Arizona Diamondbacks Get Set To Host Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks will get set to host the Colorado Rockies in a NL West matchup. Colorado will look to claim the top spot in the standings, while Arizona will look to get themselves back on the win column.

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Colorado (10-8) is coming off a weekend against the San Francisco Giants in which they split two games and saw the rubber match get postponed. Arizona (8-10) has saw their early season momentum come to a screeching halt as they were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Offense has come at an absolute premium with Arizona only being able to score 2 runs in 3 games over the weekend. The Diamondbacks will feature their promising young righty in this series, but will need to provide their starters with much more run production if they want to get back on track.

Apr 15, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Chase Anderson pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Monday

ARI- Chase Anderson (0-0, 3.00 ERA, 16 K) vs COL- Tyler Matzek (1-0, 2.40 ERA, 10 K)

Chase Anderson’s win column is one of the casualties caused by low run support. Anderson is coming off his 2nd straight quality start when he held the Texas Rangers to 1 run over 7 innings. However, it was also his 3rd straight no-decision.

Tyler Matzek last pitched against a 5 inning, 2 earned run, no decision effort against the San Diego Padres. Matzek is a left handed pitcher and will allow manager Chip Hale to throw in as many right handed batters as possible.

First pitch at 6:40 MST

Apr 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Archie Bradley (25) pitches during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday

ARI- Archie Bradley (2-0, 1.45 ERA, 12 K) vs COL- Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 6.85 ERA, 18 K)

One of baseball’s best kept secrets returns to the mound on Tuesday. Bradley is coming off a 6 inning, 1 earned run, victory over the Texas Rangers. Archie Bradley will look to continue his pleasantly surprising start to the season and add his name among the NL West aces.

After a stellar Opening Day outing, Kendrick has been throttled in his last three starts. Kendrick has allowed 18 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings. If the Diamondbacks are looking to bust out of their slump, here’s an opportunity to do so.

First pitch at 6:40 MST

April 17, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Josh Collmenter (55) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 9-0. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday

ARI- Josh Collmenter (1-3, 3.65 ERA, 10 K) vs COL- Jordan Lyles (2-1, 2.92, 14 K)

Josh Collmenter will look to get back on the win column after taking the loss against Pittsburgh. Collmenter provided a quality start but his offense couldn’t provide much. Collmenter does have a complete game shutout on his 2015 resume against San Francisco.

Jordan Lyles has started off the 2015 campaign in modest fashion. Most recently was an outing that saw him get to the 7th inning while only allowing 1 earned run and receiving the victory. Of the three Colorado starters that Arizona will see, Lyles has surrendered the most walks.

First pitch at 6:40 MST

What to look out for

Competition

Apr 19, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock (11) makes a diving catch against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Diamondbacks have had competition for playing time among their outfielders as well as middle infielders. For the outfielders, the crowded room has provided with excellent offensive results. For the middle infielders, not so much.

Ender Inciarte and AJ Pollock have taken advantage and are the forerunners for starting outfield positions alongside Mark Trumbo. Inciarte and Pollock are co-lead the Diamondbacks with 22 hits this season. With a couple of right handers on the schedule, David Peralta will look to get back in the race.

A sluggish start by Nick Ahmed at shortstop has opened the gate for Aaron Hill to get some playing time. However, Hill (.156 AVG), isn’t faring much better than Ahmed (.125). So another door gets opened for Cliff Pennington. By the way Chris Owings (.226 AVG) isn’t running away with a starting gig either.

Offensive Firepower

This week’s opponents, the Colorado Rockies, carry a reputation of being a heavy hitting team. Sure, playing at Coors Field will help elevate some batting averages, but this squad has some serious bats. The Rockies lead the National League in batting average (.279) and are second in slugging percentage (.454).

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have to hit their way out of their slump out of necessity in order to keep up with Colorado. The problem could only escalate if the Rockies hitters are able to chase the Diamondbacks starters early and start working on the struggling bullpen.

Who to look out for

Apr 24, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Ender Inciarte (5) singles in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Ender Inciarte- One of the pleasant surprises for Arizona, Inciarte has thrived with the higher level of competition thrown at him. He’s currently leading the Diamondbacks with 22 hits. Inciarte sports .319 average and the possibly the most impressive stat of all is that in a team-leading 69 at bats, he’s only struck out 3 times.

Paul Goldschmidt– The Gold One had a rough series against Pittsburgh, going 1 for 9. However, he still leads Arizona with 5 home runs, 14 runs, 16 RBI and 14 walks. He’s even stolen three bases. Look out for Goldschmidt, a serious bounce back candidate.

Troy Tulowitzki– The face of the Colorado Rockies has started 2015 on a great note. Tulo is hitting .303 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. He’s the centerpiece of the Colorado offense and the first player on the gameplan of Anderson, Bradley and Collmenter.

DJ LeMahieu– It’s a young season but don’t tell that to LeMahieu enthusiasts. The second basemen currently leads the Majors in batting average with an impressive .419. There’s little likelihood that maintains but hitting at the bottom of the order, LeMahieu can easily set the table for the top of the order.

Why it’s important

Apr 26, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Yasmany Tomas (24) at bat during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Anytime you meet a divisional opponent, you have to take advantage. Sure, it’s still April and there’s plenty of games still to be played. However, with the level of competition that the NL West will bring, the Arizona Diamondbacks will take whatever they can from divisional opponents. If they have any postseason aspirations, they’ll have to keep pace.

With both lefty pitchers and righty pitchers in the series, the Diamondbacks will have the opportunity to further evaluate the talent that is worthy of being in the show ans which still needs seasoning. A potential platoon at third base between Yasmany Tomas and a returning Jake Lamb will put the pressure on the middle infielders to perform or risk demotion.

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