 | Josh Collmenter RHP, 9-8, 3.18 |
|  | Jason Hammel RHP, 7-13, 5.15 |
|
Ok, back to work (for most), and back to regularly-scheduled baseball start times today i.e. an evening game in Colorado. Arizona has now won 12 out of its last 13, and must fancy its chances against the mediocre Hammel, who allowed no less than sixteen base-runners in less than six innings, the last time he saw Arizona, on July 23rd. More of the same this evening would be a big step toward 13 of 14. It will be the fourth time Collmenter has seen the Rockies, but the ERA for each one has progressively dropped, so the theory that teams do better the more often they see him doesn't seem proven, at least against Colorado.
- Ryan Roberts 3B
- Aaron Hill 2B
- Justin Upton RF
- Miguel Montero C
- Paul Goldschmidt 1B
- Chris Young CF
- Gerardo Parra LF
- John McDonald SS
- Josh Collmenter RHP
I like this line-up a lot, and hopefully, it'll be close to the one we see in the post-season - McDonald for Willie Bloomquist is likely a bit of a wash, but the major boost is that JM does not get to bat lead-off. Otherwise, maybe swap Hill and Parra, but the way the former has been hitting of late, I've no real issues with him near the top of the order. Over his last five starts, Collmenter has not allowed more than two runs, with a 1.97 ERA in that time. That's pretty stellar numbers for a man who wasn't on the radar as a rotation candidate in spring training. Feeling hopeful, but not likely to be about much, so play nice.