Rockies Lineup – June 15, 2012: Francis Tries Again

The Rockies have been a complete and tragic failure in interleague play this year, and trips to Detroit and Texas are unlikely to change that. The Rangers are obviously unbeatable, but the good news is that the Tigers might not be. And sometimes this season the Rockies have been unexpectedly good against teams with a vulnerability or two. Detroit doesn’t have any holes in its lineup, and with Jeff Francis attempting to be a major league starting pitcher again, the chance that double-digit runs could score is quite high. I saw this Tigers team in New York back in April, and they can rake. Therefore, the Rockies’ hope lies with their ability to get to the Tigers’ pitcher. Casey Crosby is a 23-year-old rookie who has started only two games in the show. Of course, the minute I say that I remember how good the Rockies make pitchers like that look, such as Jarrod Parker yesterday. I predict the interleague drought continues, and painfully so.

No special lineup notes, except that in Detroit we get an extra hitter. That’s Jason Giambi (duh). I think a case could have been made for Tyler Colvin, but I’ll never argue against Giambi getting any plate time. Especially since I fear he is vulnerable in a year when the Rockies are sellers.

Dexter Fowler CF
Marco Scutaro SS
Carlos Gonzalez LF
Michael Cuddyer RF
Jason Giambi DH
Todd Helton 1B
Jordan Pacheco 3B
Wilin Rosario C
Chris Nelson 2B

Austin Jackson CF
Brennan Boesch RF
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Ryan Raburn LF
Danny Worth 2B
Bryan Holaday C

First pitch is 5:05 MDT from Comerica Park in Detroit.