Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black could point to any number of reasons for his club’s historically poor record this season. Starting pitching might be at the top of his list.
The major-league-worst Rockies will look to snap an eight-game losing streak when they face the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon in Denver.
Atlanta is seeking a sweep of the three-game series after winning 8-2 on Tuesday for its ninth victory in its past 11 games.
The Braves pummeled Colorado starter German Marquez for seven runs on 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings.
“As good as the starting pitching was the first couple weeks, it’s faltered here lately,” Black said. “We’ve got to right the ship on the rotation first of all, to give us a chance in the early part of the game to maybe get some momentum offensively.”
Colorado has lost 16 of its last 17 games for the worst 17-game stretch in franchise history. The team’s 4-25 record ties the 1988 Baltimore Orioles and the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the worst 29-game start in the modern era (since 1901).
The Rockies will send right-hander Chase Dollander (1-3, 7.91 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. The 23-year-old rookie lost his third straight start after giving up five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a 6-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
Dollander was pulled after giving up run-scoring hits to Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez in the fifth inning.
“A couple All-Stars came back to get (Dollander in the fifth),” Black said following that contest. “What I saw today was not real good command of the outside corner to right-handed hitters.”
Dollander is set to make his fifth career start and first against Atlanta.
The Braves will counter with left-hander Chris Sale (1-2, 5.40), who allowed one run over five innings in an 8-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
The 36-year-old veteran was encouraged by the performance after entering that outing with a 6.17 ERA through five starts.
“It was good,” Sale said. “A step in the right direction. Felt like this was the first time I was able to kind of get a little bit of feel back. I’ve still got some work to do, but this was definitely a step in the right direction.”
The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner is 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA in four career games (two starts) against Colorado.
The Braves are aiming to build on their complete effort from Tuesday, when they outhit the Rockies 14-6. Matt Olson had three hits and three runs, and Michael Harris II drove in three runs.
Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy and Eli White each had two hits for Atlanta, which is 18-4 against Colorado dating to the start of the 2022 season.
Albies is off to a slow start with a .237 average, four homers and 13 RBIs, but Braves manager Brian Snitker remains unconcerned.
“(Albies) doesn’t put a lot of pressure on himself, and he has a lot of confidence and understands that this is a seven-month season and he can rattle off two great months and be right where you want him to be,” Snitker said.
–Field Level Media
