Rockies at Phillies
The Colorado Rockies have been extremely generous to the tune of surrendering 85 runs en route to losing eight of their last 10 to fall below .500 for the first time since April 11. The Rockies (32-33) aim to stop the bleeding Tuesday when they begin a six-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series versus the Philadelphia Phillies (33-30).
"Pitching is paramount to winning, and these last 10 games or so, we haven't pitched well as a group," Colorado manager Bud Black told reporters after watching his starters permit 15 hits and a 9.00 ERA in the weekend's series sweep at the hands of Arizona. Trevor Story had a stellar series against the Diamondbacks, pushing his hitting streak to five games after going 7-for-12 with three homers, six RBIs and three runs scored. While the Rockies boast a 21-14 mark on the road, the Phillies improved to 20-11 at Citizens Bank Park after snapping a four-game skid with Sunday's 4-3 triumph over Milwaukee. Rhys Hoskins returned from a fractured jaw to launch a three-run homer Saturday before driving in two runs in the series finale versus the Brewers.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountains (Colorado), NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jon Gray (6-6, 5.66 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola (7-2, 2.35)
Gray streaky season continued as he improved to 2-0 in his last three starts after allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings of Wednesday's 6-3 victory at Cincinnati. The 26-year-old's recent strong stretch comes on the heels of a two-game skid in which he permitted 11 runs on 19 hits - and that string answered a three-game winning streak in which he yielded a total of one run in 20 innings. "When he's been good, he's been really good. When he's been bad, it's been tough to watch," general manager Jeff Bridich told MLB.com. "We need him to step up. This is his third full season at this level. There are still lessons he's learning. But he's no longer a young kid in this league, at this level. He needs to step up, and we need to help him find a way to become more consistent."
Nola overcame a season-high four walks and was in line for the win Wednesday before the bullpen spoiled his six-inning performance by allowing a grand slam in the ninth of a 7-5 setback to the Chicago Cubs. The 25-year-old looks to continue his dominance at Citizens Bank Park, where he sports a 5-0 mark with a 1.94 ERA while limiting the opposition to a .209 batting average. Charlie Blackmon is 3-for-4 with three doubles against Nola, however the hurler has subdued the rest of the current crop of Rockies (3-for-17, eight strikeouts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia CF Odubel Herrera is 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts in his last three contests.
2. Colorado OF Carlos Gonzalez likely will return to the starting lineup after sitting out two games with a rib injury.
3. Phillies 2B Cesar Hernandez has five hits in his last three contests and five runs scored in his last six.