Game #134 Preview: 9/2, Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies

The La Russa Heartbreakometer

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Chase Anderson RHP, 6-5, 4.22

Jon Gray RHP, 0-0, 6.00

Ender Inciarte - LF	Charlie Blackmon - CF
Phil Gosselin - 2B	Jose Reyes - SS
A.J. Pollock - CF	Carlos Gonzalez - RF
David Peralta - RF	Nolan Arenado - 3B
Welington Castillo - C	DJ LeMahieu - 2B
Jake Lamb - 1B	Ben Paulsen - 1B
Brandon Drury - 3B	Nick Hundley - C
Chris Owings - SS	Kyle Parker - LF
Chase Anderson - RHP	Jon Gray - RHP

After rebounding well from Monday's deflating ninth-inning meltdown with a sweep of the double-header yesterday, the D-backs go for the series victory today, having already clinched the season series with the night-cap win on Tuesday. That pushed our record against Colorado to 10-5, with four games left including today. That has extended our dominance, the Rockies already being the team we have beaten most often in franchise history. We've won 178 times against them, fourteen times more than we have against the Padres. Over the past six seasons, Colorado has had the edge only once, last year, when we were 9-10.

Here's to that record continuing, even though it has mostly been powered by a very good home mark against them: we're still below .500 in Denver. But if we're going to do so, looks like we will have to do it without a certain player.

No Paul Goldschmidt in #Dbacks lineup. No street clothes in locker. Possible he may have gone home for birth of 1st child.

— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) September 2, 2015

This now appears to have been confirmed. At least Mrs. Goldie was considerate enough to schedule it around an off-day. So there'll be no Goldschmidt today, and possibly not on Friday in Chicago; the team could technically call up another player on the 40-man roster to replace Goldschmidt, but since we're already in the September expansion period anyway, there's not much point/need. Lamb gets the start at first instead, with Drury on the other corner of the infield, so it actually gives us a good way to get both of their bats into the line-up. Aaron Hill may have cracked a key two-run double last night, but he didn't exactly look great doing so, and his absence is unsurprising.

Chase Anderson has been a bit unpredictable of late. He pitched badly enough to get himself optioned to the minors, but has taken full advantage of the reprieve offered by the injury to Jeremy Hellickson, and has allowed two runs over 12.2 innings since his ticket to Reno was canceled. If he can manage something along the same lines tonight in Coors, his respite may end up being more permanent.