The standings indicate the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies are at the bottom of their respective divisions as the teams prepare for their three-game series starting Friday in Pittsburgh. However, the two squads are coming off respectable showings against division leaders.
Colorado ended a four-game series against the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers with a 9-5 loss Thursday. Still, the Rockies split the series and won five times during their eight-game homestand.
Brenton Doyle went 2-for-3 with four RBIs in Thursday’s matinee, including a 442-foot two-run homer, his 13th of the season. The center fielder has been one of the game’s hottest batters since the All-Star break, hitting .395 (34-for-86) with six homers and 19 RBIs.
Since July 18, Doyle’s average has jumped from .201 to .244.
“He is just in a really good place, and that’s a good feeling in this game,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said.
Colorado will start Antonio Senzatela (4-14, 7.00 ERA) Friday. The 30-year-old has been roughed up by the Pirates in his career. In five games (four starts), the right-hander is 0-2 with a 17.76 ERA over 12 2/3 innings.
He didn’t survive the first inning against Pittsburgh on Aug. 1 as he gave up eight runs on seven hits and got just two outs. Despite the visitors putting up nine runs in the opening frame, the Rockies managed to win 17-16.
Senzatela went on the injured list the following day with blister issues on his right middle finger. He returned last Sunday to throw five shutout innings of four-hit ball, but he did not get a decision in the 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Pittsburgh beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 on Wednesday to take two of three games from the American League East leaders. Tommy Pham’s two-run double in the first inning helped the Pirates claim their first series victory since sweeping the San Francisco Giants in late July.
At 37, Pham still ranks as one of the Pirates’ best players despite being the second-oldest on the roster. Among qualified batters, the outfielder is second in average (.263), on-base percentage (.335) and OPS (.709).
Pham played in two of the three games in Denver at the beginning of the month. Colorado won twice while Pham only went 2-for-10 (though he scored three times). His two-run homer helped Pittsburgh salvage the series finale.
Braxton Ashcraft (3-2, 3.02) will make his fourth start of the season for the Pirates on Friday. The rookie, 25, tossed a season-high five innings and allowed just one run on three hits but did not get a decision in the 3-2 victory.
Ashcraft suffered the loss in the Aug. 2 game versus the Rockies, who rallied to win 8-5. The Pirates pitcher surrendered three runs on five hits across two innings of relief.
Friday may also mark the debut of Bubba Chandler, currently MLB’s top-rated pitching prospect. The Pirates are expected to officially call him up prior to Friday’s game.
They plan to use him in relief for now, but he could earn a start before the end of the season. Interim manager Don Kelly noted that’s similar to how the team brought up Ashcraft.
“To have (Chandler) in a situation like that… and get feedback from the major league game is going to be really important for him and for us,” Kelly told MLB.com.
–Field Level Media
