Colorado @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 29, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 3, Colorado 9
The Colorado Rockies won't be lacking for motivation when they open a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night at PNC.
Sure, the Rockies are fighting for their playoff lives, sitting 5 1/2 games behind San Francisco in the National League wild-card chase.
So a letdown against the NL's worst team is not an option - especially with the memory of a recent three-game set still fresh in the minds of Colorado.
Pittsburgh went into Coors Field at the end of last month and took the first two games of the series, extending the Rockies' losing streak to eight games and nearly burying their postseason hopes.
Colorado has recovered nicely from that debacle, winning five of their last six to stay within hailing distance of San Francisco, and now would be as good a time as any to inflict payback on Pittsburgh.
Ace Ubaldo Jimenez gave the Rockies a nice send-off Wednesday, shackling the Giants on one run and four hits in seven dominating innings to pick up his major league-best 17th victory.
That also tied a franchise record for single-season wins held by three other pitchers, including today’s starter Jeff Francis.
The left-hander from British Columbia missed the first six weeks of the season while building up his strength following shoulder surgery that cost him the entire 2009 season, but he appears to be rounding into form.
Francis is 2-0 in his last three starts, allowing just four runs and 13 hits in 18 innings. He had a cakewalk last time out as the Rockies stomped the Chicago Cubs 17-2.
Expecting similar run support tonight would be a bit too greedy, but Francis probably would be content to have Carlos Gonzalez keep swinging a hot bat.
Gonzalez launched a pair of home runs in Wednesday’s win over the Giants - his 22 and 23 of the season - and has gone deep six times in the last seven games. It was also his fifth multi-hit game in the last seven contests, during which he is batting .500 (15-for-30) with 10 RBIs.
The Pirates are going in the opposite direction since their last matchup with the Rockies. They have lost six of their last seven games, getting outscored 49-16 in the process.
Wednesday’s 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds was a dubious defeat for the Pirates, who became the second team in the majors and first in the NL to reach 70 losses.
James McDonald (0-1), just acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, will make his second start of the season and just the sixth of his career tonight.
Ironically, two of those starts came against the Rockies in a seven-day span in April 2009. The right-hander surrendered five runs and eight hits with seven walks and four strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings.