Colorado Rockies: Arizona Diamondbacks Series Preview

As the Colorado Rockies finished their series 2-1 against the Dodgers, we look forward to their series against the struggling Diamondbacks. The Rockies are 8-5 against the D-Backs this season and look to continue that success. To do this though, the Rockies will have to do so without their Diamondback killer, Trevor Story, for the first time since these two clubs last met. Story was not doing quite as well against Arizona in the last few appearances, but this is the team that Trevor Story showed the world who he was by mashing home run after home run. Here are a few things to think about as we continue the home stand.

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The first of September is here, so here come the minor leaguers for the Colorado Rockies

This is a fun time of year where each major league team is allowed to expand their everyday roster from 25 to 40. Teams can choose whether or not they want to fill all of these spots at any one time, but they do have the option to let some good minor league players take a hack in the big leagues. This could be an exciting time for some good Rockies prospects such as Tom Murphy and Raimel Tapia who are highly respected and have been waiting for their name to be called to join the big leagues.

This is a good opportunity to not only see what young talent is on your team that is not really in contention for a playoff spot but also for other teams, such as Arizona. The Rockies are also in one of those spots as well, where if they can find themselves on a good run, they could possibly compete for the final Wild Card spot, making these games even more important for any rookies they plan to call up for the month.

Nolan Arenado still cannot miss.

It has been a treat to watch Nolan Arenado play all season, but as of late, it seems like he comes through every at-bat. He leads the league in RBI’s and is tied for the National League lead in home runs. There’s no better time to pad those stats than at home where he is hitting the majority of his extra-base hits and seems more comfortable. The Diamondbacks have also given up the most runs against (742) in all of Major League Baseball to date making this series that much more intriguing for a red hot Arenado.

Stephen Cardullo is a whole lot of fun to watch.

In his first five games in the majors Cardullo is 4-10 with two home runs and five RBIs. His first series against the Nationals may not have earned him a hit, but he made good work of the Dodgers going deep twice, one of which cleared the bases full of Rockies. I hope the Rockies continue to give the kid (note he is 29 years old) a lot more chances to prove himself at first base.

Stephen Cardullo of the Colorado Rockies — Aug 31, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Stephen Cardullo (65) reacts to his grand slam in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

First base is a position the Colorado Rockies have struggled to maintain a solid starter since Mark Reynolds went on the 15-day DL. Reynolds is healthy once again, so it would be nice to see the two share time at first and give Cardullo more chances to show what he has in front of the home crowd.

Is the competition for starting catcher heating up?

The Rockies may very well bring up their top catching prospect and their 10^th best prospect in their farm system, Tom Murphy, as the season winds down. This could be fun to see some competitive starts fighting for a starting job before the Rockies go into the offseason and start position competition back up in Spring Training. Hopefully this will spark some fires in regular every day starters to play that much better to prove they belong on the main 25-man roster for the rest of the season and going into 2017.

Next: Rox Pile Roundtable: 40-Man Rosters for the Colorado Rockies

After a disappointing series finale against the Dodgers, look for the Colorado Rockies to bounce back against a team that they have had success against this season and hopefully continue to put an onslaught of runs on the board. We can only hope that this time if we have an 8-2 lead in the 8^th and an 8-5 lead in the 9^th with 2 outs, that the bullpen can be relied on to shut the door. Look for the Rockies to bring some fire from that loss and hopefully pull a weekend sweep of the snakes.

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