Rockies Lineup – June 4, 2012: Battle for Third

Coming into 2012, a lot of people thought the Diamondbacks were the favorite to win the NL West. They were coming off a surprisingly successful season, in which Kirk Gibson managed them to substantially more winning than anyone expected. Because nobody else in the division did enough in the offseason to pose a significant threat, it seemed likely that the D-backs would triumph yet again. And now? Well, they’re in third place, thanks to a lot of mediocrtiy. And they’re also just a game and a half ahead of the Rockies, who are coming off a hot homestand. Is this the series when the Rockies finally assert themselves and move decisively into third place? Let it be so.

A few items of note: After straining his knee during Saturday’s game against hthe Dodgers, Juan Nicasio has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, and Guillermo Moscoso has been called up from Triple A.Moscoso has not been especially super so far this season: in the two starts he’s been allowed, he’s lasted a total of 9 1/3 innings and given up 12 runs. Nicasio he is not. However, desperate times … And speaking of desperate times, the Rockies also have expressed interest in Jeff Francis, who just turned down a minor-league deal from the Cincinnati Reds. Now, nobody loves JF more than me; he is actually my favorite Rockies pitcher of all time. If we get him again, just for nostalgia’s sake I’ll be thrilled. And his upside is that he has pitched A LOT at Coors Field, so we already know how he does there, as opposed to all these randoms we’ve taken on. His downside is that Coors Field record: in 6 seasons with Colorado, he never posted an ERA below 4.00, and only twice was it below 5.00. Like I said, love him – but that sounds a lot like the pitchers we already have.

And now on to today’s lineups. Nothing hugely out of the ordinary except the usual shakeup in the wake of Troy Tulowitzki‘s groin strain. The Diamondbacks have no major injuries to speak of, though Miguel Montero is not getting the start tonight, likely due to his left-handedness.

Dexter Fowler CF
Marco Scutaro SS
Carlos Gonzalez LF
Michael Cuddyer RF
Todd Helton 1B
Jordan Pacheco 3B
Wilin Rosario C
DJ LeMahieu 2B
Christian Friedrich P

Willie Bloomquist SS
Aaron Hill 2B
Justin Upton RF
Paul Goldschmidt 1B
Chris Young CF
Jason Kubel LF
Ryan Roberts 3B
Henry Blanco C
Joe Saunders P