Game #155: Diamondbacks @ Rockies

Trevor Cahill RHP, 3-11, 5.38

Eddie Butler RHP, 0-1, 10.13

Ender Inciarte - LF	Charlie Blackmon - CF
David Peralta - RF	Josh Rutledge - SS
A.J. Pollock - CF	Justin Morneau - 1B
Mark Trumbo - 1B	Corey Dickerson - LF
Miguel Montero - C	Mike McKenry - C
Chris Owings - 2B	Ben Paulsen - RF
Jake Lamb - 3B	Rafael Ynoa - 3B
Didi Gregorius - SS	Cristhian Adames - 2B
Trevor Cahill - RHP	Eddie Butler - RHP

For a while there, it looked like Cahill might be more of a threat than a help to Tankapalooza, He came back from the minors and posted a respectable 3.43 ERA over his first seven starts, with a decent walk rate of 2.57 per nine. But since then, the Cahill we expected has returned: four starts, an 0-3 record to go with a 9.53 ERA and fifteen walks in seventeen innings. With the Diamondbacks just half a game behind the Rangers for the worst record in baseball - and thus, the #1 pick in next year's draft, that's the kind of form we want to see from our starter in this afternoon's contest at Coors Field.

In case you're curious, if we finish level with wins to the Rangers this year,  we will get the first pick, based on the Diamondbacks having had a worse record in 2013 (81 wins compared to their 91). So that's an edge if things end up going to the wire. But based on the way things have been going lately, Texas having won seven in a row, while Arizona had lost its last four, there may be no need for a tiebreaker. Since the Astros automatically get the second pick, due to them having not signed their #1 choice this summer, beating Texas would be the difference between picking first and third, which is non-trivial. From 1990-2010, the average #1 pick has been worth 20.3 WAR; the #3 only 6.8. If we value a win at $5 million, that's a difference of $67.5 million between first and third.

So, go, Cahill!