After dropping the first game of the double header to the New York Mets, the Colorado Rockies will get revenge sending Jorge De La Rosa to the mound.
For the Colorado Rockies, it has been a tale of two seasons. When manager Clint Hurdle was fired, the Rockies were 10 games under .500 at 18-28, 14.5 games out of first place in the NL West, and nowhere close in the Wild Card race.
Since then, under the management of Jim Tracy, the Rockies are 36-18 heading into today’s action and find themselves 7.5 games out of first place in the NL West and just a half game out of the NL Wild Card spot. The Rockies have been playing inspired baseball as a team, but tonight’s starting pitcher has been another tale of two seasons.
From April 11 to May 31, Jorge De La Rosa compiled a personal record of 0-6 in 10 starts, and the Rockies as a team were 2-8 in those 10 trips to the mound.
From June 5 on, De La Rosa has started in 10 games with considerably more favorable results, putting together a personal record of 8-1 while the Rockies went 9-1 over that stretch.
In his last six games, De La Rosa has been fantastic; 40.1 IP, 2.23 ERA and 35 Ks en route to six straight wins. Over that stretch he has given up two runs or less in four of the six outings, and has struck out at least five in every game.
This will be just the seventh start of Jonathan Niese’s career, and the first time he has faced the Rockies. In three starts this year, Niese is 1-0 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.
After being shut out in the first game of today's double header, I expect the Rockies bats to respond in a big way in the second game and extend on De La Rosa's six game winning streak.
The Pick: Colorado Rockies -132