The Diamondbacks shaked off a tough loss in the series opener by pounding out 20 hits and scoring 16 runs against the Rockies. With each team picking up a win in the first two games, this game decides the series. With the Dodgers sweeping the Mets, they’ve established a 1.5 game lead on the Diamondbacks for the NL West, so a win would only tie them for 2nd place with the Rockies. However, a win sets up a 7-1 road trip with 3 out of 3 series wins, 2 of them sweeps, and gives the team a lot of confidence going back home to Phoenix for a 10-game homestand against the Phillies, Cardinals, and Rockies.
I don’t expect a similar offensive explosion in this game as in Game 2 because a lot of the hits were ground balls hit between infielders and finding holes. Luck has been one-sided for the victor in each game of the series. What this team has shown is they’ve been able to bounce back from tough losses and win the next day. That’s a great trait for a team that has legitimate postseason aspirations and already halfway to 90 wins on the season. No batter better epitomizes that better than Brandon Drury, who had an 8-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday for him to come back and get 4 hits and drive in 6 the following day.
As they say, momentum is only as good as the guy who takes the mound the following day. The Diamondbacks will send up Zack Godley on the mound, and he’s having a terrific season on the mound. Initially Patrick Corbin's spot was due up, but thanks to the off-day on Monday, they've flipped Corbin and Godley's spots since Corbin has been horrifically bad in his career at Coors. Godley has been one of the toughest pitchers to hit against this year and the Diamondbacks have won 6 of his 8 starts. He hasn’t started a game at Coors Field, so there isn’t any realistic expectation to see how he performs. If he has good command, he’ll mow down the Rockies lineup and if he doesn’t, it’s going to be a long game for him. If the Dbacks can get 5+ innings with 3 runs or less, they should be in great shape to win with a rested bullpen.