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The Colorado Rockies come to PNC Park for a mid-week three-game series. The Rockies have dropped their last four games and are 4-6 in their last ten. They currently sit in fourth place in the NL West 9.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Colorado is 11-14 on the road so far this season while the Pirates are 9-9 at home. Pittsburgh has a -39 run differential (6th worst in baseball) and the Rockies are at -9 (13th).
Schedule
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. — Chris Archer (1-3, 5.58) vs. German Marquez (4-2, 3.80). TV: AT&T SportsNet
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. — Pirates Starter TBD vs. Jon Gray (3-4, 4.73). TV: AT&T SportsNet
Thursday, 12:35 p.m. — Jordan Lyles (4-1, 1.97) vs. Antonio Senzatela (3-3, 4.89). TV: AT&T SportsNet
Rockies
Offense
-The Rockies have three legit hitters that can change a game in an instant- Nolan Arenado (125 wRC+, 1.5 WAR), Trevor Story (101 wRC+, 1.5 WAR), and Charlie Blackmon (128 wRC+, 0.7 WAR.
-As a team, the Rockies strike out at a rate of 25.3% of at-bats, which is second-worst in the National League. They rank 12th overall in wRC+ (81), and 7th overall in team batting average (.246)
Pitching
-The Rockies send Marquez to the mound for game one, as he faces the Pirates for the first time in 2019. Last season, Marquez had two starts against Pittsburgh, one at home and one at PNC. The April 16th start in Pittsburgh was a victory in which Marquez went six innings, allowed two hits and two earned runs. He walked two and struck out six. Then in August at Colorado, he went another six innings but this time allowed three earned runs on ten hits with two walks and ten strikeouts.
-Game two will also be the first outing for Rockies pitcher Jon Gray against the 2019 Pirates. His last three starts have been less than desirable as he’s allowed 13 earned runs in 16.1 innings. However, Gray’s K/BB ratio was 4/1 during that stretch so he may be due for a strong start.
-The rubber match will have the Rockies’ Senzatela making his eight start of the season. Through 38.2 innings pitched, the righty has a 15.1% K-rate, a 1.45 WHIP, and 1.63 HR/9. Senzatela has faced the Pirates just once, as a reliever, in 2018 and went one inning with one walk, one strikeout.