Series Preview: Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates

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Jul 19, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman N. Arenado (28) doubles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies continue their road trip and face a very good Pittsburgh Pirates team in western Pennsylvania for a three-game set over the weekend.

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Against all odds, the Colorado Rockies won a series in Atlanta against the Braves this week. The Braves aren’t particularly good, but they’re certainly better than the Rockies… and yet, Colorado caught them at just the right time twice this year to go 6-1 in seven games against Atlanta.

Now, the Rox take on the Pittsburgh Pirates beginning Friday night at PNC Park in western Pennsylvania. The Pirates are pretty damn good, and quickly gaining on the National League-best St. Louis Cardinals in the Central Division.

So… don’t count on the same thing happening in Pittsburgh that just did in Atlanta.

Anyways, here are your probable pitchers, followed by some keys to the series for the Rockies, and some information on the Pirates.

DATES, TIMES, AND PITCHERS (all times MT)

Friday, August 28, 5:05 pm
Jon Gray (0-0, 5.94) vs. Francisco Liriano (9-6, 3.23)

Saturday, August 29, 5:05 pm
Chris Rusin (4-6, 4.97) vs. J.A. Happ (6-7, 4.21)

Sunday, August 30, 11:35 am
Jorge De La Rosa (7-6, 4.61) vs. Charlie Morton (8-5, 4.20)

Next: Series Keys For The Rockies

Jul 19, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder C. Gonzalez (left) is greeted by third baseman N. Arenado (28) after Gonzalez hit a two run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Series Keys For The Rockies

Is CarGo healthy?

Carlos Gonzalez sat out the final game of the Atlanta Braves’ series with right knee soreness (as did Nolan Arenado, though his day off was just a day of rest, rather than injury).

CarGo has been dealing with knee soreness for a couple weeks now, so hopefully he’s healthy enough to play the series in Pittsburgh, thanks to double days off on Wednesday and Thursday.

Obviously, the Rockies could use his bat in the lineup against Francisco Liriano and J.A. Happ on the first two nights of the series.

Which pitcher is which?

Both Jon Gray and Chris Rusin have shown Jekyll and Hyde tendencies lately; both threw well in their second-to-last starts, but each struggled in their most recent starts at home. Now, which one will show up on the road?

Jorge De La Rosa is (thankfully) almost a guarantee at this point to go 6+ innings and keep the Rockies close enough in a game, but Rusin and Gray are both still working to find their consistency during a tough stretch.

Good bullpen, keep it up!

The Rockies’ bullpen has thrown scoreless innings in four straight games now — the first stretch of its length all season! Can they keep it up in Pittsburgh and give the starters a chance to win some games.

Sadly, we know how this will likely go, but, well, let’s just be optimistic for a day or two?

Next: Let's Meet The Pittsburgh Pirates

Jul 20, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher J. Locke (49) pitches to Colorado Rockies left fielder B. Barnes (1) during the fifth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the second-best record in the National League and third-best in all of baseball.

They’ve been playing pretty well lately, going 16-7 in August before their game Thursday evening against the Miami Marlins.

All that’s to say that this likely won’t be a very easy series for the Rockies in Pittsburgh, so it’s all the more important that the Rox won the series in Atlanta to salvage at least some of their pride on this road trip. Find a way to win one game in Pittsburgh and, hey, a 3-3 trip isn’t that bad.

Let’s meet the Pirates, who the Rockies will then see later in September for a three-game series at Coors Field:

Charlie Morton flounders in 5-2 loss to Marlins (Rum Bunter).
This matters because the Rockies will see Charlie Morton in Pittsburgh this weekend. Morton didn’t go deep into the game, and allowed five runs on eight hits against a relatively light-hitting team. The Rockies typically don’t hit at all on the road, but it’s good to know they won’t be facing pitching quite as good in this series as they had in, say, New York and Washington.

Reviewing the Pirates’ season since the All Star break (Rum Bunter).
This will catch you up a bit on what’s been happening to the Pirates since mid-July.

What does Jordy Mercer’s return mean for the Pirates? (Rum Bunter).
Jordy Mercer is now healthy again for the Pirates after missing several weeks with a knee injury. Mercer may not start a ton for the Pirates right now, but as Rum Bunter notes, he gives them a solid bench option and a good defender in the late innings for flexibility in close games. Think of him like a Jamey Carroll (remember him?) or even a Jonathan Herrera type of player when those two were in their peak with the Rockies.

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