Colorado @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 12, 2018 ) Arizona 1, Colorado 5

Two teams looking to emerge from the pack in the tight National League West race meet Friday as the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies for the opener of their three-game series. The Diamondbacks trail the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers by one half-game while Colorado sits two back.

Both teams entered the All-Star break on a tear, with Arizona winning 14 of its last 19 games and Colorado going 13-3 over its last 16 contests, including a three-game sweep of Seattle last weekend. Rockies shortstop Trevor Story was named NL Player of the Week after hitting .400 with three homers and three doubles, and he continued his stellar season with a solo blast in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. The Diamondbacks have recovered from a dismal month of May (8-19) thanks in part to the resurgence of Paul Goldschmidt, who is hitting .369 with 14 home runs and 33 RBIs since June 1. “I don’t feel like we’ve hit our stride yet,” Arizona's A.J. Pollock told reporters. “We feel like the best of us has yet to come.”

TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (8-8, 4.81 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Robbie Ray (3-2, 5.03)

Marquez won his third straight start last time out, allowing two runs and five hits over six innings in a 19-2 victory over Arizona on July 11. The 23-year-old Venezuelan has posted a 1.80 ERA and 22-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio during his winning streak. Marquez owns a 1-4 record and 4.29 ERA in 10 career games (nine starts) against Arizona and has struggled to contain Goldschmidt (9-for-17, four home runs).

Ray was encouraged after allowing two runs while recording eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 5-1 loss at Colorado on July 12. “That's about as good as I’ve been all year with all my pitches,” he told reporters. “I was mixing, and me and (catcher John Ryan Murphy) got on the same page pretty quickly, and whatever he was throwing down, I was throwing it, and it was working.” Charlie Blackmon is 15-for-33 with four homers against Ray, who is 3-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 11 career starts versus Colorado.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Diamondbacks have won 13 of their last 18 regular-season meetings with the Rockies.

2. Colorado starting pitchers have posted a 2.25 ERA over 92 innings in their last 15 contests.

3. The Rockies own a 28-22 road record as opposed to a 23-23 mark at home.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 7, Rockies 3