Colorado Rockies series preview: Rockies stay in SoCal, take on Los Angeles Angels

The Colorado Rockies will stay in L.A. to take on the Los Angeles Angels after a tough loss to the Dodgers Sunday that handed the Rockies a 2-1 series loss. The Rockies are heading to Anaheim to face a more evenly-matched opponent. Both, the Rox and the Halos are 5-5 in their last 10 games.

For the first game of the series Rockies ace, Germán Márquez, is set to start for the Rockies in the series opener. Marquez (8-7) enters the series with a 3.50 ERA. Through the last seven games, he has allowed 31 hits, 15 earned runs, and a solid 44 strikeouts. Marquez holds 119 strikeouts on the season. He is also only 14 strikeouts away from tying Ubaldo Jimenez for third on the Rockies all-time list.

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The Colorado Rockies will send Austin Gomber to the mound for game two.

Left-hander Austin Gomber is set to take the mound in game two of the series. The start will be his second since he was on the IL for just over a month with a forearm strain. In his first start off the IL, he went six innings allowing three hits and three runs (all solo homers). With that, he improved his record to 7-5 and now, his ERA on the season is 3.74.

Chi Chi Gonzalez is set to take the mound for the third and final game of the series in Anaheim. Gonzalez has had his share of struggles again this season. He currently holds a 6.06 ERA and has three wins and six loses. Over the last seven games, he’s carried an ERA of 6.51, allowing 44 hits, 27 earned runs, and an uninspiring 22 strikeouts. There’s no surprise that Rockies fans would like to see better, but the five-year veteran has struggled since his major league debut season in 2015 when he held an ERA of 3.90. Gonzalez hasn’t held an overall ERA of lower than 5.29 in any season since then.

We’re excited to watch these two well-matched teams and see how they stack up against each other. With Angels All-Star outfielder Mike Trout out with a strained calf and slugging third baseman Anthony Rendon being out of the lineup with a strained hamstring, we hope to see the Rockies pitching deal some heat from the mound and rake through the lineup.

Winning the first game of the series could be the most crucial for the Rockies to take the series. They will face Angels ace Shohei Ohtani so it will be a difficult task. I think the Angels will put up a good fight but the Rockies will win game one by a small margin. There’s no doubt that the Rox will definitely be looking to gain some momentum with a series win before extending their west coast road trip as they head to San Diego after the series in Anaheim.

My prediction: Colorado Rockies win the series 2-1.