Milwaukee @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 15, 2011 ) Milwaukee 0, Colorado 4

THE STORY: The Colorado Rockies have traditionally made their move in August or September, extracting maximum excitement through the final weeks of the season. But after a quick jump in April and a slow fade through the following months, the Rockies have found themselves below .500 early in the second half and with some decisions to make about being buyers or sellers at the fast-approaching trade deadline. With two straight wins out of the All-Star break, it looks as though the team is trying to make management choose the buying rout. The Milwaukee Brewers asserted themselves as buyers last winter and again at the All-Star break. Now all they have to do is win. The Brewers will be looking to snap a two-game slide when they visit Colorado again on Saturday.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.16 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Zack Greinke (7-3, 5.45).

Greinke had an odd first half, striking out 99 batters and issuing only 16 walks in 74 1/3 innings, but also yielding 11 home runs and posting a 5.45 ERA. The former American League Cy Young Award winner completed seven innings only once in his last four starts heading into the break and at the very least should have enough stamina for a deep playoff push. Greinke went six innings against Colorado on May 20, striking out nine and yielding four runs in a no decision. Chacin was one of the pleasant surprises for Colorado in the first half, holding the rotation together at the top as Ubaldo Jimenez struggled and Jorge De La Rosa went down with an injury. The 23-year old Chacin lost his three starts heading into the break, though he did pitch well at Washington on Sunday, allowing one run on four hits in seven innings. Chacin has never faced Milwaukee.

ABOUT THE ROCKIES (45-48): Several teams are circling Colorado, waiting for a slump that will take it out of contention and make pieces such as Seth Smith, Ryan Spilborghs, Ian Stewart and Rafael Betancourt available. But the Rockies don’t seem to want to sell at the trade deadline, instead coming on of late and creeping back within shouting distance of .500. A schedule that includes four against the wild card-leading Atlanta Braves and a nine-game road trip through Arizona, Los Angeles and San Diego is waiting to potentially sink Colorado, but a pair of wins to start the second half has them looking up. After breaking out the bats in a 12-3 thrashing Thursday, the Rockies leaned on the pitching staff Friday and got seven scoreless innings from Juan Nicasio en route to a 4-0 victory.

ABOUT THE BREWERS (49-45): Milwaukee long ago announced that it was “all-in” this season, emptying the farm system for Greinke and Shaun Marcum and hanging onto Prince Fielder despite his impending free agency. A tightly packed race in the National League Central is making things difficult. The two losses to the Rockies have dropped the Brewers out of first place, one-half game behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Fielder and Nyjer Morgan were the only players in the lineup to record hits Friday.

FINAL PITCH: Milwaukee made the first big move of the trade season by acquiring veteran reliever Francisco Rodriguez from the New York Mets over the All-Star break. The team revealed Friday it had restructured Rodriguez’s contract, turning a vesting option for games finished into a mutual option. The restructured deal essentially allows the team the freedom to use Rodriguez in whatever role they choose without having to worry about a $17.5 million option kicking in.