Series Preview – Chicago Cubs

The Cubs visit Coors Field to take on the Rockies in a three game weekend series. The Cubs struggle on the road, going 20-29 on the season, and dropped their last two games in Houston. The Rox took one of three from the Pirates and look to build on the momentum from the 9-3 win yesterday.

Probable Starters

Francis (3-3, 4.56) vs. Dempster (8-7, 3.71)

Hammel (7-6, 4.34) vs. Gorzelanny (6-5, 3.22)

De La Rosa (3-3, 5.15) vs. Silva (10-4, 3.76)

Three Questions

Can the Rox get on a roll at home? The Rox dropped 2 of 3 against the Pirates after a miserable 2-9 road trip. Can the Rox gain some momentum against the Cubs before a home set with the Giants and another road trip? The Rockies need to start winning some games soon to stay in the race, and the Cubs series is a good opportunity to do that. I think the Rox offense will heat up at home and the Rockies will take two out of three.
Which Jeff Francis and Jorge De La Rosa will show up? Francis and De La Rosa are talented starters, but have been inconsistent this year. If they can bring their A games to the bump, the Rox have a great chance to win. De La Rosa has pitched much better at home, posting a 3.99 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP at Coors Field, compared to 7.53 and 1.81 marks on the road. I think De La Rosa will continue to pitch well at home and give the Rox a chance in a tough game on Sunday.
Where will the offense come from? Carlos Gonzalez has posted an OPS of 1.047 over the last 6 games with 2 homers. Brad Hawpe has also hit 2 homers in the last 6 games, and has an OPS of 1.119 over that time. If these two can stay hot and Tulowitzki can return to his pre-injury form, this offense could be potent. I think the bats will stay hot and the Rox will average over 5 runs per game in this series, which would be a major improvement over the last two weeks.

Series to Watch

The Rockies faithful should take a look at the Dodgers and Giants series. The Giants visit Denver for a quick 2 game series next week, and are on a roll going 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Rox need to catch both of these teams in the Wild Card race. Rox fans should hope for a Giants sweep in this series, which would drop the Dodgers behind the Rockies, if the Rox can sweep the Cubs. Moving up from fourth place in the division could be a mental boost for the team going into a two game series with the Giants.

Schedule