Mickey Moniak could be heating back up as the Colorado Rockies head into the decisive game of a three-game series against the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon.
Moniak had three hits and five RBIs while barely missing a cycle on Wednesday in Colorado’s 10-4 win. He has hit safely in three consecutive games after an 0-for-8 mini-slump that followed an 18-game hitting streak.
The outfielder at the forefront of a strong effort from Colorado’s hitters, who broke out and gave the Rockies a glimpse of what their lineup can do when it’s clicking.
Right-hander Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.35 ERA) gets the start on Thursday for the Rockies, who will try to earn their first series win since April 24-26. Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3, 4.50) is expected to follow lefty opener Mason Montgomery (1-0, 2.87).
Moniak leads the majors with a .693 slugging percentage and ranks second in the big leagues with a 1.051 OPS. His 12 home runs are tied for third in the National League.
Entering the Wednesday game, Moniak hit .208 with no home runs, no RBIs and 10 strikeouts during his previous seven games. Then he came within a single of hitting for the cycle on his 28th birthday, including a tiebreaking home run in the fifth inning.
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said, “Mickey has been right there with the big swings. The three-run homer was huge tonight, but he just keeps taking big swings for us.”
The key for Colorado on Wednesday was getting contributions from its lineup besides Moniak.
TJ Rumfield also had three hits, including a solo home run, and three other players had RBI hits.
Colorado’s Jake McCarthy also had the first unassisted double play by a left fielder in the big leagues since 2013. He charged in on a sinking line drive from Bryan Reynolds, caught the ball, then jogged to the infield and stepped on second to double off Oneil Cruz, who had rounded third base thinking it was a single.
Dollander, who has never faced the Pirates, has struggled with his command over his past two outings. He walked a combined eight in those games, including five against the Phillies on Friday. Dollander gave up two runs on three hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings during a no-decision at Philadelphia.
Mlodzinski is coming off a quality start Friday in San Francisco, where he allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks over six innings despite registering only one strikeout. He took the loss as the Giants beat the Pirates 5-2.
The 27-year-old South Carolina native struck out 10 in his prior outing but allowed five runs against the Cincinnati Reds. Mlodzinski is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four career appearances, including one start, against the Rockies.
Mlodzinski showed more confidence in his fastball against the Giants and threw it more even after facing the opponent’s lineup the second time through.
He could use more consistent outings as he tries to hang on to a rotation spot. But regardless, the Pirates would benefit from improved results from Mlodzinski whether in a starting role or out of the bullpen after Jared Jones returns from the injured list.
“When you struggle the second or third time through the lineup, you think you need to change something,” Mlodzinski said. “I think (Friday) it was us hammering back down on what we’re throwing is working, so we don’t need to change it just because it’s the third time I’m seeing these guys.”
–Field Level Media
