: Mariners 6, Rockies 3