The Colorado Rockies aim for a three-game sweep against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field Wednesday afternoon
Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs
Colorado moved its record to 16-7 on the season and 10-3 on the road with a 4-3 victory against Chicago Tuesday night. Veteran first baseman Todd Helton was placed in the No. 3 spot due to resting the slumping Carlos Gonzalez, which paid dividends with his first two-homer game since 2007. “He left no doubt with the second one,” manager Jim Tracy commented. “He didn’t hit it into the basket. He hit it up into the bleachers.” If the Rockies complete a sweep of the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon, they’ll match the 1997 record of 17-7 through 24 games for the best in club history. Colorado is 7-2 in day games this season and 74-47 under the sun the last three years.
Rockies starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin is 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in four starts this season and is coming off his first loss of the season. The young right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in just five innings of work against the Marlins on the road last time out. Chacin will be making his 20th career appearance (12 starts) on the road Wednesday, posting a 5-7 mark and 3.04 ERA. He has tallied a 3-1 record and 2.57 ERA in five career games (four starts) in the month of April. In three previous appearances (two starts) versus today’s opponent, Chacin is an even 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA, allowing hitters to hit for a combined .200 average.
Chicago is now 3-5 in its first eight games of its current 10-day, nine-game homestand against Los Angeles, San Diego and Colorado. The Cubs are 8-4 following losses this season and is the only big league club to have neither a winning streak nor losing streak longer than two games this year. Many baseball experts are pointing out that the club may be having trouble with consistency this season due to the April weather in the Chicago area. “I talked to a couple guys, it’s not easy to play here, especially in April,” said outfielder Alfonso Soriano. “You have to be patient. That’s not the key right now, we have to win games and score some runs.” Chicago is 6-9 at home this season and 88-89 over the past three years.
Cubs starting pitcher Casey Coleman will make his fourth start of the season and brings in an even 1-1 record and 7.43 ERA. During the 2010 campaign, the youngster compiled a 4-2 mark and 4.11 ERA in 12 games (eight starts) with the club after an August 2 call-up. He made his first career start against the Rockies just less that two weeks ago at Coors Field, tossing 5.2 innings of one-run, four-hit ball.
Bettors will likely back the Cubs due to posting a 20-7 record following a loss, while the Rockies are 3-11 in their last 14 games at Wrigley Field.
