Phillies at Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have spent a good chunk of the second half of their season battling National League East teams, and the recent success they have enjoyed against that division over that time has kept them in great shape regarding a wild-card spot. The Rockies hope to maintain their season-long domination of the Philadelphia Phillies by completing a three-game home sweep on Sunday as the teams conclude their season series.
Colorado, which will finish a stretch during which it plays nine straight games against the East with Sunday's finale, improved to 6-2 over that span after scoring all of its runs in the first three innings of Saturday's 8-5 victory over Philadelphia. The Rockies have mostly toyed with the Phillies while winning five of the six meetings, outscoring them 36-15 this season while suffering their only loss in a 2-1, 11-inning setback on May 25. While Colorado has kept a firm grip on its 5 1/2-game lead over Milwaukee for a wild-card spot, Philadelphia has maintained its hold on the worst road mark (16-41) and overall record (39-69) in the majors. Although the Phillies dropped their fifth straight contest, Daniel Nava drove in three runs in Saturday's setback and finished a double shy of the cycle.
TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, AT&T SportsNet - Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Aaron Nola (8-7, 3.16 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Jeff Hoffman (6-3, 5.38)
Nola moved within one turn of Cole Hamels' club record of nine consecutive starts in which he's allowed fewer than three runs on Tuesday, taking the loss despite yielding only two runs and eight hits over six innings versus the Los Angeles Angels. The Louisiana native has been masterful over the last 1 1/2 months, going 5-2 with a 1.66 ERA while striking out 63 in 54 1/3 frames. Nola is 3-4 with a 3.46 ERA in his nine road outings this season as he enters his first career start versus the Rockies.
Hoffman enjoyed his finest performance in nearly a month during a no-decision Tuesday against the New York Mets, allowing two runs and five hits while fanning five in six frames. The 24-year-old East Carolina product turned in his first quality start since July 3 with the effort after compiling a 1-2 record and 9.45 ERA over his previous four outings. Hoffman notched his lone win over that stretch in New York on July 16 despite permitting four runs and seven hits - including a pair of homers - over six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Since coming off the disabled list on July 7, Rockies OF Gerardo Parra leads the NL with a .443 batting average.
2. Philadelphia RHP Mark Leiter Jr. fanned nine without issuing a walk in 4 1/3 innings on Saturday, becoming the first reliever to record a nine-strikeout, no-walk appearance since Minnesota's Mark Guthrie in 1995.
3. Colorado OF Charlie Blackmon leads the majors with 99 runs and is one shy of scoring 100 for the second straight season. He also paces all hitters with 13 triples, one fewer than his combined total from the previous two years.