Rockies Head to Arizona for Pivotal 3-Game Series vs D-Backs

• The Diamondbacks sit a half-game behind the LA Dodgers for NL West lead
• The Rockies are 2 games behind the Dodgers and 2 games ahead of the Giants
• Watch Game 1 of the three-game series Friday, July 20th at 9:40 PM ET from Chase Field

The Colorado Rockies travel to Chase Field to play the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series. First pitch of Game 1 is set for 9:40pm EST.

Each club will be looking to move up the standings as they both chase the L.A. Dodgers and their newest All-Star Manny Machado.  

With Machado, the Dodgers are the clear front-runners for the NL West. The Diamondbacks and Rockies will likely be vying for a Wild Card spot, or the couch come October.

The Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks had a six-game lead in the NL West on May 1, then went 32-36 after that. Their pitching staff is currently 16th in the league for the ERA. That’s a huge drop in performance, as last year they were 3rd.

The Diamondbacks have 21 series left in the season, with 17 against playoff contenders, and seven versus division rivals. A string of losses could swiftly move the team out of contention.

The Diamondbacks will need Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Patrick Corbin, and Zack Greinke to continue to play at high levels. The rest of the team will need to get gritty and elevate their play if the Diamondbacks are to stay in contention.

Robbie Ray gets the start against the Rockies. The left-hander’s first start after coming off the DL was a good one (two hits and zero earned runs in six innings), but has struggled since. In his last three starts, Ray has a 7.36 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP.

The Rockies

The Rockies entered the All-Star Break on a tear, going 13-3 with wins over the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Giants.

The Diamondbacks are 6-3 in the season series against the Rockies, but the Rockies have won the last two games 19-2, and 5-1. The Rockies will play the Diamondbacks ten more times this season. If the last two games are a preview of the final ten, the Rockies may have a chance at the playoffs.

The Rockies starting rotation entered the break with the leagues 7th best WAR. However, the bullpen has been one of the league’s worst. The Rockies starting rotation will need more support from the pen if they are to make a run.

Colorado will continue to rely on Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story offensively. Arenado leads the Rockies in BA, HR, and RBI, while Story has been a nice surprise this season.

Trevor Story of the #Rockies, whose 68 RBI are the most ever by an NL shortstop in the first half, just knocked in another with a solo homer off Charlie Morton. It's the fourth bomb of the game, all solo shots. https://t.co/3aYUa8xiDl

— Eddie Matz (@eddie_matz) July 18, 2018

Right-hander German Marquez will take the mound for Game 1. Marquez allowed two runs on on five hits for the win against the Diamondbacks on July 11.

Team Stats

Opening Odds

Rockies vs Diamondbacks Score Prediction

This game has playoff implications, so expect a playoff atmosphere. I take the home team to start their home-stand with a win.

Diamondbacks 4 – Rockies 3.

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