The Rockies were blown out last night by the Braves which could have ended any hopes of the Rockies getting in on the mix for the trade deadline today. The Rockies are now 7.5 games out of the National League West division, and the Dodgers do not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. Even though there is still a lot of baseball to be played, the Rockies are showing no signs of life and have been inconsistent all year long. It has been a frustrating year for everyone involved with the Rockies. They went into the year with the hopes to be making a run at the division crown, but as we head into August, the Rockies are staring at another losing season and one in which they miss out on the playoffs again and fall behind further in the West. They need to make some bigger moves in order to make the team better, instead of these little player to be named later deals that the Rockies front office is so fond of. No matter what the game still goes on and the Rockies are looking at taking on the Braves tonight in game three of their four game series.
Tyler Chatwood will be taking the mound for the Rockies tonight to face off against the talented Braves lineup. Chatwood has been the biggest and best surprise for the Rockies this year. He is now 7-3 on the year with a stellar 2.48 ERA. He was brilliant in his last start against the Brewers as he went seven innings allowing six hits, two runs, no walks and struck out a career high 11 batters on the day. He picked up his second consecutive victory on the year. The seven victories is also a career high for the 23 year old, as his previous career high was six which happened in 2011 when he was a member of Angels. Chatwood has been lights out on the road this year as he has a 3-2 record with a minuscule 1.23 ERA in six games started on the road. Both of his losses on the road he has given up one earned run. He lost a game against the Dodgers in which he went the distance allowing just four hits and one run, but the Rockies lost the game 1-0 to Zach Greinke. His other loss on the road was in Cincinnati when he went four innings allowing just the one run, but was taken out of the game due to injury. Current Braves have hit Chatwood well, but he has been able to limit the damage taken against him. They are hitting .316 with six doubles and three RBI in 38 combined at bats. Surprise surprise, Freddie Freeman has had a lot of success against the Rockies pitcher as he is 3 for 6 against Chatwood with two doubles and one RBI. Chatwood will need to be careful with the Braves lineup as they have showed in the first two games of the series that they can put up crooked numbers at anytime. He will need to keep the ball low and away. The strike zone will be expanded by the Braves hitters, so Chatwood can exploit that and have a big night. Juan Nicasio failed to do this last night but Chatwood has much better command and better secondary pitches so he should have more success.
The Atlanta Braves will be sending Mike Minor to the mound tonight to face off against the Rockies. Minor is also having a great year as he has posted a 10-5 record with a 2.89 ERA. The 25 year old has been a solid option for the Braves rotation all year long and has been one of the only Braves starters to remain healthy all year. He picked up his 10th victory of the season in his last start against the Cardinals at home. He was very good in the game as he went seven innings allowing just four hits, one run, no walks and struck out five. At home this year, Minor has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.28 ERA in 11 games started on the year. Current Rockies hitters are hitting .289 against Minor with two home runs and 11 RBI in 45 combined at bats. Michael Cuddyer is 3 for 4 against him in his career with one double, one home run and four RBI. Wilin Rosario holds the other home run against him. Minor is a solid pitcher that has a great strikeout to walk ratio. He has struck out 138 batters in 137 innings and has walked only 28 on the year. He has very good command and can work both sides of the plate with ease. He could be a tough matchup for a lot of the Rockies hitters tonight.
The Braves lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Jason Heyward, CF
2. Justin Upton, RF
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Evan Gattis, LF
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Chris Johnson, 3B
7. Dan Uggla, 2B
8. Andrelton Simmons, SS
9. Mike Minor, P
The Rockies lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Charlie Culberson, 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Nolan Arenado, 3B
7. Todd Helton, 1B
8. Yorvit Torrealba, C
9. Tyler Chatwood, P
First pitch for the game tonight is slated for 5:10 PM Mountain time. The Rockies will be looking to get back on track after losing the first two games of the series to the Braves. The trading deadline came and went for the Rockies without them making any moves. This either means that the Rockies are confident in the lineup that they have, or they lost phone service and were unable to get a hold of anybody. No matter what happened the Rockies will still be on the field tonight to take on the Braves.
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