Diamondbacks at Rockies
The battle for National League West supremacy takes on a head-to-head feel this week, when the Colorado Rockies host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series beginning Tuesday. The Rockies entered the week with a narrow lead over the Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the three teams own the three best records in the NL.
Colorado is on a five-game winning streak but is merely the second-hottest team in the bunch, with the Diamondbacks coming into the series 5-0 on its current eight-game road trip and riding a string of seven consecutive wins and 10 of 11 overall. The Rockies nearly had their winning streak come to an end on Sunday before Nolan Arenado completed a cycle with a walk-off home run in a 7-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. "He's an All-Star player," Colorado manager Bud Black told reporters of Arenado. "He's one of the best players in the game. He's capable of doing these things, no doubt about that. And he's been swinging well. That's the thing. His at-bats today, his at-bats yesterday, his at-bats the last couple of days have been solid." Trying to stop Arenado on Tuesday will be Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke, who goes up against Rockies righty German Marquez.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, ROOT Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (8-3, 3.00 ERA) vs. Rockies RH German Marquez (5-3, 4.19)
Greinke failed to make it through six innings in either of his last two starts and was charged with five unearned runs on five hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings at Detroit last Tuesday. The 33-year-old owns 104 strikeouts in 90 total innings and is limiting opponents to a .222 batting average. Greinke was solid in a pair of starts against Colorado earlier this season, going 1-0 while yielding a total of five runs in 13 innings and striking out 16.
Marquez failed to make it through six innings in any of his last four starts but is coming off a win at Pittsburgh on Wednesday in which he allowed one run and four hits in five frames. The Venezuela native surrendered one or no earned runs in five of his last seven outings. Marquez struck out eight in six scoreless innings at Arizona on April 30 but was not as sharp against the Diamondbacks on May 5, when he was knocked around for five runs in six frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. Diamondbacks CF A.J. Pollock (groin) began a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday and is expected to stay at Triple-A Reno as he ramps up his activity level this week.
2. Rockies SS Trevor Story is 5-for-9 with two home runs in the last three games.
3. Colorado LHP Jake McGee allowed three earned runs in two innings over his last three appearances, lifting his ERA from 1.32 to 2.15.