Philadelphia @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 21, 2012 ) Colorado 4, Philadelphia 1
Cliff Lee won his last trip to the mound. Unfortunately for the plummeting Philadelphia Phillies, that was their lone victory in 11 outings. Lee and the Phillies will look to take a step toward avenging their respective porous first halves of the season on Friday when they visit the Colorado Rockies to begin a three-game series. Lee recorded his first victory of 2012 in his 14th start for the Phillies, who sit 14 games behind first-place Washington in the National League East.
The Rocky Mountains have provided a breath of fresh air for Philadelphia, which has won 11 of its last 13 at Coors Field. Colorado also resides in last place in its division - due in large part to its troubles at home. The Rockies have won just 18 of 43 games at Coors Field and just 12 of their last 35 overall.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), ROOT (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Cliff Lee (1-5, 3.98 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Christian Friedrich (4-6, 5.98 ERA)
Lee finally broke into the win column with a stellar eight-inning effort versus the New York Mets on July 4. The 33-year-old won his lone career start versus Colorado, permitting one run and striking out nine over seven sizzling innings.
After a promising start to the season, Friedrich has dropped five straight decisions - with a brutal outing in his last trip to the mound. The rookie yielded six runs in just 4 1/3 innings en route to a 6-2 loss to St. Louis on July 5. Friedrich has yet to face Philadelphia in his career, but is just 1-3 at home with an astronomical 9.62 ERA and 2.14 WHIP.
WALK-OFFS
1. Carlos Gonzalez represented Colorado in the All-Star Game, but he has struggled mightily as of late. Gonzalez, who went 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in his last two games, is just 2-for-15 in his last four contests.
2. Ace Roy Halladay made a rehab start for Class A Clearwater on Thursday. Halladay, who has been sidelined with a right latissimus dorsi strain, could start for Philadelphia as soon as Tuesday versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
3. Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino, who is the subject of trade rumors, has seen his average fall nine points to .245 after a 2-for-20 stretch.