The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks have been one and two in the NL Wild Card race throughout the summer and are holding on as we kick off the final month of the regular season. The Rockies, however, do seem vulnerable with questionable pitching as they try and hold on to their position. Arizona, on the other hand, had a huge series sweep against the Dodgers this past week, something no other team has been able to do.
This series will be contested from Friday, September 1, 2017 through Sunday, September 3, 2017 at Coors Field in Denver.
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Pitching Matchups
The Rockies are holding a special give away to honor their hometown boy, Kyle Freeland, who will get the ball for them on Friday night.
The rookie southpaw has been the biggest bright spot in Colorado’s young rotation. While we’ve seen several guys shine for a time, Freeland’s been the best and most consistent. He’s 11-8 with a 3.81 ERA.
Interestingly, Freeland’s put up those numbers despite a 1.400 WHIP and a low 6.1 strikeout to walk ratio. He’s striking out just 1.81 per every walk. Nevertheless, he’s getting the job done, especially at home.
For most starters, it’s no surprise that his home numbers are better than on the road, but when your home park is Coors Field, it is notable. Freeland is 6-5 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.303 WHIP at home.
The lefty held this D-Backs team to one run in six innings in his only start against them this year, but that came back in April. Meanwhile, he allowed four runs and 10 hits in his last start, that coming against the Braves.
On the other side, Freeland will be matched up against Taijuan Walker.
Walker is a former top prospect that Seattle gave up on. He’s pitched well for Arizona, going 7-7 with a 3.55 ERA and 1.295 WHIP. He’s striking out more, allowing fewer base runners and has a better FIP than Freeland.
Walker has five earned runs allowed in 18.2 innings against the Rockies this season. More recently, Arizona had lost seven of his starts in a row before winnings his last two as he’s combined to allowed just one run in 11.2 innings.
As the series moves to Saturday, pitching matchup goes to a couple more experienced arms. For the Rockies, Jon Gray counts as experienced. He may be only 25-year old, but with 52 starts he’s a grizzled veteran on this staff.
Gray’s numbers are sold in the 14 starts he’s made, particularly for a Rockies’ pitcher. He’s 6-3 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.420 WHIP. He’s got a 3.35 FIP indicating he’s pitched better than the numbers. His 120 ERA+ gives indication at how good he’s been compared to the average arm.
The righty is coming off his best start of the year, holding the Braves scoreless over six innings, striking out seven. He’s now thrown three straight quality starts.
On the other side, the Diamondbacks will look to Patrick Corbin. The 28-year-old southpaw was the weak link in this rotation until his last four starts. At that point, he had a 4.76 ERA. He’s now 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA. Over his last four starts, he’s 4-0 with a single run allowed in 30.1 innings pitched. He’s struck out 29, walked five and allowed 18 hits in that time. While the Mets and Giants were his latest victims, the first two wins in this streak came against better hitting teams in the Cubs and Astros.
The series will wrap up on Sunday with a couple right-handers in Zack Godley and Antonio Senzatela.
Godley has earned his spot with a 3.29 ERA, nearly a run and a half lower than Senzatela.
Who's Hot?
After a good showing against the Mets and Giants and now topping the Dodgers, one could saw the Diamondbacks—in general—are hot. Headed into Thursday, they were 8-1 in their last nine games, outscoring opponents in that time by 19 runs.
Over the last seven days, Paul Goldscmidt and J.D. Martinez have combined to hit seven homers and drive in 12 runs. Over the last month, Goldy is hitting .324 with 11 bombs and 29 RBIs. Martinez has a .893 OPS and eight homers.
On the mound, Archie Bradley continues to dominate in the pen. In the last month, he’s allowed one runs in 12.2 innings. Fernando Rodney is 12 for 12 in save situations in that time. Holding the opposition to a .212 average and allowing only one walk in 9.1 innings, David Hernandez has been a great asset adding depth to the pen since coming over from the Angels.
The one thing we can always count on for the Rockies is the offense. Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon keep chugging along as viable co-MVP options. They’ve combined for 15 homers and 34 RBIs in August. D.J. LeMahieu, Gerardo Parra and Mark Reynolds are all swinging well. Even Carlos Gonzalez is finally starting to turn the corner. He’s batting .279 in his last 26 games.
Who's Not?
While there’s little to be upset about for D-Back fans over the last week, there are still a few struggling players.
Most of the offense is performing—at least reasonably well, but there are a few relief arms causing the club some indigestion. Most notable amongst them are: Andrew Chafin and Jake Barrett.
Chafin’s been a huge asset to a surprisingly solid relief core this year, but the pen remains the biggest concern for this team and Cafin’s recent struggles are a good example why. Over his last 13 games, Chafin has pitched eight innings, allowing 10 hits, walking seven and giving up seven runs. Barrett’s been worse. He’s allowed nine runs and 12 hits in 7.2 frames in the month of August.
Jake McGee stepping into the closer’s role temporarily and the addition of Pat Neshek have helped mitigate the struggles, but Colorado’s had issues in the pen recently, too.
Greg Holland was one of the bigger stories in the first half and a huge part of the Rockies’ early season success, but he’s 3-for-6 in save situations in August, pitching to a 13.50 ERA in 9.1 innings and has allowed four homers in that time. He’s lost command and his pitches have flattened out. Fatigue could easily be to blame given the number of appearances he’s had and the missed time.
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